WHEN you look up the definition of the word “Luddite” in a dictionary or online, you will find that it means “a person opposed to industrialisation or new technology”. That is the modern definition.
The original Luddites were a group of artisans during the industrial revolution that feared inventions like the stocking frame, spinning frames and power looms would leave them unemployed. Hence, they... er... destroyed said machines with gusto.
Nowadays, we have the Neo-Luddites, whose abhorrence for all things modern range from personal decisions to forego new technology to groups that actively campaign and promote a “simpler way of life” for the betterment of humanity.
Sadly for them, the car companies and their technology partners are – apparently – not listening.
German multinational software giant SAP SE recent announced a pilot programme with both Volkswagen AG – whose stable of cars include marques like Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti and, of course, Volkswagen – and oil and gas player Shell.
The trio are working together see how connected smart cars can interact with the world around them.
The ultimate aim is to lay the foundation for a range of services, as well as further collaborations for connected vehicles between the three and other interested parties.
In the announcement, SAP Products & Innovation executive board member Bernd Leukert said, “We believe the combination of simplicity, functionality and innovation is needed to create a seamless consumer experience.”
“No company alone can deliver such an end-to-end experience [and] our collaboration with Volkswagen and Shell is a great showcase for the power of collaboration and innovation within a networked economy to simplify daily complexity,” Leukert added.
Leukert’s optimism was echoed by Volkswagen’s Electronic and Electronic Development head Dr Volkmar Tanneberger: “The successful cross-industry pilot project demonstrates potential implementations of future mobility concepts and their utility and convenience for our customers.”
“Customer feedback on this pilot project is important to us as it helps us consider how to increase the use of mobility concepts in the future,” the good doctor said.
The two gentlemen are probably on to something, i.e. connected cars are the way of the future.
In fact, according to a survey undertaken by researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the bulk of 1,500 respondents from the US, Australia and Britain are all for connected cars. And most of them had never heard of a smart car.
Not only were the respondents of the survey very open to the idea, many felt that connected cars were likely to happen and that they would welcome such technologies in their cars today.
They would also be willing to pay for it. Of course, a large number wanted their personal communication devices synced to their rides and have internet connectivity to boot.
Looks like most of the 1,500 cannot exist for a few moments without their beloved social media platforms of choice.
The aforementioned cases are, for the most part, academic/corporate studies.
Out there in the real world, are we really ready for smart cars or does the Luddite in the majority of us still feel the odd twinge of fear at the idea of connected cars?
AutoTrader.com recently revealed the findings of a survey that it got Harris Poll to conduct.
The auto news portal was looking to find out, among car buyers in the US, as to how vehicle technology impacts the decision that a car buyer makes.
What this maiden survey discovered was that the more than 1,000 respondents surveyed indicated that, when it came to technology, car makers could not count on brand loyalty to hold on to their customers.
In fact, 56% of the respondents said that they would be willing to switch marques if their current automaker does not come out with a model filled with the right gee-whiz flash bangs that they require.
And, pray tell, what do Americans want in a tech-laden car?
Well, according to the AutoTrader.com survey, 84% chose safety features like blind spot detection and back-up cameras over infotainment and six-in-10 were all for autonomous safety features like parking assist and collision avoidance add-ons.
AutoTrader.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs said: “We live in a world now where nailing the basics – great ride and handling, reliability, compelling design – are not enough to compensate for a lack of the latest safety and infotainment features.”
“The brands who can give consumers the technologies they want in a package that is cost effective and easy-to-use will be winners on sales day,” she said.
However, the survey also indicated that, if a car’s technology was perceived to be too difficult to use, i.e. if buyers cannot wrap their heads around it within 15 minutes of getting into the driver’s seat, almost half of the respondents would walk away from such a car.
This viewpoint was shared by a similar study, the JD Power US Sales Satisfaction index, which found that car makers that loaded up their cars with the best tech and took the most steps to teach their customers how to use the, stood the best chance of snagging sales. Those who did not...
Well, let us give you an example of such customers who were probably not given the proper run-through in a vehicle laden with tech gadgets and paraphernalia... like the ones being driven by the police.
In a joint research undertaken by Minnesota Public Radio News and TV station KARE-TV, the police discovered that 61 squad car crashes over four years were caused by a policeman who was distracted by gadgets like a computer, mobile phone or radio.
While this number is far higher than the 17,000 distracted driving crashes in Minnesota during the same period, former Los Angeles County deputy turned Washington State University Professor Bryan Vila told the researchers that too much tech was making things difficult for the average police officer
“Every gadget that we are stuffing in the car puts demands on the human being that human beings cannot do,” Vila said.
Vila’s sentiment is shared by Brooklyn Park Deputy Police Chief Mark Bruley, who said that his department has to train its officers not to take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds.
Each officer, Bruley said, also has to undertake a course to test their ability to handle the routines required in a modern police car.
This is on top of actually driving a high-powered cruiser, either on cruise mode or when screaming down the motorway in pursuit of a suspected criminal.
Now, if the police are having troubles trying to figure out how to use so much tech while still driving a car, can you blame the Luddites for wanting to go back to the basics and seek a non-connected car?
