TECH TIME MACHINE:

CAR TECH
BY JAMES O'BRIEN

Cars can mean a lot of different things to different people. Over time, they've
been thought of as everything from horseless carriages to hot rods, and now we're
starting to think of them as smart, connected, and even someday, autonomous ways to
get around.

Yet another way to consider the automobile is to think of it as a platform for

technology. Each step of the car's evolution has represented the potential for
remarkable moments among engineers and innovators.

Taking a step back, it's easy to appreciate just how many times and ways this
has happened within the auto industry. The following milestones in the timeline help tell
this story -- these are automotive inventions that truly moved the world forward.

1908 - Model T 1911 - Electric Starters

Ford motors releases the Model T to
the public. The mass-produced
commercial auto becomes the
technological starting point for the car
as not only a thing people could go
out and buy, but also as a medium
for new ideas with which future
developers could work.
Starting your car gets a lot easier --
and safer. The cumbersome cranks
that once fired up an engine actually
killed a motorist, back in 1910. A year
later, the electric ignition debuts, and
coupled with a self-starter it
eliminates the problem.
 1925 - Cigarette Lighter
We tend to approach these as
DC outlets for electronics in our cars,
now, but back in 1925 the first
versions of lighter units allow
motorists to sit back and fill their
cabins with second-hand smoke.
1930 - Car Radio
For a mere $130 (in 1930s dollars) you
can now receive radio broadcasts in the
comfort of your coupe. This is
understandably a big deal for the
automobile owner, and will fuel
late-night parking for generations of
teenagers to come.
1929 - Four-Wheel Brakes
Making it easier to stop safely comes
in fits and starts throughout the
1920s. But by the end of the decade,
some 99% of automobiles worked
with brakes on each wheel. It's a
humble precursor to the anti-lock
braking systems that would
revolutionize stopping power later in
the century, but it was still a big leap
forward at the time.
1934 - Coil Spring Suspension
Shimmying wheels and rough road
conditions put more than one car into a
ditch because of lousy suspension.
Independent coil spring suspension
comes into its own in '34 — first in the
front, later for the back wheels, too. The
improved handling saves aggravation
and lives.

1949 - Up, Up (and Away)
A decade of automotive optimism hits
a momentary high with the creation
of the world's first flying car. The
Aerocar never really took off
(obviously) but one did recently
appear on the market. The price tag?
A lofty $1 million.
1965 - 8 Track!
The world now gets to bring its music
along for the ride. We probably think
more fondly of the 8-track these days --
not everyone loved it in the '60s and
'70s -- but it sets the stage for the next
important sound addition to autos: The
cassette deck.
1956 - Power Steering
An invention on the drawing boards
of carmakers for decades, power
steering finally becomes a common
feature in the post-War autos of the
'50s. By the decade's end, one in
four drivers are making turns with the
help of hydraulics.
1969: 3-Speed Automatic Transmission
Automatic transmissions had already
been through a number of iterations,
marked by a long pause in development
during World War II. As the demand for
them rose in the 1950s, however, and
the ways they worked became simpler
and more powerful, the three-speed
truly automatic transmission comes into
its own. By the end of the '60s, it's a
standard inclusion in many makes and
models. Also, in a small victory for
beleaguered mammals, manufacturers
stop using whale oil in the transmission
fluid.

1970 - Cassette Decks
As Car & Driver points out, the
dashboard decks that start to appear at
the top of the decade opened the door
to a two-word phenomenon that's fuels
many a late-night drive: mix tapes.
1982 - Electronic Fuel Injection
For most of the auto's history there
isn't a truly standard approach to
how the vehicle mixes air and fuel to
get the most out of its engines. Lots
of iterations, differing results. But
sensors and microprocessors
change the playing field, starting in
the early '80s, and automotive
design begins to set a new baseline
for the process.
1973 - Catalytic Converter
We could all breath a little easier.
The first production catalytic
converter is introduced, scrubbing
tailpipe emissions and making
getting around a somewhat cleaner
proposition. Thanks to new federal
regulations, adoption of the devices
is well underway by the mid '70s.
1984 - Air Bags
There's a common thread
throughout the history of autos.
Inventions seldom take root right
away, and they happen in numerous
ways and places, overlapping. After
many tries, by 1984 manufacturers
are figuring out cost-effective and
safe ways to deploy airbags. They
start to become standard features
for the first time.
1985 - In-Dash Disc Players
CDs will eventually replace
cassettes. Luxury-car makers figure
this out early on. The first CD
players in cars begin popping up,
mid-decade.
1995 - Navigation Systems
It will take an act of a President, in
2000, to make mostly reliable GPS
navigation possible for drivers, but
the first system actually appears a
half-decade before that point. Later,
once the satellite information that
fuels electronic-nav systems is
unscrambled, by Presidential order,
manufacturers and developers go to
work. By the mid-2000s, portable
and in-car equipment becomes more
or less the norm.
1994 - On-Board Diagnostics
On-board computer assisted
diagnostics have been a thing for
some time, but starting in about '94,
the 16-pin connector that garage
mechanics will come to know so well
begin to appear more and more
frequently under the dash.
2000 - Hybrid Cars
Changing the fuel that cars use in
the first place could be one of the
most profound potential steps in
automotive evolution. Hybrid
electric vehicles get their first
mass-production shot at the turn of
the century. While there are still
challenges ahead, it doesn't yet
look like they'll go away.
2000–2010s - Connected and 'Smart' Cars

Contemporary autos can pack the computing power of 20 PCs, and they're rapidly
evolving into even more powerful manifestations of the Internet. In the coming
decade, your auto may well be just another component of a fully connected
consumer experience. Optimizing their own performance and maintenance is one
thing, but the potential to move into a realm where cars navigate, brake, avoid
collisions and hazards on their own -- basically become autonomous on a number
of levels -- is no longer a subject for science fiction alone.

And so, the car has been a nexus for invention after invention, and there's no sign
that's about to stop. Such a rich history of engineers, of solutions to problems that keep
us safer and get us places in ever increasing style. If you look at what's happening, when
it comes to the cutting edge of automotive technology, it's safe to say that car tech is
poised to shift into an even higher gear. The road is long and it's still wide open. Enjoy the
ride!