Not too long ago, scientists, researchers and technological experts were predicting a futuristic world where things like bitcoin, cryptocurrency, face and touch ID, streaming platforms, work from home and other technological advancements would be a normal part of life for our society. A few years later, this technological world arrived and brought a few unexpected things, which shows there’s no limit to what people can predict.
Metaverse was one of these unexpected things, and it was a little hard to understand at first. How close does it mimic the real world? Is real money involved? What is allowed and not allowed? Are real people living there already? So many questions to understand something that most people wouldn’t think this type of conversation could occur in 2023. If you still don’t know, you can read more here.
Besides the Metaverse world, groceries stores like Amazon Go Grocery Store in Woodland Hills, California, are implementing computer vision technology, which can identify multiple items at once, ultimately forming the basis for frictionless checkout systems that let people simply walk out of stores with their purchases. Lately, the new technology that has been brought to attention is the Autonomous/Self- Driving cars services.
Self-driving cars are vehicles that fully operate without human intervention and it is divided in two categories: Driver support and Automation Systems, and between level 0 and level 5.
The Driver support technology reduces the workload on the driver, including intelligent or adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assists, and hands-free capability. This technology represents levels 0 to 2 of self-driving technology. These levels aren’t as advances as higher levels; however they are more common among recent vehicle models.
Level 0: The car reacts only to the driver’s input. Even if it uses sensors to warn you of surrounding traffic, like a blind-spot alert system or a lane-departure warning, it still has no self-driving capability to correct or counter the perceived threat.
Level 1: The car can intervene slightly in your driving in an attempt to keep you safe. A lane-keeping system that helps steer to center you in a lane is a Level 1 technology.
Level 2: Features communicate with one another, and more than one can be active simultaneously. An example of this autonomous technology is an adaptive cruise control system that adjusts your speed to keep you a certain distance from the car ahead while centering the car in its lane. Level 2 systems require drivers to keep their eyes focused ahead. Drivers need to be ready at all times to take over control of the car at a moment’s notice. Currently, Level 2 systems are the most sophisticated technology sold on cars in America
Autonomous systems do the driving for you. Automakers today are pushing toward this technology. Waymo, a sister company to Google, and the General Motors model Cruise also offer rideshare vehicles in places like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin. This system represents levels 3 to 5.
Level 3: The car drives itself under limited conditions, and the driver is not driving. However, drivers must remain aware and be prepared to take over. A Level 3 autonomous vehicle will manage speed and steering, negotiate curves, and follow a route. However, drivers must be ready and capable of taking control.
Level 4: The car can drive itself in a fixed loop on known roads. The rider is not required to take over driving at any time. These vehicles may or may not have a steering wheel or pedals.
Level 5: Very similar to level 4, but much more advanced. The car can drive itself under any conditions and on any road. These vehicles do not have steering wheels or pedals. At this point, Level 5 systems are theoretical.
Even with all this technology implemented, the driver still needs to pay attention to the road, however, it is safe to briefly remove the hands from the wheel with some Level 2 systems under certain conditions.
According to Mark Barrot, a director in the Mobility Intelligence Center at Plante Moran, predicts that autonomous vehicles will bring increased vehicle sales for dealerships. Additionally, autonomous vehicles purchased by fleet operators will be heavily utilized. This will create a shorter vehicle life cycle, increasing the need for service and new vehicle sales.
The emergence of autonomous vehicles could open new doors for dealerships. While these changes will take years to come to fruition, there are tangible actions your dealership can take right now to better your position for the future.
Keep an eye out for future content from AVH on how dealerships are affected by autonomous vehicles.
