Electronic handbrakes.

Not really a fan on EHB, but when working my VW van, which is DSG, I only use the hand brake overnight or if parked on a steep hill. With my car (Skoda Superb manual) I always leave it in gear when parked, so the handbrake is only ever a back up anyway.
I do prefer a manual lever though,much more basic and far too much is given over to electronics I feel.
 
Imurg said:
In my eyes it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.......
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As are most of these things on a car.

Some things are essential like key ignitions. Air con is the only "extra" i would look for in a car and a digital radio would be nice. I suppose ISOfix is also required now...

You can keep your heated seats, mirrors and screens, I just put on an extra layer and enjoy the exercise of clearing my glass with a scraper when needed.
 
ScienceBoy said:
As are most of these things on a car.

Some things are essential like key ignitions. Air con is the only "extra" i would look for in a car and a digital radio would be nice. I suppose ISOfix is also required now...

You can keep your heated seats, mirrors and screens, I just put on an extra layer and enjoy the exercise of clearing my glass with a scraper when needed.
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At least heated mirrors and screens serve a purpose that the car can't already do perfectly acceptably.
 
Also what I don't get. Surely it's cheaper for car makers to fit a handbrake lever and cable rather than an an EHB and Hill start assist system. If it was a money saving exercise I could see the merit. Unless of course they are looking ahead to the maintenance of these systems which will be more of a money maker than just adjusting a cable.
 
..................... and what's the deal with rain sensing wipers?
I know when it's raining, my windscreen gets wet!
It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
 
Took me 10 minutes to get the hang of the EHB on my Skoda Superb. Now I think it's great. I just touch the accelerator and Robert is your Mother's brother.
 
Imurg said:
At least heated mirrors and screens serve a purpose that the car can't already do perfectly acceptably.
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I see every extra on a car as something that can go wrong and I have to pay to get fixed...

Cars to me are to get from A to B and nothing more.

I wouldn't pay extra to get heated seats on a bus to work...
 
I had a Vauxhall before with one on. I much prefer the lever, but at least this one was intelligent. It would disengage when the revs reached a certain point, so you could lift the clutch to the bite point and then give it gas, so hill starts were fine.
 
Both Mercedes I have are fitted with electronic park brakes and both are automatics. Can't fault the parking brake as it doesn't need brake applied or anything.
Mercedes has a hold brake system on autos that works by just depressing the brake pedal firmly when stationary. This acts like a parking brake but without needing to apply it. Great system.
 
not a fan TBH, everything now is over engineered. if it broke or the thing went wrong it was just a bit of cable and could be replaced very easily, but not now.

I'm not sure what you would do now if you needed a bump start with flat battery.
 
patricks148 said:
not a fan TBH, everything now is over engineered. if it broke or the thing went wrong it was just a bit of cable and could be replaced very easily, but not now.
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I'm no mechanic, but I am pretty sure that statement is incorrect. EPB actual have fewer moving parts and therefore result in less warranty claims and / or repairs.

EPB are lighter than traditional handbrake systems, therefore it is more fuel efficient, saving you cash (albeit a small amount).

They are also safer as they can engage automatically if you forget to put them on (some models). They also use same ABS braking system so shouldn't lock the wheels up when applied during an emergency stop, like a traditional handbrake system would.
 
MarkE said:
I know, also many disasters waiting to happen as well. I just can't get my head round why anyone would want a car to take control.
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At some stage you may not have the choice. The biggest companies in the world (Apple, Google, and also Uber who I know are not one of the biggest but have quickly become the leaders in their filed of transport) are throwing serious money at this.

The basic reason is safety, once you can remove the stupid human driver who causes the majority of accidents then you will reduce the amount of accidents caused by human stupidity. Not sure about anyone else, but I think in the last 10 journeys I have taken on the motorway network that was over 50 miles I have been held up because of an accident. And drive anywhere on a motorway and you will see an example of stupid and potentially dangerous driving pretty much straight away Also roads are getting more and more congested in most developed nations and especially round urban areas, the roads can not cope. So the theory is that if you have a system where all journeys are planned and controlled by technology then it will work better.

A lot of this is currently up for grabs and no one really knows what will happen, but many countries are very interested in connected cars/big data and autonomous cars. Which as I have said, will make the fuss over not having an electronic handbrake look like very small beer.
 
Hacker Khan said:
At some stage you may not have the choice. The biggest companies in the world (Apple, Google, and also Uber who I know are not one of the biggest but have quickly become the leaders in their filed of transport) are throwing serious money at this.

The basic reason is safety, once you can remove the stupid human driver who causes the majority of accidents then you will reduce the amount of accidents caused by human stupidity. Not sure about anyone else, but I think in the last 10 journeys I have taken on the motorway network that was over 50 miles I have been held up because of an accident. And drive anywhere on a motorway and you will see an example of stupid and potentially dangerous driving pretty much straight away Also roads are getting more and more congested in most developed nations and especially round urban areas, the roads can not cope. So the theory is that if you have a system where all journeys are planned and controlled by technology then it will work better.

A lot of this is currently up for grabs and no one really knows what will happen, but many countries are very interested in connected cars/big data and autonomous cars. Which as I have said, will make the fuss over not having an electronic handbrake look like very small beer.
Click to expand...

They say that driverless cars are just around the corner but you can't let a single driverless car loose until all cars are driverless.
As you say, you have to take away the stupidity of the driver and until all drivers are removed you can't give it the green light.
 
Before driverless we will have driver assisted. We have a type of this already, Volvo has pilot assist which locks on to the car in front and accelerates and decelerates accordingly. Driver assisted cars make a lot of sense in terms of keeping traffic moving on busy roads.
 
When we get fully driverless cars does that mean I can have a skinfull and get the car to drive me home while I sit in the back on the understanding that I won't be "drunk in charge of a motor vehicle"? And will I still need insurance or will I be covered by the manufacturer as it is their product that has caused the accident?
 
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