− Seat occupancy detection systems based on a capacitive or an electric field principle, developed for an automobile seat, may not work well for seats with integrated electric heating systems. A new detection method, suitable for this type of automobile seats, is presented in this paper. In the proposed scheme, the heating element is a part of the sensor system while its operation as a heating ...

This race is particularly visible in the automotive field. Companies around the globe are vying to build a new, less polluting automobile engine that does not run on gasoline. In the US, for instance, General Motors (GM) spent over US$1 billion on developing an electric car that runs on a hydrogen fuel cell. It originally chose hydrogen fuel as the basis for the engine. Yet mass production of a...

As use of electric vehicles has been expected to grow, the batteries for the electric vehicles have become critical because the batteries are a key part of the paradigm shift in the automotive industry. However, the demand for electric vehicles has been growing slowly and the electric vehicle battery industry still has internal and external competitions to become a standardized energy source fo...

1 1. What’s New in Automotive Safety? Automobile safety technology advanced by great strides throughout the 20th century, from the first appearance of speedometers and electric headlamps, to the development of seat belts and safety glass, to the emergence of anti-lock brakes and airbags. As consumers demand safety, more and more automobile manufacturers are providing sophisticated technology, f...

From the electric light to the automobile, history is filled with examples of new technologies that quickly change the way people live, conduct commerce, and run their governments. The modern computer will soon see its sixtieth birthday, and the telephone is even older. Why should such information technology still be driving fundamental change in our social institutions, including our methods o...

This dissertation explores the path dependent process by which internal combustion emerged at the turn of the century as the automotive technological standard. Could an alternative to internal combustion i.e., the electric vehicle have become the technological standard for the Automobile Age? Drawing upon methods and theoretical insights from histoxT, economics, and environmental studies, the d...