Potential cars of the future

I was being cheeky due to some recent local news thus the ---->

Originally posted by Murcielago

Originally posted by carcharodon
I think the drive by wire tech will come along with hydrogen along with composite materials.

Why would composites become more standard?

Just because some race cars use it, and very exotic cars like the Ferrari Enzo, doesn't mean its the future. It will be metals for a long time...because of the fact the bend...and during a crash their bending dissapates the energy, while composites just snap.

Murcielago
Ever seen a fornula 1 car crash? they crash at 200mph and the pilot just walks away (try that on a regular car and see of someone survives). carbon fiber can absorb energy as well if not better than metals. It is lighter, stronger and making it produce less pollution. Cars just like planes made of these material will be lighter thus being more efficient (they will require less energy to move) decreasing the need for refuelling which will make them cheaper to run.

Originally posted by sardion2000
It will have true smart "wheels" that aren't really wheels at all, but really just telescoping spokes with treads that gain traction through Van Der Waals forces rather then friction, the upside of such a system would be that you would never ever lose control on any surface, the telescoping feature will make the vehicle more all terrain then a Hummer and with advanced enough nearly frictionless bearing technology will be very efficient as well.

I'm glad someone else has read Snow Crash.

I think the real question to ask is, what cars of the future are oil companies not letting us have?

Neal Stephenson imagined some truely ingenius things in Snow Crash and The Diamond Age. People are actively working on that technology right now, heres a couple of links.

technovelgy.com...

technovelgy.com...

Hydrogen Cells are NOT the way of the future.

I've said this so many times, hybrid technology is what your all going to see for quite awhile. It'll be improved upon as time goes on and become more and more efficient. Hydrogen cells have too many drawbacks and will never come to full fruitition. There may be a small market for them some day but it will never come close to what is going to happen with hybrid tech.

Just look at what the manufacturers are doing. How many car companies are putting serious effort into hydrogen technology? Now look at hybrid tech, EVERYONE is jumping on this bandwagon.

As for other future advancements, automobiles will become more and more computerized. The computer systems in vehicles today are already more advanced then what we had to get Apollo to the moon. I think someones going to come up with some interesting new ideas for traction and control. Automated driving looks like it'll come around soon enough, this is already being experimented with. Thats the one Im really looking forward too.

All this tech scares me though, because I've got to learn how to fix it all

I think someones going to come up with some interesting new ideas for traction and control.

Traction through Gecko-like pads using Van Der Waals forces rather then Friction

Check the other links above for more information.

Automated driving looks like it'll come around soon enough, this is already being experimented with. Thats the one Im really looking forward too.

It will be some time before public perception changes on that. It took more then a decade for people to get over the idea of an Operatorless Elevator, it could take much longer in Cars.

[edit on 9-12-2005 by sardion2000]

Interesting article, I got to learn something new today.

And very good point about the automated driving. Last I heard, the idea was being experimented with using little things like the reflector pads you see on the road, but instead they lined the side of the road. The car would sense the pads and use them to keep itself on track.

Heres a link I found on research being done by UC Berkely and Caltrans involving computer controlled cars. Well in this case, its only one car, but still interesting none the less. It hints at the possibility that automated cars will actually be safer then those driven by us lowly humans

PATH

Well that wouldn't work in Canada the snow,slush and ice would cover it. Best way I've heard(ei Most reliable) is using Magnets or RFID under the road.

Originally posted by iori_komei
Well, I think the cars of the future, will have fully integrated computer systems, so like you could do stuff in your car, like you would at home on your computer. I think that using GPS, and downloadable maps, cars will have the abilitie to drive you partially. I think that cars will start to use alternative energy sources more and more. I think cars will become smaller, and use less energy.

The liust could go on, but I'm tired of typing.

Future??
Try today, however it is a pain when the computer decides to "crash" in the middle of rush hour, and there you are, sitting in traffic re-booting the computer so you can start the car again because it has imobalised it

The alternative energy however, yes still a few years away.