What Could Your Shop Look Like in 2033?

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Wouldn't it be exciting to look into a crystal ball and see what your mobile electronics retail store would be like 25 years into the future? It's tough to know for sure how the technology and the environmental concerns of tomorrow will influence how your shops will look and function.

We know that things will be different and it's an exciting proposition of change. What follows is Mobile Electronics magazine's what-if scenario of a possible shop-of-the-future, which fits well into our forward-looking anniversary issue. We follow two threads — environmental awareness and new technologies for retailers.

Greening the Bricks and Mortar

Let's start with the building itself. In 2033, there would still be a fair number of existing commercial or retail buildings for mobile electronics retailers to call home. There would also be enough new structures as a result of urban renewal or government incentives for commercial redevelopment with the goal of preserving natural resources.

In existing commercial buildings, the electrical and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems would probably be the focus of any green upgrades, as well as any retrofit construction or remodeling that could accommodate environmentally friendly building materials or techniques.

New structures could be designed green from the ground up; this may create reason enough to relocate rather than remodel for some retailers. After all, the green areas of town would be central hubs for tomorrow's consumer, because they would blend lifestyle with commerce.

Electrically speaking, solar and wind could be big providers of energy for commerce. Whether these technologies originate from an off-site grid at the energy company or from the retailer's building itself, alternatives to electrical power are certain to be part of our future.

Both solar and wind power are viable today; it's just a matter of how they will look 25 years from now. Smaller solar panels could provide a punch of electrical output, and wind generators may be designed with more retail-friendly appearances to blend better onto a roof.

An additional use of wind, solar or other alternative energy forms is to use an electrolyzer system to convert that power into hydrogen for fuel cells. This technology is in use today and can take a building's electrical dependence right off the grid. This type of system generates consistent electric power—excess power can be sold back to the grid when it isn't consumed—and produces hot air and water from the heat byproduct. Hydrogen-powered shops generate self-sustaining power, and could also offer a vital refueling point for vehicles that use hydrogen as a primary or secondary fuel source. The hydrogen infrastructure is another possibility of how the shop of tomorrow may be powered.

Skylights and energy efficient windows will help with the distribution of direct light without adding a significant dose of light and raising the temperature of the shop's interior.

Wal-Mart, for example, already incorporates this into their in-store lighting strategy. The added light is always a blessing in workshop environments where it's often much too dark to work without a shop light nearby. More economical LED-based lighting can bring significant energy savings as well.

Besides skylights and solar panels, the roof of a green shop could also have a vegetation component such as green grass or plant material that captures rain water in a cistern system. The shop would recycle its greywater (or sullage) for watering the landscape, washing down the shop floors and flushing the toilets.

Vegetation on commercial roofing is already in use to simulate parks in many city environments. They have been proven to reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect by four degrees Fahrenheit or more. Due to the weight load of soil and vegetation, green roof systems are most plausible in new construction rather than retrofitting a current shop.

For HVAC systems in existing and future commercial applications, there may be new ways of heating or cooling the shop that don't exist today, such as the hydrogen fuel cell concept that uses CHP (combined heat and power) co-generation technology. Certainly more green derivatives of today's HVAC technologies will be available in the form of non-fossil fuel heating and ozone-friendly refrigerant for cooling systems. Better insulation materials will also help retain more heat or cooling inside the structure. This should cut energy costs; HVAC systems are often one of the greatest costs in a commercial environment.

Powering Tools with Less Current

With the advancements in electric-motor technology for hybrid gas-electric vehicles, the power tools of tomorrow would also have more efficient motors, and perhaps even alternative sources of energy for the larger machinery such as table saws and dust collection systems.

Better-quality battery-powered tools should be readily available. Larger tools such as table saws, routers, drill presses and welders would remain items that primarily plug into the wall, so a Delta table saw or Miller welder purchased today would probably still be working in 25 years with proper care and maintenance. We could see improvements on power management that makes these tools quieter and smarter, when new versions arrive.

One of the largest concerns of the shop of the future should be the harmful emissions that are common in today's retail mobile electronic shops. The smells of a car audio shop include paint and chemical fumes, particulate dust from MDF, fiberglass and other composites, waste products from washing out paint guns, upholstery glue, resin, thinners and adhesives.

In the green shop of the future, these will be issues that can no longer be ignored. Many retail shops in California are already facing the reality of these clean air initiatives that require the use of lower volatile organic compound (VOC) chemicals. It won't take until 2033 for other densely populated areas of the country to implement similar restrictions. For many automotive related businesses, compliance with cleaner air in the workplace won't be optional.

Renewable Resources in the Install Bay

Plastics are a big part of mobile electronics insofar as to be one of the key materials used in the installation bay. One day we may instead turn to polylactide (PLA)—biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugarcane.

This alternative to ABS plastic is already being used in NatureWorks’ Bio Polymer that's used to manufacture green plastics. Specifically, the 3001D or 3051D version recommended for use in injection molding processes could be used in place of what we now use in ABS or PVC plastic applications.

That would lead to a change in the materials used in dash kits, speaker adapters and other raw plastics used in fabrication of various installation elements. If it could be produced in an extruded sheet form, the possibilities would increase. The challenge of PLA plastics today involves contact with heat. These plastics need further refinement.

MDF will probably still be used, but much less frequently. MDF is only something we use because it's what we know, and because it’s relatively cheap. More weather-friendly materials that are less harmful to the technicians and the immediate environment should be the choice of tomorrow's leading shops.

MDF may withstand the elements in an automotive environment (at least until it gets wet), but it creates an environmental impact with the release of dust and airborne carcinogens while it's being machined.

Using Natural Fabrics

Uniforms and wearable promotional items may use hemp fibers or corn-based Ingeo fibers. Of course we'll also have organic, environmentally friendly soap and detergents to keep our hands and clothing clean and address the ongoing task of stain removal from work clothes. Anything that's washed down a sink or drain in the shop of tomorrow should be as green as possible.

The fabrics used in the showroom and in the vehicle itself should also give a nod toward the environment. Carpeting that is ANSI 140-2007 compliant is environmentally sustainable by today's standards. It's only a matter of time before many other materials used in interior furnishings of cars, buildings and homes follow suit. As long as farming livestock can be as green as possible, leather will always be a ready choice for automotive interiors.

Cleaner Fuel Technology

As an industry we must obtain and maintain a respect for the way in which environmentally friendly vehicles are built, so that our own installation techniques and standards are able to maintain those objectives, if not excel them.

Knowledge about electric, hybrid gas-electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles will be crucial. How will the mobile electronics shop of the future support the needs of these cars?

Electric cars would be viable only if there are many options for charging the batteries when the vehicle is parked. Maybe your shop of the future could provide courtesy charging stations that would be partly funded by your local city government. Many companies are participating in developing battery technologies that will only make electric cars more viable in the future. Technicians in the future will need to understand these battery and power management systems to effectively add aftermarket gear without compromising the functionality or safety of how these electric cars operate.

Hybrid gas-electric cars could also be viable. Perhaps the leading obstacle—one that's most ignored by technicians—is the high-voltage lines in the vehicle that power the electric drive-motor assembly. It's always recommended that technicians disable the high-voltage system when working on these cars. If you do uncover the high-voltage, orange wiring, protect yourself with insulated Class 0 Lineman's gloves. There's another reason to disable a high voltage line; it's not necessary for the gas engine to be running for those cars to move. Imagine the liability of testing wires under the dash and putting the car in and out of gear.

Hydrogen-powered cars could also become a reality. Many of today’s hydrogen-powered cars run on fuel cells, which take hydrogen atoms, split them and re-combine them with oxygen to create electricity to run the motor. A natural resource is the emissions byproduct of this process: water. Other hydrogen vehicles use traditional internal combustion engines that run on liquid hydrogen that is either pressurized or cooled, instead of gasoline. Either way, filling stations for these vehicles need to be made available. Knowledge of the ways these vehicles start and run will be necessary for our industry's technicians, so we don’t cause maintenance or reliability problems.

Let's say you wanted to cater to a greener driving audience and offered electric charging stations and a hydrogen refueling station at your future shop. Did you know that the Honda FCX Clarity currently qualifies for a $12,000 federal tax credit? With those kinds of incentives on vehicles, there’s money customers could spend in the store on qualified upgrades and enhancements. Some of these cars can only be leased, so shop managers need to be aware of those attributes when considering what to install and how to maintain the integrity of these vehicles.

Consider it a foregone conclusion that if you're not thinking green for tomorrow's installation practices, you probably wouldn't be in business. We have to adapt or partner with automotive experts in these new technology areas.

A Smaller Carbon Footprint

The cradle-to-grave lifecycle of in-vehicle consumer electronic products could have the installation considered as part of the carbon footprint that's assessed. This would fall to the manufacturer of both the vehicle itself and the aftermarket electronics company.

In these cases, aftermarket manufacturers may choose their retailers based on their ability to conform to greener practices, and thereby contribute an overall smaller carbon footprint of the product's life cycle. Certainly there is also the issue of recycling those electronics, which may also be a function of the retail shop in the future. Imagine your shop becoming a recycling station for the in-vehicle and portable electronics your customers use. It would be yet another opportunity to get foot traffic through the door and be the go-to experts.

These are the types of things that our industry must consider, if there's a proactive approach to the environment in ways that extend well beyond the walls of any single manufacturer or retail shop. As an industry, we could take a leadership role in the effort. It could provide another way of increasing awareness of our industry among consumers.

The (Green) Road Ahead

While the topics in this article are just possibilities, it's clear that the undeniable intersection of a changing market, evolving vehicles, and a more environmentally aware society are creating opportunities for the mobile electronics retailer to be a leader in their market segment.

With greener facilities and best practices that support sustainable materials and partnerships with like-minded companies or governmental entities, the future for mobile electronics radiates with bright green.

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