The Future of Car Travel in the Age of Technology

Today I’ve got another post from Giles about the Future of Travel. He recently sent me one about Weird Driving Rules Around The World. Here it is!

The Future Of Car Travel!

The way we travel transforms on a daily basis. That means instead of keeping up with the Joneses, we’ve all moved on to keep up with the Jetsons. With the fascinating tech, flying cars, new biofuels, and an increased opportunity to explore the world before the onset of climate change at our disposal, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of what’s out there today?

Here are some of the strangest and most exciting new advancements in car tourism that’ll make your next vacation a little bit more interesting. Embrace the change and see how the world of travel and technology is transforming around you.

Funky New Fuels

You’ve probably heard that ethanol and petrol are expiring resources. As such, planes, trains, and automobiles are going to need new types of fuel to keep them up and running in the years to come. Solar panels and wind energy are old hat by now, though. There are some more intriguing types of fuel that have come to light in the past few years.

Diapers in Ya Car

Ever wonder if there’s a better use for all of the used baby diapers that the children you know go through? As it turns out, there is – though not one you’d expect. As it turns out, the plastic in baby diapers can be converted into a petrol-like oil without producing the same kind of pollution that creating traditional forms of fuel does.

Thanks to pyrolysis, a power plant can break down baby diapers and dilute the waste product produced into usable oil. Sure, you’ll never want to live anywhere near the plant with the smell coming off of the place. But for those who’re keen on green living and recycling, it’s a great way to make sure that a baby’s diapers and subsequent…excrement don’t go to waste! After all, if we destroy our planet, there won’t be much left to see and travel to.

Chocolate-Covered Petrol

On a tastier note, it turns out that the world’s favourite sweet, chocolate, can also be converted into a petrol-esque fuel. How? Sugar cane produces a chemical referred to as cellulosic ethanol. When this by-product is separate from chocolate or cacao and properly handled, it can become a biofuel as useful as the baby diapers mentioned before.

While the process of converting this sweet side-product into a fuel that can be utilised on a regular basis is still being researched, the thought of using chocolate to fuel not only individual cars but planes or other petrol-dependent machinery is a sweet one, indeed. Who knows? Before long, airports could smell like sweet shops as opposed to sweat and burnt coffee beans.

The Future is a Flying Car

What kind of new technologies will those weird fuels end up supporting? Well, why not the flying cars of your dreams? Uber, the ride-sharing giant, has spent the past several years investing in the research and development of cars that won’t need to rely on roads to get you from place to place. Uber AIR is set to arrive in Australia in 2020 and has the potential to offer flights via flying car to the population in 2023.

Prototypes of these flying cars have already debuted in California, USA, and while there’s still a bit of work that needs to be done, the possibility of jetting off to New Zealand in your personal flying car is one to dream about.

Think It, Drive It

Flight isn’t the only technological innovation coming to your car, though. Nissan has been developing what the company refers to as “brain-to-vehicle” technology for several years and claims that they’ll be able to produce cars with the software integrated into their build within five to ten years.

So are they creating mind reading cars? Basically, yes. With the integration of this innovative software, Nissan’s wave of mind reading cars will be able to respond to a driver’s brainwaves and anticipate behaviours such as acceleration, steering decisions, and braking.

This is intended to create a safer driving environment for both the individual driver and everyone else on the road. Frankly, though, we think Nissan is just trying to break into the hair accessory business. The headband that drivers who have tested “brain-to-vehicle” software for the company are more like hats. Who’s going to complain about new headgear, though, if we get mind reading cars in the future?

As you can see, the way we travel locally and around the world is rapidly transforming. So strap in and try to keep up – the world’s only getting more exciting, and we’re all just hanging on for the ride.