Blog Synthesis Post

There are many different evolving technologies that allow engineers to fulfill the expectations that the public have about the safety, practicality and visual standards of cars. Technology is in continuous development, and with it, comes faster and more efficient automobiles.

Safety standards continue to increase as time moves forward, and with it, comes smarter technology. While the first few versions of cars didn’t have seatbelts, every car today comes standard with seat belts, airbags, and crumple zones. To read more about seatbelts, click here. Besides being required by law, ethics are a major reason to have top safety standards in a vehicle. The first code of ethics in engineering is holding the safety of the public before anything else. Read more about ethics here.

Aside from safety and forms of power the automotive technology that has changed the most is Exterior design. Since the car was created the exterior has been constantly changing shape. From the first assembly line vehicle the Model T, being a boxy unflattering and not aerodynamic design, to new cars like the Mclaren P1 being formed almost entirely in wind tunnels. One car company will make a trend and others will follow is usually how the exterior design pattern goes, for example, Aston Martin has had their front grill style for years, and now Ford, Fisker, and Tesla (with their new model X and III) have all joined in on the style. Soon the consumers will grow tired of cars with this style and the automobile will evolve again. You can learn more about alternative energy here and here

Up until the muscle era, performance was not much of a goal for automotive makers. While older cars before the muscle era did have large engines capable of producing lots of horsepower, such as a 1930’s Buick La Salle with a v8. While the engine technology was there, the powertrain technology was not up to speed and resulted in very low horsepower numbers. Enter the muscle era of the 60’s and 70’s; long cars with big engines capable of more straight line speed than ever before, and a new addition: the tachometer. Before now barely any cars had tachometers because people were not going for performance or speed, thus having no reason to track rpm limits of their engines. Now, some 50 ish years later, we have cars like the Hennessey Venom GT with twin turbochargers, a 0-60 of 2.3 seconds, and a top speed of 270.49 miles per hour. Clearly, performance has evolved. With advances in technology, a small 4 cylinder can put out as much horsepower as a screaming v8.

Alongside performance evolving in cars, the method of power delivery for cars has changed greatly, some benefitting performance, some benefitting efficiency in multiple aspects. For example, the Tesla P85D is a non-transmission, silent, sleeper of a performance car. The P85D produces around 700 horsepower and has infinite torque at any rpm thanks to its electric motors and lack of a transmission. On another aspect of battery powered cars, one not so performance oriented; the prius. On opposite ends of the spectrum, the prius uses batteries, and an engine (but also has a battery only option) and gets roughly 50 miles to the gallon. Back onto terms of performance, cars like the McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, and Porsche 918 Spyder use powerful gasoline engines coupled with electric motors at each wheel to put impressive horsepower numbers to the ground. In terms of diesel technology, diesel, when not paired with a turbocharger is mainly used for one thing and that is torque. Turbo diesel cars however like the volkswagen jetta get around 50 miles to the gallon thanks to the efficiency of diesel fuel. Click here to learn more about a new power delivery system

The future of the automotive industry can be reflected in the image that Tesla has portrayed in it’s recent lineup of electric automobiles. The rate at which people have reserved their own Tesla Model III for the end of 2017 is a staggering statistic, and it is clear, judging by this demand, that this vehicle is widely accepted by the consumers and shows that Tesla will soon be dominating the automotive industry. To get a better look at the shiny new Model III, take a look at my more detailed post about it here. It is encouraging to see the industry shift from gasoline power to electric power, especially as quickly and effectively as it is.