Issue 69 Future of Driving May 3, 2013

We have long pondered what the future of driving will be. Thoughts of flying cars and cars that drive themselves are the most prominent, but what else?

Drive by wire: Airplanes have for a long time now used electronic signal systems and fiber optic cables to enhance performance while shedding weight to reduce fuel costs. By doing the same in cars we get rid of the drive train, and all other mechanical parts save the wheel and the engine. As a result, cars will be run mostly by computer and thus allow for more performance out of your car. The main hurdle is people’s fear of driving a rolling computer. However, if a car company can effectively demonstrate how safe and reliable it is by showing how they are used in airplanes then the future of this technology is assured.

Robot cars: This form of science fiction is now science fact. One problem, the computers need to learn to drive. Currently, robot cars are being tested in California and other places. All tests so far have been successful. The problem is two fold however. One, an infrastructure must be put in place from which the cars can receive uninterrupted GPS data. While on board sensors work to prevent collisions, without GPS (let alone up to date GPS data) the cars will not know where to go. The other problem is people placing trust in their vehicles to get them where they want to go. People will fear a robot car thinking it will drive them and their family into a wall. So in this instance it is a trust issue.

The Road itself: Here is not so much an innovation in cars, but innovations in the road itself. There has been discussion of altering how roads are constructed and what they are capable of. I was first informed of this in a Popular Mechanics Magazine article and in it they discussed how wires in the road could supply power to cars. Yes, the road itself would essentially act like railroad tracks, but not be limited to just the tracks. This would allow the removal of bulky engines from cars and busses to reduce pollution. Another innovation was having sensors in the road produce warnings about road conditions. If the sensors saw it was getting cold then they would project snow flakes on the road surface and perhaps activate a heating element to prevent black ice. Also, in the summer a cooling element could be activated to reduce the heat produced by the road that invariably increases the heat of the surrounding area. In short, a smart road would need less maintenance and would attempt to reduce accidents.

Green machines....and roads: For cars, micro wind turbines and solar panels can be attached (and still look hip) to generate its own electricity. This would allow cars to power themselves when running low on fuel (if we are still even using fuel). Likewise, wind turbines can be set along the side of roads to take advantage of the wind produced by speeding cars. Thus even the road can generate its own electricity and not have to rely on power plants (this is the same concept as putting solar panels on street lamps). But another interesting idea is using the sensors to turn on and off lights when cars are passing by. The idea is, if a light is on and no one is around to take advantage of it, then why have it on in the first place. Thus, lights will only turn on for when a car is passing through the area and then turn off saving more electricity and money.

Conclusion: While the flying car is probably the futurists dream they are not a reality until mechanical issues balancing flight and driving are worked out. In the meantime you all will have to settle with some of the innovations and ideas above. Sure we will get new fuels, and maybe a giant bus that uses the road as a track to transport a 1,000 people like a train with cars driving underneath (see the Chinese for this idea), but these ideas are all concepts. We are still innovating with new ideas and concepts. New materials and fuels are a guarantee to be coming out at some point. It is all really a matter of what the consumer will find acceptable. So keep dreaming innovators and sci-fi fans, the cool stuff is still coming down the pipe.