I drive a 2007 Subaru Outback. Currently, the car is in the shop for some
repairs and routine maintenance. While
in the shop, the dealer provided me with a brand new loaner Subaru
Forester. While using the cruise
control, I noticed some very interesting additions to the features it
provides. It detected when I changed
lanes. And, the cruise control adjusted
the speed of the car automatically according to cars in front of me. As advertised, it can even stop the car
before a collision happens.
I have been reading for a few years that kids born today may
not drive ever. Sometimes these predictions
seem like science fiction. We are so
focused on preserving the present that we often ignore potential future change. Look at what happened to companies like
Kodak, who held on to the idea that people would always print photos. Cable companies are another good example. What happens to cable when
consumers get all their content online? It
is highly possible that the only thing keeping cable companies alive is HBO and
ESPN. Without cable, what happens to
flat screen TVs? Other industries, like
taxies, are dealing with major competitors like Uber, which have huge
competitive advantages by having no infrastructure. All too often we put our head in the sand and
say that these changes are not going to happen that fast.
As for the car industry, they are a perfect example of an
industry that is unwilling to accept the future. One article I read talked about the next
consumer electronic being the car. You
may ask how a car can become a consumer electronic. To answer the question, think about what will
you be doing in your car when you are no longer driving it? You will be watching movies or TV shows,
checking Facebook, shopping, talking to friends, among other things. It is highly unlikely that you will just sit
there and enjoy the view.
Over the past several years, Apple and Google have been
investing heavily in autonomous car technologies. Google has driven over 1 million miles with
its autonomous cars without any major crashes.
What happens when Apple or Google start selling cars? You may think that legislation will stop this
from happening, but driving autonomously is legal right now as long as someone
is sitting in the driver’s seat. That is
how Google has driven 1 million miles with their autonomous cars.
Now, let’s shift back to my loaner car. The system that enables its fancy cruise
control is called EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. It turns out that it was introduced in Subaru’s
2015 models. Now, it may seem somewhat
simple for this system to adjust the speed of the car, but the extent to which
this system performed was amazing to me.
I drove several dozens of miles, including traversing the downtown
connector in Atlanta traffic, with the cruise control set at 78 miles an hour
without touching the gas pedal or the brake.
The car would slow down and almost stop for traffic, if necessary, then
resume speed when cars had cleared the lane.
During one trip, I drove from I-20 W onto I-75 / I-85 N, then exited at
Northside Drive without touching the break.
I was even able to get off at the exit without touching the break. At the very end of the exit ramp, I reengaged
the car.
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| Driving with Cruise Control: From I-20W to Northside Drive in Atlanta |
What is simply amazing about this feature is that it is
available on a Subaru Forester for just under $30,000. Now, changing lanes and managing stop lights
and stop signs may seem like a far stretch from adjusting the speed of a car
when cars are in front of you. But, is
it really that far of a leap? If Subaru
can create a feature like this for under $30K in a fully loaded automobile, are
we really that far off from autonomous cars?
Whether it is autonomous cars or the end of cable, we often
avoid accepting change as reality. As entrepreneurs,
this could make or break our businesses. Although, it is just as bad as an entrepreneur to count on changes you
cannot control before they happen, it very important to accept that change does
happen. Some industries may move slower
than others, but we are in a time of exponential change. Keeping aware of these changes and adjusting
your future business model accordingly may make or break your business.
What changes are coming in the future of your business? Are you prepared to address them if they
happen?
