There is a long history of authors and automobile pundits speculating about what driving will look like in the future. If you had asked a science fiction author a hundred years ago what they thought driving would look like by now, they would have probably guessed “flying cars”. Throughout the ages, movie makers have dreamed up hover cars (Blade Runner), automated car manufacturing (Minority Report), cars that could talk (Knight Rider).
But the fact is that it’s difficult to guess with much accuracy what driving will look like in the future. The best one can hope for is making educated guesses based on current research, advancements, and existing infrastructure. That’s exactly what this article has done. So now, without further ado, adding to the long history of pundit prediction, is what driving will (maybe) look like in 15 years.
Self-Driving Cars
This technology is already well on its way to being publicized, with a new breed of self-driving cars already being road-tested by companies like BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. Don’t expect it to be immediately popular though; it remains to be seen whether drivers will embrace the new technology, or whether the loss of driver agency will rub some people the wrong way.
Car Subscriptions
In 15 years, people will still be buying and leasing automobiles, but expect car subscriptions to become a larger part of the industry. As evidenced by companies like Netflix and Spotify, the subscription economy is – and will continue to – play a large role in consumerism, across industries. With a few taps of your finger on an app, you can subscribe to a new car. Car subscriptions are already starting to make a splash, owing to their ease-of-use and affordability, and that popularity will only increase in the near future – get more information here if you’re curious.
Electric All the Way
As the world’s oil and gas reserves start slowly dwindling, and consumers begin to vote with their dollar for greener alternatives, expect a huge push toward electric vehicles in the next decade and a half. A prediction: there will always be traditionally fuelled cars on the market, but they will become more like a curio or throwback item, the same way record players are.
Smarter & Safer Systems
Finally, expect your car to become like a smartphone on wheels, with a greater level of connectivity and interactivity on the dashboard and throughout the vehicle. Expect, also, to feel a lot safer on the road, not just with the advent of driverless cars (which are still capable of the accident), but also with greater strides made in the field of automotive safety. When you consider, even in the past 15 years, how much safer cars have become it really makes you optimistic for the future.
Are you ready to drive into the future? Are you prepared to sit back as a car drives itself, running on electricity? Are you looking forward to paying a small, flat, monthly fee for your car, rather than throwing down a large sum of money? If so, the future will most certainly be friendly.
