Goals Zero at GM: utopian or just ambitious?

Marc Lachapelle

Tuesday, October 3, 2017 09:58

UPDATE
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 09:58

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General Motors, long the global giant in the automotive, announced this week that it will launch 20 electric vehicles by 2023. Of this number, two variants of its compact Bolt EV all-electric will be submitted within 18 months.

And of course, it is news that has made headlines in the news bulletins of the evening on tv and in the newspapers the next morning. Even if it is far from being the only important thing and interesting that foreshadowed the big bosses of GM earlier in the day. Put it on the account of the fascination bulimic current of the mainstream media to anything that looks like a car with an electric motor and larger batteries.

Read also: GM is committed to launch 20 new electric vehicles

GM aims high with its “triple zero”

Mary Barra, big boss of General Motors, and Mark Reuss, his faithful lieutenant, have been talking about a three-fold objective for their company: “zero collision, zero emissions, zero congestion”, without, however, add a date or set the lower timeframe for this project is remarkably ambitious.

You guess that the autonomous control, electrification, and artificial intelligence are at the heart of these lofty promises. With all the blur, the swelling verbal and empty promises that accompany them, unfortunately, all too often.

Note that GM is neither the first, nor the only one to achieve such targets plays. The Swedish manufacturer Volvo, champion recognized in automotive safety, has promised in his statement “Vision 2020” that no one would be killed or seriously injured in one of the vehicles it produces by the year 2020.

Audacious goal? Without a shadow of a doubt. However, we must never forget that Volvo, through its engineer Nils Bohlin, has been the pioneer of the safety belt harness (three anchorage points), which has saved lives by the hundreds of thousands and celebration of its fifty anniversary this year.

This safety accessory simple is the most important of all because it reduces the risk of death of 47 %, and be seriously injured of 52 % in a collision. However, it now has an arsenal of extraordinary systems that enhance the overall degree of protection, even if the contribution of each individual is never as important as that of the belt.

A German study, for example, has proved, as early as 2004, that the brake assist had helped to reduce the number of deaths of 5%. It could also reduce the injury of 0.7 per cent, and the deaths of 1.4% with the cruise control that maintains a constant spacing between the vehicles. And this list is growing constantly.

Safety from the top

Volvo has developed several security systems, but it has certainly not been the only one. GM was the source of several innovations, including the development of the “crash test dummy”, a model that allows to measure the gigantic power that are generated during a collision without endangering humans or animals.

Mercedes-Benz also devoted, from time immemorial, are and enormous resources to security. He must, in addition to crumple zones and body ultra-rigid, the first anti-lock brakes, airbags and systems stability control to be integrated successfully in series cars.

These innovations were first offered on the big sedans, S-Class and then spread across the range. And the competition does the same thing. So much so that we find ourselves in now with the sub-compact full security systems, including ten airbags, and it does not surprise anybody.

The sky was not the limit

A long time ago, I wrote a text titled “beyond the airbag, a new major project in quebec: objective of zero casualties” and was published in the Guide to auto 1991. My text has not caused a sensation, at a time when neither the ABS nor airbags were installed in series. It could even seem naïve, but I’m rather proud of the re-read today.

The time has come to aim very high in automotive safety, even if the deaths have dropped by two thirds, while the population doubled, the country, during the past 40 years.

If John F. Kennedy and Jean Drapeau had not referred to very high, in the name of their fellow citizens, Neil Armstrong would not have set foot on the Moon in 1969 and there would not have been this miracle that was Expo67. And they were tens of thousands working tirelessly.

Especially that these goals zero, even triple, will become more realistic and achievable goals, as we progress the technology. Hoping to make a few leaps forward, by the way.

It is here, finally.