Are Smart Cars the Future of Driving?

When Smart cars first hit the market in the late 1990s, professionals pursuing automotive careers were very interested to see what affect they would have on the overall car market. Initially, they did make quite a few auto sales college graduates happy and gave people graduating from mechanic colleges something new to work on. But these tiny Smart cars were really just a niche product.

Now, thanks to a greater interest in protecting the environment and getting better fuel economy, as well of some advances in the industry, the Smart car is poised to go much more mainstream. Some are even thinking that it could be the future of driving.

The Smart Taxi

Smart cars have been the staple of car sharing services like Car2Go for a while now, but now they seem to be moving into the traditional taxi industry as well. There are quite a few Uber-style apps that offer a taxi service in major cities across the world, and now regular taxi companies are introducing Smart cars to their fleets.

There are quite a few reasons why they are doing it. Here are a few:

Ideal for one person trips: Ever take a taxi somewhere by yourself and feel bad about burning all that fuel just to get two people (driver included) across town? Well, now it’s possible to take up only the room you need.

Ever take a taxi somewhere by yourself and feel bad about burning all that fuel just to get two people (driver included) across town? Well, now it’s possible to take up only the room you need. More affordable: Because Smart cars burn less fuel (or in the case of electric smart cars, none at all), a cab ride saves the driver quite a bit of money, which can be passed on to clients. Also, because of their size, maneuvering through traffic can be much easier, so trips will take less time and ultimately cost less.

Because Smart cars burn less fuel (or in the case of electric smart cars, none at all), a cab ride saves the driver quite a bit of money, which can be passed on to clients. Also, because of their size, maneuvering through traffic can be much easier, so trips will take less time and ultimately cost less. Package transport: People frequently send packages, some of them very small, across town by cab. It can be quite the costly endeavour both financially and for the environment. Using a Smart cab instead could be the solution for this type of courier service.

Four Doors to the Future

One of the reasons the Smart car may not have gone completely mainstream quite yet, is the fact that it only has two doors and, more importantly, two seats. No matter how environmentally conscious someone is, if they have a family with kids, buying one just doesn’t make sense.

Now all that may change with the release of the Forfour, or rather the re-release. Smart did have a four-door version available from 2004 to 2006, but it didn’t do that well. This model, currently only available in Europe, has some advantages the other didn’t and may be here to stay. The new Fourfour offers:

Exceptional agility thanks to the same rear-engine layout as the Smart Fortwo

Great use of interior space to include four seats and four doors – not exactly roomy, but not cramped either

A passenger seat that folds down for storage purpose

Do you think Smart cars are the future?

Smart previews next-gen future with Concept #1 SUV ahead of series production

Urban mobility automaker smart has shared its vision for a sustainable future with the public at IAA Mobility in Munich by announcing its Concept #1 SUV. The all-electric Concept #1 sits as a “forerunner” for smart’s electrified future and represents many of the design elements and techniques drivers can expect to see on future models.

Smart Automobile Co. Ltd. is a German automaker founded in the ‘90s known for its “cute” and compact cars perfect for crowded urban centers. The marque of Daimler AG (fka Daimler-Benz) serves nearly 50 automotive markets around the globe.

In 2019, Daimler AG announced a joint venture with Geely Holding Group to produce smart badged cars in China as well. That same year, smart began a drastic transition to electrification by dropping combustion engines for electric powertrains only.

Together, the equal automotive partners are working to develop smart into a leading global provider of connected, premium BEVs in Geely’s global engineering network, available to dozens of markets.

This week in Munich, smart has shared a glimpse of its next-generation of EVs with a new SUV planned for series production.

The all-electric smart EQ fortwo coupe

smart previews its Concept #1 electric SUV at IAA Mobility

In a press release from smart Automobile, the compact automaker shared details of an electric SUV introduced at the IAA Mobility expo in Munich. The Concept #1 is an all-electric SUV described as “near production” that represents the next-generation of smart EVs to come from Daimler and Geely.

According to the release, Daimler will be the handling exterior and interior design of these vehicles through Mercedes-Benz’s global design network. Meanwhile, its partner Geely will handle the overall development this next generation of smart vehicles through its global engineering network. Daniel Lescow, Vice President Global Sales, Marketing & After-Sales of smart Automobile Co, Ltd spoke about the Concept #1 SUV:

We’re celebrating an important milestone with the smart Concept #1, which is the forerunner of the next smart generation. The near-production study is an exciting taste of what our customers can expect from the smart brand. The new smart Concept #1 is the first glimpse of our vision of a new and sustainable mobility. It’s characterized by progressive design, premium equipment and advanced technology.

Source: smart Automobile Co.

The Concept #1 features a large panoramic glass roof with a ring of light with frameless, “suicide” style doors that open in opposite directions. Another unique feature is its concealed door handles that become visible through light features.

The electric SUV is also designed without a “b-pillar,” so when the doors are open, there is an unobstructed view through the entire vehicle. To create an immersive experience, the Concept #1 SUV was designed with unique lighting and sound elements, moving harmoniously to the music throughout the interior.

Despite featuring an SUV style body (especially compared to other smart offerings), the Concept #1 is quite compact. Its wheelbase is about 108 inches, and its dimensions are as follows:

Length: 4,290 mm (~169 inches)

Width: 1,910 mm (~75 inches)

Height: 1,698 mm (~67 inches)

Although the exterior is quite small on paper compared to other EVs labeled as SUVs, its lack of b-pillar and panoramic glass helps the interior remain quite roomy.

While we do not yet know the range and battery capacity of this smart SUV if and when it reaches series production, the automaker has already shared plans for advanced software functions. Smart briefly teased long battery life, fast-charging capabilities, and cloud-based over-the-air (OTA) updates for vehicle software.

We do not yet know (if or) when the Concept #1 will reach series production or what smart will name this new SUV that it is calling its “forerunner.” Still, the vehicle represents an all-electric future for the smart marque that is going bigger and bolder compared its previous compacts.

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SMART CAR: REVOLUTIONIZING THE FUTURE OF DRIVING

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Science and Technology is developing at a high rate and it has drastically changed the way people perform their daily chores or maintain communication. This development in technology has changed the way we perform any tasks using the internet, be it shopping or food or education. In this era where the Internet is being used for nearly everything, why does transport go untouched? This new byproduct of Science and Technology is called smart cars technology.

Dive in to know more about the technology that is highly likely to become the norm of the future.

SMART CARS AND CONNECTED CARS

While a part of the world is still tangled in drivers and passengers, the other part of the world has eliminated this hassle and has opted for smart cars along with connectivity. A connected car is a car that is connected to the Internet through wireless local area networks. Such vehicles can also share the Internet with devices inside and outside the car and can also share data as per your use.

The smart car is a car with Built-in Internet connectivity. It can connect to the internet, thanks to an inbuilt cellular modem, a small piece of hardware that equips the car with 3G/ 5G or 4G Internet access.

WORKING OF SMART CARS

The smart car uses an API (Application Programming Interface) for connected cars. The smart car platform is a set of API that allows connected cars to communicate with each other.

API is a set of computer programs that allow the software to talk to each other. But before smart cars can communicate through connected cars, there is a whole process that takes place and carries out the connection.

First of all, the user links their car to an app and then logs in with their car’s brand-connected services account.

Secondly, the user is allowed to share information, for example, vehicle model, vehicle number, location, etc and after providing such information the user has to click allow and the car is then linked to the app.

Now that the customer has linked their vehicle, the app sends an API request to Smartcar and asks for the car’s mileage.

When the Smartcar API receives this request, it asks the vehicle’s modem for its odometer reading. It then takes the response and sends it back to the app.

To explain further how smart cars work and make users’ lives easy, Auto insurance companies verify their customers’ mileage.

Road usage charges vehicle owners a per-mile fee as a replacement for the gas tax.

Peer-to-peer car-sharing businesses let vehicle owners share a digital car key with renters for instant, and contactless rentals.

Electric vehicle charging companies let electric vehicle owners monitor their car’s battery level and estimated charging time.

Energy and utility companies allow electricity consumers to manage and charge their electric vehicles right from their phones.

Fleet management software companies allow fleet managers to see the location, mileage, tire pressure, and fuel tank level of all vehicles in their fleet.

On-demand car wash companies let vehicle owners share a digital car key with service technicians for interior detailing.

In-car delivery companies allow vehicle owners to get groceries, packages, and even their dry cleaning gets delivered directly into their cars.

Benefits of Smart Cars

COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Smart cars come with fuel-saving technologies with alternatives such as electric power. As the price of petrol rises continuously, people who have a smart car are actually paying less compared to traditional car users. Over time, smart cars might be cheaper to own than traditional cars.

EASY TO MANAGE

Smart cars have the latest technologies, making them less time-consuming and always in the best working order possible. This means that they are less likely to break and their maintenance and repair schedules are more predictable and manageable. While some of the older models had battery-related problems, most modern options no longer have these issues, and most users find their cars run smoothly for many years with only the most routine maintenance.

EASIER PARKING

Smart cars take up less space making it easier to park on streets or even in a parking lot. This can help the user to drive in urban areas, making it easier to get around easily. In addition, the newer generation steering capabilities make parallel parking much easier than traditional cars.

IDEAL FOR CITY LIFE

Smart cars are ideal for life in the city. Being small in size, with an in-built navigation system, offering you a smooth ride on expressways and that too with less usage of petrol. Moreover, the safety features of a smart car make the user’s life easy and sorted thus making it ideal to be used in metro cities.

SMART CARS AND INDIA

The major reason that led to the growth of the market of Smart cars is the connected feature attached to the vehicles that allow users to perform multiple tasks without any fuss.

Lately, the number of Indians using smartphones has increased rapidly and when introduced to smart cars with connectivity, they prefer buying a Connected Vehicle. There has been a notable gain in the sales of the Connected Cars in the last 10-12 months. And with such anticipated users, the future of smart cars in India seems bright apart from some technical issues regarding hacking of the user’s information and misuse that can affect the customer’s interest.

There has been some major collaboration between large companies regarding the connected cars market. BSNL has tied up with Tata Motors to make their range of Internet-Connected vehicles.

Tata Motors has launched the ZConnect app for the Nexon EV offering 35 different features.

MG Motor India has teamed up with IT giant Cognizant to deliver a smooth experience for its Hector SUV customers.

SUMMING UP

The connected cars are convulsing the traditional automobile industry. With more and more smart vehicles being launched, buyers are more attracted towards it and prefer to buy connected cars. In the upcoming years, connected cars will be the mainstream vehicle, and this revolution will also enhance safety and reduce accidents. The next-gen connectivity will improve the smart car’s technology, and connected vehicles will be even smarter and easier to use.