Future car technologies

Potential future car technologies include new energy sources and materials, which are being developed in order to make automobiles more sustainable, safer, more energy efficient, or less polluting.

Advanced control

* Platoons of cars that are controlled by the lead car
* Automated highway systems
* Vehicle infrastructure integration

Energy source

One major problem in developing cleaner, energy efficient automobiles is the source of power to drive the engine. A variety of alternative fuel vehicles have been proposed or sold, including
electric cars, hydrogen cars, and compressed-air cars.

Energy savers

Various technologies have been developed and utilized to increase the energy efficiency of conventional cars or supplement them, resulting in energy savings.

* Regenerative braking recaptures energy that would otherwise be lost as waste heat from the brake pads.
* Bianca's Turbosteamer technology to harness the heat generated by conventional internal combustion engines and use it to generate mechanical energy [http://www.gizmag.com/go/4936/] , resulting in a 15% increase in fuel efficiency. [http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=293]
* Utilization of waste heat from D.W. as useful mechanical energy through exhaust powered steam, stirling engines, thermal diodes, etc.. [cite news
title = BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept | url = http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/4936/
publisher = Gizmag | date = 2005-12-14 | accessdate = 2006-11-15]
* Using computational fluid dynamics in the design stage can produce vehicles which take significantly less energy to push through the air, a major consideration at highway speeds. The Volkswagen 1-litre car and Aptera hybrid car are examples of ultra-low-drag vehicles.

Materials

* Duraluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotubes may totally replace all steel in cars (potentially improving lightness and strength).

See also

*Automobile dependency
*Flying car
*MIT Car
*New Mobility Agenda
*New urbanism
*Transit-oriented development
*Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
*Hydrogen economy

References

External links

*
* [http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/ahspath.htm What if Cars Could Drive Themselves?] (from U. Washington's Innovative Transportation Technologies website)
* [http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid386.php Hypercar Concept - Rocky Mountain Institute]
* [http://www.ruf.dk] RUF (Rapid Urban Flexible) dualmode transport system
* [http://discussit.org/transportation Roadmap of Key Developments] in transportation
* [http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=821 Article on platooning and e-guideways from Francis Reynolds, grandfather of dualmode.]
* [http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1840757 Fuel-Cell Hype vs. Economic Reality, National Public Radio interview with Matt Wald]
* [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.04/hydrogen_pr.html Wired Magazine, How Hydrogen Can Save America] *
* [http://books.nap.edu/books/0309091632/html/index.html The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R&D Needs (2004) National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES)]
* [http://www.atsltd.co.uk/ Urban Light Transport website]
* [http://www.naftc.wvu.edu Alternative Fuel Vehicle Training] From the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium.
* [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=00065437-FFF8-14E5-BFF883414B7F0000 New Scientific American article]
* [http://www.fev-now.com Fuel Efficient Vehicles Now] An activist site with much information on what can be done now to do to improve things even more.
* [http://www.greasecar.com/ Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems]