Future Car Developments
Author
Discussion

tyranical

Original Poster:

927 posts

206 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
quotequote all
I'm sure we'll get some stupid answers to this but equally I'm hoping we might get some interesting thoughts and discussion.

Where do you think car development will have gone to by 2050?

What engines or fuel? Running Gear? Fancy electronic systems and other developments do you think we are likely to see in the next 50 years or so?

Try and keep it realistic, no bat mobiles, jet propelled cars or back to the future cars please.



Edited by tyranical on Wednesday 29th December 14:16

sleep envy

62,260 posts

265 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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personally I'd just be happy with more fuel efficiency and greater material engineering to make cars lighter

lunchbox

623 posts

213 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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I'd like to see electric cars work, but realistically I reckon most cars by then will be super efficient turbo diesels doing >300mpg. Maybe with the body made out of some new polymer plastic much lighter than steel to get the weight down.

lunchbox

623 posts

213 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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sleep envy said:
personally I'd just be happy with more fuel efficiency and greater material engineering to make cars lighter
great minds think alike biggrin

Efbe

9,251 posts

182 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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sleep envy said:
personally I'd just be happy with more fuel efficiency and greater material engineering to make cars lighter
highly doubt the fuelling will be anything like it is now.

though I don't actually think there will be that many changes. regulations will no doubt become much much more stringent on cars, given the recent development of electric/hydrogen/solar etc cars, one of these will be pushed by the gvmt and made to be soo much cheaper than the old school alternatives.

i'd actually expect to see in the next 10 years a trend towards much smaller cars. next 40 years though, things will change so much when we look back i doubt there will be much point in guessing it.

the world will have changed a lot by then, most likely a civilisation will have fallen, be it the chinese, yanks or another; other problems will have arisen, maybe the focus will move away from fossil fuels are more and more deposits are found, and towards air quality, water, cetrain material production (quite likely they will find something is toxic, lets hope its not plastics!)

farrendahl

1,248 posts

190 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
quotequote all
tyranical said:
Try and keep it realistic, no bat mobiles, jet propelled cars or back to the future cars please.
Is the idea of Jet propulsion really that far fetched?

However to the subject at hand, more use of light weight composits to aid in fuel effeciancy etc etc

ZOLLAR

19,914 posts

189 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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I think we'll see more of the "personal transport vehicles" like the one Top gear showed a few years ago, it only sits one but is used for getting around cities something like this>>



then we'll keep our bigger cars for longer journey's.
Public transport may have improved greatly by 2050 (but i doubt it hehe).

10JH

2,070 posts

210 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
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Would be very surprised if they didn't have some form of self-driving car. The technology is on it's way to working already, though it'll take a lot of testing before any adoption.

ZOLLAR

19,914 posts

189 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
quotequote all
10JH said:
Would be very surprised if they didn't have some form of self-driving car. The technology is on it's way to working already, though it'll take a lot of testing before any adoption.
Thats a good point too, i reckon we'll see that way before 2050.

tyranical

Original Poster:

927 posts

206 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
quotequote all
farrendahl said:
tyranical said:
Try and keep it realistic, no bat mobiles, jet propelled cars or back to the future cars please.
Is the idea of Jet propulsion really that far fetched?

However to the subject at hand, more use of light weight composits to aid in fuel effeciancy etc etc
Jet propulsion in a day to day car affordable to the general population?

Jet propulsion isn't suitable for small power imo, its designed for high power hence land speed record cars/planes etc all of which need alot of power and your never going to see cars capable of doing land speed record times as normal cars on our road.

lunchbox

623 posts

213 months

ZOLLAR

19,914 posts

189 months

Wednesday 29th December 2010
quotequote all
tyranical said:
farrendahl said:
tyranical said:
Try and keep it realistic, no bat mobiles, jet propelled cars or back to the future cars please.
Is the idea of Jet propulsion really that far fetched?

However to the subject at hand, more use of light weight composits to aid in fuel effeciancy etc etc
Jet propulsion in a day to day car affordable to the general population?

Jet propulsion isn't suitable for small power imo, its designed for high power hence land speed record cars/planes etc all of which need alot of power and your never going to see cars capable of doing land speed record times as normal cars on our road.
I'm sure back in the 50's or 60's a jet propelled car was produced in america?, or was that a turbine engine? scratchchin can't remember!.
I know the americans also had ideas to have nuclear powered cars yikes.

Edited by ZOLLAR on Wednesday 29th December 14:55