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Cars Of The Future & Predictions From The Past

22 July 2013

The automobile has come a long way since the first gas fuelled vehicle was invented by Karl Benz in 1886. After this three-wheeled creation hit the roads, the car went from strength to strength. Improvements have been particularly notable in the last decade where revolutionary technology has been introduced to enhance the driving experience.

Over the years, many people have made outrageous predictions about the development of the car but some weren't so far off...

In the RAC’s 1989 motoring survey, 7% of drivers thought that cars would be able to drive themselves by 2001, which we’re making progress on. However 16% were optimistic that speed limits would be at 100mph!

The 2013 survey results weren't so unbelievable - 44% of people asked believe that all roads would have an average speed limit by 2038, while 58% of people said that they think every motorway will have a toll charge within the next 25 years. Although this article shows the UK’s first pay-as-you-go motorway (the M6) hasn't been too successful.

So what’s next for the future of the automobile?

With new super-fast chargers that can charge a car’s battery fully in as little as 30 minutes, it is believed that electric cars will soon outperform petrol vehicles in every area. However, it’s predicted that just 7.1% of the world’s car drivers will own an electric car by the year 2030. 

Built-in navigational systems can be found in many cars today and this is set to become the norm. As well as this, solar panels will soon be present on the roofs of many cars in order to charge the battery - perhaps not so useful for UK drivers though.

Self-parking cars are already on our roads, but without doubt the most exciting development in automobile history will be the self-driving car. These cars - fitted with robotic controls and sensors - will be able to steer, change gear and brake when faced with a hazard and are sure to revolutionise the world of transport.

Some of the Marshall Leasing team also have a few predictions of their own…

Richard Baird predicts that your journey on the motorway will need to be booked in advance - getting your allocated slot by booking on the internet. Further to this he believes that once you've got your slot on the M25, your car will be programmed to drive itself for the duration of journey.

Jonathan Ross agrees that smart technology will take over from the traditional car, and hydrogen pods (whether single or shared) will be introduced.

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