9 April 2018 Concept Car
In the age of individualisation, no car is ever the same. Manufacturers have finally understood that customers want as many options as possible. Consequently, you can now get most popular models in many different colour schemes and with a range of personal extras, making your car as personal as the clothes you’re wearing.
If that doesn’t satisfy you yet, there’s a range of cool accessories that you can add to spice up your vehicle even more. Not all of them are necessarily a must have. But all of them will add something special to your driving experience.
Is your partner unjustyl accusing you of irresponsible driving? With Drive Tag, you can now get the hard numbers to back up your argument. This simple looking device simply sticks to you windscreen and monitors your behaviour on the road. Thanks to the matching smartphone app, you can later evaluate the data and follow the app’s recommendations to improve your fuel economy or general safety.
The Camperbox Car Travel Kit is another cool accessory. It can really make a difference on long journeys, when you may have to crash in your car for a night or two. Essentially, this is a plastic platform that doubles for a fully fledged bed.
It attaches to the sides of your car’s trunk and runs the full length of the rear passenger segment, providing for a (fairly) comfortable sleeping space. And best of all, you don’t have to permanently install it. Because it light, foldable and fits into a small bag, the Camperbox is always at hand but never in the way.
Dutch electronics giant Philips has been at the forefront of a new generation of smart medical appliances that playfully improve your health. This small and actually great looking air purifier is one of them. If you want the air inside your cabin to be as fresh and clean as possible, this is the perfect gift to yourself.
The GoPure can improve overall air quality and filter out many small particles, from pollen and dust to bacteria. Most importantly, it does a great job at removing nicotine smells from your car, which many would otherwise have deemed irremovable. If you’re suffering from air pollution or allergies, this is definitely a must have car accessory.
Air ionisers are an alternative to a car air purifier. They work on a different principle. Instead of filtering out ‘bad’ air and harmful particles, ionisers electrically charge the air, producing negatively charged ions. These can bind to unhealthy particles, thereby providing for a more healthy environment.
Some claim that negative ions even have a health benefit in themselves. The basic idea behind this claim is that the air inside the passenger compartment tends to have too many positively charged ions. Supposedly, these can lead to headaches or simply an unbalanced feeling. Ionisers reverse this process.
It’s best to try this for yourself. The Newsky car air ionizer is just one of many pieces of equipment that deal with this problem. But it certainly does an excellent job at it.
Fresh, clean air is one aspect of improving the driving quality. Sound is another. We may not always be aware of it, but the excessively loud noises inside the passenger cabin are not just making it hard to hold a decent conversation. They are also stressing our bodies and reducing our ability to concentrate.
This is why the dynamat is not just a cool accessory. It is truly a must have item and one that should be included in every car. The mat absorbs many of the disturbing sounds produced by the engine. Although it may not completely ‘deaden’ the sound in your car, it does provide for a far more quiet and relaxing environment.
Hifi purists will be pleased to know that it also significantly improves the audio quality of your stereo system.
Driving with your smartphone glued to your ear is never a good idea. This is where Navdy comes in handy. This cool accessory brings a touch of sci fi to your dashboard.
After connecting to your phone, Navdy projects its contents to your windscreen. Depending on how you’re using your smartphone, this can include your music selection, calls, text messages and even Internet searches.
The bladerunner feeling of Navdy comes at a price, but it’s worth it: After all, it allows you to keep your eyes on the road at all times and still improve the efficiency of long and boring drives.
Let’s face it: We’ve become dependent on the Internet. And nothing is more annoying than having to deal with a bad web connection on a long drive. The Dension Wi-Drive is the perfect solution to this issue.
Powered by your cigarette lighter socket, it acts as a hotspot, serving up to six mobile devices in the cabin – from your partner to your kids and friends. It’s really easy to use, too. “For Internet access”, website coolpile writes, “just plug in your 3G USB modem or connect your 3G mobile phone via Bluetooth.”
This is a particularly cool accessory and a true must have. The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror is simple and inexpensive and greatly improves your road safety.
Whereas an ordinary car view mirror can only give you a 52 degree angle, a No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror provides a full 180 degree view. No more uncomfortable turning of the head, which also means you’re taking your eyes off the road. Business Insider sums up its benefits thus:
“The size of the mirror allows you to see adjacent vehicles until they are visible in your peripheral vision, and it also reduces headlight glare by 50 percent. The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror is used by police officers and professional racecar drivers to eliminate blind spots, and offers a distortion-free reflection across a five-lane highway. It attaches easily by clamping to your existing rear view mirror, and weighs only 10 ounces.”
Not bad for a fairly cheap mirror!
There are numerous car related apps for your smartphone. This is one of the most useful ones.
CarLock checks on the safety of your car while you’re away. Every time an attempt is made to open the doors, it sends off an alarm to your mobile phone. And it monitors any other suspicious activity as well.
Although it may not necessarily be able to prevent theft in every single case, CarLock at least gives you a fair chance.
Eating and drinking is all about peace, time and relaxation. In short: it is about all the things you don’t have when driving in a car.
Thankfully, there are now a lot of useful accessories that can make breakfast, lunch and dinner in your vehicle a lot more enjoyable:
These may look extremely unspectacular. But in truth, many organisers can be a great help, especially if your space is limited. Online site rediff features two types: A car backseat organiser which “holds your food packets, drinks, gadgets and a lot more”. And a car boot organiser which “has a has large compartments and side pockets to hold car repair tools, general essentials and more.” None of them may be a must have. But they can make your life a lot easier.
Cars are computers on wheels these days. Unfortunately, we’re not all equipped to program or even understand them. And as we all know from painful experience, using the manual rarely yields any useful solutions.
The Automatic Driving Assistant is not a miracle device and won’t ‘turn everyone into a mechanic’, as claimed by tred.com. It simply receives the information from your car’s computer. Using this, it then provides you with all the information you need to fully understand the situation.
If there is no immediate remedy to the problem, the Automatic Driving Assistant will assist you in your search for a nearby garage. And should you get caught up in an accident, it will notify emergency services. At a fair price, this may well be one of the most valuable accessories you can install in your car.
9 April 2018 Concept Car
