Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that anything is possible. Take cars, for example. The first car in history was powered by a steam engine. It was very slow, and it needed to be stopped every ten minutes in order to build up steam power, it wasn't enclosed, and riding in it would have been anything but comfortable. But in those days people had to see it to believe it, simply because cars were beyond their wildest dreams. The only fast way of getting around was a horse and carriage.
Admittedly, that was over 300 years ago. But if you were to go back in time and tell Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, who made the first vehicle in history, that cars of the future would use gasoline, rather than steam, he wouldn't believe you. If you told him that cars would travel at speeds over 200 miles per hour, have devices (GPS) that showed you the way to places on little television screens, and even talk to you, and strange music boxes (stereo systems) that play our choices of music on them, you could guarantee that Mr. Cugnot would have laughed at you, and sent you to the local loony bin.
When you look at it in that light, you can really appreciate that the cars of tomorrow have the potential to be something out of our wildest dreams, and, in most cases, that is how the cars of tomorrow are being created. Smart, imaginative people think up ingenious ways to make our lives, and driving experiences interesting, exiting and cutting edge. These ideas are then worked on to produce something new, something out of this world.
Yesterdays Cars Of Tomorrow
The cars of today are nothing more than yesterday's cars of tomorrow. They started out as someone's bright idea, and are now what we consider to be mainstream. Take hybrids, for example, the technology isn't new. In fact, we have been using hybrids for quite some time now in submarines, mopeds, and even locomotives. What is new, however, is the hybrid car of today uses gasoline, and electric power to provide better mileage, convenience of use, and is better for the environment, without skimping on comfort, luxury and speed.
Gas prices have become expensive, so the cars of today are now being created to use alternative types of fuel, including, gas-electric engines, solar powered, and fuels that come from renewable resources, such as alcohol, and vegetable oils. Cars that are made from renewable resources are also being introduced, such as the insides of cars being made from sugar cane, and hemp, and carbon fiber bodies.
If you have ever complained about getting into tight parking spots, the latest solution to parking nightmares that is about to be introduced to the market have motors attached to swivel wheels, allowing the car to slide in a crab like motion into a parking space. If you think some of these ideas are wacky, you won't when everyone is driving them around in a few years time.
The Cars Of Tomorrow, What To Expect?
The cars of tomorrow have the potential to be anything that we desire. Cars are being made smarter all the time. So it is not unreasonable to expect that the cars of the future will be able to drive themselves to pre-programmed destinations, respond to commands, and be able to provide you with information such as the whereabouts of local restaurants, and what types they are.
Cars of tomorrow are likely to have added safety features such as the ability to avoid car accidents themselves. If a chip in the car could sense an imminent crash, its reaction time would be faster, as well as its ability to make the safest split decision for those in the car.
In the event of an accident, the cars of tomorrow will immediately notify the authorities of the whereabouts of car, to make sure that medical attention was arranged immediately for injured motorists. Airbags will have special sensors that can tell where a person is seated, and in what position they were in, to make sure, when airbags are deployed, they would protect the person, rather than harming them.
Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier if cars no longer needed car keys to unlock them or turn the engine on? Imagine your car of the future being able to recognize you by voice activation, or by your thumbprint. You would never have to worry about losing your car keys again.
In addition to our already changing fuel consumption, the cars of tomorrow could well be able to be run on things such as hydrogen, recycled household waste from garbage dumps, or any type of liquid such as milk or water?
We have a definite problem with roads. They cost taxpayers literally billions of dollars to maintain annually, and they are never 'as the crow flies'. What if we no longer needed roads? What if cars were able to hover instead? We would be able to do away with roads, saving billions of dollars, and a five-hour road trip would only take an hour or so.
Everything mentioned here on what to expect from the cars of tomorrow are an idea, a figment of imagination. But that doesn't mean that, in the future, the cars of tomorrow won't have these capabilities, or have capabilities that are even wilder than our wildest dreams. These thoughts are real possibilities. If you don't believe it, then you weren't listening when we mentioned about going back to the past and telling Mr. Cugnot about the cars that we drive today in comparison to his!
