What will future cars run on

Meeting that goal requires further improvements in the efficiency of its U. Abandoning development of EVs would be competitive suicide for the US auto industry when European and Asian nations are embracing them as a major tool in their pushes for cleaner air and less dependence on petroleum. In addition, renewable power generation is outpacing new petroleum-fueled generating capacity globally, and the battery industry is on the verge of major price reductions that will help make EV prices competitive with other cars.

Additionally, a dozen states, led by California, have air quality standards on the books that require use of low- and zero-carbon fuels and sales of plug-in vehicles. Indeed, passenger cars and light-duty trucks account for almost 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation segment of the U.

An electric car is almost 50 percent cleaner than a conventionally fueled vehicle even when taking into account the emissions created during fuel production. And maybe there will be some sort of morphing shape. MIT has looked into some very promising vehicle concepts that allow for small footprint in the city and a more safety and dynamic configuration for the open road.

The car of might be relatively easy to recognise, which might not be true for the phone or computer. But the personal automobile as we know it will have much competition: from remote-controlled, on-demand pod and personalised public transportation.

And in our livable cities , good old-fashioned walking and cycling, too. If you would like to comment on this article or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. In cars the cars we drive are likely to run without fossil fuels, and may not even require us to take the controls. Miniature city cars already do without internal combustion engines; but can electric cars become a viable alternative for travel on the highways and byways?

Getty Images. The computing giant has lept from desktops to the road, with a driverless car able to navigate around city streets. Two US states have approved the design. The Induct concept is a driverless electric shuttle which can ferry people along set routes — a concept which may find favour in places such as airports.

The Satre project, which includes Swedish carmaker Volvo, allows a fleet of cars to be controlled by a lead vehicle, which all following at a safe distance. Cars are unlikely to change shape too much — because they still need to carry people. Bruno Delussu. Could hydrogen power tomorrow's cars? Technology Build Tomorrow. Share using Email.

By Sven Beiker 8th November What will the cars of look like? What will power them? Will they even have a steering wheel? Hands-free driving The automobile in will be self-driving. Digital frontier Personal mobility will become more of a service, one that companies such as Google have recognised. Morphing motors People value flexibility; just as they have come to expect it from their smartphones and laptops, so will they want it from their car?

So by , will cars be completely self-driving or will the driver still have a choice? It should do what you expect it to do. Advertisement Back to top What will car interiors look like? BMW has already previewed its own future cabin, which includes a large screen running almost the full width of the cabin. The next step is to allow drivers to personalise the cabin, choosing themes for the dashboard and even downloading different dial styles for the instrument cluster.

Early versions of this personalisation are already available, with Mercedes-Benz pre-loading the new E-Class with three themes that change the look and content of the instrument cluster and infotainment system.

In the more immediate future, expect far more cars to come with digitised instrument panels. As Audi has shown, the technology can be quickly adopted into new vehicles and in time will become cheaper to fit than standard analogue dials. Bosch is taking the system to the next level. The system can recognise the amount of pressure applied to the surface, resulting in different functions. A light touch might open a help menu, for example, whereas a more firm touch would activate the e-call system.

Even pressing a touchscreen could become old-fashioned. The next step in infotainment systems will be gesture control. Your movements will be tracked by internal cameras, so the car knows who is asking for the volume or temperature to be turned up, and where. Beyond that, the technology also allows cars to recognise when drivers are approaching and open the door automatically for them.

Advertisement Back to top One is the ability to build cars with individual specifications much more quickly and efficiently, because at the moment a car specified by a private buyer can take up to 12 weeks from the showroom order to final delivery.

The other thing that manufacturers are chasing is the ability to efficiently reduce capacity during a sales downturn. As you might expect from the company that led the world in lean manufacturing in the s and s, Toyota has gone right back to basics.

The result is a new way of building factories and installing line-side equipment. Firstly, Toyota no longer uses overhead production lines. This allows the new factory building to be simpler and less expensive to build, light and heat. Secondly, the production line is built like a model railway track, sitting directly on the factory floor and being clipped together in sections.

This allows a line to be shortened or extended in a matter of hours. The upshot is that if Toyota decides to add a new feature to a vehicle, the production line can be extended and a new work station added in a matter of hours. For example, Toyota engineers have designed a radically down-sized plastic slush moulding machine, so if a customer orders the more expensive dashboard finish, it can be created line-side in seconds.

Only the body welding remains highly automated in the new-age Toyota factory. Advertisement Back to top In tough times, Toyota can shorten or even mothball this new production line and the line-side equipment, potentially completely clearing a whole production hall, which can then be shut down.

However, there is one other future scenario for car production. If vehicles powered primarily by electric motors become the norm, car makers could be reduced to operations that just produce bespoke upper bodies and interiors. Such a future would necessarily simplify conventional car factories as the running gear becomes generic and the car makers put more effort into vehicle design and anything that makes a brand more distinctive.

Even engines and gearboxes could be partially made from plastic in , giving substantial weight savings. Advertisement Back to top Transmission specialist Drive Systems Design is working on transmission casings, gears and synchronisers made from polymers. Plastic components not only weigh less but also absorb vibration and noise. And this can start locally. One benefit of hydrogen is that it can be produced on site rather than being transported like fuel, or supplied through the grid like electricity.

And so we find ourselves in the Lydia Park grounds in Swindon to understand how councils can start their own hydrogen economy. The station is able to produce hydrogen on a commercial scale using solar power, without relying on the UK energy grid. This is thanks to leasing firms such as Arval, which has taken the leap into hydrogen and incorporated the cars into its fleet.

Vehicles are now being leased to organisations such as the Science Museum Group and the National Trust, while Swindon Council has installed a second hydrogen station and may have more on the way, because Arval plans to have hydrogen cars in the town by But a localised approach will never achieve a nationwide uptake.

Government investment also has a role to play. This can produce around 18, tonnes of hydrogen — enough to power 90, vehicles for 12, miles.

But even with hydrogen infrastructure in place, be it local or nationwide, hydrogen vehicles still face the issue of costs. That is a lot to pay for any car, but there are two ways to solve the question of price.

So the adoption of the fuel cell is simply replacing the petrol drivetrain. Toyota is aiming at building 30, hydrogen fuel cell cars by