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You turn the ignition key in your car - and turn on your computer. From then on, it's a high-tech ride that takes care of bumpy roads, uphill climbs, applying the brake, and car thieves. Welcome to car-driving in the digital era.

YOU get into your car and turn the ignition key. The engine cranks to life and you drive out.

But did you realise that the moment you turned the ignition key you actually booted up a 32-bit microprocessor that runs the car for you?

Gone are the days when cars came with a simple internal combustion engine that ran faster because when you pushed the accelerator, a mechanical link made the carburettor supply a richer fuel-air mixture into the engine.

The design of the engine has not changed much, but the carburettor has been replaced by the Multi-Point Fuel Injection or MPFI system.

Simply put, the MPFI is a computer that decides how much fuel and air go into the engine chambers.

"Cars now have separate injectors for each cylinder and are controlled by separate electronic modules. The fuel-air mixture is not pre-determined, the computer continuously controls it, depending on factors such as load, speed and gear," says Shabbir Rampurawala, technical head at Hyundai Motors India Ltd.

The MPFI concept was first introduced by Mercedes Benz, which used a mechanical system designed by Bosch.

The system had a diaphragm that sensed air pressure and decided on the air-fuel mix. That was later replaced by the Electronic Control Module or ECM, which has sensors to measure the air pressure.

The first ECMs were 8-bit microprocessors, but now most cars, including the recently launched Euro-III version of the Maruti-800, come equipped with the latest 32-bit processors.

"Engine technology has evolved with the need to pack more punch in the car's performance and yet reduce fuel consumption. With more stringent pollution-control norms coming in, manufacturers have to ensure that the car burns every drop of fuel efficiently," says Arun Arora, spokesperson of Maruti Udyog Ltd.

Adds Hyundai's Rampurawala: "All car manufacturers are continuously working towards the stoichoimetric ratio, which is the ideal mix of fuel and air. The ideal ratio is considered to be 14.7 parts of air to one part of petrol.

Cool brakes

Okay, now that you are vrooming ahead on the spanking new highway, you suddenly realise that you are running into a sharp curve and the rains have left the road wet and slippery.

You slam the brakes in panic and brace for the impact of skidding and slamming into the central verge. That does not happen, thanks to the ABS or Anti-lock Braking System.

Here is another computer that is working hard to make your drive safer. While ABS was hitherto found only in high-end cars in India, Hyundai took the lead in offering it as an option in its small car, the Santro.

Rivals Maruti have now woken up to the idea and have recently introduced ABS as an option in their competing model, the Wagon R.

The ABS system employs sensors on the wheels that detect locking of the brakes. The computer releases the brakes for a fraction of a second to prevent locking. The process is continuously repeated and the car does not skid, no matter how hard you apply the brakes. The driver gets away without losing control of the vehicle.

So, if you are the type that prefers to be more sure about applying the brakes, you may want to spend the little extra and buy a car that comes equipped with ABS. But if you are the type that likes to impress people by screeching to a halt, ABS isn't for you.

No huffing or puffing

By now you have reached the `Ghats' or the hilly section of the highway.

The MPFI takes care that you have enough power to climb the hills and the ABS ensures that you do not lose control over your vehicle.

If you are driving a Tata Motors car, you may suddenly discover that the air-conditioning has been switched off. Don't worry, it is only to give some extra power to the car to lumber its way up.

The AC will be right back once you clear the steep climb.

"Tata's cars, the Indica and Indigo, come with a module that switches off the air-conditioner to give more power during acceleration," says the company's engineering department.

Hill driving is considered to be a tedious affair, with all the hairpin bends requiring not only sharp senses, but also strong arms to continuously turn the steering wheel. But an hour into the treacherous terrain, and your hands don't feel tired.

Here comes yet another computer-controlled system, called the EPS or Electronic Power Steering. You stop the car to capture the scenic beauty of the hills and when you start, you find that you can turn the steering wheel with just one finger.

Well, it is not as if your finger has suddenly acquired all that power, it is the EPS taking the command from your finger and the electronic module providing the power for turning the car.

Try the same thing with the engine switched off, and you will feel the difference.

The picnic over, you head back home. By now you are confident enough to push the accelerator pedal and the car obliges with three-figure speeds.

As you are zooming along, a dog decides to cross the road. As a reflex action, you turn hard and then curse yourself.

If the power steering meant that you could turn it by just using your finger, the violent turn must surely flip the car over. But the dog is safe and so are you, thanks to an advanced version of power steering on your car.

In an EPS, that is fitted in several B and C segment cars that include Maruti and Honda vehicles, the computer keeps reducing the power to the steering system as you pick up speed.

So, the power steering was actually not working when you were travelling at high speed.

"As the car starts rolling and picks up speed, you do not require too much power for the steering system. In fact, if the same power was still being supplied, the car may flip over turn<147,1,7>ing at high speeds. The EPS prevents that and makes the car more stable," says Arun Arora of Maruti.

Stop squinting

By now it is late evening and you still have a couple of hours of driving before you reach home. Just like you, other road users too have switched on their headlights and you will soon be squinting against the harsh glare of lights, courtesy blokes travelling on high-beam. Electronics will soon make this problem too a thing of the past. The Government can be thanked for making a headlight levelling system mandatory for all cars registered in most big cities after April 1.

The system has already been introduced by some carmakers. A sensor detects an oncoming vehicle and automatically dips the light. Of course, our irresponsible blokes will certainly find ways to get around by mounting powerful lights on their car roofs, but that is illegal anyway. But for those who are not hell-bent on zapping the others, the system should work and our eyes should be spared.

Outsmarting Mr Thief

Finally, after the enjoyable drive, you park the car in front of your house and go in to start preparing dinner. That is when your vehicle starts shrieking like a fire brigade and all the lights start flashing.

You rush out to find that a burglar was probably trying to rob you of your prized possession but failed due to the central locking and anti-theft system. One press of a button on your key-chain, and all the doors are locked. So, you need not worry about your kids forgetting to lock their door. The system also protects the car by raising an alarm when it senses that someone is trying to act funny. There are new products in the market that enable you to cut off the ignition by one flick of the button. So, if somebody sticks a gun to your neck at a secluded spot, just hand over the car to him. But please do keep your wits and remember to activate the cut-off button.

Depending on the way it has been programmed, the car will either not start or better still, stop after travelling about 100 metres. Mr Thief would be left high and dry and the `lessons' imbibed from watching movies that a car can be started simply by pulling two wires from under the steering wheel will need to be un-learnt.

Finally, the care needs servicing and when you land up at the dealer's workshop, the service engineer pulls out a hand-held device and tells you that he is "diagnosing" problems with the car, if any.

Well, he does not employ a stethoscope to check the heart beats of the engine, but if you have a Tata vehicle, the company uses an on-board diagnostics system or EOBD to do something like that. "The EOBD allows checking of engine performance and pollution by using simple hand-held testers at the service station and allows faster trouble-shooting," says a Tata engineer.

When you buy a car worth Rs 4 lakh, close to 25 per cent of the cost is of the electronics embedded in the car. The figure, according to experts, is expected to rise to 40 per cent in the coming years. From safety systems such as computer-controlled airbags in every conceivable danger zone to credit-card type keys, cars are becoming more safe and secure, thanks to advances in information technology. Navigation aids such as the global positioning system, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) hook-ups and voice-commands are also making their appearance on cars. To follow are technologies such as electronic pedals, brake or accelerate by wire, and even a computer-controlled suspension that responds to road conditions.

It may take some time before all this technology is packed into your small car but computers can sure be expected to make driving more fun in the coming years.

Picture by Shaju John

gaurav@thehindu.co.in

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