Are You Ready For The Vehicles Of Tomorrow? Asks Philip Hodges

Philip Hodges is MD of Beissbarth UK and, in this article, he looks forward to the future facing vehicle servicing and repair technicians. Says Philip: It would be interesting to hear the comments and see the reaction of early pioneers of the Motor Car – Henry Ford, Rolls Royce, Auto Union, Benz and a host of others – who in their own way provided us with what is an everyday pleasure for some and for others a tool for every day means of transport and commerce.

All of these pioneers would, I expect, be amazed at the technology of today’s vehicles but also be speechless at the speed of the new developments which drivers of the future will take for granted.

John Boyd Dunlop was the creator of the pneumatic tyre, and produced tyres for vehicles travelling at 10mph with a man carrying a red flag in front of the vehicle. What would he think of the incredible advances which make it possible to travel at top speeds of up to 250mph, and that the technology to provide grip for all seasons is available in some form or another on every day vehicles. What would he make of advances in aviation tyre technology? Tyres for the A380 Aircraft weigh 75kg and take a share of the 18 Tonne weight of the aircraft, and tyres for Concorde reached 440 Kilometres per hour in 45 seconds at take off, and reached 290 Kilometres per hour in one second during landing. Components for speeds, grip and high performance were not on the agenda in Boyd Dunlop’s time and neither was high engine temperature, which eventually gave rise to garages and repair shops throughout the world. How things have changed and advanced.

Take the world of oil, diesel, petrol, and lubrication for everyday use now. We have come a long way now and we expect to go a great deal further. Artificial oils, high temperatures all feature together with high pressures.

The aircraft industry is perhaps 10 years behind vehicle technology and the latest A380 does not have much of the latest motor vehicle technology, but could have if they worked as fast as the Motor Industry. However, the consequences of too much technology in aircraft, too fast, could have disastrous consequences if not fully tested – it is much easier to have four feet (wheels) on the ground to do this.

In all, with the development of the car, commercial vehicle and bus has come the Electronic Age. We now depend on engine management systems, cruise controls, satellite navigation, tyre pressure monitoring, electronic suspension, GPS controls and lighting, all of which are designed to help people to travel easily and comfortably. We need good and trustworthy tyre technology to stop and start the vehicle and we need the latest lighting to see in the dark for good visibility and safer driving. We require and expect good communication systems also to increase passenger safety. We now demand light vehicles to aid fuel economy, faster acceleration, and greater passenger comfort. This has come through lighter materials; fly by wire technology and low drag vehicle designs. After all that has been achieved we need electronics to assist us and a better understanding for all those associated with the industry and our customers’ expectations.

Training in all aspects has become a high priority if not the highest priority. Those who have worked in the industry for many years will welcome government’s renewed commitment to apprenticeships – they are the lifeblood of our future. It is vital that the industry has competent technicians, bodywork specialists, IT literate staff and a complete understanding of vehicles. This skill and knowledge base will ensure that it does not become reliant on the Motor Manufacturers to give more and more assistance at greater costs to the consumer.

Shared information of vehicles by vehicles travelling together will also be available so that impact, speeds and assessment of speed can be controlled to enable the vehicle to detect when to release airbags, by using innovative sound waves from the structure of the vehicle recently developed by Continental for the VW Golf. A system of stop/start technology developed by Bosch has also been introduced in the new Fiat 500 to ensure longer and more economical motoring. Even the driver may soon be able to choose a dashboard layout and display with a system distinguishing pedestrians and vehicles and whether or not they are a risk. This high performance image processing is about to become a reality together with sign recognition and a warning, by reducing your speed automatically when in proximity to accident black-spots. Weather and congestion information, delivered through telecommunications via GPS will safely divert drivers away from accidents and incidents.

These advances, together with the hybrid vehicles from a host of manufacturers, mean that all who are associated with the servicing and repair of motor vehicles will have a technological nightmare if they do not fully understand and prepare for the latest developments.

Due to government controls on emissions, only the latest well equipped garage repair facility or fast-fit will survive. MOT testing at the required intervals may eventually give way to roadside testing, giving Testing Authorities the right to suspend further travel. Is this what you want in your daily life and leisure time? This may represent a great leap forward for the road safety lobby but for many years now the Motor Industry has been developing a ‘thinking’ vehicle to ensure safe travel. Will you be ready? Will you be able to repair? Will you be able to satisfy your customer? Only by keeping up with the latest technology and equipment will you survive and prosper. The heroes of the future will be real Master Technicians.

Equipment has changed in the last 100 years and dramatically in the last 10 years. Tools today are very much electronic, hand-held, PC-driven with all the benefits of speed and fault finding. Yes, you still need the trusty spanners but even that has changed with impact/torque wrenches to give the correct manufacturer tolerances and strengths. But the central message is “equip your workshop with the highest level of technology available and understand it”.

Do not underestimate the power of the consumer – he or she is becoming more demanding. Their travel will become much more time consuming with complex but safe systems to ensure they travel on time, by pre-loading journeys to a central communications centre, crash control systems and automatic speed limits imposed by the in-car sensing. They need and will demand the best of attention to body, mechanical and comfort. It is up to you to please customers in all aspects. So beware – things are changing and it will only be the far-sighted, well trained and high tech operators who will survive!