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Besting the 'Pain Points' of All-Electric and Autonomous Vehicle Revolution
interestingengineering.com

Besting the 'Pain Points' of All-Electric and Autonomous Vehicle Revolution

The all-electric and autonomous vehicle revolution is coming! Check out what barriers lie in wait.

Science & Tech

The electrification of vehicles combined with the multiplying connections technology provides have led to the creation of a new automotive value chain, according to a live panel at CES 2021 Interesting Engineering (IE) attended.

However, the path to this new and exciting automotive world will be expensive. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, there are clear and distinct challenges to bringing EV fully into the mainstream.

On the flip side of the automotive revolution, the reach of autonomous vehicles has brought us to the cusp of another shift in the world of transportation — encompassing a nexus of electric and AI-assisted mobility that a second CES 2021 panel found promising.

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Led by the consulting powerhouse, Deloitte, representatives from Continental Automotive Systems Inc., Zero-Emission Transportation Association, and General Motors discussed the costs and hurdles of bringing electrified interconnected vehicles to market.

Regulators can play a vital role in accelerating the mass adoption of electric vehicles — not only in addressing safety and range concerns, but also by remedying the sheer lack of understanding surrounding EVs in the public eye.

This often keeps the average consumer from trading in their conventional combustion engine for a more ecologically-sustainable alternative — in the form of an all-electric vehicle.

All-electric cars will become one of the 'great successes'

As the public's familiarity with EVs grows, consumers will have a wider range of brands from which to choose. GM aims to have 30 new models during or before 2025.

"The EV will be one of the success stories of American manufacturing," said Executive Director Joe Britton Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), during the CES 2021 spotlight session.

'Right' people with 'right' software can assure protection of consumer data

Until the success story is history, all-electric vehicle manufacturers will have to work to maintain and improve on safety. And they are. High-performance computing systems have opened the doors to more "aware" vehicles.

Additionally, 5G connectivity will help all-electric vehicles interact with the surrounding environment — including other vehicles, and of course, the drivers. This, in turn, will keep both pedestrians and drivers safe.

Crucial for the future of EVs is connectivity — which involves cars using data to drive and create driver and passenger experience — but the essential software needed to optimize this multi-channel operation calls for strategic partnerships between interested corporate parties, according to the CES 2021 panel.

In other words, only the right people with the right software can adequately ensure the prioritization and protection of consumer data.

Lowering the EV learning curve

However, there are some "pain points" for consumers, when it comes to buying EVs. Despite the hastening proliferation of charging stations across the U.S. and Europe, there remain anxieties surrounding range. Even the idea of not pulling up to a gas station and smelling liquid fuel is a new concept for many consumers — as the pivot to EV represents a substantial lifestyle change.

Consumers are also unsure where exactly they should go to swap their old gasoline car for a novel all-electric one. And even if all of these anxieties are calmed and despite the meteoric rise in popularity for EVs like Tesla's — affordability is still a real barrier in the minds of many.

Naturally, the way to overcome these challenges is to lower the learning curve to understanding the total cost of owning an EV, finding ways to improve affordability, and encouraging regulators to provide more incentives for owning an all-electric vehicle.

Autonomous cars to enhance networks for major cities

If the all-electric revolution is taking seed throughout the automotive industry, the development of autonomy in public transit and self-driving cars is rapidly accelerating from the planning to implementation stages throughout the U.S.

Representatives from Virgin Hyperloop, Caterpillar, and Aurora gathered to discuss the future of transportation as part of another CES 2021 event — which Interesting Engineering also attended.

Autonomy will play a crucial role in the future of the Virgin Hyperloop — which aims to run autonomous networks in major cities to transport people, cargo, and goods.

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https://interestingengineering.com/besting-the-pain-points-of-all-electric-autonomous-vehicle-revolution