Cars and technology are industries that have been going hand-in-hand for quite a while now, and the positive effects of technology over the automotive industry are obvious: cars are faster, safer and smarter than ever, all to the benefit of the drivers and passengers using them.There are also numerous technology-centered car concepts out there, each giving us a glimpse of how the future of transportation might look like, so it’s safe to say that there’s more to see from car technology. While it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in most cases. Here are 5 facts uncovering the benefits and drawbacks of the latest car technology.
The Future is Electric
Hybrid vehicles have been around for some time, demonstrating the advantage of using electric motors, and now fully-electric vehicles are starting to make their way into the market. However, electric vehicles have two major limitations – range and charging time. Tesla has done some impressive advancement in terms of both, but it’s still not enough if we want to head to an all-electric future.
The answer to both problems might come from Porsche and their upcoming “Mission E” electric sports car. While the Mission E is still work in progress, with the first functional prototype scheduled to be unveiled in 2018, it’s expected that Porsche will stick to its claims, given the tremendous budget of $1 billion that was allotted to the project.
Porsche indicated that they are developing a high-power 800V battery system that can charge to 80% of the battery’s capacity in 15 minutes. When this comes true, it’s green light for going all-electric.
The Future is Green
Some might argue that obtaining the electric energy required to power a grid that keeps all cars running would also be a polluting process, so switching to electric vehicles will just mean trading one evil for another, but given the example set by Tesla, which relies heavily on solar power to gather the required electricity to power their charging stations, and their plans to integrated solar panels directly in the roof of their cars, it’s safe to say that the future might be a green one after all.
The Future is Smart
With everything around us becoming smart, it’s no surprise cars are getting in the loop as well. Various types of assisted driving systems have been in use for years, but they are really blooming now thanks to technology. Cars can now keep their speed and lane or park autonomously, and we’re mere steps away from having fully autonomous cars roaming the streets. Companies such as Google, Tesla, Volvo and Audi have already demonstrated such capabilities, but they are still in the testing phase. It’s just a matter of time until we share the streets with self-driving cars.
The Future – We’re Not Ready Yet
We’re all eager to enjoy care-free commutes and have the cars drive us around by themselves, but some people are a bit too eager, unfortunately, as demonstrated by a fatal accident that took place on May 7th, 2016, when a Tesla with the Autopilot mode turned on crashed into a trailer.
While Tesla claims that their Autopilot is smart enough to drive the car on its own, it clearly warned drivers that the feature is still in testing and that they should not leave it unattended. Unfortunately, some went against the recommendations, which ultimately lead to the fatal crash.
This indicatesthat cars are not yet ready to drive themselves, and that people cannot be yet trusted with developing technology.
The Future – Society is Not Ready Yet
Self-driving cars may be the future, but they are a future that society is not quite ready for yet. There’s a psychological barrier that needs to be removed before people would start trusting their lives in a computer-controlled car. There is also the legal aspect – who takes the fault if an autonomous car is the culprit in a fatal crash? Will it be the car manufacturer, the software developer, and the people in quality control? The laws and regulations are not designed for such situation, and finding the balance for such scenarios is quite difficult.
We guess only time will tell.
By Edward Francis and Design911.co.uk!
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