Lixar wanted to know ‘What does the car of 2020 look like?’ so it set its team of data scientists to find the answers.
Imagine it’s 2020, and you’re picking up a brand new car straight off the lot. You’ve done all of your research, taken the test drives, and inhaled that new car smell.
Now stop; what did this future car look like to you? For most people, dreaming of the future is just a fun way to pass the time, but at Lixar – knowing what tomorrow looks like is a number one priority.
“Data science is what makes the past understandable and the future more predictable.” said Bill Syrros, Lixar CEO.
The auto industry is a case study in technological advancement; from disc brakes and fuel injection to adaptive cruise control and the latest in infotainment systems, automotive has seen changes. Where at one time not a single wafer of silicon dared tread, today’s automobiles are sensor-laden thinking machines fueled by tens of millions of lines of code.
For many aspects of the automotive industry Lixar is able to estimate the rate of improvement, similar to how the Semiconductor industry generally follows Moore’s law when it comes to transistor density.
“Of course, nobody can really know for certain what innovations the future will bring, but not all outcomes are equally likely.” said Will Hickie, Chief Data Scientist at Lixar.
Using sophisticated statistical models, Lixar estimated the rate of change over time for Fuel Efficiency (Miles Per Gallon), CO2 Emissions, and the average time it takes to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour.
The results? A faster, leaner and greener vehicle. According to Lixar, the average car will be getting about 3.5 extra miles per gallon, while producing 25% less CO2, all the while shaving off half of a second from the average 0 to 60 time.
How will this faster, more fuel efficient environmentally sensitive ride come to be? Lixar believes high-tech innovations that empower drivers, combined with improvements in component packaging, manufacturing and miniaturization.
The benefits of technological advancement doesn’t end with the vehicle itself; it extends to driver. With connected technology, the car literally becomes a mobile phone on wheels; always connected from anywhere, at anytime.
An eco-score product was recently released in the Netherlands. It assigns an eco (environmental) score which is associated to driver behaviour.
During the driving phase, elements like idling-time, acceleration, braking-time, etc., are taken into consideration to produce a driver store. When a score is presented to the driver in real-time (even post trip), driver behaviour is usually influenced due to increased knowledge and driver awareness; inversely emissions usually decrease 10-15% due to increased driving efficiency. The ecoscore offers simple feedback expressed through a tablet, desktop or mobile phone.
The take-away, data can predict with certainty that technology will drive future transportation: lean and green benefits for both man and machine.
