Mark Fields, president of Ford Motor Co., predicts that self-driving vehicles will be on the road for public use by the end of the decade. The mantra for many vehicle manufacturers has evolved into "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" with regards to vehicle technology.
Think you won't see a self-driving car in the shop anytime soon? The technology is closer than you might think, judging by new vehicle features announced for late-model and concept vehicles at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
At this year's CES, vehicle technologies ran the gamut of telematics capabilities such as Ford's new FordPass (think: OnStar) to the electric-vehicle powerhouse FFZERO1 from Faraday Future, which offers a purported 1,000hp and three-second zero to 60 mph acceleration.
If that weren't enough, at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, features like backup cameras and collision avoidance systems have become standard on many higher-end makes and models. (Don't forget, backup cameras will become a requirement for vehicles manufactured after May 2018.) Have you heard that the 2017 Mercedes E-Class offers an optional Driving Assistance package, with automatic acceleration, braking and lane changing? Or that Volvo plans to include semi-autonomous features standard on its 2017 S90 models?
Safety and security
As vehicles become more technologically advanced, computers increasingly run many of the vehicle's systems. Data on vehicle systems has already been continually collected for years, as you're well aware when using a scan tool to begin the diagnoses of a vehicle in the shop. As more and more vehicle systems are run by computers, including media centers, backup cameras and self-parking; more potential data continues to become available on the vehicle usage and driver trends.
So what are manufacturers planning to do with all that data? Fields has openly spoke about plans to collect this data -- with the driver's permission -- to help create unique experiences specific for each driver, such as updated traffic routes or suggested changes to driver behavior for optimal vehicle performance.
Also up for debate, and a topic covered at the 2015 ETI annual meeting, is who owns and has access to that data: the vehicle manufacturer? the vehicle owner? the repair shop? Just like Right to Repair and access to vehicle systems' information for diagnosing purposes, this continued data collection will be front and center as the industry continues to evolve.
