Future car technology

With the rising cost of gasoline, everyone is looking for way to cut back on spending money where they can. Hybrid cars and electric cars are selling faster than ever. Other inventions like "smart cars" are starting to hit the market and beginning to sell.

Future car technology holds many things in store such as increased energy efficiency, regenerative braking, fuel cells, and low-drag. Several auto manufacturers are finding ways to utilize the heat generated by the conventional internal combustion engine and use it to generate mechanical energy, creating a 15% increase in fuel efficiency.

Combustion fuel dynamics are being tested and are showing that they can produce vehicles which take less energy to push through the air. Hybrid and electric cars are quite popular for their ability to be plugged into an electric grid and survive on the power of a battery. Several car manufacturers are redesigning their gasoline powered cars to be electric or hybrid-electric.

Hydrogen cars are currently being worked on and, if successful, they could easily be the car of the future. Hydrogen cars can be produced to use sustainable energy resources and water. This hydrogen could be burned in an engine and converted back into electricity by a fuel cell. Essentially it would work like an electric vehicle, being powered on energy.

Other companies are looking at other fuel cells like alcohol fuel, compresses air, garbage, hemp and vegetable oil. Another option for the future is to have electric highways and arterials. There are several cities who have installed electric transportation systems and they are quite successful. The biggest factor for the success of electric transportation highways lies in the individual driver. Cars allow us to get from here to there on our time. Electronic transportation systems run on schedules that may not be convenient to the user.

Elderly people are attracted to the new "smart cars". Smart cars include night-vision imaging system and computers that inform the user of an alternative route if there is a traffic jam. The new technology is making vehicles easier to operate, which may be quite beneficial with the distractions many drivers face. Cell phone usage in cars is one of the leading problems for auto accidents at the current time. Finding ways to combat this problem has been the topic of debate for many years, so far, no one has been able to come up with a solution for the distractions drivers face in the cars.

In-vehicle operating systems are opening the doors to promoting safer driving by including a wireless service that will inform the driver of potential hazards on the road. A collision-avoidance system would be a wonderful advancement in the future of cars. Most cars will inform you if they need an oil change, if the tire pressure is low, or if you are too close to the car in front of you. Future car technologies include ways to combine safety, communication, entertainment, navigation, and fuel efficiency.

General Motors believes software is the future of cars. Onstar and other programs are showing how this shift is being made. The advancement of Onstar technologies have made it possible to obtain service work on a vehicle before it is too late. The Defense Department is working on robotic cars that rely on GPS, laser sensors and video imaging. This new area in car development would not need human intervention or a remote control to operate.

The main goal of future car technology is to make gasoline a thing of the past. Auto manufacturers are working hard to eliminate air pollution and offer planet friendly cars. No matter what the future of car technology holds, it is bound to be exciting!