While car dealership profits have dipped in the past year, their online transactions have improved to 7.3% from the previous 2.5%, according to Daryl Kenningham, the US president of Group 1 Automotive. This makes it clear that consumers are still buying cars and other technology to improve their lives. So it is worth looking into what sort of new and cutting-edge innovation is going into car design and performance that is taking the car industry by storm.
Titanium Rods For Reduced Emissions
Around 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from road vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency. With more consumers taking on a more eco-friendly view, manufacturers have developed new ways to reduce emissions for vehicles. One particular way is through a titanium metal rod that is used as the engine connecting rod.
This effectively improves fuel efficiency and reduces the emissions produced by the vehicle. As titanium is an expensive resource, it is mostly luxury brand vehicles that are able to offer this innovation to their clients. Manufacturers like Mitsubishi are looking into integrating more titanium into their engines and other car parts.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic For Lighter Vehicles
In the past few decades, commercial vehicles have put on quite a bit of weight, with the average American car weighing around 1,850kg, as published by The Correspondent. Heftier cars mean that engines need to be bigger and more powerful to compensate. This is a trend that manufacturers are aiming to break away from by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic or polymer.
This material is able to reduce the vehicle weight by 10% more than the traditional carbon fiber composites that were introduced to the market decades ago. Lighter vehicles mean cars can go faster with significantly less strain on their engines. That, in turn, helps engines last longer without needing more maintenance.
Improved Lithium-Ion Charge Rate For Faster EV Charging
One of the more recent car-related innovations is the electric vehicle. The typical electric car takes about eight hours to charge. While this may be ideal for some people, others desire a more speedy charging period for a more on-the-go approach. This is also something desired by electric race cars.
Heeding the call, car manufacturers like Tesla and Porsche have developed fast chargers that can cut down the charging time to around 40 minutes. They may have accomplished this by adding silicone to the anode.
Tesla, in particular, has added silicon oxide to their graphite anode to get more energy from their lithium-ion cells. Their recent findings say that their new generation of batteries charges up to 75% in five minutes or so.
These are only a few examples of the several innovations that are rocking the vehicle industry. There is no doubt that the design and performance of vehicles will continue to improve in the coming years. For now, future car buyers should pay attention to the latest innovations so that they can decide which one suits their preferences the best.