Cars advance as quickly as cell phones nowadays, the moment you buy the newest latest and greatest…it is outdated. The technology in cars is becoming staggering when compared to cars of 10 years ago. Cars like the Toyota Prius use electric power steering rack units but will soon use a drive by wire system. The electric rack and pinion is actually a manual rack with an electric assist that eliminates the need for the power steering pump. This may seem strange as the electric draw on the motor would be huge but the gains are more impressive.
The power steering pump is a belt driven pump which means that it creates a parasitic draw on the motor at all times. By removing this draw the electric and gas motors in an electric or gas car can be minimized. This means that the engine can perform more efficiently and thus deliver better mileage from the power supply.
Drive by wire is also a term that can apply to a system that uses no physical connection at all from the steering wheel to the rack. This system uses electrical connections to communicate the input from the driver. This system is not only applied to the steering but also the throttle and soon the brakes as well. While this system shows efficiency over the actual mechanical connection it does show some concerns. The system is powered by an electric current but what happens when the battery goes dead? Will the car lose all control and not be able to steer, stop or go?
These are all questions that the auto industry is trying to cover with safety and back-up systems. Drive by wire will be showing up more and more in the auto industry, so it is something we will all have to get used to. Just like any other new technology there will be excitement and failures in the field but it will work out in the end, just look at Blu Ray. Blu Ray hit the market with so many issues that no one thought it would ever work but now it is the way of the future. Drive by wire will be the same as the technology gets better the cars will get more and more efficient.
