Smart sensors can lead to smoother roads. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Cadillac Celestiq—the hand-built electric vehicle that has a price in the $340,000 vicinity—is a lot of things, but one that’s surprising is, in effect, a test-bed for road maintenance personnel.

That is, the Celestiq is fitted with Smart Chassis Sensor technology developed by ZF.

Sensors—two in the front wishbones and two in the rear—are permanently mounted into the ball joints of the suspension system.

These sensors and associated algorithms are used to do a variety of things, like control damping and provide headlight leveling.

Steffen Reichelt, Head of the Chassis Components Product Line at ZF, says, “With the help of evaluation algorithms, our sensor not only replaces conventional height sensors, it also significantly outperforms them in terms of the quantity and reliability of the data collected.”

It is that last bit—the data collected—that is germane to the beyond-Celestiq applications.

Reichelt: “The data collected by the sensor allows additional conclusions to be drawn about the vehicle, its surroundings and the road surface. These findings are particularly attractive for commercial vehicle users and fleet owners, but also for the maintenance of road infrastructure.”

So while most of us will never experience the smooth ride that is undoubtedly offered by the Celestiq, conceivably those who do could benefit the rest of us with the data that their vehicles can collect about the road surfaces.