Cars have come a long way since Henry Ford’s Model T in the early 20th Century. Now, more than 100 years later, cars are capable of so much more than just getting us from point A to point B. Technology has had a lot to do with this, from artificial intelligence (AI) to the internet of things (IoT).

Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things

AI refers to machines imitating the known capabilities of the human mind. This is the type of technology that allows for self-driving cars to be able to operate with little to no human intervention, and also without any error. In recent years, AI was used as a tool to help manufacture our traditional vehicles but is now being applied in many more technologically advanced ways.

IoT is how things (physical objects) are equipped with advanced technology in order to be able to connect and communicate with other devices using the internet. This doesn’t just refer to cars, as our smartphones, tablets, watches, and even household appliances are able to be interconnected.

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are cars that limit the need for human drivers to have full control over the car. They accelerate/brake and turn autonomously thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). This is to help cut down the number of accidents caused by human error, though there are not many AVs on the market as of right now. However, the adoption of these vehicles also hopes to limit the need for drivers.

All AVs aren’t fully independent of human control, unless they are at that specified level. The levels range from 0 to 5, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE Standard):

• Level 0: No autonomy (for the vehicle)
• Level 1: Parking/lane assistance and adaptive cruise control
• Level 2: Vehicle controls steering and acceleration/deceleration
• Level 3: Fully autonomous plus human assistance
• Level 4: Fully autonomous with no human assistance
• Level 5: Complete autonomy

Vehicle Connectivity

AVs function by a type of AI called vehicle connectivity. This can be vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), allowing the autonomous vehicle to communicate with other AVs and infrastructure (traffic lights), respectively. Other types of vehicle connectivity include vehicle to network (V2N, cellular networks), vehicle to cloud (V2C), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), vehicle to device (V2D), and vehicle to grid (V2G).

This allows for the tracking of vehicle data for those in need of car insurance, driver safety, fleet management, and predictive maintenance. When this type of data is shared, it helps out the drivers (or owners of the AVs) and the entire AV system.

Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cars that run completely on an electrically charged battery rather than gas. Tesla is probably best-known for selling only EVs, though many other car companies have started making electric cars, and even more have hybrids (runs on both electricity and gasoline). Audi, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen are all known to be successful in selling the electric versions of some of their cars.

Fully electric cars definitely eliminate all carbon dioxide emissions, but there’s still the issue of charging the battery in the place of pumping gas. Charging stations aren’t widely available, so most EV owners have one installed in their homes to charge their vehicles overnight. The second issue is that most of these EVs don’t have a significantly long driving range, with most having between 200 and 300 miles. However, with more charging stations popping up and car companies aiming for longer driving distances, we’re likely to see half of all vehicles being sold to be EVs by 2030.

While these trends are still pretty new now, it’s likely that we will be seeing more AI and IoT trends in the automotive industry in the near future. All of these technological advancements are striving to make driving safer both for people and the environment.