What does ADAS stand for?
There’s a lot more we have to think about when choosing and driving a car today. We want to be sustainable, but also comfortable and trendy– all while keeping safety in mind. There has been a huge development in this area in recent years, paving the way for smarter, safer and more advanced vehicles. At the head of this revolution stands ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). ADAS encompasses a wide range of innovative technologies and features that support the driver, enhance vehicle safety and improve the overall driving experience. From adaptive cruise control to collision warning systems to automatic parking, ADAS is an umbrella term for a wide range of intelligent systems that work together to make driving safer and every journey more efficient by factors like traffic conditions, altitude differences and battery charge level. Some systems can also adjust driveline settings such as engine load, regenerative braking and energy distribution to maximise your energy efficiency.
One of the main goals of ADAS systems is to prevent and minimise the risks of accidents. Imagine you are driving on the road and sensors, cameras or radar systems are constantly monitoring the environment around you to keep you one step ahead of potential dangers. Collision warning systems, for example, become your alert co-pilots, warning you when there is a risk of collision by measuring the distance between the car and objects in your path. This warning buys valuable time to react quickly and potentially avoid an accident. Similarly, lane departure warning systems act as attentive assistants, using cameras or sensors to ensure you stay on track and warn you if you unintentionally drift out of the lane.
Another important system usually considered part of ADAS is adaptive cruise control (ACC), which allows your car to maintain a constant speed while automatically adjusting the distance to the vehicle in front. Using radar or other sensor technologies, ACC enables smoother and more efficient driving, reducing driver fatigue and improving overall safety.
ADAS also includes technologies that help you park. Automatic parking assist (APA) uses sensors and cameras to provide real-time feedback to you, so you can glide into tight spaces smoothly. If you struggle with parallel or perpendicular parking then you’ll love automated parking systems that allow you to autonomously park in spaces and make parallel or perpendicular parking an easy task.
Another ADAS system is the blind spot detection, which alerts you to vehicles in your blind spot when driving, and with reversing cameras, improves visibility when reversing. This means that even if you can’t see danger directly, the system is helping you to stay safe and reduces the risk of accidents.
Among many other features that improve the driving experience and safety, ADAS is already installed in many EVs.