Many of us thought they’d be flying cars by now. However, that’s not to say that we aren’t living in some far-flung future that would make people living fifty years ago marvel in wonder.
Most cars now have computerized systems, GPS capacities, and the ability to control the safer elements of your vehicle.
But what does the future of motoring look like? While now knowing how to find the best car price, how to choose fuel efficient vehicles and how to best reduce our impact on the environment are the most pressing examples, how might we think of the next twenty years of motoring, and what relevance might that have to our approach today?
One thing is for sure – no matter how you approach this, we can be certain that motoring is going to cause many debates, controversies, and revolutions in the decades that follow. Our perception of motoring is sure to change, and it’s up to us as responsible road users to understand our pressing needs as time goes on. We might start that by considering the following:
An Enhanced Focus On The Environment
Many modern governments are starting to realize the harrowing difficulty of managing air pollution. It was also quite clear in the VW scandal involving false defeat device results to suggest cleaner emissions that more and more legislation needs to be put in place in order to prevent manufacturers from subverting the rules. In fact, in countries such as the UK, all vehicles are targeted to be zero emission by 2040, with petrol and diesel cars to stop being sold in 2032.
This sounds amazing on the surface, but it also changes what we think of when we think of a vehicular engine, the performance of our cars, their upkeep cost, and how we might expect to maintain them. Perhaps the most pressing example is that of hygienic cars, such as hybrids, electrical, and of course those exciting creations coming from Tesla.
Of course, as engines change, so will the handling of said vehicles. The ability to rev an engine, to tune it, to feel the natural roar of a muscle car, all of this will likely be left to collectors and classic car restoration outfits. It might be that these vehicles will be driven as novelty collector toys, or perhaps they will become quaint artifacts that will have zero road value whatsoever. One thing is for sure, the future of motoring is much different, but it needn’t sound as sterile and boring as many make out.
In fact, some of the biggest voices in automotive culture, that is the three British gentlemen behind the old series of Top Gear and now The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, weigh in favorably on this changing societal shift. One thing’s for sure, the future of vehicle research pre-purchase is going to look a lot different, and we’re likely going to expect many more terms to become the norm.
Automation
Self-governed driving is a goal of those forward-thinking car companies, and this isn’t a sole pursuit of Elon Musk. In fact, by 2030, significant percentages of the logistics and trucking industry is presumed to be out of work. This has given rise to prominent presidential candidates such as Andrew Yang making the changing tides of automation their entire platform.
Automation is important to consider, but it’s not guaranteed to completely wipe out jobs. It might be that a journey can become safer, more dependable, more easily predictable, but will still need a human operator to oversee everything and make sure the vehicle is maintained. However, no matter what you think of the changing tides of motoring automation, it’s important to realize just how many different cultural conversations there will be surrounding this subject.
For example, the software that governs the safety algorithms could lead to some kind of dystopian nightmare, or at least land a death blow of controversy to some firms. In fact, a case of a self-driving car selecting one race over another when having to alter its course and subject an individual to risk brings up horrific questions over the value of life, and how we define certain safety protocols. In fact, the first death from self-driving automation has already taken place, and that’s a tragic thing we will only see more of as the technology develops and becomes more prominent.
Enthusiasm Will Never Change
Look, we know that the future will seem scary with all these new technologies coming out of the woodwork (everything does seem to happen at once,) but it’s essential to consider how enthusiasm will never change. If you’re a motorhead, you’ll be able to get your fix, and we’re a long way off from flying cars and the need to prevent rubber from meeting the road. In fact, these options only open up new angles of interest, engineering appreciation, and car culture. Vehicular sports will become more and more interesting as different divisions are selected, and perhaps hydrogen-fuelled car racing divisions are opened compared to the standard churning formats.
On top of that, manufacturers will still iterate on famous designs, and over time we’ll see new car companies rise to prominence, old ones change, and of course, new automotive stories being told. The need to find the best car price, to learn to drive, to enjoy a Sunday drive, to restore certain elements in your garage and keep a solid relationship with an approved mechanic will all remain, and those are the necessary daily realities we all encounter when considering our automotive interest. Without this optimism, it can be easy to forget just how this interest can remain.
More Stringent Passing Exams
Even with self-driving cars in the future, it’s not hard to see how more stringent passing exams will be developed. Even now, conversations around renewed driving tests after decades on the road and the relevance for certain vehicles to have their own tuition in handling and upkeep will keep our road education interesting and relevant.
With these insights, we can all look forward to interesting future of motoring.