Cars aren’t the same as they were ten years ago, and they certainly won’t be the same as they are today ten years from now. New technologies will make vehicles better—perhaps even so much so that even the best lemon law attorney won’t have much of anything to do! Read on, and discover how automobiles might be changing over the course of the next decade.
Cooled Seats
We’ve all ridden in or heard about cars with heated seating before, but what if the opposite were possible as well? It could be true with the advent of air-conditioned car seats, a technology whose inclusion has eluded automakers up until recently.
With the inclusion of a breathable fabric on the car seats, air can now circulate and cool the occupant of said seat. The flow of air can be aided by a system of fans positioned underneath each seat, which also helps to vent air away from the occupant as well.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
You might have also heard this term before in its abbreviated form—V2V Comms. This technology is poised, according to the NHTSA, to allow cars on the road to “wirelessly exchange information about the speed and position of surrounding vehicles shows great promise in helping to avoid crashes, ease traffic congestion, and improve the environment.”
Down the road, bicycles and pedestrians might even make use of this technology, allowing motorists to detect them more easily and avoid deadly accidents.
Front-View Cameras
We already have rear-view cameras, why not stick some in the front too? Now, this might seem like a superfluous addition at first, but think about the extra utility that most drivers will be able to get out of one of these. With a 180-degree field of view, motorists will be able to detect pretty much everything in their surroundings. If nothing else, that should make it much easier to avoid accidents and feel more confident while you’re out and about.
Smart Headlights
Imagine headlights that adjust light levels on their own? Such is the promise of so-called “smart headlights.” If implemented on a wide scale, these could automatically detect oncoming traffic and then adjust brightness to avoid blinding other drivers while still allowing you to see the road. Once again, the potential to reduce accidents makes this attractive technology.
AR Dashboards
You might actually find the first iterations of this technology in use on some high-end luxury vehicles. Augmented Reality (AR) dashboards project a heads-up visual display over the windshield of the vehicle that can keep the driver informed about their speed, heading, and other important details. More advanced functionality could even allow for the controlling of onboard entertainment systems, maps, communications, etc.
Vehicle Autonomy
Perhaps the crown jewel of vehicle enhancements, the dream for many automakers now is to create a fully autonomous vehicle and get it out on the road. We’ve already seen some manufacturers push toward Level 3 autonomous vehicles, and with the right legal frameworks in place, it’s only a matter of time until those Level 4 and 5 vehicles finally hit the road.