Transport is Getting More Connected
Cars are collecting more and more data as more powerful on-board computers record every aspect of driving. Car manufacturers are installing computers in cars which give the driver more information on how they are driving and in which ways travelling can get easier.
The Italian car producer FIAT has been collecting data from a navigation system that was installed in some of its models. The data shows how the brakes are used, how often someone changes gear or how much petrol is used. Drivers can download the data onto a USB stick and with the help of special software see what mistakes they make and where they can improve their driving.
Fiat is planning to go a step further. The data should be analyzed immediately, telling the driver in which ways they can drive more efficiently. Such a computer could also examine road and traffic conditions.
On-board computers are becoming more and more powerful. Imagine a computer adjusting your seats, playing your favorite kind of music or turning or setting the air conditioning the way you want it.
The data relayed back to FIAT found out that the British are the most fuel-efficient drivers while the Spanish use the most petrol.
Electric cars will also be using computer technology to monitor use. BMW has already put an on-board computer in its Mini E. Among other things it monitors how often users charge their cars.
Not only cars but other forms of transportation are becoming more and more interconnected as well. A disc that is connected to the back wheel of a bike captures lost energy and uses it for steep climbs.
Smartphone applications are helping citizens in traffic as well. In London you can download an app that shows you the where you can hire a bike. Other apps connect your mobile phone to traffic cameras so that you can see if roads are clear when you start your journey. A GPS application can post your location to a social network so that your friends can automatically see where you are.
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Words
- adjust = change
- analyze = study very carefully
- app = short form of application
- application = here: computer program
- aspect = side, feature
- brakes = object in a car that makes it go more slowly or stop
- capture = get
- charge = to load with electricity
- condition = state or situation of something
- data = information
- disc = round plate
- efficient = to work or drive without wasting energy
- examine = look at carefully
- fuel-efficient = using very little petrol
- further = more, extra
- gear = a machine in a car or truck that you use to travel comfortably at different speeds. You use low gear to climb up mountains and higher gears to travel in flat places.
- GPS =Global Positioning System = system that uses radio signals from satellites to show your exact position on earth
- hire = rent
- immediately = at once
- improve = to make better
- install = put in
- interconnect = link between
- manufacturer = producer
- monitor = watch, supervise, look at
- on-board = here: installed in the car
- record = save information on a computer disc or chip so that you can look at it in the future
- relay = send back to
- social network = internet platform where people can communicate with each other
- steep = at a high angle
- traffic = cars , buses, trucks that move on the road
- use = how something works or is used