Future Technologies in the Auto Industry

Time to do a little review and look towards the future. With the way things are going in the auto industry, we’re steadily taking steps towards bigger and better vehicles. New technology springs up from Mitsubishi every now and then, their Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is heading towards dealerships , and with the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Alliance, there are plenty of high hopes of what’s to come with their Alliance Venture concerning Robotaxis and future hybrids . With all that in mind, what other technologies are going to shape the auto industry in the coming years? Let’s see.

Autonomous Self-Driving Vehicles

This one is obvious. It’s the first step towards showing the world autonomous self-driving vehicles can work if done right. We can’t say much for self-driving vehicles like those run by Uber, but the Chevrolet Bolt EV has had a wonderful track record when it comes to its autonomous fleet, and many other brands are trying their own take on self-driving vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors included. If you didn’t see their two concepts at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show , take a look.

Quick Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Charging

At the moment, the fast charging game is being dominated by Tesla, but with their share price currently plummeting, it would seem Tesla may move over soon enough and make way for other automakers. Supercharge and fast charging stations are the name of the game to make plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles more practical. Sure, if there’s a charging hub at your destination, you can charge up there or at home, but while on the road, charging stations can feel few and far in between. Miami, Florida has many charging stations , but even then, it’s a very busy and over-populated city. No guarantees of a free hub when you need it.

Next-Generation Safety Features

Automotive safety took a giant leap forward when automatic advanced safety features started rolling out. Forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency brakes, and rear cross-traffic alert, to name a few, have all helped to lower the amount of accidents that happen per year. Now, we have concepts like the Kia Telluride that recently got the greenlight for production that are aiming to implement health safety features like biometric sensors and even light rejuvenation therapy (Telluride feature). Many automakers are working on better ways to improve this, and with autonomous self-driving cars in the near-future, the work will be cut out for many automakers soon enough.

Car-to-Object Communication

Mobile apps for vehicle’s began popping up only a few years ago, and we already have many automakers looking into artificial intelligence. Mitsubishi definitely has a few concepts on the line and Kia Motors expects to offer AI tech by 2019 . Soon, our homes, phones, and cars will all be interconnected. In addition, the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has started a year-long test of 2,800 “intelligent cars” that can transmit safety-related data to one another to help in various instances, such as traffic changes. That will come in real handy during rush hour when everyone slows down to a crawl because of … nothing. Literally nothing, more than half the time.

Transportation Networks

We already have these going on with Uber and Lyft. Transportation networks aren’t anything new; before Uber and Lyft, there was a little thing called a “taxi,” GASP! This does tie in a bit with autonomous self-driving vehicles though. For example, Waymo’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica fleet recently received certification as a self-driving transportation network by the Department of Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona. Not only this, but Waymo’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica fleet is the first self-driving vehicle to receive such certification. It’s only a matter of time before highways and cities have safe, reliable, self-driving networks taking people from point A to point B.

Where Are My Flying Cars?

No, really. Where are they? We were promised flying cars by now. Not many companies out there are working towards urban mobility and flight, but Airbus definitely is. Having popped up at both the 2017 and 2018 Geneva Motor Show, once with Italdesign and another with Audi, Airbus is working on ground-to-air autonomous drones that can attach to a vehicle on the road and then take flight with it to a destination. We’re not sure if it will become another transportation network or if individuals will be able to get their own, but how great would it be if stuck in traffic, and with a simple button, you can take off and get home in half the time? _ Soooo _ nice.

* These automotive technologies are paving the way for a bright and prosperous future in the industry. What do you think? Ready to give up control? Take flight? Or just go green? Let us know on Miami Lakes Automall social media . *

* Photo Source/Copyright: Wired.com *

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