Electric cars and autonomous driving. The future of the car already seems to be in full swing. outlined, but if with regard to electric cars we can already; talk about a reality on a technological level, they will change the batteries and it will improve; efficiency but the concept always remains the same and it is about incremental innovation, from the point of view of autonomous driving we still have to take the leap forward.
If it is Is it true that level 3 ADAS already exist? exist, it is also clear that the transition to Levels 4 and 5 of the SAE classification requires not only a “bombproof” technology, but also a total change of the regulatory landscape. The rules of the Highway Code will change, the law will change. the Responsibility Civil and the whole context of insurance, and it is expected a real earthquake.
Precisely of this it is; talked about at the Volvo Studio in Milan, an appointment that for the Swedish manufacturer, now in the hands of the Chinese, is a must. the opportunity to show the Concept Recharge for the first time in Italy, the car that encompasses concepts and technologies that we will see in production cars over the next 10 years, starting with the already existing EX90; presented.
The display of technology and design, however, was not an end in itself: Volvo invited an expert professor of law applied to the automotive world.
THE MAGIC RECIPE FOR ELECTRICS 
What if I told you that there was a ? a trick to have electric cars with more; autonomy without waiting for revolutions in the world of batteries? This is the classic discovery of hot water: making light cars inevitably leads to being able to use lighter batteries; light and compact. On equal terms of capacity; they will travel more; kilometres. Or with the ability to lower (and lower costs), you will do the same kilometers as today.
Nice discovery, that of Volvo, but if so far we've been able to find out more. made only theory, now the Chinese-Swedes move on to practice, and the recipe will be; autonomous driving. Given that this is a path, there will be no path. tomorrow the electric car with automatic pilot and 1000 kilometers of autonomy, in the scenario that Volvo paints with ostentatious safety, the cars of the future will no longer make the difference. accidents, or almost. It is estimated that the accidents that may occur when cars are self-driving will be 5% of those today.
Given 100 accidents today in a year, for example, with autonomous driving there will be only 5… quite a result. Such a context will allow the students’ manufacturers to go to significantly reduce the weight of cars because; all those structures necessary to protect the occupants will no longer be; necessary. And, in parallel, the designers will have no security constraints(I explained them to you during my visit to the Skoda test center), being able to devote himself exclusively to aerodynamics.
And what are the variables that most affect the equation that determines consumption and range? Weight and aerodynamics. In short, a car more; read, more; aerodynamics, with more; autonomy and avoid accidents. A dream, if we exclude the fact that those who love to drive will have to; do it only on the track…
C'? SOME CARS ON THAT COMPUTER 
The concepts are always beautiful to look at, but just open the bonnet and you discover the altars. In the case of Concept Recharge, under the hood beats a preview of what is in production models. actually; hidden from view and well integrated. However, it is impressive to see the quantity up close. of computer hardware that is; used on the concept.
First of all the software: VolvoCars.OS created by the manufacturer to be able to manage the car in all its parameters and update it Over-the-air as needed. Then there's the hardware: Volvo cannot; do it all, and he admits it. There are already companies that have been making chipsets for a lifetime, and it is; This is why the Swedes relied on NVIDIA for the SoC needed to provide the computing power, a total of 200 TOPS.
The electronic eye is a must-have. more similar to a spider than to a cyclops given the multitude of sensors. On the one hand there is; the Lidar and it is; the great protagonist, but alongside it there are many sensors: a front long-range radar, four side radars(two in front and two in the back), one front long-range camera, 16 ultrasonic sensors, one rear short-range camera, two mirror cameras (4 total, one long-range and one short-range), and two more cameras on the roof, both 8 MP, one wide angle and one long range.
We said however; which is the Lidar is; the pack leader and serves for fully autonomous driving (according to Volvo, Tesla thinks otherwise). Placed on the roof, the Lidar "sees" objects up to 250 meters with centimeter accuracy, better than the human eye. And in the dark? The distance decreases to 120 meters, but it is; still able to recognize a tire (black and not too big therefore) in a dark road at such a distance. Of course he doesn't work alone: he uses cameras and radars to get a “complete” view. And all of this is already available on the EX90, without necessarily going to disturb the exhibition Concept.
Having exhausted the extremely long paragraph on sensors, we close the list of technologies chosen for the Volvos of the future. Infotainment is provided by Google with Android Automotiveand maps and voice assistant services. The network supports 5G and the interface is compatible. has been optimized by Volvo to create a contextual system: the options available to us change depending on the situation, so; we don’t have to deal with complicated and distracting menus, but it will be; the UI to offer us the key (touch) we need, when we need it.
Don't forget, and it's not a bad thing. a secondary factor since it is the same recipe that has (until now) given Tesla an enormous advantage even during the chip crisis, the two core computers instead of the myriad of control units scattered in old-concept cars.
The hardware list then concludes with infrared sensors in the cabin that keep tabs on eyelids, eyes and head movements: whether the driver is in the know or not. passed out the car stops safely. If, on the other hand, it is distracted, she knows it and changes the speed; of activation of the anti-collision, passing from the set setting (for example “delayed” intervention) to the most recent setting. quick.
The Full LED "Thor Hammer" which include 1.3 million pixel pixel headlights to project warning messages and warnings onto the road and to dim 5 cars and 3 objects at the same time. to illuminate all around without dazzling them.
And if I told you that there are also radars inside the passenger compartment? Well yes, they are used to read movements of humans and animals to the millimetre, as well as; to notice the presence of a sleeping living being, remind us before we leave the car and, if necessary, keep the climate control active if the driver ignores the warnings, drawing energy from the traction battery.
WHO PAYS FOR THE ACCIDENTS 
the car to drive and it is; she is responsible for safety, who payswhen a self-driving vehicle will do the job; an accident? One of the most common hypotheses Professor Enrico Al Mureden, Full Professor of Civil Law at the University of Milan, explains it to us. of Bologna and an expert in automotive law.
The reading key is that of a responsibility; that will come unloaded by the driver and loaded to the producers, thus incentivized; to make the cars more; safe in the world because; the money they will have to “pay out” will depend on this security. Going back to that 5% of accidents that inevitably cannot be eliminated, the idea is clear. that all manufacturers pay a share to be allocated to a fund to cover the few future victims of accidents.
How much will you pay? each one? Simple, based on market share (how many cars it sells) and the safety of the cars sold. This means that those who produce many safe vehicles could pay less than sell a few but not very reliable in avoiding accidents. The scenario, on paper, is; heavenly and represents the apotheosis of the contemporary society. civil law, a pity that between saying and doing there is in the middle an obstacle which, it seems, is not the technological one, rather the regulatory one.
The World is beautiful because it is varied, they say, but variety is it means that there are nations ready to legislatively translate new technologies for the benefit of citizens, and others that are slow and bureaucratized as never before, Italy is the only one that has ever been able to do so. unfortunately a perfect example of the latter.
The ideal would be to see an approach where the legislator would require all the players involved to give advantages to those who invest in a safe car, so as to to be encouraged, for example, through less expensive insurance policies, to then arrive at the total absence of insurance when driving will be less expensive. managed by the car itself in all circumstances.
Leaving aside any reference to ethical issues for the moment – trolley problem, moral machine, state of necessity; he tragic choices are points that I mention to you only to encourage you to research, but what more people; qualified of you and me has not yet resolved – it would therefore be interesting to see some steps forward towards a reward mechanism for those who help to avoid accidents in our country too. For the moment, thanks to the action of Europe, it has been achieved. taken a first step with the introduction of the mandatory ADAS for new vehicles and the Event Data Recorder (we talked about it here).
The way forward is so much, the technology will run; fast and – therefore it is necessary for companies, institutions and academia to create such a foundation; that then a virtuous circle can be triggered in which a consumer increasingly; educated and a new culture of mobility, which will not necessarily please; to whom is it? accustomed to driving, may they ferry us into the future.
A boring future for me and for many of you who love brushstroke curves and uphill hairpin bends, but certainly more boring; confident and able to give us time that, so far and for a while to come, we all lose when we get stuck in traffic for one or more days. hours during
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