Munich, Germany — June 12, 2018 — Autonomous travel and car safety were two major topics discussed at day two of the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium.
It’s no secret that the automotive landscape is changing. Car companies all over the world are investing billions of dollars into research and development to both improve car safety and create self driving vehicles. According to Business Insider, 19 companies are planning to have fully autonomous cars roaming the roads by 2020.
The impact these changes will have on the automotive industry were highlighted by speakers at today’s IBIS summit. Steve Young, managing director at automotive research organization ICDP, told spectators that he believes there will be an overall reduction in accidents and car repairs by 2030. With self-driving cars still being years away for the casual driver, new technologies such as advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) are being equipped on select new cars.
“ADAS is a defence system, to be the eyes and ears for the driver, who is still in control of the vehicle,” said Andrew Marsh, director of Auto Industry Insider. “ADAS is not autonomous, but is assistance for the driver who is still in control. Drivers should not rely on it,” he said.
Car manufacturers such as Tesla are using the ADAS system in some of their new vehicles, providing drivers with features such as automatic lane centering and braking. With the technology still in its early stages, standards toward the product have yet to be established.
“An ADAS performance standard does still not exist, some are good and some are better,” Marsh said. “It will become more common and is mandatory on some vehicles.”
As technologies such as ADAS become more common in everyday cars, a demand will increase for automotive workers with skills in how to navigate and deal with problems presented by these systems.
“Embedded ADAS technology means that accident damage affects components with sensors or the sensors themselves, creating huge costs on parts and repair,” Young said.
Consumers can expect fewer accidents in the future, but should be prepared to pay more when it comes to fixing their technologically advanced vehicles.
Collision Repair magazine is the exclusive Canadian media partner of IBIS. Look forward to our full coverage in the next issues of the print magazine.
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