New Car Tech That'll Make You Feel Like We're Living in the Future
The Latest Innovations In Car Technology
With trailblazing companies like Toyota and Tesla pushing the boundaries of what's possible, nothing makes you feel like you're living in the future quite like the automotive industry. From new ways of fueling engines to integrated gadgets, here are the most incredible car innovations coming onto the market.
1. Autonomous Driving
The futuristic albeit controversial technology everyone has been waiting for is finally (almost) here. Self-driving cars are slowly becoming a reality.
2. Head-Up Displays
Head-up displays are digital displays projected right onto the windshield. They tell you everything from directions to speed limits to car performance.
3. In-Car Virtual Assistants
In-car virtual assistants allow you to control things in your car with your voice. You can use them to change the temperature, read your texts, and control the music.
4. Smart Summon
Tesla has once again pushed the boundaries of car tech with their Smart Summon feature. It allows the driver to summon the vehicle to them. The car uses sensors and cameras to maneuver itself out of the parking space.
Tesla Fans Schweiz on Unsplash
5. Digital Display Cockpit
The digital display cockpit replaces all gauges with screens. The touch screen allows you to interact with the information and change the display.
6. Connected Infotainment
Modern connected infotainment systems allow you to connect your car to the internet for navigation, music, and other services. Now, your vehicle can order a pizza, connect to streaming services, and pay for tolls and parking automatically for you.
Tabascogiuseppe1960 on Wikimedia
7. Autonomous Valet Parking
Through the use of cameras and QR codes throughout a parking lot, one company has enabled autonomous valet parking. You don't need a car with fancy tech to use it either: it works with even the most basic new cars.
8. Facial Recognition
Facial recognition is a mainstay of smartphones, and it's coming to cars too. The software will read the driver's face to unlock the car and start the ignition. It also uses an infrared scanner that detects blood flow so no one can steal your car using a realistic mannequin.
9. Fatigue Monitoring
Another use for the new facial recognition integration is fatigue monitoring. The software will use biometrics and detect your gaze to determine whether you're fit to drive.
10. Sustainable Tires
Continental has introduced a tire made almost entirely from trash, using waste from the paper and wood industries. What's more, it's an incredibly high-performing tire, with the highest scores for braking, roll resistance, and noise.
11. Hydrogen-Powered Engine
Hydrogen cars are about to give EVs a run for their money. They're much faster to refuel, have a better range, and produce zero emissions. Currently, there are only three hydrogen cars on the market, but it's estimated that by 2030, this number will be much greater.
12. Cosmic Dust Headlights
Alpine released a hydrogen-powered supercar with a cool design feature:
cosmic dust headlights. They're essentially working headlights made up of many small, coordinated lights, placed to look like a starry explosion.
13. Water-Powered Engine
If you thought EVs and hydrogen-powered cars were impressive, one company has created an engine that runs on the most abundant substance on earth: water. It works by separating the hydrogen from the oxygen and converting it into energy.
14. Biometric Vehicle Access
Now you can use voice recognition, fingerprint, and retinol scan to access your car through integration with your smartphone. Using your phone, you'll also be able to do more complex functions like authorizing someone else to drive your car or putting a cap on the speed limit for a certain driver.
15. eCall
eCall is a system integrated into the vehicle that can sense when a collision occurs. It can automatically call emergency services in the event of a serious accident, saving countless lives.
Dominika Kwiatkowska on Pexels
16. Laser Headlights
Available only on the BMW i8, laser headlights are 1,000 times brighter than LED. To ensure no one is blinded in urban driving settings, the headlights only activate above a certain speed.
Popescu Andrei Cristian on Wikimedia
17. Traffic Light Assist
The Traffic Light Assist system connects to traffic light network servers to predict when a traffic light is going to change so the driver can adjust their speed accordingly.
In addition to reducing accidents, the technology is integrated into the start/stop system, allowing for a significant amount of energy to be saved.
18. Augmented Reality Dashboards
Augmented reality dashboard will display information about the car's surroundings such as the distance to a pedestrian or cyclist. It will improve driver awareness and prevent accidents.
19. Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) connects to a system similar to wifi to broadcast information about their car's speed, location, and direction while gathering this information from other cars on the road. No more tailgating or drifting into blindspots: the system will alert the driver to dangers and help them avoid accidents.
20. Subscription-Based Ownership
Owning a car is so last decade. Companies like Lynk & Co. offer subscription-based ownership models of high-end EVs, delivered to you whenever you need a car.
