The latest edition of Car of the Future is here! Read the latest articles on the future of car ownership and driving, connected & driverless cars, ridesharing, carsharing, electric cars, hybrid cars, and even flying cars.
If you read any great articles yourself about the Car of the Future, please send them to me at nma@motorists.org and perhaps I will link them in the next edition.
Future of Car Ownership
In a blog post on THE TRUTH ABOUT CARS website, the writer that goes under Bark M. wrote a fascinating post on This is how they’ll take your car away from you!
Future Transportation Funding
- The VERGE website posted an interview with the outgoing US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
- The Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an editorial recently entitled We Can’t Afford a Light-rail Boondoggle that’s already Obsolete. This is interesting for several reasons.
o When Columbus, OH won the $50 million USDOT award for building smart city infrastructure this summer, it was the only city at that population in the U.S. that did not have light rail. Columbus city officials have already stated that Columbus will never have light rail now but instead will use the DOT grant money to prepare for driverless ridesharing.
o Rural America has been relatively neglected when it comes to any Car of the Future Talk—this editorial states that light rail is so 19th century and that rural Americans should also be able to partake in carsharing and ridesharing opportunities – we’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out since carsharing/ridesharing is all about the numbers of people using the service.
o If more cars are on the road due to carshing/ridesharing won’t that make the road less safe for all users of the road—and who will be paying for the infrastructure of smart roads if we cannot even fix our potholes now?
Car Sharing & Ridesharing
- Los Angeles apparently plans to get 100,000 (2%) of cars off the roads in the next five years. They plan to do it by adding more cars?
- Beginning next year, Toyota will be testing their new GETAROUND carsharing service in San Francisco. The Smart Key Box system will allow users to unlock doors and start cars with their smartphones—no key required.
- Three major U.S. Universities (MIT, Stanford and U.of Washington) published a study this week that found racial discrimination by Uber and Lyft drivers.
Semi-Autonomous and Driverless Cars
- The Detroit News posted a story this week that before cars can become driverless, they need to conquer the car wash!
- BigThink.com posted a thought piece on Driverless cars will be a Social rather than a Technological Revolution. Maybe, but the writers do make some solid points of how this possible future could unfold rather more gently.
- PC Magazine posted a slideshow on their website: 9 Ways Driverless Cars will change Your Life.
Electric Cars (EVs)
- NPR’s ONPOINT program recently ran TODAY’S FIGHT FOR THE ELECTRIC CAR OF TOMORROW. The program featured editors from CAR AND DRIVER and AUTOWEEK. (audio link)
- The Fresno Bee newspaper posed the question: Will California Drivers get in Electric Cars to save $13.5 Billion?
Flying Cars
- Forbes Magazine posted an article that states four reasons that THE FUTURE OF AUTONOMY IS DRONES, NOT DRIVERLESS CARS. Indeed compelling but safety concerns about driverless drones are real! And according to WIRED.com, Uber Plans to take over the Skies with Flying Cars!
That is all for this edition of THE CAR OF THE FUTURE!
Drive Safe!
