The decline in the levels of fossil fuel sources and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions caused due to transport are the main reasons driving the thought of eco-friendly cars. Whenever eco-friendly cars are imagined, vehicles fueled by electricity are first to hit the mind. These vehicles don’t pollute the streets and, as an added advantage, they’re noise-free as well. However, these machines lack two basic features required by most drivers – speed and driving range. To answer the operating range issue, many industrial designers are foreseeing a future where cars will be able to generate renewable energy on the move to better their performance as well as green credentials.
Demands of the city of the future:
A city of the future could be quite different from the urban setting of today. With not much land to spare, future cities are expected to be more congested than today. Such a city will need better infrastructure and greener vehicles to allow residents maintain their fast-paced lifestyle. Some problems an urban city resident might confront in the future are:
• Congestion:
Since more land will be utilized for building residential and commercial skyscrapers, highways are expected to be clogged with cars.
• Pollution:
The demand for energy is already on a rise and by the year 2050 the levels of pollution on the streets might become unbearable.
• Fossil Fuel:
World’s oil reserves are expected to run out much before they’re expected to. While coal might last a little longer, fuel fit for cars and other vehicles will have to be sourced from cleaner andrenewable sources.
• Parking:
In the city of the future, finding a place to park your luxury sedan might be unavailable. Such cities will need compact cars or two-wheelers that need a small parking space.
A Peep into the future:
We all believe that the future will be dominated by electric cars that either run on lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. While hydrogen delivers better range and speed, electric cars are less expensive and when fueled with renewable energy, they’re 100 percent green as well. Some alternatives to conventional transport in the future include:
• Solar Powered Vehicles:
Harnessing solar energy to power cars makes sure that the electricity grid of the future isn’t burdened. Industrial designers have been helping automakers with some stunning concept vehicles that harness solar energy on the move, an approach which also betters the performance of the vehicle. Click on the image below to check out some concept cars powered by renewable solar energy.
• Shape Shifting Cars:
Replacing internal combustion engines with silent electric motors allows designers to come up with concept vehicles that can change their shape according to conditions. If stuck in a traffic jam, these vehicles can reduce their size for better maneuverability and if speed and performance are desired, they can alter their shape accordingly. Click on the image below for some transforming concept cars:
• Hydrogen Powered Cars:
While electric cars are mostly slow and take hours to recharge, hydrogen can definitely prove to be a better fuel. Hydrogen is also the most abundant element in the universe, which makes it an ideal alternative to polluting fossil fuels. Click on the image below to check out some futuristic vehicles that are powered by hydrogen.
• Zero-emission Motorcycles:
Statistics point out that a majority of the journeys done in cars have only a single passenger, which makes cars inefficient for transport in the future. The highways of the future might have more electric motorcycles than electric cars. Check out some concept motorcycles that are powered by clean electricity:
Will present day electric cars lead us to future?
Present day electric cars need electricity from the grid to recharge their onboard batteries. In the future when generating electricity from polluting fossil fuels won’t be practical, present dayelectric cars do need some changes. Moreover, present day electric cars need to be fast and also have a decent operating range, which makes them viable for a future city. Research is ongoing and while some scientists are developing better batteries which recharge in minutes, there are some who propose swappable battery tech as the future.
