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 Networking 3
We have said this many times before: it simply won't work without a central authority. Someone has to at least collect information provided directly by drivers. Here, we’ll set that topic aside; we won't compare
it to 110 (police) or 112 (fire department), but will simply refer to it, in a neutral way and without any specific expertise, as a call center, such as that of a mobile phone provider. How, however, it is to learn
about the difficulties inherent in that system, we shall also leave aside.
Of course, the aim is to reduce the use of expensive human services as much as possible. However, we will leave open for now the question of whether this can be automated in a typical call center, or whether
it will continue to be staffed by people and be linked to more responsibilities of public administration. After all, the 112 emergency line has to deal with more trivial matters than actual emergencies.
Of course, the manufacturer will certainly not want to lose touch with his/her customer. That is why, at least in this context, the cloud is a key component of connectivity. The advantage of the cloud is that, in
principle, you don't have to carry any data with you, except perhaps your login credentials. And, of course, the can also be staggered if necessary. The cloud turns all IT that accesses it into end devices.
These can be changed almost instantly, as can the locations, of course.
Whether the customer switches providers or stops using one altogether, contact is maintained through the cloud accounts that have already been set up. Certainly, more and more information needs to be
disclosed, but at least with the customer’s permission, the manufacturer has the vehicle under control. An interesting side note: Access is granted through a simple questionnaire at the beginning of the
relationship. However, to unsubscribe, you sometimes even have to send an email, obstacles that can make you forget your desire to be disconnected.
Digressions are the icing on the cake of a book. Here's one that really belongs in the 'Electric Cars' section. There is a really good reason for vehicle connectivity that has nothing to do with
infotainment or safety. Just imagine you've plugged your electric car into a Supercharger and, of course, don't feel like waiting there for half an hour or longer. So you go out for coffee.
But it would be the polite thing to do to vacate that Supercharger spot for other vehicles waiting to charge as soon as your car has finished charging. A text message on a smartphone could be very helpful here.
And the situation would be perfect if the driver of the waiting car were to receive one as well. Both outside for a moment, swap the cars, and then everyone goes their separate way.
The cloud is worth mentioning here because of the consolidation of messages. Basically, the vehicles could simply exchange data among themselves, but this approach allows for an increase in the volume of data and,
consequently, the number of participants. This means that information that individual participants are not interested in is also saved. The example about the weather is all too familiar; it’s important for the person traveling
there from where the other person is coming.
In addition to weather and route information, there’s even more exciting content to explore. If self-drivers were excluded again, two lines of cars could approach an intersection in such a way that one car from one side and
then one from the other side would always have a clear path. Synchronize, for example, when entering the motorway. You’ve probably already passed a freight train on the adjacent track while riding in a passenger train.
At first, there will undoubtedly be some fresh updates rolling out from the cloud to the testers to fix all the little glitches the manufacturer overlooked. In the event of an accident, reports are important for determining which of
the two manufacturers is at fault. But the inmates, as potential dangerous individuals, must also be monitored.
It is particularly difficult to assess an accident that occurred after control of the vehicle was transferred to a higher level and/or if one of the passengers is involved. That is why such a handover must be handled almost like a
legal transaction, similar to handing over a set of keys, and should actually be prepared for as early as the vehicle’s initial programming.
It’s going to be quite a challenge when a car like that has to be freed from a tangle of problems, and that all by a remote operator. Although no screen is needed, at least not in the car in question, a lot of sensor technology
is required. These could also be people who, hopefully, convey the correct information in a clear and understandable way.
Perhaps the situation is comparable to that of the captain of a large cruise ship that has to turn around in the harbor. This is also called 'remote-controlled driving,' presumably a training program that goes beyond
a driver's license. And during the operation, the software must also be able to regularly check the wireless connection and, if necessary, disconnect it.
The situation regarding external vehicle control can be made even more complicated. For example, if one of the passengers does not want to participate in this assistance tour, perhaps because he or she feels unsafe,
then he or she should actually be able to do so at any time. However, there are situations where this can only be done with great difficulty, such as when turning left onto the shoulder of the highway. Who has the authority to
allow or, if necessary, prohibit or not carry out this action?
The worst thing about autonomous driving is that all behavior is already programmed into the software. So everything that happens is intentional, always with the respectively higher possible penalty. In retrospect,
this can have dramatic consequences for a manufacturer's programming, especially since it can later be found millions of times. He's probably taking very little risk.
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