What's the future of transportation?

[Robbie91]

Everyone who is on here and read's these posts has a certain love for cars, which we can all agree are amazing machines, but the future of the internal combustion engine is predictably fading out.
With the BMW i3 coming out soon to join the line of select electric cars, the market is slowly growing, but I'm still not sure that it's the future.

What do you PHers think?

[Clivey]

Long term? If we're still allowed to possess powered vehicles it'll be a generic transportation box. Electric power, self driving, absolutely no fun.



What you will be able to do is watch Big Brother using your smartphone and the vehicle's built-in wifi…whilst the real Big Brother watches you and charges you per mile.

Enjoy.

[TLandCruiser]

Internal combustion engines will be around for many years to come,

[Robbie91]

Clivey your post couldn't help but make me laugh, it's ridiculous how much we're controlled by machines these days, and I hope that the internal combustion engine is still around in 100 years time, because the sounds of some of the machines are just pure music to me (Lexus LFA), but I think I'd rather see a form of flight rather than the big brother box.

[deltashad]

I think it'll look something like this, with an Audi badge.

[Robbie91]

Haha, maybe! But here's one thing I would actually like to see....

[Robbie91]

With the hyperloop technology they're thinking of building a connection between San Francisco and LA, which would take 45 minutes.

[XJ Flyer]

It's more a question of wether anyone would want to just allow the removal of the 'freedom of choice' to continue buying and using cars as we know them or not.If the control freaks are allowed to get away with it then being told when,where and how we can go anywhere will be just one aspect of such an existence.In which case I'm glad that I'm in the later part of my life than the earlier part.

[Clivey]

Robbie91 said:

Clivey your post couldn't help but make me laugh, it's ridiculous how much we're controlled by machines these days, and I hope that the internal combustion engine is still around in 100 years time, because the sounds of some of the machines are just pure music to me (Lexus LFA), but I think I'd rather see a form of flight rather than the big brother box.

I'm only 25 and genuinely fear all of the enjoyment gradually being sucked-out of life by a nannying, ultra-PC state and risk-averse culture.

[anonymous-user]

The fundamental shift i believe will be a move away from a mass "commute" every morning and early evening. Many many more people will work remotely from home instead of driving miles to just sit at a computer. The system we currently have is a left over relic of the industrial age, where thousands of people worked, doing manual labour in big factories. As such, everyone being in one place and working at the same time was a necessity. Now? Less so. I already suspect that probably something like 20% of people could work a lot from home (even if not full time). The advantage would be a massive easing of traffic congestion during peak times, something that no system of transport can do otherwise.

[Robbie91]

Max_Torque said:

The fundamental shift i believe will be a move away from a mass "commute" every morning and early evening. Many many more people will work remotely from home instead of driving miles to just sit at a computer. The system we currently have is a left over relic of the industrial age, where thousands of people worked, doing manual labour in big factories. As such, everyone being in one place and working at the same time was a necessity. Now? Less so. I already suspect that probably something like 20% of people could work a lot from home (even if not full time). The advantage would be a massive easing of traffic congestion during peak times, something that no system of transport can do otherwise.

You make a very fair point, as the internet makes the world much easier to communicate with and so many people could easily work from home no problem!! Whether or not they would actually work only time would tell, but nothing beats face to face contact with others and no advance in technology can change that. Therefore with the freedom of choice in going where one wants to go at any time there is always going to be a demand for the car or some other means of transport that means that fulfills the need.

P.s. Anyone know how to fly yet?

[Clivey]

Max_Torque said:

The fundamental shift i believe will be a move away from a mass "commute" every morning and early evening. Many many more people will work remotely from home instead of driving miles to just sit at a computer. The system we currently have is a left over relic of the industrial age, where thousands of people worked, doing manual labour in big factories. As such, everyone being in one place and working at the same time was a necessity. Now? Less so. I already suspect that probably something like 20% of people could work a lot from home (even if not full time). The advantage would be a massive easing of traffic congestion during peak times, something that no system of transport can do otherwise.

I think a greater percentage will probably work from home but population growth will probably ensure that there are still the same or more people commuting regardless. I think though that long term, governments will seek to force us out of our cars (personal transport) and onto public transport, which they'll control and take a cut from. I foresee towns and cities "no car zones" and that anyone commuting in a car will be forced to "park and ride".

[grumbledoak]

The government are addicted to revenue from commuters, pretty much alternately from private transport or 'public' transport. So neither colour ties are going to do anything to reduce or remove commuting.

Sadly, I also expect the long, slow, creeping removal of individual choice and freedom to continue behind the scenes. We could not survive without the car at present and I doubt they can suddenly make the bus an attractive option, so I think automated 'individual' transport solutions will replace both mass and individual transport where it can. Then the screw can be turned a little.

[XJ Flyer]

grumbledoak said:

Sadly, I also expect the long, slow, creeping removal of individual choice and freedom to continue behind the scenes. We could not survive without the car at present and I doubt they can suddenly make the bus an attractive option, so I think automated 'individual' transport solutions will replace both mass and individual transport where it can. Then the screw can be turned a little.

The question is why are so many people so resigned to allowing the control freaks to get away with that idea instead of resisting it.

[Clivey]

XJ Flyer said:

The question is why are so many people so resigned to allowing the control freaks to get away with that idea instead of resisting it.

Because it would be a full time job to stop them and we can't spare the time. If I was paid my salary to fight for our freedoms, I would do!

[Robbie91]

Automated transport or not, we car lovers will still find a way to keep the best machines alive. Take the cars from the 60's for example, they've seen extorsionate rises in value and when that will decline I certainly couldn't tell, but there's something about a pure driving machine that has passion beyond explaination and that can never be replaced.

[Clivey]

Robbie91 said:

Automated transport or not, we car lovers will still find a way to keep the best machines alive. Take the cars from the 60's for example, they've seen extorsionate rises in value and when that will decline I certainly couldn't tell, but there's something about a pure driving machine that has passion beyond explaination and that can never be replaced.

I completely agree but am not optimistic as to the future of performance cars. - The fruitcakes over in Amsterdam were even talking about banning classics a few years ago. Sadly, as with other crackpot "green" ideas, I think if they do it, our authorities lack the intelligence to avoid following down the rabbit hole.

[deltashad]

I wouId hate this idea as I'm a bit of a caveman. I would be more suited to living in the hidden underground world where people don't wear white clothes and look perfect. A world where people use foul language and drink alcohol, there are strip bars and I sleep in a bed not a chamber which opens and closes at set times.

But, I reckon if I was to unplug myself from reality and redesign the whole network for full optimisation I would separate freight from people. The rail system would be utilised more for this with high tech docking stations for containers to quickly change from rail to lorries or vans. The roads would be heavily taxed.

There would be a separate high tech monorail system interlinking towns villages and cities. When you reach the destination or as close as possible you are presented with an ev. This is preprogrammed to go to the destination you require. You have to prebook every journey and have it approved by a governing authority.

Every other journey is done by electric buses.

If you want driving pleasure you can hook yourself into your home entertainment system. If not rich enough you can go to the mall where there are places you can plug yourself into.

[Robbie91]

It does always feel like the brits follow the rest of the world and don't decide which direction to go in as a nation instead.

[matsoc]

Transportation changes are slow. My grandfather in 1955 was of the age I am now, he drove to work listening to the radio as I do today. He also used mass transport more or less in the same way I do. Ok, flying was a lot more expensive but now I don't use it instead of other ways of transport, I mostly use it for trips that wouldn't be possible otherwise due to too much time required.