We once dreamed about having flying cars and not having to drive them. While our cars might not yet be flying, there are plenty of companies testing out artificial intelligence in order to create a working, flawless, self-driving car. Technology has had so many advancements – there are cars with monitors on which you can watch your favorite game, check out the Super Bowl odds or even watch a movie! There have already been cars on the road which managed to travel around 200 kilometers without human input.
Some pretty neat inventions made it into the cars we drive on an everyday basis, which came from motorsports.
Here are some other interesting newer technologies that made it into our everyday vehicles, originating from motorsports.
Small Engine Capacity – High Horsepower
Small engines have been a trend in the car industry for the last two decades. They have been refined to the point where a 1.2 liter engine has around 180 horsepower while previously having 75. That is a lot of improvement and the list goes on. Hot hatches, or hatchbacks with lots of horsepowers, dropped the 2.0 liter engines and had them replaced with either 1.4 or 1.2 liter ones. That saves weight and allows the already light and quick car to be even quicker.
This change came to be with the advancement of turbochargers and the necessary software which accompanies all modern cars which controls the valves and fuel injection, not to mention the turbo itself. All that work culminates in lighter but still quicker vehicles. These engines were first introduced in Formula 1 cars, as a necessity, as they need to be lighter.
Traction Control – Hated and Loved at the Same Time
People are really bipolar when it comes to traction control. Some will never ever consider buying a car without it, yet when met with their friends, they will spit on it and call it names, cursing it because it doesn’t allow them to do oversteers and similar dangerous things.
Traction control also came from Formula 1, and it was met with disappointment there. Racers wanted nothing to do with it. While it might not help racers perform better, it certainly saves lives on the motorway or rainy and slippery days.
Paddle Shifters – Formula 1 In a Family Estate
Paddle shifters are also something which came from Formula 1. They were invented so that drivers would never have to take both hands off the steering wheels. Paddle shifters either sit in place behind the steering wheel or move with the steering wheel as you turn it. In regular vehicles, it can be either of those things. There are plenty of semi-automatic cars now, where you press the paddle shifters to feel like a racer in your hatchback.
Buttons on the Steering Wheel – A Nightmare
This became quite a trend for a while, having as many buttons as possible on the steering wheel. While this is necessary for racers in Formula 1, again, it is really a nightmare to people who dislike reading manuals.
These are some of the most interesting technologies that made it into everyday vehicles.