Cars are drivers of technological progress, with companies competing to make them more safe, entertaining and comfortable.From televisions to fridges, cars have everything to make a journey more enjoyable. 2017 has been a particularly exciting year for cars. We now sit on the cusp of fully electric vehicles, driverless trucksand even flying taxis. Here are the biggest (and most realistic) technological advancements we can expect to see by 2020.
Autonomous Driving
Although the first driverless car was tested on public roads way back in 2010, it is only in the last couple of years that we have seen real progress. Now thebiggest names in motoringincluding General Motors, Ford and BMW are all working independently on their self-driving projects.
Google’s Waymo driverless cars have driven over 2 million miles unaided. Furthermore, by building all the technology themselves, Google have managed to slash costs, making the chance of mass production likely within the next few years. Furthermore, successful investors, including Bill Busbice Jr- developer of HwyPro trucking app – welcome the innovation motivated by competition between big companies.
Window Displays
Head up displays have been improving year on year, making checking speed and miles more intuitive. However, there is now a real possibility for fully active, live touch screens integrated into the windscreen. Imagine your satnav appearing on the window in front of you, highlighting a turn as you approach it.
GM had similar ideas to integrate apps into the windows of back seats, to allow children to watch videos or play games. While this hasn’t materialized, it seems there is a good chance for the technology to have more practical uses in the front before 2020.
Vehicle Tracking
New technology is able to fully track vehicles, by building reports on mileage, speed and even harshness of braking or acceleration. With this technology available, insurance companies are looking to take advantage, by offering discounts to drivers who are willing to be comprehensively tracked.
While this all began in 2016 with Allstate and State Farm offering the opportunity to volunteers, by 2020 this is likely to become a necessary requirement. Governments are backing the scheme as a way to decreasedeaths on the roads, while parents are calling for the option to track the driving habits of their teen drivers.
For better or worse, driving technology is changing. Most of these advancements are in the interests of making driving safer and easier, even if that means removing the driver altogether. Head up displays and tracking will make driving safely more easy, thereby bringing down costs. Autonomous vehicles will make it even safer, using robots to minimize the possibility of a crash caused by human error.