Future cars might not be quite as you expect…
We all have our own ideas about what future cars will look like and how they will operate. For instance, a lot of people in the eighties thought that by 2010 cars would be flying or at least…hovering? Well, that didn’t happen, and actually, cars haven’t changed all that much over the last ten to twenty years. They still drive on four wheels, most still run on petrol and diesel, and despite promises, we still have to drive them ourselves. But is that about to change? Shockingly, there is tech being prepared for the market that will make the newest cars radically different. Though perhaps not in the way you might expect.
Forget electric, try solar
Electric cars aren’t as eco-friendly as they seem. First, if you buy a hybrid, you’re still using fuel to power the car. There’s a small fuel engine and a bigger electric engine powering it, so you’re not at zero emissions as soon as you buy a hybrid. And even if you do purchase a fully electric car, you’re still going to face the issue of where that electricity comes from. Chances are it won’t be completely renewable and could be supplied by some rather unclean resources. We’re sorry to disappoint you there, so electric might not the complete solution for going green on the roads. Then what is? We think the answer might be solar cars. The solar car is being developed right now, and while progress is slow, a solar car could be on the market sooner than you think.
There’s also the possibility of hydrogen powered cars, but there is a slight problem with marketing. Whenever people think of hydrogen and fuel, they tend to recall the hydrogen bomb. As such, despite the fact there’s a lot of research being put into hydrogen cars it’s possible that they never reach the market.
Are new cars really going to drive themselves?
Autonomous car technology isn’t quite at the level that people think. You won’t be able to hop in a car, tell it where you want to go and then let it drive you there just yet. First, there’s no self-driving car we know of that can hit highway speeds so you’ll probably be stuck at forty. Secondly, the tech just isn’t at that stage yet. Most cars within the next five to ten years will be able to course correct and avoid crashes, but they won’t be able to drive for miles from point A to point B without any interaction from the driver. Although, a lot of car companies are working on this possibility, we’re still at least ten years away from the type of tech people are dreaming of. Even Tesla say their auto pilot needs complete attention and control from the driver at all times.
Crash-proof
Finally, there’s been a lot of talk about future cars being one hundred percent crash proof. The new self-drive technology has gone a long way to boosting the support for this argument. But as already pointed out it’s just not that simple. And if you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll have noticed a lot of the self-drive cars tested have been spotted crashing. So, don’t think the roads are suddenly going to become the safest place to be. That’s not going to happen.
** This is a collaborative post
