We hear about car sharing, smart cities and the mobility of the future every day. Most likely, you will not even notice how all this will become reality, and the steering wheel will cease to interfere with getting into the car. We are figuring out what we are going to use in 2025.
The "German troika" (Audi, BMW, Mercedes) has always set the vector of development for the automotive market and introduced new technologies. Laser optics at Audi, massive use of turbines at BMW, a new body type called "four-door coupe" at Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to these and other avant-garde artists, the automotive industry is now at its peak, but if you think of it as a graph that you draw with your hand, then the line does not go up or down. Further: a pencil pierces the paper through and rushes deeper into the unknown.
“Now we are all witnesses of a unique and incredibly difficult period. Global concerns are forced to calculate and form three trends at once: autonomous transport, electric power plants and new forms of ownership. Automakers have never been under such pressure, - says Alexander Usov, CEO of CTRL Leasing, which is a strategic financial provider providing the Mobility-as-a-Service segment. “Conventionally, in the 80s and 90s, they just needed to update the design of the model line, not forgetting to increase engine power and add new functions.”
Today, the previous tasks are supplemented by the need to calculate dozens of scenarios in hundreds of countries around the world and, at the same time, monitor the movements of transport start-ups, which previously caused nothing but an indulgent smile. All this requires incredible resources. What will the transport of the future look like?
The "city sky" will rustle above us
Alongside new ownership concepts like car sharing and subscription cars, new and fantastic modes of transportation will emerge. Urban aviation will provide the highest degree of mobility. The main requirement for it is vertical takeoff and landing.
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“The most popular will be two types of passenger drones: standard multirocopters and tiltrotors with rotary engines, which first provide a vertical motion vector and then a horizontal one. On the basis of these two architectures, automakers have already begun to present their developments,”the expert predicts.
For example, Audi is involved in a project by Airbus and ItalDesign to develop an autonomous two-seat modular vehicle that can move both on the ground and in the air. It is based on a double passenger capsule. It is moved over the streets by a 4-propeller-driven aircraft module, and then loaded onto a 4-wheeled platform to continue the route within the city and flies off to charge.
If the device with four rings seemed beautiful to you, do not jump to conclusions. The Nexus VIP air shuttle is where diabolical beauty merged with futuristic design and dynamic color touches. This five-seat helicopter of the future is being developed by Bell and has already been chartered by several partners for the air transport of the future. They are trying to present the Nexus as an electric-powered aircraft, but this is only formally: a hybrid-electric plant with a gas turbine engine will provide energy to electric rotors.
There are still about five years to wait for the creation of Bell, so let's return to the existing and working devices. First of all, I would like to highlight the most successful light aircraft project called Volocopter from eVolo. This 18-propeller multicopter weighs only 300 kg and does not fly in a virtual environment, but in a real sky. Daimler has already invested € 25 million in this project, and Frankfurt Airport plans to use Volocopter as an air shuttle between the terminals and the city's transport infrastructure.
NASA, Airbus, Boeing and other giants are also investing in the development of similar aircraft, so the prospects for car brands here look dim.
Elon Musk's vacuum holes will appear below us
Musk voiced the idea of a supersonic vacuum train back in 2013, but today only two test sites have been implemented on the basis of this concept: the 1.5-kilometer tube of SpaceX in California and the 500-meter Virgin Hyperloop One tunnel in Nevada. The fifth mode of transport, as Elon Musk himself positions it, should work on solar panels, passenger capsules will fly inside an elevated pipeline at a speed of 500-1220 km / h at incredible intervals of 30 seconds for such a pace. The main advantage of the idea of a vacuum train is the absence of air resistance and friction of the “car” supports on the surface. Like any private investor, Elon Musk tried to reduce the cost of the project as much as possible, so he abandoned the idea of a complete vacuum in the pipe. According to his calculations, it is enough to maintain a forevacuum (this is 1/1000 of atmospheric pressure),which can be supported by pumps of moderate power, and the pipe walls can be made of ordinary steel with a thickness of 20-25 mm. In the same 2013, the project team published a 58-page specification of the project with all the formulas and calculations, since Musk said that he did not plan to implement Hyperloop on his own. Since then, many companies have found investors for their version of the vacuum train, and in the coming years they should appear in China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. By the way, in 2015, Musk returned to the project, and now his Boring Company is digging a tunnel for the first official Hyperloop track. The section, approximately 16.5 km long, will later become part of the Washington-New York route. In the same 2013, the project team published a 58-page specification of the project with all the formulas and calculations, since Musk said that he did not plan to implement Hyperloop on his own. Since then, many companies have found investors for their version of the vacuum train, and in the coming years they should appear in China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. By the way, in 2015, Musk returned to the project, and now his Boring Company is digging a tunnel for the first official Hyperloop track. The section, approximately 16.5 km long, will later become part of the Washington-New York route. In the same 2013, the project team published a 58-page specification of the project with all the formulas and calculations, since Musk said that he did not plan to implement Hyperloop on his own. Since then, many companies have found investors for their version of the vacuum train, and in the coming years they should appear in China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. By the way, in 2015, Musk returned to the project, and now his Boring Company is digging a tunnel for the first official Hyperloop track. The section, approximately 16.5 km long, will later become part of the Washington-New York route.and in the coming years they should appear in China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. By the way, in 2015, Musk returned to the project, and now his Boring Company is digging a tunnel for the first official Hyperloop track. The section, approximately 16.5 km long, will later become part of the Washington-New York route.and in the coming years they should appear in China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. By the way, in 2015, Musk returned to the project, and now his Boring Company is digging a tunnel for the first official Hyperloop track. The section, approximately 16.5 km long, will later become part of the Washington-New York route.
Cars will start climbing mountains
The CES Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has been jokingly called "automotive" for several years now: not the Consumer Electronics Show, but the Car Electronics Show. The auto giants showcase their best stands at this forum and present the most revolutionary technologies. Even Continental, known primarily as a tire manufacturer, introduced a courier robot this year that will deliver orders to customers right to the door.
The engineers from Hyundai were surprised. At a time when it seemed like everything was already invented, they unveiled the Elevate, a conceptual all-terrain vehicle powered by electric traction that can climb mountains and move on any surface. By analogy with the already familiar SUV designation for us, the Korean idea identifies itself as UMV - Ultimate Mobility Vehicle. The maximum cross-country ability of this transport robot is provided by four legs with five degrees of freedom. Thanks to them, he can imitate the gait of reptiles and mammals, but he does this not for fun, but, for example, to evacuate people from hard-to-reach places. Motor wheels are needed here only for fast movement on a flat surface, and mechanical limbs are activated when a one and a half meter fence or a one and a half meter ditch stands in the way, or there is a need to force steps and a rocky slope,walk on sands, swamps and deep snow. Seeking a foothold, the Elevate can extend its track up to 4.5m, making it a more versatile transport than a tank, ATV or snowmobile.
The mechatronic chassis is attached to a platform with a 66 kWh traction battery. Any body can be mounted on top, depending on the wishes of the customer: a medical or rescue module, a panoramic capsule for tourists, a cockpit for sedentary passengers. Hyundai itself is positioning its invention primarily as an assistant for emergency services in disaster areas, where Elevate will make its way to the target under the control of artificial intelligence.