Audi has designed removable panels that are secured to an electric car’s roof and that contain sensors and equipment to add features to the driver-assistance suite. In a patent filing with the European Patent Office, we can see that users will be able to plug in the necessary additional sensors and equipment to get features your car didn’t have when it left the factory. The system will be offered for convertibles too.
Driver-Assistance Features Targeted
Audi targets driver assists, with the computing power and sensors needed for features such as adaptive cruise control and hands-free driving being incorporated in the roof panels. The aim is not only to make cars more autonomous, but to enable vehicle owners to add features that their car lacked at purchase, obviating the need to buy another car. Adding new safety features to an existing car reduces waste and extends the useful life of the car.
The roof panels will apparently also be able to improve an EV’s range and reduce its weight, although Audi has specified how this will work.. We presume more efficient predictive driving might be to thank for the longer range, because add-on panels are unlikely to improve aerodynamic efficiency; the patent drawings do not show how unobtrusively or otherwise the panels might be integrated into the car’s design. The interchangeable panels are supposed to be easy to swap out as needed, such as when going on vacation or a road trip.
Redundancy Assured
Audi addresses the safety aspect by saying the system is fool-proof, with the physical wire connections in the A-pillar supplemented with wireless connections. Functioning at the same time, either the physical and wireless connection incorporated in the add-on panel will keep on working if the other fails, so that there is no interruption in the safety devices’ operation.
Long-Term Implications
Audi hopes that this patent will not only give existing car owners the option of adding previously unavailable features to their vehicles, but encourage other carmakers to adopt a more modular approach to vehicle design. This will make it easier to upgrade cars with new technologies without having to completely redesign them. It will also reduce the environmental impact by keeping cars on the road for longer.
