Continuing the Business Times’ tomorrowSERIES features, this week we explore the varied possibilities and unlimited machinations that have been combined, in recent times, to embody concepts for the "Car of the Future" in our tomorrowCAR segment.
For many years imagined and re-imagined, the future of the automobile has been widely and loudly advertised through big-draw auto shows held in world capitals. Termed 'concept cars' and presented amidst much glitz and glamour by big name auto manufacturers, these ideas have, in the not too distant past, been almost exclusively about grabbing newspapers' automotive headlines as signalled by leanings towards uber stylish and modern exteriors, high-tech gadgetry and heightened horsepower; often completely ignoring real world concerns, such as cost and even ergonomics, in pursuit of aspirations and novelty.
However, with the scarcity of oil looming in the not to distant future, these haute concepts have either given way to or, in some cases, even incorporated the world's ever pressing future needs pertaining to sustainability and clean energy. But the really startling changes in our future driving experience, many experts seem to think, may actually not be easily apparent, since you will probably only be jarred into recognising them in extreme cases; more so that may well be, almost without exception, under the hood of tomorrowCAR.
Fuel efficient and zero emission vehicles are no longer the cars of the future but what customers demand today. Just consider the increasingly- and globally- popular Toyota Prius or the ever growing number of Electric Vehicles (EV) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell-powered vehicle, or even hybrids; all uniquely characterised by long wait lists jam-packed with enthusiasts just itching to buy.
The true tomorrowCAR will take on where these pioneers left off, building further on these concepts by incorporating new and innovative fuel sources; including all encompassing connectivity and reaching heights of increasing automation; all to make sure that tomorrowCAR remains in touch with the needs of both customers and regulators and so not fear obsolescence. A fate more likely faced by future drivers as more and more control goes over to tomorrowCAR's in-built intelligence.
Power
Besides the more widely talked about electric and hydrogen fuel cells, tomorrowCAR could be powered by a number of unique petrol and diesel alternatives; from higher-output photovoltaic (solar) to biomass to methane and even a number of bio-diesels and other agriculture- and waste-based options. Many of these fuels having been proposed in the past as a consequence of trending oil price increases supported by initiatives by countries to secure some measure of energy independence.
New inductees into the ever-widening alternative energy ideas club include compressed air powered engines, based on Formula One technology; and solar roads, which will entail the embedding of solar paneling throughout the road network to soak up sun's rays and convert it to power that will continuously be conducted, again through roads, to vehicles. This will be much like the third rail in a subway system, but not dangerous. The latter idea can theoretically counteract current voltage limitations of photovoltaic systems by encompassing a far greater surface area.
Also noteworthy is that Sri Lanka has to date made several contributions to the field of alternative fuels with the most recent being the marketing of petrol made from polythene and plastic waste, an idea supported and promoted by the country's Environment Ministry.
Connectivity
While tomorrowOFFICE and tomorrowHOME concepts indicated a widening net of connectivity set to infiltrate every aspect of future life, the vast potential of interconnectivity can only be truly witnessed with tomorrowCAR.
There is no doubt that tomorrowCAR will be intelligent, may be also eventually incorporating one personality of the artificial intelligence (AI) present in tomorrowHOME. But where tomorrowHOME's AI will be used to complete more mundane tasks, tomorrowCAR's AI will literally be used to keep drivers alive second-by-second. In fact, drivers of the future may not even be allowed to drive in many urban settings since their vehicles could well be designed to completely take over driving functions to guarantee smooth traffic flows, avoid accidents or even enable what has been termed as crash mitigation; where in the case of unavoidable accidents the vehicle automatically alters its physical position, often at the blink of an eyelid, to greatly minimise impact.
Further, tomorrowCARs will be continuously networked with traffic computers and other vehicles and use all the available data to mitigate typical traffic problems, such as traffic jams, road accidents, speeding drivers, road accidents and even road rage.
And good news for drivers, there is the possibility that as vehicles get ever more intelligent there will be less chance of driver culpability and hence less need for the dreaded traffic police. However, there is bad news.
Even if tomorrowCAR is not preset to complete control by its AI in urban settings, driver control will be set to automatically revert back to tomorrowCAR's AI under a series of emergency situations, including: if the driver starts manoeuvering erratically, the speed limit is exceeded, running through red lights is attempted, etc, with most cases pertaining to actions proving detrimental to public safety.
As more and more control is vested with tomorrowCAR's, there is a fear that even situations as mundane as illegal parking could prompt the AI to take over, depending on regulators.
Coincidentally less intrusive innovations are currently being developed as the preferred option, including smart intersections where drivers are warned if someone else runs a red light or brakes are automatically applied if they run a red light, allowing emergency vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances to take charge of a vehicle if the driver is behaving dangerously or get private vehicles out of the way when rushing to an emergency situation; and sticky lanes where routes are mapped out on the GPS prior to the journey so that if a driver falls asleep at the wheel or gets otherwise distracted, the autopilot will engage and the vehicle will revert to the route mapped.
Automation
Innovations such as Heads Up Displays (HUDs), voice recognition, vision enhancement, etc. will do for the tomorrowCAR what the mouse did for the office. No longer will drivers be distracted by non-essentials and it is hoped this will lead to them being even more immersed in the driving process. Also proposed is the idea of haptic interfaces where proximity alarms and other warnings are felt by drivers via touch, vibration and even mild skin contact, all of which would be less startling but maybe more effective in alerting drivers to imminent dangers.
While there have been many ideas proposed for the upgrading of individually-owned vehicles, the true promise of the future of automobiles may prove to be a complete shift in the concept of individual ownership of vehicles, which stems from an increasing number of programmes which to date have made bicycles available for personal use outside mass transit stations. One such idea is the "City Car" stackable car concept proposed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which proposes locating vehicles designed to be stacked one on top of another outside mass transit stations, such as bus lines and subways, so the benefits of mass transit, namely low cost per individual, may be effectively combined with those of individual travel, like freedom of movement, without limiting either option.
No matter the shape or form of tomorrowCAR, it is undoubtedly what's virtually unnoticeable and on the inside that will ultimately have the biggest impact on the lives of commuters. Whether it is due to its potential to significantly reduce the number of traffic jams by eradicating most instances of driver error or the addition of greater and nonintrusive safety measures for enhanced driver protection; one thing is clear, tomorrowCAR will surely cause dismay among speed demons and muscle car enthusiasts of today. |
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