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Back at the beginning of the 20th century, when the first automobile was patented by Karl Benz and later was made available for public sales, perhaps no one would have expected the impact this invention would have both politically and economically on our nowadays quotidian live.
Perhaps the growth of such a big industry for automobiles could have been expected or predicted by some people. But no one would have thought that there would be such a rapid increase of vehicle electronics inside the car. We have now reached a state, where many people would be surprised to known that their vehicle is moving computing platform, with more electronic devices embedded in one car than most people would have in their personal computers at home.
Nowadays we have reached a state, where more people would not expect that one day the vehicle would become an moving computing platform with more embedded devices included in one car than most people would have working personal computers at home.
We will learn more about this in on our next pages.
We are not sure when the first complex electronic gadget was first incorporated in the car, but in the patent for Karl Benz 's "Motorwagen" 1885, the electrical ignition was already a paramount piece of the engine of the car
Later on, flashlights were incorporated for better sight and safety. Additional functionalism like the direction indicator were also required to increase the safety, control and as well as the driving comfort of the vehicle. Over time, more and more electrical and electronic components were added.
Perhaps for the consumer an unaware part, but which started slowly to contribute to the added value of the metal moving vehicle platform. The car started to become more, more than a moving platform.
Not only a lifestyle and status symbol, with time customers started to demand more options for safety precautions, reduced pricing, infotainment, controllability, comfort and functionality. For an example, just 15 years ago to steer a vehicle a lot of physical muscle power was required. Nowadays most people cannot live without the electronic support of a servo controlled steering. This kind of invention was only possible after the electronics became more accessible to the end customer and easily integrated into other products as embedded devices.
Approximately since the 1980s, embedded systems started to play a dominant, if hidden, role in many devices, with an increasing count also inside of the vehicle While at the beginning simple cabling of the electronic components was enough, today the complexity and the amount of devices requires new solutions, like bus systems, which we will dedicate this site to.
The car started to become more, more than a moving platform.
Lifestyle and status symbol, but also customers started to demand more options for taking safety precaution, reduced pricing, infotainment, controllability, comfort and functionality.
While for example just 15 years ago to steer a vehicle a lot of physical muscle power was required, nowadays most people cannot live without the electronic support of a servo controlled steering.
This kind of invention was just possible after electronics became more accessible to the end customer and easy integrable into other components as embedded devices.
Approximately since the 1980s embedded systems start to play a dominant secrelty hidden role in many devices, with an increasing count also inside of the vehicle
While at the begining simple cabeling of the electronic components was enought, nowadays the complexity and the amounth of devices requires new solutions, like bus systems, which we will dedicate this site to.
It is amusing and interesting to see in the figure 1 the Ford Model T, also known as the Tin Lizzie or the Flivver, diagram of a later model. It was an automobile produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927.
For further examples, we can also see inside the electronic architecture of the Volkswagen beetle, a popular vehicle that represents a new lifestyle vehicle under the former young generation. The "beetle" was considered an economy car produced by the German automaker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003.
 The electric architecture of the 1971 beetle and super beetle. While the bus system and wire harness was a part of it, most people were not aware of that. It is still a secret to many engineers and customers, even when it forms the fundamental backbone of today’s vehicles.
On the next pages, you will find an outlook of the current and upcoming technologies used inside the vehicles.
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