M&M has bought 55.2% stake in the Bangalore headquartered Electric Car Company and the top brass of M&M have said that if it is feasible to have an Electric Scorpio and Bolero, then we can expect one on roads soon.
What this stands proof of is the potential boom in Electric Vehicles in the Indian Market. With all the hoopla about Eco-friendliness, this, I don’t think is just a hype.
Vehicles have several benefits, including energy efficiency, lack of tailpipe emissions and quiet operation. Electric vehicles also help reduce our dependence on petroleum. Unfortunately, electric vehicles still suffer from range limitations — even with advances in battery technology. Meaning once the battery is run down, you must stop to plug it in and charge it.
How is this relevant to us the geeks, you ask? Well, The possibility of mobile computing is where this is of interest to us.
I’ve been speaking in some mind-voices about the possibilities this opens up. The Electric vehicle can accommodate a mobile cinema, a party room, a data-center if you wish.
Imagine a Car with an on-board supercomputer that can interface with any map service like Google Maps and get directions and drive its way around when you are busy working on your lappy. Imagine it ordering your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant before you even reach there. Imagine it informing the distance from the restaurant and ETA so that your order is served fresh when you actually arrive.
Imagine traveling anywhere in the world without worrying too much about driving directions. Imagine Knight rider style windshield displays that talk to you in real time. Imagine having video-conferences on your windshield with anyone, anywhere in the world with ultra fast wireless broadband services.
All this can exist even in a fossil fuel powered car, you say? Yes, they can but the safety and simplicity of an integral electric circuit compared to a gas powered car opens up a lot more head room for the engineers to work on and hence speed up the evolution of these technologies.
