How would you feel driving a car that would not require you to handle the steering wheel or even change gears? You need not wait for too long because such a model is likely to be available in 2016 if the statement made by Chief Executive of General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Mary Barra is to be believed. It is likely to act as a precursor for other types of driving related technological improvements like incorporation of sensors and radars to sense driving conditions in the surroundings and issue warnings accordingly.
Features like adaptive cruise control, semi automated driving and braking well in time in anticipation of a crash have already been worked upon and introduced with the intention of rendering the roads a safer place for one and all. Mary Barra explains the situation in the following manner –
“I’m convinced customers will embrace (vehicle-to-vehicle) and automated driving technologies for one simple reason: they are the answer to everyday problems that people want solved.”
All this effort underlying quest for breakthrough technologies by General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is owing to the information revealed in a survey that owing to traffic jams, people on American streets travel for extra 5.5 billion hours. It also causes them to accrue an additional expenditure of 2.9 billion gallons of fuel on an annual basis.
However, all this news comes with a pinch of salt wherein there is no clarity as to the foundation stone underlying these features or their approximate cost. Timing of the launch is also unknown although what is known is that in spite of all the hi-tech features, drivers will still be required to keep an eye on the road and supervise the machines. A fully automated version, according to Barra will take another decade to be fully developed and tested on the roads.
Presently General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is more concerned about the fact in order to be effective, the automated car would need to communicate with other cars and for that to happen, it is the latter that must be equipped the system. A lot depends on the funds that are provided by federal authorities when they chair the transportation bill the next time they convene.
This article has been written by Vinita Basu.
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