Gears & Gasoline 

Sari - I agree and honestly i think Mercedes is making major moves as it always has, i mean if you take a look at the S class, it was always 10 years ahead of its time. Now as we speak, the popularity and surge in electric cars and autonomous driving is drastically increasing. major companies like Tesla, Audi, BMW and Mercedes are funding alot of research into making their electric cars fully autonomous. Bhumi, do you think electric cars will be fully autonomous and when ?

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Bhumi: Perhaps we have the technology, you have seen what a tesla can do, it basically has a brain of it’s own, Teslas have the ability to make smart decisions, take the shortest route, speed, lane etc. But having the technology is not everything, it’s adaptation that is the major concern. Tesla has by far made the most prominent success in connectivity and battery technology, and I am sure more companies will be able to shift towards autonomous driving solutions.

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Sari :I agree, not only does tesla have the best battery technology so far tesla is leading the electric car market with its vast supercharging network. What about you rami ?

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Rami: Yeah like Bhumi said, we do have the technology, we do have the algorithm that runs in the background, the thing is, AI is essentially the key word here when we talk about autonomous driving it only works when it has the right amount of data which is infinite basically, the more real world data it receives, the smarter it gets and not only that, to be able to have autonomous cars, we need to have an infrastructure, such as roads suited to run these cars, proper guidelines, road signs, better map compatibility, better internet connectivity are all things that are still struggling to prove fully successful 

The list can go on but I want to make another point, Although electric cars are affordable they still take a long time to charge. Which is a major concern for daily drivers. you wouldnt be able to recharge an electric car in minutes and move on with your day, something you would normally do in a gasoline car. It just adds more responsibility on the user which in my opinion is something the market hasn't yet tackled successfully.

 

Sari - interesting to know! You made a point about how the infrastructure and technology is not fully there in terms of development … i disagree because we do have Level 2 autonomy on teslas aswell as GMs pro pilot and so far the Mercedes S class is experimenting with level 2 autonomy which basically means that the car can take full control with steering braking and acceleration. M

oving on..Mercedes, used the GLB, Maybach Concept EQS and EQG to show that not all electric SUVs need to be the same, and they also demonstrated how the AMG EQS 53 can be very exciting,Part of the problem with sustainability initiatives however is how hard it is to sustain the interest of automotive enthusiasts.

Omar, as a representative of Mercedes benz, do you believe that other car manufacturers can embrace the electric car market to meet enthusiast demands?

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Omar: I have Huge respect for all the car manufacturers who are venturing into the electric car industry. I believe from what we at Mercedes are learning, is that the world is shifting into a more eco-friendly and environmentally friendly lifestyle. But to answer your question, I do believe that everyone should venture into this new era and in my professional opinion, it will meet enthusiast demands.

 

*BHUMI INTERJECT* We do need to keep in mind that it is easier said than done, it not only involves a huge cost to make the shift. the global lithium supply has been a subject of controversy as well, sure the dry cell or super capacitors are makieng a big improvement in how we experience electric cars today, WE know it will 10 or 20 years from now but right now it is a major problem, and the process of making a lithium ion battery is according to some studies more harmful than using a normal gasoline engine.

 

*RAMI INTERJECT* Plus you add the inconvenience of owning an electric car which means if it dies on the road you can not borrow a can of gas and make it run. But there is another aspect to it which I believe can change things in favor of electric cars. It is the network of charging stations that is keeping most users from making the switch to electric cars.

 

Sari: I agree with rami and besides, at my core i am a car enthusiast, i dont know about yall but having driven an tesla i personally cant ever imagine having as much thrill and connection from an electric car as opposed to an internal combustion engine car, i mean if you think about it, the sheer theatre and character that you get from driving something like a porsche 911 or mercedes AMG GTR is a feeling i think no electric car can come close to, the sounds the gear changes the torque band and the maintenance all contribute into birthing a car enthusiast, however it is the inevitable future for the automotive industry whether we like it or not.

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Rami: you summed it up perfectly!

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Sari - Thank you and i think this was a very eye-opening experience for everyone, alot of very insightful points that were discussed and i want to give a special thanks to our guests omar, rami and bhumi for taking the time out of their day and joining us for this discussion, i hope to see you all again on our 2nd episode of Gears and gasoline where we will be discussing the fascinating engineering behind the cars we take for granted every single day.

Thank you all for tuning in, make sure you keep up to date by following us on social media and discord server. Don't forget to join us for the second part of the discussion that will be happening right here on your favorite podcast, gears and gasoline. I will join you in the next one, until then drive safe.

And remember guys, you are the driver of your own success.

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THE END