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Scott Jones, general manager at Northern-Connectors explores how new car technologies could impact the automation industry, heralding the age of the driverless car and if this technology is really viable?


armanufacturing is constantly evolving;manufacturers not only compete to develop themost lucrative technologies of tomorrow, but also the most useful, ethical and environmentally friendly. Driverless and electric cars are two developing technologies receiving particular attention at present. Both promisemuch, but both also raise eyebrows about how popular and effective they will ultimately be.


C


Driverless cars are causing a particular stir. Is it really possible for a car to


operate itself? Can this technology really lead to safer roads and reduced traffic in the future, as is being professed? Electric cars, on the other hand,may well be rolling off the production line already, but what impact will they have on the industry as a whole, and can they really make a significant improvement to the health of the planet? Also what impact might the development of these technologies have on oth er industries closely entwined with the car manufacturing sector, such as the automation industry ?


SPEAK TO THE EXPERT Northern Connectors is an connector specialist that h components to the carma


SPEAK HE EXPER RTS


nufacturing as supplied industrial


industry formany years, and whose products are often used on the robots that build the cars utilising new driverless and electric technologies. How popular these technologies will become will have an impact onmany related industries and the companies that comprise them, and so it will be those frommany industries - and not just the automotive industry - that will keep an eye on how the new technologies evolve.


With this inmind, Northern Connectors conducted a survey ofmore than 800 people to find out whether the UK public is ready to adopt either dr iverless or electric cars (or both, or neither), and discovered that while themajority of people have reserv


rvations about these


new driving concepts,many also believe the popularity of the technologies will surge in the future. The surv


rvey revealed that just 19%of S8 S8 MARCH 201 MARCH 2017 | ELEC RO ELECTRONICS CS


respondents would currently rather own a driverless than amanual car, with safety concerns amajor deterrent. Indeed, almost two-thirds (65%) of those questioned cited safety issues as one of themain disadvantages of driverless cars, while 49% expressed concern that technology would not be able tomake ethical decisions on the road - such as whether to swerve to avoid one coll itmeant another - 44% pointed to fears over hackers and what this couldmean for vehicles on the road an d 43% are wary that


,


technologymay not be able to correctly follow road signs. It was also shown


that, quite simply,many motorists enj


like to always feel that are in control of their v are reluctant to hand th


t e


technology. How ever, the findings


suggested that whilemany people would be reluctant to adopt the technology today, theymay bemore open to the idea in the future. It emerged that over one- third (67%) believe that driverless cars will be either quite or very popular in the future, with themain advantages of the technology cited as reduced driver fatigue (55%), reduced drink or drug driving accidents (52%) and improved safety due to fewer driver e rrors (48%) .


njoy driving a possi itself? C Figure 1 & 2: Figure 1 & 2:


Connectors utilised in the automotive industry, from Souriau


Connectors utilised in the automotive


industry, from Souriau Interestingly a not-too-dissimilar ,


picture emerges when it comes to electric cars; while themaj


ajority of people don't


seemoverly keen on the idea just yet, many foresee thembecoming


increasingly popular in the future. Just over one-quarter (26%) said they would rather own an electric than a petrol- powered car at present, with concerns over convenience given as themain


Over three-quarter reasons for this.


s (77%) o f


respondents cited potential recharging difficulties as among themain


disadvantages of electric cars, two-thirds (66%) cited the possibility of running out of electricitymid-journey, the same n (66%) highlighted long


“Driverless “Driverless possible fo


lead to safer roads and reduced trafftraffic in the future, as is being profe sed?


lead to safe


ffic in the future, a is fes


bei g professed? .. ....”..”


particular stir. Is it really for a car to operate


cars are causing a rtic la


ir. Is it re lly ly


itself? Can this technology re fer roads and reduced fu


e f r a car t operat this tech


logy really ly cars are causing a


proportio n a .


g times and just over one-third lluded to battery replacement


espite this, just shy of three- uarters (73%) of surv


rvey


articipants think that electri c ars will be either quite or very opular in the future, with the main advantages of the


v e


chnology listed as it beingmore ironmentally friendly (79%), being no need for petrol (68%) embeing cheaper to run (54%) .


The findings indicate S


THE RESUL SHOW


ULT ANDWHAT HE that while


LTS AND WHA AT THEY


questions remain about these new car technologies, it is likely they will have an important role to play in the car manufacturing industry in the years ahead. Due, to the very nature of this sector and how it works, the impact of increased popularity for these


technologies will likely filter down to the industries that feed into car


manufacturing. Companies either in or attached to the automation industry, therefore may wan t to think about ho w this uptake in new technologiesmay directly impact them, and, importantly, how they can benefit fromit.


, Northern-connectors www.northern-connectors.co.uk


www.northern-connectors.co.uk T: 01744 815 001


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