Will Cars Ever Become Obsolete?
We all know how advanced technology is today, and we are aware that it is only going to get even more sophisticated. It affects every aspect of our lives, as we see lots of items, such as various household appliances, that we used to use on a daily basis becoming obsolete, replaced by more high-tech pieces of equipment. In the next couple of decades, we can expect that same thing to happen to one the most used items in our everyday lives, the basic means of transportation for millions of people – the car.
Cars have come a long way since they were first introduced in the late 19th century. There have been steam-powered vehicles, then vehicles with internal combustion engines running on gasoline or petrol, and now there are electric and hybrid vehicles. All these cars need someone to sit behind the wheel and control them. But now there are cars that don’t need that. On the streets of California and Nevada we can already see fully automated, driverless cars, with sensors and cameras doing all the work for you. So, slowly but surely, all cars will be able to drive themselves.
But, will the moment ever come when cars become obsolete altogether? Various alternative means of transportation are being developed constantly, and more people are choosing to walk or drive a bicycle instead of using a car. Apart from that, there are a couple more factors that could render cars totally unnecessary.
One reason why we might stop buying cars sometime in the future is that they are an expensive purchase less and less people are able to afford. That, along with high gas prices and other expenses regarding repairs and regular maintenance make cars unappealing. Also, people are becoming more aware of the negative effects cars have on the environment, so that will defer them from using them.
The way future cities will look like will also affect the way we feel about cars and whether we need them or not. People will live in communities where everything will be within walking distance, such as schools, hospitals, and people’s jobs will be pretty close to their homes.
As far as what could replace cars, there are a lot of predictions by various experts and scientists, with most of them involving robots. Humanoid robots could be a perfect replacement, doing all kinds of tasks, such as going shopping for us, taking our kids to school, or even replacing police officers. So, in couple of decades, you could be seeing hundreds or thousands of robots on your city streets, and cars will become a thing of the past.
Check out our article The Ultimate Car Of The Future.
Author’s bio:
Jordan Perch is an active promoter of the new developments in the automotive industry. He is an author of many how-to articles related to safe driving, buying/selling vehicles, auto insurance etc. He is currently managing the blog of the resourceful DMV.com.
