Safety Assist: Automatic Collision Notification

We all know how important the BMW Safety Assist. Now it’s time to take a look at one of the underlying technology that makes the BMW Safety Assist works. After the MyInfo service that comes with every safety assist, there is also the Automatic Collision Notification feature. So how does this technology works?

This features comes in handy during accidents and emergency situations. To be more precise, it begins its help the moment the air bags have been initiated or when severe impacts do happen on the road. When any of these two happen, signal will be sent to the BMW Assist Response Center. Now at the center, Assist Response Specialist will then receive information about your car and will attempt to speak to you or the other passenger of the car. If the event has been grave and you cannot speak, the Response Center can direct the appropriate emergency services to your location.

Google Maps on BMW New Models

This will actually start with the BMW 2008 X6 and the soon to be released 2009 BMW models. These Google Maps as we know it will form part of the BMW Assist Safety Plan. A feature that can allow BMW drivers and passengers to send directions, phone numbers and other relevant information from Google Maps to the BMW car.

First a quick look on the BMW Assist. This idea was first launched in 1999 as a way of helping BMW drivers navigate unfamiliar roads and terrains with ease and convenience. This is also envisioned to support the driver at times of emergency and can guide drivers out of the traffic jams. This works with the BMW Navigation System and the BMW preparation for Bluetooth mobile phone with integrated SIM card. But aside from these, the Assist also features the emergency call feature that can send pertinent information to BMW Service Headquarters. The system will actually send an automatic signal once the crash sensors in the airbags are activated in the event of a breakdown. In case you drive your car on the Autobahn, the Assist can also give you reliable and up-to-date traffic information. These are just some of the features of the BMW Assist technology.

So aside from Automatic Collision Notification, Emergency Request, an Enhanced Roadside Assistance; there is also MyInfo. MyInfo feature GoogleMaps for your driving convenience. The MyInfo feature on the BMW will of course allow you to reach your destination faster, conveniently and safer. So how does MyInfo works? First you have to research and to search for business locations and addresses using your home’s pc using Google Maps. With the use of the MyInfo service, you can then transfer these information that you have collected to your BMW. When you are already inside your car, you simply push the MyInfo button at the Assist Menu. With this, you can already call the phone number directly with the Bluetooth linked mobile phone. if your car is equipped with the navigation system, you can start the route guidance.

This feature is actaully available on 2008 and later X6 and all 2009 BMW Assist models, with the exception of the X3 and Z4.

Nissan’s X-Trail FCV Concept

It isn’t just one company who has the monopoly of having environment-friendly concept and cars, in fact a number of these automotive manufacturers develop their own. One such company that dares to answer the call is Nissan thru its X-Trail FCV. This is Nissan’s own fuel cell vehicle of the future, a vehicle that effectively promotes a cleaner envinronment thru the operation of a clean car. The car is actually a high pressure hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle that creates power without giving highly toxic emissions. After this concept was approved by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2002, the FCV concept was tested on Japan roads. This test led to further development that was incorporated in 2003 model. This model features the NEO FC SYSTEM. The conceptualization, development and the release of the X-Trail FCV concept was actually in line with Nissan’s Green Program of 2005.

So what are the technologies that are featured on the FCV concept? For one, this concept used a variety of technologies and the technlogies that are included on the vehicle include the electric vehilce or the EV, the hybrid electric vehicle or the HEV and the compressed natural gas vehicle technology. If the 2003 version of the FCV concept featured the polymer electrolyte type fuel cell stack that was manufactured by the UTC Fuel Cells, the 2005 X-Trail FCV on the other hand featured the Nissan’s fuel cell that is coupled with state of the art high pressure hydrogen storage system. This kind of set-up allowed for the better performance of the X-Trail. In a more measurable metric, the 2005 version of the Nissan X-Trail FCV can have a top speed of 90 miles per hour with a range of 311 miles. The motor of the vehicle gets its power from the Compact Lithium-ion Battery, that features a thin laminated cell. The FCV concept that was introduced in 2004 under the FCV limited leasing program actually come complete with an air-conditioning system that was developed by both the company and the Calsonic Kansei Corp., that uses the carbon dioxide as the refrigerant. The CO2 air conditioning system uses the same process as the regular air conditioning system so as to cool the host vehicle. The CO2 refrigerant is evaporated by the passenger car compartment heat exchanger in order to absorb heat and then cool the SUV’s cabin.  Since the CO2 is naturally-occuring and non-flammable, this means that the use of CO2 is more environment-friendly. With the use of this technology on the SUV, this air conditioning system is set to reduce the amount of CO2 discharged from regular sources since the waste CO2 can be reused on the FCV system.

If the SUV is powered by this CO2 system, the heating is done by effectively switching to the refrigerant channel so that the this refrigerant can be compressed and supplied to the passenger compartment heat exchanger so that it can radiate the heat. This concept that was developed by the company is one good step towards producing environment-friendly cars and vehicles. The FCV concept was originally started in 1996 and 1999 saw the start of the driving tests for the FCV. By 2003, Nissan joined hands with the California Fuel Cell Partnership or the CaFCP. And on December 2003 initiated the launch of the ‘limited leasing’ of the FCV X-Trail.

The X-Trail FCV is actually a Nissan X-Trail FCV which is a compact crossover SUV that was produced by Nissan since 2001. This X-Trail was actually Nissan’s first crossover SUV and featured the Nissan FF-S platform. The X-Trail was positioned just below the Xterra in Canada, and was positioned below the Pathfinder in Latin America. A new X-Trail for 2008 was released at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show.