3 Future Car Technologies & Their Impact on the Auto Tech Industry
These new technologies, including the following three, will impact how auto technicians train and work on vehicles.
Energy-Storing Body Panels
The automotive industry is certainly making an effort to be environmentally conscious. Electric and hybrid cars are becoming more popular, and companies are developing technology to save fuel and stay green. One such technology is body panels that can store energy. Batteries in hybrid and electric cars take up a lot of space and are fairly heavy. These new body panels would reduce that weight and allow energy to be stored throughout the entire car when it’s charging. Companies such as Toyota are even looking into body panels that can capture solar energy.
Exxon Mobile predicts that by 2040, half of the new cars coming out of production will be hybrids. These energy-storing technologies will influence auto technicians to stay on top of these energy-efficient trends.
These new body panels will put a whole new spin on collision repair and body work, since these panels will be made from much different material. To be successful, auto technicians will have to be well-versed in regular body maintenance as well as energy-efficient body maintenance.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is a display function similar to Google Glass that would be included as part of a car’s windshield. Imagine being able to see turn-by-turn directions through your windshield instead of looking down at a GPS. It also would allow you to see exactly how far away an object is and immediately reroute your driving path to avoid a collision. BMW has been experimenting with these windshields to further enhance driving.
BMW has also thought about augmented reality with the auto technician in mind. The company is working on augmented reality glasses for mechanics that would allow them to look at an engine and see through the glasses what areas need to be fixed. Augmented reality technology would also provide technicians with step-by-step onscreen instructions showing how to make a repair.
External Airbags
Airbags have always been evolving throughout the interior of cars. But companies such as Mercedes are working to implement airbags that deploy on the exterior of cars to keep them from being damaged. Using technology to identify an impending accident, these bags would deploy to help stop and cushion cars.
These airbags will create a whole new line of work for auto technicians. The more cars that use them, the higher the demand will be for mechanics who know how to work on them. Every time one of these airbags needs to be deployed, a mechanic will need to reinstate them and make sure the bags will do their job the next time they’re needed. And if this technology comes to fruition, drivers will be less cautious knowing that their car can withstand minor collisions, meaning these airbags will be deployed frequently require more maintenance.
If you’re interested in the future trends of the automotive industry and want to learn more about how to make a career out of your passion, then the Automotive Training Center is the place for you. Visit our website to request information about our specialized programs and career opportunities for the automotive high-performance technology graduate.
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