Cars of the near future to be loaded with high-tech gadgets

At auto shows and tech conferences around the globe, prototypes of whiz-bang cars offer a visual narrative into what to expect on the nation's streets a decade from now. Some already are in production; others will be before long, carmakers say. Nevertheless in innovation laboratories and engineering facilities worldwide, the imaginings don't stop there.

Cloud computing will enable riders to work or play games while their commutes during listening to their favorite music as chosen by the car, says Kevin Dallas, general manager of Microsoft Windows Embedded. The software giant is working with Ford, BMW and others to make vehicles more connected.

For years, we've heard predictions about the cars of the future and seen them depicted in pop culture from the writings of Jules Verne to TV's The Jetsons. However advances in wireless communications and battery innovation have made what once was a far-off idea a nearly-reality, says Mark Boyadjis, senior analyst at market researcher IHS Automotive, an industry consulting firm.

Changes in transportation infrastructure and policy, coupled with innovation advances, could make this all possible in the not-too-distant future, say auto executives, analysts and scientists.

Different kind of automotive experience

"It will be a different kind of automotive experience," Boyadjis says. "Nevertheless for it to take shape, we need a seismic change in people's attitudes toward cars ... and early adoption of innovation consumers, automakers and infrastructure."

There are indications that as an array of personal and information innovation enters the mainstream in cars - from parking-assist aids to navigation systems to voice control - drivers are slowly warming to the idea of letting the car do more spontaneously. In point of fact, many drivers say they would pay $3,000 for self-driving innovation, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

The hybrid as a boon for the aviation industry

Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich sees the hybrid as a boon for the aviation industry and a lower-cost alternative for business people who travel frequently within a region. "You can drive in bad weather and fly in good weather," Dietrich says.

The auto industry's 127-year history is chock-full of research innovations, beginning with steam-, electric- and gasoline-powered vehicles.

For decades, advances in car research were judged largely on design. Models became smaller, sleeker - and in the case of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, more muscular - afterwards World War II. The modern era saw the rise of the hatchback, sedan and sport-utility vehicle. Safety features became standard in the 1960s.

Current and future models, but, are more often evaluated largely on what's inside them as they increasingly become fuel-efficient, Internet-connected computers on wheels.

The Internet

"We used to talk about surfing the Internet. In the near future, it just may be driving the Internet," says Harry Sverdlove, chief innovation officer at security-software company Bit9.

Internet-wired cars will help usher in an era of car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication, which has been discussed for years nevertheless is becoming more of a reality now that U.S. automakers have agreed on a standardized frequency on which to transmit information.

Dedicated Short Range Communications, a version of Wi-Fi designed for automotive, is considered a cornerstone innovation, however adoption will take time, analyst Boyadjis says.

Oft-mentioned example of DSRC's potential

In an oft-mentioned example of DSRC's potential, a car 100 feet ahead of another could alert the trailing auto about black ice on a ramp, giving the second car the chance to adjust its electronic-stability system or avoid the ramp. Car-to-grid communications, in the meantime, could record suspension activity on city roads, and relay that data to officials to fix damaged roads.

"The car is going to act like a data-collection probe," Tom Baloga, BMW's vice president of engineering, said of his company's pending car-to-car communication system. A car's location will be transmitted, anonymously, to other cars and infrastructure. The data, he says, would be used to study traffic flow, slippery conditions, bottlenecks and potholes.

Ford's Evos concept car, a four-door fastback design in other words about five years away, would be a cloud-computing device on four wheels. It would link to the driver's digital records; monitor vital signs, just as indications of drowsiness; and play music based on the driver's smartphone playlist. Radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras would all be activated by voice-recognition research.

Chris Borroni-Bird, director of GM's advanced research vehicle concepts, is one of the masterminds behind its Electric Networked Vehicle, or EN-V.

The mind-bending EN-V

The mind-bending EN-V, with speeds of up to 25 mph, is envisioned by 2030 for congested cities just as Beijing and Mumbai, college campuses, tourist resorts and retirement communities. "Cities are wrestling with not just more people, nevertheless cars," Borroni-Bird says. "It is smaller, has lower emissions and solves the challenges of gridlock through an onboard communications system tied to other vehicles and city infrastructures. The battery-powered car could be owned, shared or rented."

"The most remarkable advances will be in fuel sourcing and innovation inside cars," says Alex Nunez, senior automotive editor for ConsumerSearch.com.

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with funding from the Department of Energy, are developing battery innovation that would extend the range of electric cars to 300 miles from 50 to 100 miles, says Venkat Srinivasan, manager of the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies program.

The form of maps

Flexible-display research could add new wrinkles in the form of maps, traffic patterns and ads that are projected on dashboards. GM, in the meantime, is exploring the idea of a Windows app that would let consumers draw, play games, "peek" into other locations around the globe in real time, and share music and messages with other passengers on the road.

There are potential upsides, too. Automated cars would include research, just as advanced cruise control and crash-imminent braking, that would minimize risk.

Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronics technology and technology, says, "Research is important, however how do you create experiences that make lives better? Futuristic cars could deliver, with the promise of safer roads, improved fuel efficiency and a cleaner environment."