What is the Future of Luxury Automobiles?

I think the most important or relevant ideas in transportation engineering come when we talk about the future of cars. It is something we all use everyday and the future most likely will not eliminate cars but innovate how we drive them (or if they drive us). Google is trying to create a driver-less car but in all honesty, I think people enjoy driving, and enjoy seeing innovative ideas that they can control behind the wheel. That is why engineers at luxury car companies need to think about what the word “luxury” will mean in the year 2030! Is it just about aesthetics, comfort, safety, or a combination of factors.  To get a better feel for the future of automobiles lets take a look at a few innovative ideas coming from the brands we all know:

BMW has a prototype vehicle which with a technology known as GINA (geometry and functions in “N” Adaptions. This technology in a nutshell is a synthetic fabric which covers a light weight aluminum frame that can change the shape of the car (not unlike Transformers). For example: you want a spoiler, you push a button, and a spoiler seems to appear out of nowhere. Convertible, no problem, another button. Obviously limited to the features that can appear it is still pretty interesting. Pretty cool huh?

Eliica is a prototype out of Japan which is an 8-wheeled electric car. The reason for the eight wheels? Each wheel has its own 100-horsepower electric motor which makes it capable of reaching high speeds and quick acceleration along with good handling.

Senzai is another model which includes features inspired by nature. The “zen garden” feel to the interior is what makes this car so unique. A waterfall coming from the dashboard (enclosed in plastic) falls between the driver and passenger, continuing down and falling at the feet of the backseat passengers. Sand inspired feel at the tips of your feet are another feature which make driving feel more like a vacation than a task.

 

Fun Theory, Driving Speed Limit Rewarded!

The video we watched in class about the people deciding to take the stairs instead of the escalator by making it fun to do (piano stairs) made me wonder what other applications fun theory might have. “The Speed Camera Lottery” created by Kevin Richardson won the Fun Theory Award given out by Volkswagen. His idea is fairly simple. It works just like the speed detectors that let you know your speed as you drive by. This however, would take a picture of your license plate whether you were speeding or not. People who were speeding would be sent a ticket in the mail. The money paid by the violators would then be distributed by a lottery among the people who obeyed the law. You would essentially be entered into a lottery at no cost if you drive safely. This was shown to give a 22% reduction in speed by the average driver. If you typically drive the speed limit, it makes it feel like you are being rewarded. If you are an aggressive driver, maybe the money will motivate you to slow down, or maybe you don’t like the fact your speeding ticket fine will go to your fellow drivers who obey the law. Whatever the answer is… it is undeniable that it has an affect on the group as a whole.

Check out this video to learn more about this and other Fun Theory ideas!

Source: http://www.thefuntheory.com/speed-camera-lottery-0

Hyperloop, Possible or not?

For some reason every time I go to make a post, the first thing I want to look up, is something to do with the future of transportation? Possibly because it has its base in science fiction but tries to bridge the gap from impossible to practical. The Hyperloop is in the concept phase only but the interesting thing about it is that it proposes that travel on the ground could be faster than traveling by airplane. The concept high speed transportation idea thought of by inventor Elon Musk (Paypal, SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity) could potentially reach speeds of up to 800 mph! Here is the design Idea:

The theory behind it works similar to the way a puck glides across an air-hockey table. The capsule glides across the surface using skis that are propelled using air pressure. The Hyperloop is designed for long distance travel, not a trip to the grocery store, and could revolutionize the way we travel across the state or country.

The batteries are charged using solar panels which in turn power the turbines for each individual capsule. The energy necessary is minimized by eliminating a great deal of the friction using the air to raise the capsule off of the track as well as keeping the capsules relatively light and aerodynamic by arranging the passengers in a single row.

Could this be possible in the future? What do you think? And if so, in how many years?

Sources:

http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/8-mass-transportation-ideas-that-make-the-hyperloop-look-boring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop

How They “Ride Share” in Yokohama, Japan!

Come on, wouldn’t you drive this bad ass little car around Japan?!? The Nissan New Mobility Concept EV is powered by Li-ion batteries and go up to 50 mph! The cool thing about it is you don’t have to buy it! You can just go pick one up off the street, drive it for a while, and bring it back, and its cheap! This is the new ride sharing vehicle in Japan which allows anyone who needs to use it, to simply pay a little, and take it. For the more frequent customer, you actually get a discount if you sign up for the monthly billing, and so far over 10,000 customers have opted to use this option. Not only is this for the citizens of Japan but this system is also used to promote tourism. I have to say it’s working on me! I want to go there just to get my hands on this little high tech go cart!

Oh also, I was on the pro side of the “Ride Share” debate in lab. I can’t believe we forgot to mention the most important fact about the program. It’s not government funded! So no tax dollors go into this form of transportation. It is simply a convenience, so voting against it makes no sense, if you don’t want to use it, don’t, if you do, do!

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/09/20140920-nissan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greencarcongress%2FTrBK+%28Green+Car+Congress%29

Why Protest Ride Sharing?

If you haven’t heard of “Uber” it is a controversial new app which allows you to request almost any type of car to come and pick you up for a ride. The cool thing is you can do this by simply picking up your phone going to your Uber app and paying for it all with a few simple clicks. Another benefit to Uber is that you are able to split the cost with anyone you are with. They tell you how long you must wait for the driver to arrive, you wait a short amount of time, they pick you up, drop you off, and then you are able to give the experience a rating from your phone. Each driver has their own rating which you see before they come pick you up.

Now why is this a bad thing for some people? Well, taxi drivers in Germany have been protesting the new app and want it to be banned in the country. Who could blame them? I have never used Uber so it is difficult to say what the experience is like, but from what I have read, it seems like a more pleasant experience than taking a taxi.

Here are my reasons why I would choose Uber over a taxi company:

1. You never know who is coming to pick you up from a taxi company
2. taxis are typically smelly
3. If you are trying to impress someone it looks much better if you show up in a BMW or Mercedes
4. The prices are nearly the same
5. You are given a time of arrival using Uber
6. Your opinion matters and they treat you this way because they know they will get feedback
7. convenience of pushing a few buttons on your phone as opposed to calling a cab company

The question then becomes… should the German taxi drivers be able to convince legislators that this app should be illegal? Now, this isn’t The United States but I believe in free enterprise and if a better technology comes along we should embrace it not ban it. What are your thoughts?

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-16/germany-lifts-its-uber-ban-for-now

What New Transportation Questions Arise When Dealing With Flying Cars?

Ever since seeing The Jetson’s when I was young, I wondered if it would be possible some day, to have a flying car. Now, two very different problems arise when dealing with this new idea. First, the technology which is still far from being perfected, has a long way to go. Let’s imagine for a moment that we have reached the point were taking off vertically and flying our cars around is not only possible, but has been mastered. What are potential transportation problems that arise from this new form of transportation? Safety is the first thing that comes to mind. How do we avoid crashing into one another if there are no lanes? This made me think of the Google driverless car…

Perhaps, to help solve the problem we could use Google’s technology (remember we are in the future so it is likely Google has also mastered this technology) to help solve the safety issue. Without human drivers we may be able to minimize the risk of millions of pilot/driver related errors.