Many things present in a modern car several decades ago seemed to be impossible or even fantastic. Now, the cars are learning to talk, notify of the need to check seat belts, create a route and guide the driver to the desired destination.
The rapid development of automotive services is also amazing. Today you can rent a car at any point where it’s not possible to use your own car. For example, you are first going to Texas, USA, and want to explore the area by car. You can easily pick up a DAL rental car at the local airport, and have an unforgettable trip. You can do it right on the spot, but it’s best to go on 14cars.com and book DAL rental car online. This will allow you to compare offers and choose the best option at the best price.
Of course, thousands of locations around the world are available to you. This says that both services and technology are becoming smarter day by day, and today it’s difficult to predict what an ordinary car will turn into after 30 years. But let’s try to imagine what awaits us in the nearest future…
Electric cars
Even people far from the world of cars have already heard about the brainchild of Elon Musk – the Tesla electric car. Of course, this is far from the only car model that runs on electricity, but its example is indicative, because everyone knows about Tesla: it breaks the records of mentions and even managed to go into orbit.
The technical characteristics of such a car are much higher than that of models with a gasoline-powered engine. The electric drive and batteries can be removed to the bottom of the car – and thereby rework the shape of the body, making it more streamlined, aerodynamic and attractive.
Also, you shouldn’t forget about space for the driver and passengers. At the same time, the production of electric vehicles can make the auto industry easier – this is because instead of a complex fuel, launch and injection systems, as well as a transmission under the car body, there’s only one large battery. A huge number of problems, including fuel quality, are solved automatically. The operation of such a car is cheaper, it’s more environmentally friendly and convenient to use.
Unmanned vehicles
The development of smart cars that don’t need a driver is performed by many large corporations – Google and Apple are among them. Industrial giants are not far behind them. The autonomous vehicles are actively developed by world leaders in the automotive industry, for example, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Toyota.
Today you will not surprise anyone with the news about the test drive of the unmanned car – the only question is when such cars will appear on the roads. Based on the trends of the last couple of years, first we will see long-range unmanned trucks in action, then public transport, and only after that, private unmanned vehicles will appear on the streets.
Stunning multimedia systems
Multimedia systems in modern cars have long ceased to be simple players, but in the future their functionality will grow many times over. So, Hyundai and Kia cars have been equipped with a virtual assistant based on artificial intelligence. The Nissan IMx electric car will study its passengers and communicate with them, and Toyota will have smart cars that will monitor the health of the driver and warn him and others in case of danger.
In the near future, at the time of boarding the car, a smart multimedia system will be able to check the condition of the car and the driver’s well-being, set up the drover’s favorite music and chose the right settings for climate control.
In this case, the driver won’t need to touch any screen – the gesture recognition system will detect the movements of his hands. The built-in payment modules will allow, without leaving the car, to carry out any purchases: from buying a cup of coffee to new spare parts.
Modular vehicles
Another trend dictated by the development of urban infrastructure will be the modularity of cars. Already today, many cities are physically unable to accommodate an increasing number of cars. In this case, it becomes the norm to have two or more cars per family. Many manufacturers are thinking about how to avoid this problem – they develop modular systems that allow changing the appearance and even type of car in accordance with the current task of the owner.
So, the Swiss design bureau Rinspeed recently introduced microSNAP – a modular car of the future, consisting of a universal chassis platform and a removable capsule. Also, Faraday Future presented a platform for an electric car, in which you can change the geometry literally on the fly, pushing the bumpers further from the axles in any direction and turning the car from a smart car into a sedan or station wagon.
Smart car sharing
Already today, many companies are testing a driver recognition system connected to a car sharing service. So far, it only remembers the entered data, but in the coming years it can form the basis of a full-fledged infrastructure.
As a result, the way of movement by car will change dramatically. The user will be able to get to the city by his personal car, which later will go to the smart parking. Directly around the city, a person will move on rental mini electric cars.
At the same time, all cars, no matter how much they change during the day, will be synchronized according to the settings: the usual routes, the temperature in the cabin, the distance from the seat to the steering wheel, music volume and favorite radio stations.
