10 Technologies Our Cars Should Have By Now

Yea, I have a comment, move that "Driving Line" over about 2 feet to the left cause too many boneheads think that the center of the lane is where their ass should be sitting instead of where the center-line of their car belongs. Really, since it's so hard to make the adjustment just add a driving line and keep it off-center just for them.
 
#10 should be #1. there is not one single thing holding this back other than backwards car maker leadership. All the technology is here now and it would actually be cheaper to build cars this way.
 
Actually, I sort of take this back.

Don't have the car try to tell you where you should be driving, instead project a line for you that tells you "where" you are going to be driving based on your steering, this way you see your current course "plotted" and projected out there so you can see when and how you need to adjust. This way even those boneheads I mentioned above have an opportunity to see how they are getting it wrong.
 
#4 won't work so well for slow city driving.

#3 The heat isn't a complete waste, most cars use it to heat the passenger compartment. Besides, I'm not sure any of those engines are going to fit in a Prius sized car, I think they would have a hard time getting them to fit in my Challenger.

And I had to edit #1.
From 1.) Replace The Check Engine Light With Real Warnings

To 1.) Replace The Check Engine Light With Real Warnings that;
1. Below Average people can understand.
2. Average people can understand.
and
3. Above Average people can't misunderstand.

:p
 
The only one on that list that I would actually like is the photochromatic windows or electrically controlled tint via the light sensor that most cars use nowadays for automatic headlights. Especially the electrically controlled tint since you could have the tint go pitch black when the car is turned off.

The rest of the ideas just don't seem like they would do much of anything. Even replacing the check engine light with an actual code or a description won't do anything for the 99% of drivers that treat their car like a Magic Black Box.

Facial Recognition is worthless, many car companies already do better by having the car recognize the key fob being used and adjust based on which fob is in the driver's seat. Less room for error is mus-identifying twins, doppelgangers or a photo.
 
#2 will never happen because too many people will scream "government intrusion!", although something like Waze occurring in real time would be great.

#1 OMFG YES! My car is usually fine, however the few times something has happened I had to pull out my fucking owners manual to find out what the hell that symbol means. Oh oil change is coming up? Why not have something that says "Change Oil", my tires are under inflated? How about "Low Tires" instead of (!). I mean an OBD scanner can be had for what? $10-20, have that shit permanently attached to the computer in your car, and have the diagnostics codes user friendly, i.e. instead of saying the code, have an index of what the codes mean.
 
My car has always lacked a rocket launcher.

I want the "network of cars" to identify assholes who think weaving in/out at +30mph over limit is fun and good.

Then I want cars with rocket launchers to take that car out.
 
http://i.imgur.com/jO9v67o.png

Since 1997 Corvettes have had keyfobs that have unique preferences. You have more than one keyfob, so the seats, mirrors, HUD, and everything automatically adjust.

Projected driving line as they are showing it is stupid. Your driving line needs to be IN YOUR LANE, not drifting between lanes so you can speed through a corner at unsafe speeds.

For a turbine generator instead of a gas one, I asked the same question ages ago when hybrids were first hitting the scene. The answer at the time at least was that turbines have shitty efficiency and emissions until they warm up. Piston engines are also pretty simple and inexpensive, which is the reason just about every portable power generator you'll find at Lowest or online is a simple four-stroke piston engine.

Using exhaust heat for work is called a turbocharger, and has been around literally for 110 years now.

The biggest problem we have is with electronics and infotainment systems, as the manufacturers all want to make proprietary overpriced bullshit to keep you from using mainstream market leading products. There is no need to have a headunit in 2015 for example, since even a simple $100 tablet can perform those functions just fine, utilizing an external amplifier. In its place we need a simple blank space for a universal mount for anything from smartphone size up to say a 10" tablet, and audio can stream over bluetooth.

That also solves the problem of dummy lights vs real error codes, as that information an simply be pulled onto the tablet as I already do with a bluetooth OBD2 plugin talking to an android tablet.
 
I would settle for a driver concentrated on driving the car and not their phone/newspaper/eating/makeup or whatever. People do way to much other shit when they should do nothing but driving.
 
Steve said:
Jalopnik's list of the "10 Technologies Our Cars Should Have By Now has everything from self-tinting windows to projected driving lines. What tech do you think should be in cars already?
Click to expand...

My check engine light as been on for years. Everytime I take it in they don't know what to do (and that's across multiple shops), though I'm sure the dealer would figure it out...but it would be nice to have it give us the real problem. Then again, I'd like that with computers, but I don't it there either.
 
nilepez said:
My check engine light as been on for years. Everytime I take it in they don't know what to do (and that's across multiple shops), though I'm sure the dealer would figure it out...but it would be nice to have it give us the real problem. Then again, I'd like that with computers, but I don't it there either.
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Just buy a obd2 scanner/reader get the error code and figure it out.
 
What I think cars should of had by now:

1) A talking computer that I can have a conversation with

2) A turbo button that magically increases the speed of your car

3) Ejector seats

4) A cool, red, wavy light on the front of the car

5) Some way to make your car leap over obstacles
 
Trimlock said:
What I think cars should of had by now:

1) A talking computer that I can have a conversation with

2) A turbo button that magically increases the speed of your car

3) Ejector seats

4) A cool, red, wavy light on the front of the car

5) Some way to make your car leap over obstacles
Click to expand...

inspector gadget? is that you?
 
rudy said:
#10 should be #1. there is not one single thing holding this back other than backwards car maker leadership. All the technology is here now and it would actually be cheaper to build cars this way.
Click to expand...

No. That would likely cause me to look at a different brand/model of car
I don't want some mount, likely designed for an iPhone sticking out of the middle of my dash.
My phone normally stays in my pocket, all I need to Bluetooth to connect it for the rare call.

Now if they want to use Bluetooth to allow me to run a few android apps like Google maps on a screen built into the dash, then that might be useful instead of the over priced & out of date Nav unit that comes with most cars.
 
lcpiper said:
#4 won't work so well for slow city driving.
Click to expand...

Actually this would be great for city driving. You have an electric car, but instead of putting in huge, expensive batteries to give it a 200 mile range, you put in a much smaller, cheaper battery with a 50 mile range to handle your commute or in city driving. Then you put in a small very efficient engine and gas tank to charge the battery (range extender) when you have a longer drive. Even if the range extender is too small to power the car at freeway speeds, you just need to sit in a parking lot for a little while (maybe eat lunch) while the battery charges. This way you are never stuck looking for a place to plugin.

What they need is a user adjustable setting for when the range extender comes on. Normally you might only charge the battery when it get below 15%, however, if you have a long drive you might set it to keep the battery at 95% so it's always trying to give you the most range.

This is different from hybrids & plugin hybrids, in that they have a connection between the engine and the wheels, where the gas engine can directly drive the tires.
 
nutzo said:
No. That would likely cause me to look at a different brand/model of car
I don't want some mount, likely designed for an iPhone sticking out of the middle of my dash.
My phone normally stays in my pocket, all I need to Bluetooth to connect it for the rare call.

Now if they want to use Bluetooth to allow me to run a few android apps like Google maps on a screen built into the dash, then that might be useful instead of the over priced & out of date Nav unit that comes with most cars.
Click to expand...

For people like you, you can pay the extra 2k for the technology package I don't understand why you would be against this when you last scentance clearly shows you know how bad car makers are with software. The gps on a phone is always better than the junk in a car that alone is why car mounts are so heavily used, when phones progress cars don't or the car company wants you to buy a brand new car. Sorry I have had too many cars that do crappy blue tooth implementation. Example my current car doesn't support text messaging over blue tooth. Next years model does but they wont upgrade me even though the cars are nearly identical. And of course I have no way to send the gps display to my car. Am I going to go buy a new car for this? Nope, people upgrade phones every 2-4 years. Cars typically much longer than that. The whole point is the built in mount would not stick out of your dash it would be built in, and there would probably be adapters for popular models. Unlike now where there is no where in many cars to stick a phone or tablet with out getting in the way of some dial or knob. On top of all that with a phone you have choice with a car maker you get what ever run of the mill junk GPS they bought from nokia or whom ever and good luck with updates. sometimes the clowns want you to pay.

On your last paragraph once again same stupid problem they will only support the most popular apps for you and after a year or 2 they will say screw you buy a new car if you want support or updates since your apps broke.

Car makers are not software makers and that's why they suck at it and will never ever be better. They constantly make the most moronic decisions on earth. Another funny thing about my current car, I specifically looked for a USB port built into the car, when I bought the car it turned out the stupid USB port didn't actually charge phones it could only be used for data lol WTF thinks of this stuff? So they sold some stupid adapter to get power and data. Car makers need to give up and let the tech companies take care of tech. This is what apple had to force the phone companies to do in order to get any app dev traction for the same reasons. Those people will never ever be smart enough its impossible. And even if one was it probably would be the company that makes a car you don't like for some other reason like reliability or performance.
 
Semantics said:
Just buy a obd2 scanner/reader get the error code and figure it out.
Click to expand...

I don't recall what the exact error was, but apparently it's fairly generic. I've taken it for 30 and 60k checkups and in both cases they didn't solve the issue. Maybe I'll take it to the dealer at some point, but for now, I'll live with it.
 
Trimlock said:
What I think cars should of had by now:

1) A talking computer that I can have a conversation with

2) A turbo button that magically increases the speed of your car

3) Ejector seats

4) A cool, red, wavy light on the front of the car

5) Some way to make your car leap over obstacles
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like the Mach 5
 
Trimlock said:
What I think cars should of had by now:

1) A talking computer that I can have a conversation with

2) A turbo button that magically increases the speed of your car

3) Ejector seats

4) A cool, red, wavy light on the front of the car

5) Some way to make your car leap over obstacles
Click to expand...


Don't forget the ability to turn tight corners at 200MPH without so much as making any skidding sound, or bending the car.
 
I guess no one told them the most important feature should have been a microphone and karaoke machine :D

dumbasses
 
Most of those things don't exist because they could 'distract the driver' and cause "deep pocket" driven lawsuits.

The fact someone could mention Turbine Engines and Cars and sidestep mentioning Chrysler reminds me what kind of biased little bitches those guys are.
 
nilepez said:
I don't recall what the exact error was, but apparently it's fairly generic. I've taken it for 30 and 60k checkups and in both cases they didn't solve the issue. Maybe I'll take it to the dealer at some point, but for now, I'll live with it.
Click to expand...
It's just really something all car owners should have so you don't shell out 70 bucks to take it to someone to check the car and just get told your fluid levels were too low in a cold start. True those error codes in more expensive cars could easily be displayed else where but we all know manufactures don't care to change the status quo.
 
Semantics said:
It's just really something all car owners should have so you don't shell out 70 bucks to take it to someone to check the car and just get told your fluid levels were too low in a cold start. True those error codes in more expensive cars could easily be displayed else where but we all know manufactures don't care to change the status quo.
Click to expand...

OBDII is built around DOT/Safety regulations. Access to the required codes is what generic scanners can read. Cars have codes and info well beyond the adaption of obdII 20+ years ago. Problem is that extra info can only be retrieved with a manufacturer scanner, which is money. Only VAG cars have a reverse engineered manufacturer scanner AFAIK.
 
chenw said:
Don't forget the ability to turn tight corners at 200MPH without so much as making any skidding sound, or bending the car.
Click to expand...

Automan? Man that was one of my favorite shows that didn't last a season when I was younger :D
 
rudy said:
For people like you, you can pay the extra 2k for the technology package I don't understand why you would be against this when you last scentance clearly shows you know how bad car makers are with software. The gps on a phone is always better than the junk in a car that alone is why car mounts are so heavily used, when phones progress cars don't or the car company wants you to buy a brand new car.
Click to expand...

Only reason I have built in GPS in my car current car is because that was the only way to get several other options I wanted (all part of the package). I rarely use GPS, unless I'm going on a long drive to somewhere I haven't been before, maybe a few times a year. I find the built in GPS more convenient (no wires/cables and it has a larger screen) than using my phone. Plus it works even if I have no coverage.

My main complaint about the built-in GPS is the updates. I can buy a stand alone GPS, with lifetime updates, for less than the cost of a single update. Used to be you could buy last years update (they came on DVD's) pretty cheap, but now you have to go to the dealer and have them plug it in to their computer to do the update. So, I have no plan to ever update the NAV in my car. If it gets to out of date, I'll just supplement it with my phone as needed.
 
10.) Universal Phone Mount

Not a bad idea. I would welcome this. They would ahve to do a better job than with the cup holders though, which are definitely not a good "one size fits all".

9.) Self-Tinting Windows

I like this too!


8.) Flashing Brake Lights With ABS

I'm not sure I understand what they are suggesting. The brake lights flash all the time (certainly effective at getting attention, but could get annoying) or only when ABS kicks in (which I guess could be pretty useful) but why limit it to ABS? Why not have them flash whenever the rate of deceleration exceeds a certain limit? That way they could provide an extra warning if someone ahead is slamming on their brakes, whether ABS activates or not.

7.) Facial Recognition

This is a gimmick, and won't work half the time due to lighting conditions, etc.

The current system (recognizing the driver based on which keyfob is being carried) is is effective and less complicated.

6.) GPS-Enhanced Cruise Control

I support this. Maybe it could even link you to Waze and slow to the speed limit whenever a speed trap has been reported? :p

5.) Projected Driving Line

because racecar?

Not everyone wants to be a racer boi.... :rolleyes:

4.) Turbines To Charge Batteries

Could be effective, but I believe turbines cause a safety hazard due to the high rotational speed.

3.) Thermal Energy Recovery

I'm all for this, but I suspect the added cost may be more than the lifetime fuel savings for the vehicle.

2.) Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communication

This is good tech, and it is the future, but the moment someone figures out how to hack it, it could be really really bad, especially if vehicles are taking automated actions based on the information.

1.) Replace The Check Engine Light With Real Warnings

How else are they going to get you (or your mechanic) to spend thousands on a Tech II tool, or force you to go to the dealer for service? :p

It's a good idea, but they really ahve no incentive to do this...
 
chenw said:
Don't forget the ability to turn tight corners at 200MPH without so much as making any skidding sound, or bending the car.
Click to expand...

How do you get around the needed friction=noise=heat to change directions?
 
OlIv0rIolI said:
I want my flying cars now!
Click to expand...

Just 47 more years to this..

giphy.gif
 
Maybe it's just me (and feel free to make fun of me for not being [H] enough if so...) but the bluetooth in cars, really just bluetooth in general, is buggy as shit and I always have a hell of a time getting anything to connect. Maybe it's just my Samsung Galaxy, but I don't think so. We had 3 guys, 3 different phones, in a Ford Focus trying to get their bluetooth to connect to it's media center...no go. We could see the bluetooth in the Audi next to us, though. :rolleyes:
 
TwistedAegis said:
Maybe it's just me (and feel free to make fun of me for not being [H] enough if so...) but the bluetooth in cars, really just bluetooth in general, is buggy as shit and I always have a hell of a time getting anything to connect. Maybe it's just my Samsung Galaxy, but I don't think so. We had 3 guys, 3 different phones, in a Ford Focus trying to get their bluetooth to connect to it's media center...no go. We could see the bluetooth in the Audi next to us, though. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You say that, but I was stuck in a car with a couple early 20s girls (who incidentally know little about computers) in front and one of them had no problem forcing me to listen to Taylor Swift via bluetooth in a Kia. I think it depends on what year the car is. The Bluetooth spec has been evolving pretty rapidly over the last few years and older cars only support phone connections.
 
DocSavage said:
You say that, but I was stuck in a car with a couple early 20s girls (who incidentally know little about computers) in front and one of them had no problem forcing me to listen to Taylor Swift via bluetooth in a Kia. I think it depends on what year the car is. The Bluetooth spec has been evolving pretty rapidly over the last few years and older cars only support phone connections.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have never had any Bluetooth issues in any of my cars, but I have also only had thebilder versions that only support phone calls. I've had yo use a 3.5mm jack for line in.
 
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