The Future of the Car

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Mon 2 May 2005 14:42
The Future of the Car - Douglas
Stuck at home with a bad back today but gave me the chance to listen to You and Yours on Radio 4. Fascinating and well informed discussion on the future of the car featuring James May, a rep from the SMMT and others. To listen again go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/ and click the listen again button.

Douglas
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Wed 4 May 2005 22:43
The Future of the Car - J Bonington Jagworth
I think I caught some of that - scary stuff about engine management linked to GPS and knowledge of speed limit boundaries. I'm not too sure I want my car overriding my instructions while I'm trying to complete a manoeuvre that happens to extend into a 30-limit...
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Wed 4 May 2005 22:50
The Future of the Car - Honestjohn
As long as cars are capable of movement, using GPS to control the speed of cars on the ground will kill people because GPS cannot see what drivers can and cannot react the way drivers can. Look what happens with GPS guided missiles. If computers were perfect and foolproof they would be perfect and foolproof, but they aren't and can never be and we all know that.

HJ
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Wed 4 May 2005 23:08
The Future of the Car - Bromptonaut
GPS accuracy is pretty good but how does it know if you're on the Motorway or parallel A road?
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Wed 4 May 2005 23:13
The Future of the Car - Sofa Spud
Rather than using GPS to work a speed limiter, it could be linked to a black box that records a trace of the car's speed, including when it exceeds limits - a kind of geographically aware tachograph.

I'm not saying such devices SHOULD be introduced, but they would be safer than the GPS speed limiter.

Cheers, SS
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Wed 4 May 2005 23:22
The Future of the Car - Sofa Spud
Broadenimg the subject: - I think electric/diesel hybrids will become popular, with taxis being a major market.

Cheers, SS
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Fri 6 May 2005 22:14
The Future of the Car - J Bonington Jagworth
On reflection, disconnecting (or shielding) the aerial should do the trick. The system can't be made to kill the engine on loss of signal, after all...
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