Latest questions:
Trending questions:
Hot questions:
Automobile Technology
6 answers
Engines that run on only as many cylinders as needed making a 12 cylinder motor very fuel efficient
Continuously variable transmissions without gears.
Many more vehicles with 4 wheel drive for safety and faster acceleration
4 wheel steering like my twin turbo 300zx had.
Increased safety
1) Greater electrification, either plug-in hybrids with 30-50 miles of pure EV range or full EVs with ~300-400 miles of range.
2) Expansion of EVs into new segments (pickup trucks, full-size SUVs, high-end luxury cars, sports cars)
3) Advances in EV batteries and recharge times. Battery capacities will increase, battery weight will decrease (slightly) and recharge times will drop with the addition of Level 3 (440v) and Level 4 (800v) fast chargers.
4) Continued improvements in ADAS (automatic driver assistance systems) technologies as the industry continues to move toward autonomous vehicles. There will be some fully autonomous vehicles in geo-fenced, low-speed (25-30mph) high-density urban areas where human-driven vehicles are restricted or prohibited.
While incremental advancement on already present technology (engine, transmission, battery and so on), the real breakthrough will not be techological, but social. All automotive world is expecting autonomous driving. Reaching Level 5 will mean making a new world revolution, for many reasons. Think about not owning a car, but just using one when you need it. Think about even children can go alone to school. Think about no taxi anymore, reduced road infrastructure, accident rate, no car insurance, or truck drivers who have to drive from one end to the other of huge countries like US. With no driving tasks people will have more time for other things, and even moving businesses can get a huge boost. Cities will also start to spread to the outside, more green areas, as commuting is more easy and work can be performed while travelling.
Cars will be lighter & more space-efficient - typically hatchbacks rather than sedans. Gasoline engines will be more fuel-efficient. Mazda3 & Honda Civic are leading the way. Space is like SUVs but they perform better and are more enjoyable to drive.
If you're saying automobile technology breakthrough for coming 5-10 years, probably it will not be level 5 autonomous driving as this is extremely difficult and current A.I (Deep learning) can't really achieve the complete set of understanding or awareness level which should be required by full autonomy
In my opinions, below 2 things might be possible within 10 years:
1) Wide spread and good application of V2X-> This enables good level 4 autonomous driving with sufficient reliability and safety
2) New approach in empowering real A.I capability which can give us initial glimpse of general intelligence which can be applied in machines/ robots/ cars. This might involve both of changes in algorithm, theories or H/W resources
Bentley