Automotive Technology Research Assignment

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Automobile Body Styles and Designs

Automobile Body Styles

• SUV- SUV's have existed since the 1930's but experienced explosive popularity >during the mid 1990's. The SUV or Sports Utility Vehicle is a type of body style that is built on a truck frame, and kind of like the an Estate, but is bigger and higher up. They were originally built because there were a lot of people that needed a 4-wheel drive vehicle. They are designed for off and on-road work. An example of an SUV is an Audi Q7. (Picture found here, and information found here)

• Convertible- A convertible, also known as a cabriolet, is a type of body style with a retractable roof. They are usually best for people to buy if they live in areas with warmer weather. Some of the convertibles are affordable, but usually they are luxury cars. An example of a convertible as an Audi A5 convertible Premium Plus 4 cyl. (Picture found here and information found here)

• Coupe- The is normally thought of as a sporty type of vehicle. They are similar to the saloon, but with only 2 doors instead of 4, however there are some manufacturers who still make them with 4 doors. It is reasonably comfortable for seating in the front, but the back seat space is limited, so it's not good for families. (Picture found here and information found here)

• Van- For individuals or businesses that require a vehicle with a single large enclosed area, a van could be a leading choice for drivers. Capable of securely holding a large amount of passengers, vans are significantly styled for practicality rather than other factors such as performance. From the 1930s to the 1980s, vans were almost entirely based on truck-like chassis structures. Vans built on truck-like frames such as the Chevrolet Express prove most useful for commercial entities that require toughness and durability. If equipped for passenger, large vans can seat up to 15 occupants. Popularizing car-based construction. Van's are good for people with big families. (Picture from here  and information found here 

• Sedan- A sedan, also known as a saloon, is one of the most popular body types of cars today. It can seat a least 4 people and a separate trunk (boot) for storage. An example of a sedan is a Honda Accord. (Picture from here and information from here)

Automobile Design

• It usually takes about 3 years to design a car, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. They usually start off with the sketching phase, which is just them drawing a bunch of different pictures of the car. 
• Design is called problem solving because the people have fine arts degrees, but what they are doing isn't fine arts. They have criteria that they need to meet and draw their design based on it. It is essentially solving a problem.
•  The feasibility stage is when the workers need to put the sketches on a "package" and match them up with something that maintains the theme, but fits over top of the engineering. This is the biggest stage. 
• I think that designing an automobile would interest me more than the other jobs in the automotive industry, such as automotive technicians, but I don't really think that would be my number one future job choice. I will probably like driving, but other than that I won't care how my car is made and will probably not be interested in how they're made.

Careers and Certification in the Automotive Industry

Part One (Article)

1.  Some of the high-tech systems on automobiles today that were unheard of 30 years ago are stability and traction control systems, adaptive cruise control, and variable valve timing.
2. Young people should have technical skills, and also skills in math, science, and communications.
3. Some advantages of obtaining an education as an automotive technician versus other high-tech educational options are are; automotive technicians can begin their career after just two years of education, which allows students to get out in the real world sooner, with less debt.
4. There are expected to be 237 500 jobs as automotive technicians and there is predicted to be a 30 percent growth rate through 2020.
5. The automotive technician career is fairly immune to outsourcing of jobs (the services all moving overseas), unlike careers such as computer programming, accounting services, and customer call center work.
6. Four positions that an automotive technician can hold in the industry are; with schools and colleges as a instructor, work in the technical services, high performance rebuilding and machining, and work in parts distribution and wholesaling. 
7.  The automotive technician role is sometimes called the "portal career" because so many people have started their career in the automotive aftermarket as an automotive technician.

(Video)

•  I like doing math, so I believe that some aspects of being in the automotive industry that I would enjoy are solving the issue for them. I would also enjoy the math that is involved. 
• Something that I found interesting about this video is that there are so many different things that you are expected to be able to do as an automotive technician, such as electrical stuff, plumbing services, etc. Another thing that I found interesting is communication skills because you would often be talking to people in public. 
• Life-long learning is an important aspect of any job, not just automotive technicians. The technology and electronics are always changing, for example our technology that we have at the moment may be considered "ancient" in 5 or 10 years. When speaking specifically about automotive technicians, the technology and electronics are always changing. Everybody has seen it, each year with a new car, there are tons of new technology involved with it, and the technician needs to learn about all the new things quickly to make the changes.
•  Some skills or characteristics that an automotive technician should have are, to communicate with people, Math and Science skills, and the motivation to learn.

Certification in the Automotive Industry

• The NATEF is an organization that was founded to improve the quality of automotive technician training programs nationwide at schools. NATEF's primary focus is to examine the structure, resources, and quality of training programs and evaluates them against the standards established by the industry.
•  SGS is an organization that was founded to help every person in the automotive industry improve performance and reduce risk. The primary focus of SGS is on the design, construction, and operation of motor vehicle inspection solutions all over the world. 
• The ASE is an organization that was founded to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals. Their primary focus is to promote excellence in automotive repair and service.

Jobs in the Automotive Industry

•  I think that the job in the automotive industry that I would enjoy the most is the CEO of GM, because I'm good at telling people what to do. This is also a great job because GM is one of the largest companies in the world.
• The job in this industry that I would hate the most is probably a classic car restorer, because I know next to absolutely nothing about classic cars, I do not care about cars, and I also do not like working on cars.

BBT 10: Emerging Technologies and Automobiles

Technologies in Development

•  The technology that I think is the least likely to happen is probably the networked cars. It seems pretty unlikely that these GM EN-V's will be able to be basically like taxis minus the driver, kids and seniors or the elderly will be be able to take these. Even if this does happen, it will likely only be in cities.
•  I think that car to car communication will have the most impact on today's society. This is basically like the cars telling each other where they are going and how fast they are moving at and although it's pretty strange, it will likely prevent a lot of accidents. The cars will know where each other is and if it is safe to pass.
• The technology that is almost a reality is probably the Tesla Supercharge Stations. I think this because they already have some of them around, in places like California and Florida where the people can actually afford to get electric cars. It may be a little unreasonable for rural places like Blackville, because they probably wouldn't have a local "charging station" and a lot of people here couldn't afford the electric cars. 
• Ford's"Driver Workload Estimator", from what I can understand, measures the levels of stress the driver is under in certain situations. This could be safer for people, because some accidents may happen from things occurring on the road. For example, they may be under more stress while passing a car and another car is coming at them, causing them to panic and maybe lose control. This new system helps monitor these stress levels.
• Personally, I think these new flying cars are unnecessary. They are a waste of money because only the rich people would be able to afford them, not any middle class people like us. The time and money put into bridges and road conditions would just be wasted, jobs would be lost and many more things could happen, all because of these stupid flying cars.
• I agree with the people that think these autonomous automobiles are taking the experience of driving away. I don't yet have my driver's license or permit and I won't for a few months, but driving is fun, on open roads anyway. It likely isn't as enjoyable in populated and busy cities or anywhere with a lot of traffic actually. I can see where these people's  ideas are coming from, but these new cars will just take away from the experience of driving.

Tech for the Sake of Tech?

• It didn't surprise me at all that the younger generation, age 21-38, didn't want this technology. They've grown up in the age without smartphones, or if they did have smartphones growing up, they've used them the "old-fashioned way", as the article says. I think the results for this survey towards my generation might be a little more positive, some of us might want these in-car technologies because of all the emphasis put on in-car safety. 
• I think that these technologies only make it more dangerous, because the people would probably be more preoccupied with trying to figure out how the technology works than driving. Or showing the car off to the passenger they have with them. This causes them to look away from the road for longer than they would if they were texting, calling, picking music, etc.
•  For many people that I know, they don't really consider the technology when buying a new car, they more so focus on the durability and the amount of space in the vehicle. They might care about the cruise control options, and some of them may like the in-car calling options, but overall, in-car technology isn't a big concern. 
• When purchasing my own automobile, I think I would look for the in-car cell phone connectivity options. These are important, because some of them, you can do everything via Siri or voice control, or on a touch screen in the car, causing you not to lose as much focus on driving. 
• One new feature that older drivers may have thought was useless is in 1935, when flashing turn signals were invented. They may have thought it unnecessary because they could just communicate by maybe yelling, head nods and hand signals, or something physical, not in the car.

Looking at the History of the Automobile

Carl Benz
1. The automobile has been around for about 120 years.
2. Patent- a government authority or license conferring a right or title for a short period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.
3. The title that Carl Benz uses to describe the automobile is "a vehicle with gas engine". Carl Benz's wife, Bertha and his 2 eldest sons test drive his automobile in August of 1888, without him knowing. The first petrol station is born from this.
4. The "axial pivot steering system" helps with the problem of not being able to steer the front two wheels simultaneously.
5. The new name of the company when the two companies are merged is Mercedes Benz.
6. Something that Benz experienced as a pioneer in technology that many other pioneers will never be able to experience is that he lived to see his dream come true, which was the breakthrough of the automobile.

Henry Ford and Model T
1.The assembly line was suggested by three of Henry's employees. This wasn't just an assembly line that the workers moved down the line, but the idea of one in which the line moved and the workers stayed in place, with the task that he/she was good at popping into sight.
2.Workers tended to be more committed to Ford's company than other companies at the time because he wanted his employees to be fairly treated in terms of their wage, he gave them a better of more liveable wage.
3.The cost of the first Model T was a little over $1000, with the cost dropping to $800 soon after. The Model T was made for the common man, unlike most cars at the time.
4.After nearly 100 000 Model Ts were made, the price then dropped to a little over $365. It probably dropped so quickly because even $800 at the time was probably still a ton of money for people to pay back in the old days.
5.As the Model T was becoming the main mode of transportation, it began to offer people the choice of when and where to work, and the opportunity to travel for pleasure and to visit relatives and friends without relying on railroads. The car was also considered the "ticket to your personal freedom."


My Video Selections

1. The Invention of the Automobile

•  The early automobiles used the steam engine as their main source of power. They were slow, cumbersome, and uncomfortable for people sitting near the engine. 
• French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is credited with the invention of the first automobile. 
• Cugnot's first automobile had a top speed of 2mph and was financed by the French government.

2. The Rise of Henry Ford

• Henry Ford came from an agricultural background, but he hated it. 
• Henry Ford didn't invent the internal combustion engine, he read articles about it and developed his own version of it. 
• In 1903, Ford created the Ford Motor Company was formed with the help of investors. 
• His car was priced at $800, compared to the average $1500 of other cars.

Automobile Timeline 

• 1908- Model T is introduced. Henry Ford starts making the Model T. This is interesting because it's really cool that they made that many cars, 10 660 cars in the first year of production. 
• 1913- First moving assembly line for automobiles developed. This is interesting because as a result of this, the Model T's prices can go lower and become more affordable. 
• 1919- First single foot pedal to operate coupled four-wheel brakes. I find this interesting because before this, drivers had to use separate hand and foot brakes simultaneously. 
• 1939- First air conditioning system added to automobiles. I find this interesting because without this first air conditioner, there wouldn't be much chance of us having air conditioners now, that was our foundation for the modern-day thing.

Digital Awareness Video Assignment

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-dWgduafyhlwCm0gZk0FqnkrwIXyA-uh6fU2zjQ1Cw/edit?usp=sharing