The Future of Motoring
The world is now moving towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living, and the same goes for motoring.
Over the next 50 years, a lot is set to change when it comes to cars, but a lot already has. As we know, petrol and diesel cars are gradually being phased out in line with the government changes being made in 2030. But what else is changing?
Electric Cars
Electric cars (or EV’s as some refer to them) are taking centre stage in the car industry right now due to the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles. Many manufacturers including Volkswagen with the Volkswagen I.D 3, Peugeot and their Peugeot e-208 and Ford with their all new Ford e-Transit, are introducing varying forms of electric cars into the market - whether that be hybrid, mild hybrid or fully electric, all in the effort to generate less emissions.
Charging infrastructure has been an issue and concern for many EV owners, but more charging points are gradually being implemented across the country, and electric vehicle range is also improving with developments in electric vehicle technology.
What about hydrogen?
People are increasingly considering the benefits of hydrogen powered cars over electric ones. Vauxhall has supposedly begun production on the new Vauxhall Vivaro-e Hydrogen van, however the infrastructure and research behind hydrogen power for cars is currently fairly limited, and hydrogen powered vehicles are likely to be even more expensive than electric ones.
Self driving cars
Cars are already incredibly smart, and they’re only becoming more impressive. We already have a certain level of autonomous driving safety technology in more modern cars, such as lane keep assist, and pedestrian detection technology, but will we ever see fully capable and safe self-driving cars on our roads?
There’s the potential for the next step up in autonomous driving vehicles to happen in 2022; you’ll be able to take your hands off the steering wheel and eyes off the road, but will have to be able to take back control at a moment's notice.
Fully self-driving cars look to be a long way off still though, and there’s the concern the technology may not be as reliable as if you were in control of the car yourself, and that it’ll strip the enjoyment out of driving altogether.
Improved Technology
New car releases are gradually incorporating more futuristic characteristics. But what are some other futuristic car features?
Wireless EV Charging
As mentioned before, EV charging has been a problem for many owners, with either not enough charging points being available, them not working correctly or not being able to have a charging point installed where they live because of convenience issues.
However, all of this may be set to change with wireless charging. Volvo has already begun testing for this in Germany, but it essentially involves placing a battery pad under the road, the car driving over it and charging the car wirelessly.
Intelligent Tyres
Falken Tyres has previewed new tyres with smart technology dubbed ‘Smart Tire’ recently. According to the business, wet grip performance can last up to 12,000 miles and wear resistance is increased by up to 51%. Furthermore, Active Tread technology detects dampness and cold temperatures on the road, letting the tread adjust to the environment.
Continental is also experimenting with smarter tyre technology, including integrating embedded sensors.
AR (Augmented Reality)
Car manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have already begun testing augmented reality within their cars. AR involved overlaying graphics on the dash to display interactive arrows to show you where you need to go, or even highlighting road imperfections.