Automated Vehicle Technology: Threat Or Opportunity, from Body Shop Business.
When the first driverless vehicle pulls into your shop’s lot, the experience is likely to be unreal. Sure, there will be quarter panels to paint and bumpers to repair. However, there will be a brave new world of electronic gadgetry to deal with, too.
Feel the Buzz
Automated vehicle technology (AVT) got unprecedented buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show at the start of 2015. Manufacturers were able to go beyond presenting the usual concept car hype and offer specific technology that would enable the automated vehicle of the future to interface with its human occupants.
A consortium of automakers grabbed headlines with the announcement that they’re developing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications platforms for crash avoidance. However, that’s no guarantee crashes will be avoided. And Google has a patent on technology that allows its experimental fleet of cars to operate without a driver. Volvo, Mercedes, Mazda and Acura are among the top-end vehicles that already have AVT systems on some models.
