Not so long ago, all a car maker really needed to know was engines. Even brakes were an afterthought. All you had to do was transfer the power from the engine to the wheels and you were pretty much good to go. Over the last hundred years, however, automotive technology has gotten just a little more complicated. I hesitate to say it takes a village to make a car, but it certainly takes a team of technology specialists. Specialists in materials science, chemistry, aerodynamics, usability, and computers all contribute the design of every new vehicle produced these days.
In fact, as American consumers demand greater connectivity, even while driving, today's car development efforts even require an IT development team. Renault-Nissan has even opened a new high tech research office in Mountain View, California where they'll be next door neighbors with technology giant Google. Renault-Nissan said in a press release that the new research facility will focus on technologies like smart-grid, in car internet connectivity, and graphical user interface displays.
General Motors, likewise, has announced that they are expanding their Advanced Tech Center in Torrance, California. In addition to serving as a hydrogen fueling station and electric charging station, GM's Tech Center will focus on testing and refining the next crop of alternative fuel vehicles says MotorTrend Magazine. The Center will act as a proving ground as engineers test the limits of alternatively fueled vehicles.
There are two reasons for the automakers shifting of their high tech efforts to California. The first is the same reason that drew tech firms like Google to the region, there's already an abundance of tech-savvy talent in the area. The trend of cars looking more and more like rolling computers is just getting started. Indeed, next generation automotive telematics are threatening to steal the term mobile computing platform from smartphones. That means automakers will be competing with software giants for this talent. Convincing them to move from sunny California to the Motor City is a much tougher sell than asking them to move across the street to a brand new tech center.
The second reason is that California's fuel efficiency standards are the toughest in the country. That means that if automakers want access to the market there, they are forced to bring their best game. California's standards make it the natural test market for alternative fuel vehicles. It's also the state with the best chance to attain a critical mass of hydrogen fueling and rapid electric charging stations to support the next generation of these green vehicles.