SUV Adventure

Remember Knight Rider’s sentient talking car with artificial intelligence, KITT? Or Batman’s hi-tech Batmobile, Tumbler?

There are many a fantastical things shown in movies and cartoons that have come true. Gone are the days when futuristic cars which could be controlled by pressing buttons and turning some knobs were just fantastical things possible only in movies or in cartoons. Cars that can be controlled by the kind of joysticks kids use to play video computer games are one of them. They are not legal to drive on most of the streets but are now very much existent. The movement of the stick is exactly the movement of the car.

Auto giants like DaimlerChrysler AG and Mercedes-Benz have developed these futuristic ‘sidestick’ cars that challenge every notion of what it means to drive a car. It makes for an intricate combination of high-speed computers with the wheels, engine, steering and brakes.

Drive-by-wire, DbW, by-wire, or x-by-wire technology replaces the traditional mechanical and hydraulic control systems with electronic control systems using electro-mechanical actuators and human-machine interfaces such as pedal and steering feel emulators.

If the word ‘replaces’ in the above definition is substituted with ‘partially replaces’, bits and pieces of drive-by-wire are available in many modern cars in the Indian market.

Central Locking, Power Steering, ABS (Brake-by-wire assist), Electronic Stability Control and in a trivial sense even things like power windows and self starter form a part of the Drive-by-Wire Technology. The electronic throttle, which does away with direct mechanical linkage from accelerator pedal, is now commonplace. Fiat Palio, Swift diesel, SX4, Ford Fiesta, Honda City, Nissan Xtrail are all cars that come with electronic throttle. In UV’s, Mahindra’s Scorpio and Xylo come with a number of toys of the Drive-By-Wire Technology which include brake-by-wire (like in ABS) and throttle-by-wire (Electronic throttle). A fully Drive-by-Wire car essentially encompasses all the aspects of X-by-Wire including brake-by-wire, steer-by-wire, throttle-by-wire etc.

The motivation for drive-by-wire cars lies in the better positioning of the controls and better performance but the use of the technology is still restricted to research vehicles due to regulatory and safety issues.

Mechanical systems degrade over a period of time and one can change the parts that are subject to wear and tear, if the performance of the vehicle is dipping. Electronic systems on the other hand have a tendency to fail without warning. Imagine the joystick of the car conking off at break neck speeds. It could very well be the recipe for an unstoppable disaster.