The future is right in front of us, especially when it comes to transportation. By the year 2035, we can expect 90% of cars to be driverless and electric. No more having to replace the oil every other week, or worrying about your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Or driving anything, for that matter. Even owning a car will be a thing of the past. With today’s technology, new transportation is being built that is straight from sci-fi movies. Our mailmen will be replaced by flying drones, and we won’t have to worry about the weather thanks to underground tunnels and high-speed trains. Like AI, these transportation inventions are certainly way ahead of our time.
Shutterstock
Why Fix What Isn’t Broken?
The purpose of futuristic transportation is to increase the size of the transportation network from 100 to 400 kilometers. Companies also want to build an 860-kilometer traffic-protected major bikeway network and create more people-first streets to prioritize rolling, transit, walking, and biking. This isn’t only for convenience, these inventions are also here to help with greenhouse emissions and climate change. By collectively cycling and walking more, we’ll help make a greener future for the planet. Companies are also hoping to change the material of cars to make them run more efficiently. We’ll see more electric cars and bikes on our streets, flying drones and buses, and flights that take a quarter of the time to reach their destination. We’ve compiled a list of some of the latest new rides and modes of transportation that will surely make your jaw drop. Perhaps we’ll zip through our neighborhood in the air on electric pods sooner than we think.
Virgin
Time To Travel In The Hyperloop One
Imagine traveling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in only 12 minutes. That’s a drive that takes over an hour. We may also see transport between NYC and Washington DC in 30 minutes, and London to Edinburgh within 45 minutes. With the future of transportation, we’ll see this wicked-fast transport happen right before our eyes. It’s the vision of Elon Musk (of course) and high-speed trains that’ll take us from Point A to Point B at incredibly high speeds. Cargo and passengers are loaded onto a pod. Using magnetic levitation, the pod lifts above the track and moves at high speed. That sounds like a spaceship here on earth. Maybe our dreams of space travel will come true (Virgin).
Times of Israel
All Aboard The AirCar
Driving on the roads is so yesterday. Already, a company in Slovakia is creating a prototype for flying cars. While these cars will initially be saved for people with pilot licenses, you can expect to see them in the sky shortly. According to Euro News, “Anton Zajac, co-founder of Klein Vision, the company behind the flying car, says he and his partner hope the AirCar will give the pilot the freedom to avoid traffic jams and busy airports. The company is already working on its next prototype with a flying range of 1,000 km and a cruising speed of 300 km/h.” The AirCar will cost roughly $600,000 to $700,000, which is as much as a house. If you have the funds to afford this sort of travel, then you can expect to travel in the clouds shortly (Euro News).
Worldsensing
Reduce Traffic With Worldsensing
In Bogota, Colombia, engineers are working hard to train AI and machines to help with traffic, mining, and monitoring. By “using road signals and signs to reroute traffic when there is an accident, reduce traffic jams, and lessen the time motorists spend seeking parking spaces.” They’ll monitor large-scale infrastructure to help build a safer world with fewer accidents. This will reduce the number of casualties every year on the road, which is nearly 43,000. The safer the roads are, the higher quality of life you’ll have (Worldsensing).
Inside EVS
Electric-Focused BMW Is On Its Way
New cars epitomize electric-focused platforms with the environment in mind. Because of climate change, something needs to change regarding gasoline and greenhouse emissions. This new BMW car will support the rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and front-wheel drive. With this new platform, you’ll get high-voltage electrical architecture, which also has an improved battery cell design when compared to older models. Even with all of these new details, BMW still took into account the different proportions the EVs have, like shorter overhangs and more interior space. That’ll give these new cars a lot more comfort and style than previously thought. The future of cars has comfort in mind (Inside EVS).
Your Story
Sharing System For Bicycles
Save time and transportation using a bicycle-sharing system. This futuristic way to commute incorporates apps and bicycles. Usually, a major city will have a station with bicycles. All you have to do is unlock the bicycle with an app on your phone. For example, New York City has Citibike, where you can unlock a bike with your phone, cycle to your destination, and then drop your bike off at another station. In Portugal, Siemens Mobility is “operating a fleet of 1,400 electric bikes in Lisbon, Portugal, using machine learning to analyze various data sources like the weather to predict the future demand at each of the 140 bike-sharing stations.” It’s convenient and a great way to cut fossil fuel emission costs, exercise, and avoid getting stuck in traffic. Businesses can use these bikes for deliveries which are cost-efficient and help cut down pollution (Your Story).
NY Times
Flying Taxis Will Save Us Time And Money
It looks like the Back to the Future II movie was onto something. They depicted flying cars, and it looks like this will happen in reality. This mode of transportation will take passengers through the air, above cities. They operate like small planes. Twenty companies already developed their prototype. They hope to provide safe, affordable rides. For example, a ride from Manhattan to JFK airport in a flying taxi will only cost $70 (to put it into perspective, that’s as much as an Uber). Air regulations may prevent the rapid development of flying taxis, so we might have to wait several years before we see the first one. Until then, we’ll have to wait until the long regulatory process with the Federal Aviation Authority is complete (The Zebra).
Hot Cars
Say Hello To The Aston Martin Vanquish
Currently, manufacturers are being challenged with their creativity to develop new cars that are more electric-focused. We’re trying to be more environmentally friendly, and big car companies are catching on. This includes the Aston Martin Vanquish, which uses a fully homologated naturally aspirated V12, which revs up to 11,500 rpm. This is extremely impressive, if not almost unbelievable. This new car will use a space frame that’s bonded with aluminum, which will save a lot in materials cost-wise. It’ll also omit the useless read-seats, which will pave the way for more space and an incredibly unique new design we haven’t seen anywhere else (Hot Cars).
Kelekona
Flying Trucks Will Deliver Your Goods
Engineers are working on Kelekona, a flying truck company. The company will fly from San Fransisco to Los Angeles in only one hour, and the vertical takeoff and landing only require a small footprint. They aim to also help with medical emergencies since a flying car will save tons of time by avoiding car traffic on the way. There’s a swappable battery to minimize time, and it’s made of 3D-printed composite and aluminum, which increases performance. Flying from Manhattan to the Hamptons will cost a whopping 85 dollars. According to to Know How “the company also confirmed that they have the enormous battery power required to keep such flights going. This amount of energy would be sufficient to power hundreds, if not thousands, of homes.” Let’s hope we’ll see this in our skies by 2024 (Kelekona).
Edition CNN
Delivery Drones To Deliver Our Goods
Forget about waiting for the mailman, the future is here with delivery drones. It’s already an invention that’s in the works, as the first UPS drone delivered medications to home in October. It had to pass certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration of course, but they’re warming up to the idea of full-scale commercial deliveries. As of right now, there are still many limitations on this form of transportation for our packages, as UPS can only use it in rural areas or hospitals. Drones do pose a risk, so they’ll need to undergo many more tests before they’re deemed safe to use for general deliveries (The Zebra).
The Super Car Blog
Bugatti Chiron
We’ve heard some great details about this new hypercar, the Bugatti Chiron. We can expect to see the newest model by around 2025-2026, at the earliest. We don’t have all of the technical details about this transportation, but there is an 8.0-liter, W16 engine with an incredibly bright future. It’s unlikely to be a hybrid, but it’ll be a performance SUV or even a four-door luxury sedan. Only time will tell with this car. The Chiron is one of the fastest and most powerful sports cars in Bugatti history. With innovative technology and performance-oriented design, it’s a form of art that’s taking car design to an entirely new level (The Super Car Blog).
DeZeen
Zip Around Cities On Electric Scooters
These popular modes of transportation are straight from a movie. You’ve probably seen people zipping around your city on electric scooters, and might’ve ridden one yourself. They’re cost-efficient modes of transportation and easy ways to reach your destination in a short amount of time. The Layer X NIO smart scooter integrates AI and machine learning systems to operate as efficiently as possible. According to DeZeen, this scooter “uses Nio’s intelligent AI system called Nomi to become accustomed to the driver’s routes over time, eventually being able to autonomously take them to their destination. A modular, electric battery powers the scooter, which can be recharged in the trunk of any Nio vehicle or at the user’s home.” Its AI technology tracks your whereabouts so you don’t even have to think about the journey to work or home anymore (DeZeen).
Auto Express
The Iconic Kia EV9
According to the creators of Kia, they call it “an iconic and bold form, meshing logical and emotional qualities with playful, rugged features and styling cues”. We like the sound of that. Just look at that design, it looks like something straight from another planet. After the EV6, the EV9 has a more upright and angular approach. It measures 4,930mm long, 2,055mm wide, and 1,790mm tall. It also offers three-row seating, and we might even see the EV6’s 77.4kWh battery, which is a strong battery that goes a long way. That helps a lot if you’re driving on roads with no place to charge your car’s battery for miles (Auto Express).
Boring Company
Tunnel Roads That Take Us Underground
Elon Musk is back at it, this time, he’s reimagining road design. He wants to build underground roadways that’ll help solve city infrastructure issues and traffic. This sounds like a way for a better future regarding transportation. He’ll do this by making roads 3D, by moving cars underground. This will make them more weather-proof (it doesn’t snow underground) and will help with congestion. One company currently working towards this is The Boring Company. They want to create a tunnel system to support these underground roads. Metal elevators would lower cars to the tunnel, for high-speed and high efficiency (Boring Company).
Chevrolet
All-New 2023 Corvette Z06
For some of the best brakes, new cars can have, the Corvette Z06 features 6-piston front and 4-piston rear brakes, which showcases a state-of-the-art braking performance since they’re made of carbon ceramic. In addition to the brakes, it also has carbon-fiber wheels and a spoiler that optimizes aerodynamic drag and powertrain cooling efficiency. It also has a removable front fascia panel with front underwing stall gurneys that increase downforce. This makes sure the car stays grounded when you’re zipping around curvy roads. The more efficient your car is, the safer it becomes. These cars, paired with AI technology and better control of traffic means you’ll have a safer time commuting to work and home (Chevrolet).
NL5
The Estrema Fulminea Hypercar
The Estrema Fulminea is an Italian hypercar that features four electric motors with 2040 hp. It features a streamlined body and puffy wheel arches. Better yet, the design of this car is remarkable, as it has quirky headlights shaped like lightning bolts that sit on the side of the car. At the rear of the vehicle is a brake light. But the best part about this car, straight from the future, is that it has four electric motors that have a total capacity of 2,040 hp. It also has a hybrid traction battery, meaning the developers used lithium-ion components and super-capacitors to build the battery. New cars know how to use these incredible futuristic features, which we’ll hopefully see soon (NVL5).
Hyundai
Hyundai’s Walking Car
Star Wars technology seems to be an imminent reality. We’ll see this walking vehicle on our streets soon enough. Hyundai designed the walking car, which looks like it has legs and knees. It’s capable of climbing steep inclines and driving on rocky terrain and surfaces that regular cars aren’t able to drive on. Originally, it was designed for the Armed Forces. Hyundai wanted to take its design beyond the four-door, four-wheeled cars and turn it into something unique and futuristic. This is a radical change to what we typically see on our streets. According to Hyundai, this car has “complex multi-joint legs, inspired by those of a grasshopper, give this “walking car” the ability to climb steps, lift itself above flowing water or even jump over gaps.” This car serves a greater purpose than transporting bodies, as Hyundai hopes that “Elevate could play a role in rural exploration, construction or even disaster relief, by allowing rescue teams to reach areas where traditional roads have been compromised. (Hyundai).
Robb Report
The Fast And Ferocious All-Electric Ferrari
Long, low, wide, fast, and ferocious, Ferrari is about to showcase an all-electric sports car that they plan to unveil in 2025. We love Ferrari and think they’re ahead of their time. Their cars are truly innovative, as their first hybrid featured a 986-horsepower SF90 Stradale. We’ve never seen anything like this regarding our current transportation inventions. People doubt that the brand will be able to create a car with a 50 percent battery-powered lineup, but that’s where Ferrari is taking the challenge and using it to their advantage. This car is lightweight, too. Companies want to build vehicles with top efficiency and high performance. By reducing the weight of our current vehicles, fuel efficiency will improve by 6% or more. To do this, companies need to replace the material of iron and steel with metal like carbon fiver and magnesium-aluminum alloy. Mainly, we’ll see this material used in sports cars (Robb Report).
Driven by AI
AI And Autonomous Vehicles Help With Traffic
We all know about the future of AI, but did you know it will also help with transportation? AI may control traffic flow, which will lessen congestion and accidents. Additionally, autonomous driving and self-driving delivery trucks and buses may replace other forms of public transport and commuter cars. The UK is already tackling this idea with the Future of Mobility fund and three self-driving pilot projects. This includes, “DRIVEN, a trial fleet of fully autonomous vehicles in urban and inter-urban areas that will culminate in autonomous journeys in Oxford and London; RoboPilot, creating autonomous driving for an electric delivery van that could be adapted to buses and larger trucks; and, StreetWise, a demonstration of the technology, safety validation, insurance and service models for autonomous personal mobility to replace the urban commuter car.” Delivery services are also included in this form of transportation, and these projects may see a huge expansion over time. No traffic sounds great, but we’re not convinced about robot cards just yet (National Grid).
Auto Express
Here Comes Tesla With The Tesla Model 3
Tesla is paving the way for our future. Built for safety, the Tesla Model 3 is one of the new cars we can expect to see in these coming years with a lot of great features. Already, it exceeds safety standards with a rigid structure, impact protection, and very low rollover risk. It also comes with a dual motor all-wheel drive, with breaks that operate in all sorts of weather conditions. You’ll always be in full control. The carbon fiber spoiler improves its stability at all speeds, so that’s one less thing you’ll have to think about when cruising down the highway. In as little as 3 seconds, you can speed from 0-60 mph. And because it’s fully electric, you’ll never have to visit a gas station again. That sounds like a dream come true (Auto Express).
NPR
Hypersonic Planes With Panoramic Windows
Hypersonic planes travel five times faster than the speed of sound. This means you can travel from London to Sydney in only 4.5 hours and from LA to Tokyo in 8 hours. Companies are looking to throw traditional design out the window and instead have planes with panoramic windows, so flying through the air becomes more of an experience than a mode of transportation. Imagine seeing the clouds and cities below you with a simple wave of your hand. Spike Aerospace, a Boston-based company, hopes to put this into action. NPR reports, “instead of the usual views at 35,000 feet, the Spike S-512 will project images from micro cameras outside the plane onto screens embedded in the walls. The cameras will be placed around the entire aircraft to create panoramic views.” When you get sleepy, you can dim the windows (NPR).
Maglev
The Levitating Maglev Trains
High-speed trains are the newest invention in the transportation world. The Maglev trains use powerful electromagnets to move at high speeds. This will also prevent delays due to mechanical issues and weather problems, due to their friction and vibration. The best part about these trains, though is that they’re better for the environment. It uses a bunch of magnets to propel the train forward. Most of the Maglev trains are in Asia, though we hope to see them move to the USA soon. It claims to be the fastest train ever built and will shave off a ton of travel time. Now, we can say we’ll be there in the blink of an eye because, by the looks of these modes of transportation, that’s how it’s going to be (Maglev).
Tom Tom
Technology Against Drowsiness
Driving while tired is just as bad as drunk driving. Being tired lowers your inhibitions and makes you more prone to getting into an accident. To prevent this, companies are working on detecting the fatigue of drivers at the wheel. Using sensors and 26 different parameters, they analyze the eyes and faces of drivers, both in the dark and when they’re wearing glasses, and emit an alarm as a warning. They’ll also make the driver’s seat vibrate. This will also translate to using a phone at the wheel while driving. According to Tom Tom, the company Volvo already has a system in place, called Driver Alert, “with a 97% success rate at determining a driver’s drowsiness. There are other independent devices that the driver can place in their vehicle themselves, which help to reduce the risks associated with loss of concentration while driving.” (Vrio Europe).
Builtin
You Might Visit Outer Space Shortly
One of the most impressive advancements in technology is spaceships that the average person can use to visit space. You read that correctly! Companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are trying to offer commercial space flights. You don’t have to go through vigorous NASA training to look at Earth from above. SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002. According to Builtin, “SpaceX has designed boosters that gently propel themselves back down to Earth with precision. The reusability of these rockets is an achievement in cost-saving travel tech that now opens up spaceflight to civilians. Relativity Space is even 3D printing rocket ships.” Spaceflight costs will also go from $500 billion to $60 million, making it much more attainable by more companies around the world (Builtin).