By Mary Lou Jay

Americans spend an average of 152 hours – or 19 full work days – on the road each year commuting to and from work. So it’s little wonder that when they get into their vehicles each day, they want to make sure that their ride is as comfortable, carefree, safe (and clean!) as possible. New and coming vehicle technologies are helping to make that happen.

CELLPHONES AS KEYS

If you find yourself searching for all the essentials before you get out the door every morning – keys, phone and wallet – Lincoln is offering a vehicle entry system for its Aviator and Corsair SUV models that could eliminate at least one item on that list.

With Lincoln’s “Phone As a Key” system, you can ditch the keys (or key fob) and use the Lincoln Way app on your iPhone or Android phone to access and operate your vehicle. A Bluetooth connection between the phone and the vehicle makes it work if you’re less than 130 feet away; after that, you can send instructions to the vehicle from any distance using its built-in modem or a wireless connection.

If you forget to charge your phone or lose it, you can get into the vehicle using a keypad and then start it up with a backup ignition passcode. If the car has multiple users, each one can create a personalized key using the app. These personalized keys adjust the seat, sideview mirrors, entertainment settings, etc. to each user’s preference.

Lincoln isn’t the only automaker that’s introducing this new tech. Tesla is offering a similar option on some of its Model 3s, and Hyundai is introducing it on its 2020 Sonata sedan.

NEW VIEWS

Windows aren’t usually top of the list when it comes to tech upgrades. But in recent years, a few automakers have found ways to control the amount of light that they let into a vehicle at the touch of a button.

Mercedes and McLaren have been offering SPD (suspended particle glass) for the sunroof in a few of their high-end vehicles, giving drivers the option of darkening or lightening the glass with the touch of a button. Research Frontiers developed the Smart Glass technology, which involves placing a thin film with nano-particles within the glass and then running a low voltage current through it at the touch of a button. When the current hits the particles, they align, letting sunlight in; turn off the current, and they go back into random patterns, blocking out the light.

Reducing the amount of sunlight coming into a vehicle can protect its leather seats and lower the temperature in its cabin by as much as 18 degrees. That reduces the air conditioning load, which in turn improves gas mileage.

German automaker Continental has introduced a similar technology, Intelligent Glass, for its sunroof, rear passenger windows and a portion of the front windshield. These windows have been integrated into the car’s user interface and can be set to automatically dim or lighten depending on the weather and the position of the sun in the sky. A heat management system built into the glass can automatically defrost the windows as needed.

“Windows are becoming an increasingly active, smart component of the vehicle,” said Johann Hiebl, head Continental’s Body & Security and Infotainment & Connectivity business units. “Having windows that integrate into the systems will make drivers more comfortable and safer – and, thanks to new dimming and heating functions, they will also enable significant energy savings.”

Drivers today rely on windows, mirrors and cameras to keep an eye on other vehicles and on road conditions. But in the not-too-distant future they may have another tool – a 3D display technology from Jaguar Land Rover that could beam real-time safety information in front of the driver. Projected 3D images could let drivers know when they are departing their traffic lanes or when there are hazards ahead. The 3D tech could display navigation details right in front of drivers so they don’t have to take their eyes off the road when trying to figure out the next turn. In bad weather, or difficult lighting situations (at sunset, for example) projected images could help improve a driver’s ability to see what’s going on.

According to Jaguar, studies have shown that these 3D displays can improve driver’s reactions times and improve their depth judgments.

This tech offers an added benefit for passengers in the car. It can be used to project 3D movies for their entertainment as they travel.

But don’t get the popcorn ready just yet. The 3D tech is still in the research stage, and there’s no estimate from Jaguar Land Rover about when it might be ready for the real world.

A RIDE-ALONG ASSISTANT

Have you gotten accustomed when you’re at home to saying “Hey Google” or calling out “Alexa” whenever you want to play your music, add to your shopping list or find out what the weather’s going to be like tomorrow?

Now there’s an easy way to get that same convenient help when you’re driving. The Roav Bolt, which works with Google assistant, looks like an ordinary vehicle phone charger, and it plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter. It even has two phone charging ports. But Bolt pairs with your phone and gives you access to the assistant’s capabilities. You can either hit the button on the device or say “Hey Google” to ask for directions, make a phone call or control smart home devices.

Amazon is offering a similar capability with its Echo Auto, but it is a little less convenient. Instead of plugging into the lighter, you have to mount it on a stand that that fits on your vent.

GOING THE DISTANCE

One concern that people have about buying electric vehicles is how long their batteries will last and how much it will cost to replace them.

Tesla is trying to ease those fears. In April 2019, founder Elon Musk reported that the batteries in its vehicles would soon have the capability of traveling one million miles. The company has been working with researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and now has a patent on the new battery technology.

DRIVING WITH X-RAY VISION

Have you ever wished that you had Superman’s power of X-ray vision when you’re stuck in traffic, or when you’re pulling a trailer that’s blocking your view from behind? French automotive supplier Valeo may not be able to give you superpowers, but it can provide you with the next best thing – technology that seems to make obstacles on the road ahead or behind disappear.

Pulling a trailer makes it difficult to see what’s going on with traffic in the rear. If you’re thinking of switching to another lane, for example, you may not be prepared when the car right behind you suddenly pulls into that same lane and tries to pass you.

With the Valeo XtraVue Trailer system, drivers can get that visibility because it actually appears to make the trailer disappear. The secret is cameras. The system combines video captured from cameras located at the rear of the vehicle and at the rear of the trailer into one image. Then it displays that image on a small screen on the dashboard. When you look into the screen, you get a clear view of what’s behind. The trailer doesn’t even seem to be there.

Using a similar principle, the Valeo XtraVue would enable drivers to “see through” other cars, providing an image of what’s happening in an intersection or of obstacles that they may encounter just ahead. As cool as this tech is, there’s one major problem in making it work; all of the vehicles have to have forward-facing cameras and all of those cameras have to be communicating with each other. So it might be some time before that comes to market.

The Valeo XtraVue Trailer system on the other hand, could be available sooner, since drivers can install the cameras required for it on their vehicles and trailers.

DOING MORE DIGITALLY

When you’re on the road you have no way of knowing if the car speeding past you has been stolen or if it’s carrying an abducted child. But digital license plates, a new technology just starting to hit the market, provides an easy, very visible way to provide that information and a lot more.

“The only thing on a vehicle that hasn’t changed is the license plate; even the tires and the windshield are smart. Digital license plates open up opportunities to engage in a way that you’ve never done before,” said Neville Boston, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Reviver. The company describes its RPlate as world’s first connected license plate.

Boston’s initial intent in developing the RPlate and its accompanying mobile phone app was to make it easier for vehicle owners to renew their registration electronically. But its capabilities have grown. Using an E-Ink technology (similar to what Amazon uses in its Kindle readers), it can display messages like STOLEN, show emergency weather alerts or run advertising messages (the last two only when the vehicle is stopped). Drivers can personalize the plate with the logo from their favorite ball team or charitable organization, as long as these are state approved. They can even place a personalized message like “Student Driver” or “Baby on Board” below the license number.

The RPlate has an RFID tag that works with electronic toll collection systems like EZ Pass and FasTrak, and it can be used to pay parking fees in some areas. It has geofencing capabilities so owners can easily locate their vehicles through their app and/or track where it has gone. (Parents who have restricted young drivers to certain areas may find this helpful.)

California and Arizona have OK’d the digital license plate technology, and a few thousand vehicles in the Golden State are already sporting these high-tech tags. Michigan, Illinois and Texas have also passed legislation to allow its use, and state Departments of Transportation in Pennsylvania and Maryland are now testing it.

Digital plates don’t come cheap, however. The RPlate costs about $700, and there’s a monthly fee involved to keep it active.

MAKING OLDER VEHICLES SAFER

New vehicles come equipped with collision avoidance systems to keep drivers safer. But if you’re driving an older car you don’t have to miss out. Mobileye offers a collision warning system that can be retrofitted to vehicles that are lacking this technology. The system includes forward collision warning, pedestrian collision warning, following distance monitoring, lane departure warning and speed limit indicator.

While Mobileye’s retrofit equipment won’t actually brake the car or pull a vehicle back into a traffic lane as the latest technology does, it will alert drivers when they’re driving in a way that could cause a crash.

TROUBLE IN LICENSE PLATE LAND

While the latest technologies may look good on paper and even in operation, there are sometimes problems associated with their use – such as with license plate readers.

Law enforcement agencies in several states are employing automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to photograph and store thousands of license plate images. These readers capture license images and identify the time, date and location where each image was taken.

The fear is that authorities could tap the data collected by ALPRs to keep tabs on innocent individuals. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which addresses issues of privacy in the digital world, points out that law enforcement agencies could search license plate information to find out where you live, work and/or attend religious services, to identify your friends and even to find out what doctors you use.

At least 16 states currently have laws that address the use of ALPRs and how long the data is retained. But the restrictions vary widely; in New Hampshire, the license plate information must be purged from the system within three minutes, unless the use of that data resulted in an arrest, citation or identification of a suspect. In Georgia, on the other hand, government agencies can keep the images for up to 30 months.

The courts may end up making many of the decisions about ALPRs. In 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Fairfax County’s use of ALPR data violated a state law that prohibits government from collecting personal information about individuals.