Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel, observed that transistors on circuit boards double every two years (Moore's Law). When formulating this theory, Moore obviously wasn't thinking about the car industry, which has gone from completely mechanical to software dependent in less than forty years. Hot rodding your ride, for instance, used to be a messy affair spending days modifying cams and air intake systems but today it's a few minutes on a laptop adjusting the engine software (chipping).
From ABS and traction control to engine management, a typical production car can have nearly 100 electronic systems that all rely on computers to assist the driver and in some instances, making decisions without any human input. From simple tasks like controlling the intermittent windshield wipers to multiple complex systems working in unison to apply brakes after radar detects an impending accident, most current vehicles are completely dependent on the electronics of a vehicle.
But it's not just safety and performance tech that utilize all of Moore's extra transistors; in-car entertainment (known as infotainment) offering everything from Google maps, Wi-Fi, Internet radio, voice commands and iPhone integration has exploded recently. OEMs have realized that Millennials view the car as a tool, as another way to accomplish a task and it should have the same connectedness as the rest of their lives.
The irony, of course, in all this is the potential for the connectedness to actually disconnect us from the driving experience. Manufacturers are tasked with finding that balance while catering to their customers' ever changing wants–an unenviable task for sure.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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