Traveling to the car area tomorrow Skai.gr

by

of Aris Galanopoulos

We try to imagine the next day of the car, giving answers to five critical questions.

Will there be autonomous vehicles?

Autonomous motion technologies have already entered our lives in the form of active safety applications, however there is a long way to go to get to the point of talking about full vehicle autonomy. In essence, a whole “ecosystem” should be created which will allow the safe movement of autonomous vehicles not only on closed highways, but also on more complex and exposed to external factors road networks. Another crucial piece of the puzzle that remains to be completed in order to accelerate the evolution of autonomous vehicles is the legal framework that will include autonomous traffic, setting the basic rules of the “game”. So, the thought of the driver’s absence from the steering wheel of a car may scare us, but in reality autonomous vehicles will be safer, as almost 90% of accidents that occur today are due to human error.

Is there enough energy to charge thousands of electric vehicles?

The results of the first mass charging tests of electric cars are not very encouraging, causing the networks to collapse at the local level. Of course, until we get to the point of talking about the simultaneous charging of hundreds, thousands of electric cars in the neighborhoods of Athens and Thessaloniki, a lot of water needs to flow into the ditch. This essentially means that there will be the necessary time for the country’s technical infrastructure to adapt to the increased needs that the spread of electricity is going to create and to avoid any energy arrhythmias. The discovery of new energy sources, with the development of the famous RES, is going to be a way out of the emerging energy problem that most countries on the planet are going to face, but not the only one. This is because the car manufacturers themselves already have the necessary technology for the electric vehicles themselves to function as oversized powerbanks, offering the possibility to return electricity to the grid during peak hours.

Will flying cars go into production?

Although the emerging prevalence of electric vehicles is going to lead to a dramatic reduction in pollutants, “clearing” the landscape of the world’s largest urban centers, the problem of congestion will continue to plague millions of drivers and cost us even more man-hours. It is a matter of time, then, to look for solutions that will ensure the smooth movement of people and goods. Solutions which are also described as. Skyscrapers, as there are many manufacturers that invest in the technology of flying vehicles. The example of the flying “taxi” of Airbus is the most characteristic – but not the only one – since in the battle of the ethers have been involved large car manufacturers such as Hyundai. There are, of course, those who keep lower tones, looking underground for the solution to the traffic problem of big cities. In the underground boulevards of the future, the first speaker is Elon Musk, who has envisioned a labyrinthine network of underground tunnels, through which one can reach his destination unaffected by either traffic or weather conditions.
Will the autonomy of electric cars increase?

There are many who believe that the big bang of the electric drive is going to be triggered by the spectacular increase in the autonomy of the vehicles that represent it. The reality, of course, is different, as with the current technology the aim is not to increase the autonomy, but to reduce the purchase cost of an EV and the charging time. None of the car manufacturers that already has an electric proposal in its portfolio expects an increase in autonomy, if it is not accompanied by keeping the weight and costs at the same levels. In fact, if one considers that the charging points will thicken and the charging power will increase significantly, the needs for even greater autonomy will gradually be reduced. This means that electric cars will gradually allow users to maintain their daily habits, as a short stop at a refueling point will be enough to regain the ability to travel 500 or 600 kilometers until they need to do the next stand.

Will internal combustion engines disappear?

One has only to consider the fact that an internal combustion engine has the ability to convert only 40% of the chemical energy of a liquid fuel into work, at the same time that the corresponding efficiency of an electric motor reaches – if it does not exceed – 90%. The outcome of the unequal battle – beyond any doubt – seems in itself enough to lead to the gradual destruction of the internal combustion engines and the only question that remains to be answered is whether there will be exceptions to a harsh, but fair rule. Although any prediction about the future of internal combustion engines seems extremely risky, we would dare to be in the camp of the moderately optimistic, that is, those who express the view that the electric shock will not drag everything in its path, leaving a glimmer of hope. “petrol heads” fanatics that, even with the help of synthetic fuels or even hydrogen, will continue to enjoy the services of a traditional engine.

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