Imagine a world without traffic jams, a world where road rage is a thing of the past and your commute is actually enjoyable. Just think how much easier your journeys would be if your car could plan your route, get you from A to B and park itself, all without you having to lift a finger. Well, believe it or not this dream could be a reality in as little as 2 years time! With so many major companies joining the autonomous car creation race, now is a good time to check in and see which are the ‘ones to watch’ right now.
Driverless cars are becoming ever more popular and we can certainly see why; advanced technology will allow literally anyone to travel independently, regardless of age or disability, and a rise in car sharing means fewer vehicles causing congestion on the road. We all know how frustrating it can be, driving around looking for a parking space, having to try and squeeze into the most awkward spot only to be rewarded with an extortionate parking fee. Thankfully, all of this stress can be avoided if we just sit back and let our car do all the hard work; it can even drop us off and pick us up to save more time and energy. By travelling in convoy, each car travelling just inches behind the other, these clever vehicles could take up much less space than your conventional car; in theory this will bring an end to the rapid expansion of our roads. which can only be a good thing.
We are seeing more and more car manufacturers embracing new autonomous tech and, as a result, driving as we know it is already evolving all around us. For example, Volvo hopes to make semi-autonomous features the norm in its cars by 2020 and BMW, who also have similar goals, currently offer their all-electric i3 which can park itself. Now, technically you can get your hands on a self-driving ‘car’ called the Navia today, but since it is just an electric shuttle you unfortunately can’t take it out for spin on any public roads. Driverless cars in the works that are a little closer to what many have in mind include the Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion, Volvo’s Concept 26 and Rolls Royce’s Vision Next 100.
These futuristic beauties wouldn’t look out of place in a sci-fi film with their elegant lines, sparkling paint jobs and luxurious interiors which is sure to make them extremely popular when they eventually hit the market. Audi have even announced plans for a fully autonomous A8 limousine for the ultimate in luxury travel, now that’s what you call style!
So it seems that, for the time being at least, we only have concept art, prototypes and predictions to base our future on but we are still a lot closer to a world without steering wheels than ever before and that’s pretty exciting, right? Our favourite self-driving car right now has to be the sleek offering from Mercedes-Benz but there are plenty to choose from, and the list will continue to grow as autonomous technology advances at a tremendous rate. Let us know which self-driving car you are most looking forward to trying out, we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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