NHTSA: All Vehicles Sold in U.S. Need ESC
REGULATIONSNHTSA: All Vehicles Sold
in U.S. Need ESC MCLEAN, VA (Sept. 24, 2006) - Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have proposed that all vehicles made and sold in the United States be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), beginning with the 2009 model year. In addition, ESC would become standard equipment in all vehicles in 2012. Some automakers already include ESC in some or all models, or provide it as an option. NHTSA is seeking public comments on the proposed rule over the next 60 days and hopes to have the regulation in place by April 2007. "No other safety technology since the seat belt holds as much promise to save as many lives and prevent as many injuries as electronic stability control," says Nicole Nason, NHTSA administrator. Nason states that the proposed regulation, if approved, could annually save up to 10,300 lives, prevent up to 250,000 injuries a year and reduce the more than 2 million single-vehicle crashes per year by a third. ESC technology uses sensors to monitor vehicle movement and steering. NHTSA says the technology can help prevent rollover accidents. The agency maintains that adding ESC to a vehicle costs an average of only $111 per vehicle, but offers tremendous social benefits.Recent roots Robert Bosch GmbH first deployed the technology in 1995, called Elektronisches Stabilit?ts Programm, to Mercedes-Benz and BMW. ESC is the generic term for systems designed to improve a vehicle's handling, particularly at the limits where the driver might lose control of the vehicle. Today, those two automakers are among the few who install ESC as standard equipment on all models. ESC was introduced to the automotive aftermarket by Continental AG, as Electronic Stability Control; the moniker was recognized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). A number of automakers offer ESC today, although frequently it is labeled with a different name. For example, Acura/Honda calls it "Vehicle Stability Assist," General Motors (GM) calls it "StabiliTrak" and Toyota/Lexus uses the terms "Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management," "Vehicle Stability Control" and "Traction Control." Both Bosch and Continental are proponents of NHTSA's proposed rule. Likewise, automakers such as GM, Nissan, Ford and others have endorsed NHTSA's proposal for the standardization of ESC.Heart of the matter ESC compares the driver's intended direction using steering and braking inputs, to the vehicle's response, via lateral acceleration, rotation (yaw, which is defined as spin around a vertical axis) and individual wheel speeds. ESC then provides braking to individual front or rear wheels and adjusts excess engine power as needed to help correct under-steer (plowing) or over-steer (fishtailing). ESC also integrates all-speed traction control, which senses drive-wheel slip under acceleration and individually brakes the slipping wheel or wheels, and/or reduces excess engine power, until control is regained. ESC combines anti-lock brakes, traction control and yaw control.ESC II: Components and Functions
in U.S. Need ESC MCLEAN, VA (Sept. 24, 2006) - Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have proposed that all vehicles made and sold in the United States be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), beginning with the 2009 model year. In addition, ESC would become standard equipment in all vehicles in 2012. Some automakers already include ESC in some or all models, or provide it as an option. NHTSA is seeking public comments on the proposed rule over the next 60 days and hopes to have the regulation in place by April 2007. "No other safety technology since the seat belt holds as much promise to save as many lives and prevent as many injuries as electronic stability control," says Nicole Nason, NHTSA administrator. Nason states that the proposed regulation, if approved, could annually save up to 10,300 lives, prevent up to 250,000 injuries a year and reduce the more than 2 million single-vehicle crashes per year by a third. ESC technology uses sensors to monitor vehicle movement and steering. NHTSA says the technology can help prevent rollover accidents. The agency maintains that adding ESC to a vehicle costs an average of only $111 per vehicle, but offers tremendous social benefits.Recent roots Robert Bosch GmbH first deployed the technology in 1995, called Elektronisches Stabilit?ts Programm, to Mercedes-Benz and BMW. ESC is the generic term for systems designed to improve a vehicle's handling, particularly at the limits where the driver might lose control of the vehicle. Today, those two automakers are among the few who install ESC as standard equipment on all models. ESC was introduced to the automotive aftermarket by Continental AG, as Electronic Stability Control; the moniker was recognized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). A number of automakers offer ESC today, although frequently it is labeled with a different name. For example, Acura/Honda calls it "Vehicle Stability Assist," General Motors (GM) calls it "StabiliTrak" and Toyota/Lexus uses the terms "Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management," "Vehicle Stability Control" and "Traction Control." Both Bosch and Continental are proponents of NHTSA's proposed rule. Likewise, automakers such as GM, Nissan, Ford and others have endorsed NHTSA's proposal for the standardization of ESC.Heart of the matter ESC compares the driver's intended direction using steering and braking inputs, to the vehicle's response, via lateral acceleration, rotation (yaw, which is defined as spin around a vertical axis) and individual wheel speeds. ESC then provides braking to individual front or rear wheels and adjusts excess engine power as needed to help correct under-steer (plowing) or over-steer (fishtailing). ESC also integrates all-speed traction control, which senses drive-wheel slip under acceleration and individually brakes the slipping wheel or wheels, and/or reduces excess engine power, until control is regained. ESC combines anti-lock brakes, traction control and yaw control.ESC II: Components and Functions
This schematic of ESC II technology illustrates some of the components and the technologies that next-generation products will incorporate.
(Photo: Continental AG)ESC provides a foundation of safety systems in modern vehicles. With increased computing power and telematics, the networking of new, improved active and passive safety system can be integrated. For more information and videos showing the technology at work, visit Bosch's ESC-dedicated Web site.Pros and cons In 2004, NHTSA concluded in a study that the technology reduces crash severity by 35 percent. The same year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) concluded that the application of ESC could save 7,000 lives per year. In June 2006, the IIHS updated its earlier study and stated that ESC could prevent up to 10,000 crashes annually. The technology is not without its critics, though, who maintain that ESC cannot override a car's physical limits. If a driver pushes the possibilities of the car's chassis and ESC too far, the technology cannot prevent a crash. It is a tool to help the driver maintain control. Others contend that the perception of safety conferred by the ESC will encourage more dangerous driving. Crashes that occur at higher speeds and/or dangerous conditions that exceed ESC and vehicle limits are more severe and costly in their consequences. In addition, some contend that ESC is being used as a "catch-all" for poorly designed cars, whereby ESC is used to compensate for poor basic mechanical handling of a car. Nonetheless, in an era where improved safety has become more of an industry issue, as well as a major consideration and expectation of consumers, ESC is on the rise. And the desires of consumers may, in the end, provide the necessary fuel to gain buy-in across the industry to help the rule move forwards. (Sources: NHTSA, Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG)
(Photo: Continental AG)ESC provides a foundation of safety systems in modern vehicles. With increased computing power and telematics, the networking of new, improved active and passive safety system can be integrated. For more information and videos showing the technology at work, visit Bosch's ESC-dedicated Web site.Pros and cons In 2004, NHTSA concluded in a study that the technology reduces crash severity by 35 percent. The same year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) concluded that the application of ESC could save 7,000 lives per year. In June 2006, the IIHS updated its earlier study and stated that ESC could prevent up to 10,000 crashes annually. The technology is not without its critics, though, who maintain that ESC cannot override a car's physical limits. If a driver pushes the possibilities of the car's chassis and ESC too far, the technology cannot prevent a crash. It is a tool to help the driver maintain control. Others contend that the perception of safety conferred by the ESC will encourage more dangerous driving. Crashes that occur at higher speeds and/or dangerous conditions that exceed ESC and vehicle limits are more severe and costly in their consequences. In addition, some contend that ESC is being used as a "catch-all" for poorly designed cars, whereby ESC is used to compensate for poor basic mechanical handling of a car. Nonetheless, in an era where improved safety has become more of an industry issue, as well as a major consideration and expectation of consumers, ESC is on the rise. And the desires of consumers may, in the end, provide the necessary fuel to gain buy-in across the industry to help the rule move forwards. (Sources: NHTSA, Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG)