Computers in the Automotive Workplace

The automotive industry is heavily computerized, but it wasn't always so. Vehicle engines used to be completely mechanical. Gauges were nothing more than sensors or glorified dimmer switches. Some vehicles started adding digital gauges in the mid-1980s, although sensors remained analog for longer. When you would take your vehicle in to get service at a dealership, your service write-up was on carbon paper and handwritten. When parts departments initially started to keep inventory electronically, the paperwork was still handwritten. You used to gather your invoices at the end of the day and enter your sales into a "deck writer." A deck writer was a computer keyboard connected to a line printer. It was still just a dumb terminal connected to an on-site server. After entering your sales for the day, your electronic inventory was updated. To see your inventory, you would need to print it out on paper. Eventually, monitors and additional keyboards were added so you could get a more real-time look into your inventory.

Through the decades, more computerized sensors were added to vehicles. These individual systems were replaced with multiple onboard computers. At first, computers were used for individual functions and later combined to handle multiple tasks. Safety systems typically have separate computers from those used for convenience features such as air conditioning and sound systems. Digital vacuum tube gauges morphed into high-definition displays. Most displays now also perform multiple duties as input and output devices. Your display is now tasked with your radio, air conditioning, navigation, phone, and backup camera display, amongst many other duties. According to (Tingwall, 2020), "Electronics Account for 40 Percent of the Cost of a New Car." The onboard computers monitor the engine's power and emissions. They keep track of any errors, save them as a specific code, and automatically send these trouble codes to the manufacturer via the onboard cellular modem.

Today, when you go in to get your car serviced, you may experience getting greeted by an advisor with an iPad, using the camera to scan the barcode to capture the vehicle identification number. They can "write up" your entire repair order without a pen or paper. They can take photos of your vehicle to note any pre-existing damage. The application will communicate over the internet to check with the manufacturer to check warranty status and to see if there are any open recalls on your vehicle. The advisor can plug a device into your car that will communicate wirelessly with the iPad to send any trouble codes that may be stored on the vehicle's computer. These codes help with diagnosing issues.

The technicians' tools used to be merely voltmeters and hand wrenches. Now they carry computers to test and re-program the vehicle's computers. A vehicle with a rough idle is often fixed by a computer update rather than turning a screw on a carburetor. Technicians can still take apart a gasoline engine and rebuild it with dozens of new parts. It's very labor-intensive and dirty work. As vehicles become electrified, technicians will likely replace entire, sealed components.

Someone who started in this industry when everything was on paper needs to be open to change. The industry has never stopped evolving. The auto industry is about to make a massive change as we shift from gasoline-powered vehicles to all-electric in the next couple of decades. It's coming faster than people may realize. The states of California and Washington have already announced that they will no longer allow new gasoline or diesel-powered passenger vehicles to be sold starting in 2035.

Some vehicle features are already sold on a subscription basis. For example, you may not have purchased a remote start on your vehicle. It might still be there. Many manufacturers have apps for smartphones that allow you to make service appointments, see some information about your car, and in many cases, allow you to start your car or unlock your doors remotely. This allows the manufacturer to either make money on the feature at the time of the sale of the car, or they can collect a continuous monthly fee for the subscription to the service that allows the remote features.

Current self-driving features involve many onboard sensors and cameras. All the processing happens in the vehicle itself. The computer cannot control other drivers’ actions, but it might be quicker in detecting them. In the future, high-speed networks will play an even bigger role in self-driving cars. Vehicles will be networked to servers and with each other allowing them to travel closer to each other without fear of collision. Every car will know where every other car is. As a vehicle needs to change positions, other cars will automatically adjust.

Tingwall, E. (2021, November 29). Electronics Account for 40 Percent of the Cost of a New Car. Car And Driver. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a32034437/computer-chips-in-cars/

Packet Watch