Is This Really The Future?

Right now, at this moment in time, we’re at an exciting point in automotive development.

In case you hadn’t noticed, technology that was, not so long ago, fodder for science fiction fantasies is available to all and already driving around on our streets and highways. We have affordable, everyday cars that can run on part fuel-part electric, and even machines that are now entirely powered by electric motors.

Volkswagen Werk Wolfsburg

The technology has been around for a little while, but when before it was a bit of a novelty and not all that great in reality, we’re now able to spec electric cars that are great to drive, great for the environment and offer incredible performance.

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Take the Tesla Model S P100D for example. A fully electric two-ton saloon car that can pretty much drive itself, will do 400-500 miles on a charge, and is capable of reaching 60mph in just 2.7 seconds. Could you have even imagined that 10 years ago?

Volkswagen Showcar I.D. I.D. ? die Revolution. Der erste Volkswagen auf der vˆllig neuen Elektrofahrzeug-Plattform. Der erste Volkswagen, der f¸r das automatisierte Fahren vorbereitet ist.

All indications are that in the near future, as in within our lifetimes, we’ll see fully automated consumer electric smart vehicles on our roads – they’re already out there being tested. The debate about whether the art of driving will die out is a completely different discussion, but regardless, things are progressing at a blistering pace.

Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

Even if you don’t want to go the whole hog and embrace electric power as yet, pick any average mid-range modern production model and it’s likely to offer a host of automated gadgets, features and connectivity that would have blown your mind not a decade ago.

For example, recently my wife picked up a new, modest mid-trim level Mk7 Golf, and I was surprised by just how much technology was packed in: auto lights, auto wipers, auto mirrors, stop-start, auto parking brake, adaptive cruise control, Bluetooth, Apple Carplay, the list goes on! I can log into an app and see where the car is, if the doors are locked and lights are off, or what the latest consumption figures are, or have the car automatically notify the local garage when a service is due. We opted out of the self-park function as that was a step too far…

2016-Project-GTI-3H-Tech-by-Paddy-McGrath-23

Even the aftermarket is peppered with add-on products and modifications that car bring newer technology into older cars. From phone connectivity to vehicle tracking, parking aids and even air suspension – when I first took a passenger ride in Project GTI last year I was converted by Mr McGrath’s demonstration of Air Lift Performance’s 3H management system, with its remote smartphone control and with self-leveling technology. Very cool stuff.

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All of these technologies that are available to us make motoring incredibly advanced, convenient and safe, as well as being easier on the environment and easing congestion – all of which are undoubtedly positive attributes. But do they make it better in the long run?

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My concern is where this technology will leave the cars of today in, say, 30 or 40 years’ time. The cars that we view as classics today, no matter their levels of performance or desirability, for the most part have a romantic and nostalgic charm about them.

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Even before cars started being filled with digital gadgets, the mechanical technology from back then was vastly different to what it is now.

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Yet even today there’s something enjoyable about the turn of a well-worn key, the bark of carburettors sputtering to life and the mechanical clunk as you find first gear through a heavy clutch. The inconveniences of driving a classic car are far outweighed by the experience.

You don’t even have to go back that far to enjoy it. Just take a look at the performance cars that Japanese manufacturers were producing in the ’80s and ’90s – the Skylines, S-chassis, Supras, AE86, Imprezas and Evos.

Der Volkswagen Ur GTI Pirelli von 1983

Or the European hot hatches of the same era – even those that weren’t built for performance have a mechanical quality that stands the test of time really well.

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In fact, it’s almost as if the simpler the car was back when it was made popular, the better. Even the ugly ducklings that were never considered especially desirable can come good in the end…

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But how will a Tesla Model S feel to drive 50 years from now?

Will it even work, will the servers still be online to support many of the features? Or will the technology that we’re so impressed by today be long forgotten and obsolete?

Honda NeuV Concept

The more integrated with automation and communications technology our vehicles are it’s only going to become more pronounced. Modern cars may seem amazing to us in the here and now, but I have a feeling that driving a car from today in half a century’s time will be more akin to using an old iPhone.

Maybe a novelty at first, but I can’t see it being an enjoyable experience.

2017 Honda Civic

Digital technology moves quickly, and dates even quicker. I honestly can’t see there being the same sense of romanticism about driving a ‘classic’ from this era in the near future with all of its outdated software, clunky technology and forgotten networks.

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I guess only time will tell, but I can’t help but feel that an over-reliance on new technology now won’t be something we look back fondly on in the future.

As always, let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below…

Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
Facebook: Jordan Butters
jordan@speedhunters.com

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1

I rather drive it myself than let AI fully control. It sad that automotive nowadays are design for idiot who shit at driving or people like texting while driving.

2

It's an interesting time for sure, but there's certainly different ways of looking at it.

Anyone who has to commute in a large urban environment will know the pain of stop-start traffic and worsening congestion. Really, how much 'driving' is done under these circumstances? It's a similar story for long motorway journeys, where there's very little driving craft involved. For these situations alone, I would be more than happy to hand off driving duties to an autonomous vehicle. Provided I still have my GTI waiting for me at home.

3

Couldn't agree more Paddy. Even down here in NZ traffic is terrible now getting anywhere. I'd argue that if I could leverage a self-drive car to allow me to spend more time productively while I travel to/from work (rather than sitting "driving" in traffic), I would.
It would also free up time for actual driving when I get home...

Author4

The conveniences of modern motoring aside, how will your GTI feel to revisit in the future? Do you think driving it will have the same nostalgic appeal as if you were to drive a Mk1 GTI now?

5

I might have balls, but they're not crystal ones. So, I can't really give you an answer to that :D

Author6

C'mon my friend – the word 'think' implies an invitation to give an opinion, not a fact.

7

Electric cars are all fine and dandy, but I don't think I'll be their target customer. What I'm really worried about, is that they'd ban internal combustion.
As for AI, despite all the fanfare around it (that and ride sharing), I hardly believe they'll replace people completely, though they might be more commonplace.
On a side note, were you a car enthusiast before you could drive? If so, did driving live up to the hype?

8

if they do ban internal combustion then it'd basically be the end of a gearhead. electric cars are really no fun compared to their internal combustion counterparts. there's no point for the term gearhead/petrolhead when they ban any sort of fun internal combustion.

9

The day they make internal combustion and driving illegal is the day I become an outlaw

10

I don't think they'll ban internal combustion engines completely. I think they will ban cars that pollute the air.
I believe engines we use now are relatively easy to convert to hydrogen, so maybe that's a way out for car enthousiasts that don't want to lose their manual transmission. Let's hope smart people make hydogen cars safe, as it eliminates the issue of waiting for the bettery to charge as well.

11

Lol me too. U take away driving u take away truly living.

Author12

You'll need some kinda of 'mad' name… how about Max?

13

Some places have already begun moving forward with these plans. It's just that electrics are too simple. Plug in a laptop and adjust the power delivery. Most of the physical wrenching would be replaced by hacking I guess...

14

yeah but physical wrenching is much better hacking because you're more hands on with your car, other than hacking, where you're typing away, and it's not as fun.

15

Ehh, isn't this the same argument we keep hearing? Of course "car guys" don't want electric, self-driving cars, but they're definitely going to be a thing.I think the enthusiast community should embrace the new automotive platform instead of constantly making it out to be something bad. With regards to novelty in the future, can we not draw parallels between this and playing old video game systems? I love me an IC engine, and I don't want them to go away, but I think the saltiness of the community doesn't really lay a good foundation for future gear heads.

Author16

The point really wasn't the self-driving cars, but more that the technology won't have the same appeal that a modern classic does now. An analogy would be that hipsters play music on vinyl and not on Gen 1 iPods. Digital technology moves so quickly that even something a few years old can seem very dated.

17

Hmm, the vinyl/iPod comparison is more that they are different - I far prefer music on vinyl on a decent record deck to an MP3, as most MP3s (apart from lossless or FLAC) are compressed, with the tops and bottoms cut off the audible sound, so they don't sound quite as good. I can tell the difference between different formats - I collect CDs in the main, and buy the CD on vinyl if I really love it and rip the CD to my iPhone/iPod for the car. I can tell the difference between the ripped MP3, the CD copy and the vinyl copy through the same system.

Also, MP3s are still the current thing - you're right to mention it, but despite the rise of streaming, a lot of people still have electronic devices full of files - so to me it's hard to feel nostalgia for something that you can still have and still use.

*removes Freelance trombone player's Pork Pie hat*.

I think the main issue is what you've touched upon in the article briefly - will vehicles even work? And that's not just the case with full EVs, even modern ICE cars, the amount of electronics is mind-boggling as you say. So much to go wrong, and whilst it may last a while it won't last forever. These days, if you have a classic, it's still possible to get bits made in a fab shop if there's no spare parts scene - if anything, it's easier than in the past as there's CNC machining of billet bits, which whilst a faff it's still possible. In the future, what will we do if the electronics pack in? Who knows.

18

I'm late, but here's where I can draw a parallel:
While you can feel the difference between an mp3 and a vinyl recording, the average beats-equipped teenager may not care. Also, they may find it inconvenient to keep their music in large disks and play it on those turntables.
If, for some reason, vinyls and FLAC audio faced a risk of being banned and the majority simply did not care, what would you feel like?

19

Fact check! Not 1 PRODUCTION EV is rated at 400 miles or more.
I wish! My standard has continually been that if an SUV could top 300 miles, I'd be VERY interested in such a family rig. When EV conversions become easier to do, we'll see more of those as well. Have you seen the Evora getting a Tesla swap on Engine Depot? Sweet!

Author20

As above, the Tesla Model S has been proven to be able to go above 400 miles.

21

Couldn't agree more. A few years down the road, trying to keep a decade old car with say, Apple CarPlay, current by merely updating software versions may soon topple for lack of underlying hardware performance.

Just 10 yrs ago, the iPhone first came out, and with a whopping 2-megapixel camera and 4GB of space. Look where it is now.

As you said, no one enjoys outdated software or technology interfaces in general, let alone the soulless feel, numb steering, dead quiet cabins, and non-existent exhaust notes that have infiltrated our beloved culture. Cars are becoming a rolling extension of our living rooms.

What happened to the escape? Car culture was built around that. Bring back the noisy, analog character and mechanical reliance that was refined in its own right. The scent of a rich burning exhaust on start up, the vibration in the shifter telling you it's alive and ready. Simplicity...a beautiful thing.

Author22

You get it!

23

The one thing I'm scared about most is if they completely ban the use of non-autonomous vehicles in the future. As far as I'm concerned, autonomous cars are nothing more than dull, soulless machines, designed by and built for people who couldn't care less about cars or driving.

24

It'll be interesting when like you say the tech goes out of date and people start creating their own interfaces etc for all the screens and such modern cars have these days. Just a matter of someone with the skill to crack all the copyright bull.

25

I also think there will be a few modern cars with old engines planted into them, sort of like FA20's being thrown away in favour of EJ's and other things. It won't stop people buying new cars though. New is new and the circus repeats, all the while many of the features we like now are replaced with new ones to tickle our fancies in future, a lot of reviewers say modern subaru's are behind the times in terms of tech, they are. But is that a bad thing really?

26

Scenario 1.- People will swap electric motors/gadgets in to older/classic cars (Restomod)
Scenario 2.- People will swap combustion engines to newer cars (Nostalgicmod)
Scenario 3.- Whatever between / bugdet allows.

27

The P100D has a 327mi range when fully charged. Thats an easy google search to combat lazy writing. Its easy to get those specs correct. Come on now...

Author28

Forget Google, a quick check of the manufacturer's specs will tell you that I was right… if anything, I was conservative. You're welcome.

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29

If you're going to be a smart ass, you should at least try and be right. In theory, 400miles+ range is possible.

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31

That is at 55mph, come back into the real world. Dont be so cocky you are not right. Do the actual highway speed limit and it will drop drastically.

32

I think you're reading comprehension might not be up to scratch. Where does it say the car must travel at X speed? Thus the 'in theory' caveat. It is capable of it, most just won't achieve it if they choose to travel at a certain speed. Personally, I'd rather stick nails in my eyes than try reach that range, but some people are into that.

33

Maybe your reading comprehension needs work. The picture from Tesla clearly states 55 mph for the mileage given.


Here is the quote from the article saying they went X speed.
"though its tires were inflated to 55 psi rather than the standard 45 psi. Nyland says he and a friend drove at a steady 25 mph (40 km/h) (with a sign to alert other drivers), kept the vehicle's air-conditioning and fans switched off and avoided hard acceleration and use of the brakes where possible."

When and where can you drive 25mph on a freeway? How would you do that in the real world?

34

In the linked article the Tesla was only going 24.4mph, like I said come back to the real world.

35

Autonomous electric cars will probably become the norm eventually. Lets face it: 90% of the drivers out there really just don't care about driving. They want a comfy, efficient, safe way to get around, and that's what carmakers are going to provide. Someday a non-auto IC car will be rare to find, difficult to service, and a chore to own. But I don't think that day is coming soon. For the other 10% of us, we'll have our classics to play with. I think that's fine.

I also think that electric cars don't herald the end of the gearhead. Sure, electrics are quiet and mechanically simple: but that's just different, not bad. Yes, the gearhead of the future might spend more time hacking than wrenching, but that's not all there is to cars. "Hacking" will be the new ECU tuning. You can still modify electric motors: re-winding, custom rotors, etc. Battery packs and electronics will need upgrading for capacity or max current draw. Suspensions still need tuning. Bodywork, aero, paint, wheels, brakes, and weight-loss will all still exist. There's plenty of fodder out there for gearheads to mess around with. I'm not worried. You just have to have the right attitude about it all.

36

It'll be a shame when the only driving freedom we're allowed is on a racetrack. There's little chance autonomous and non-autonomous cars will be allowed to mix in the future, and if there's no outright ban, it'll be beyond the financial means of most because insuring yourself (yes, yourself rather than just the car) will become A Thing if you wish to drive on the road, and woe betide you hit one of the autonomous vehicles.

37

I honestly don't think they'll ever outlaw existing non autonomous cars. They may require new cars to be autonomous, but there are simply too many cars out there now to try and get rid of the old types. "They" can't force everyone to buy new cars, so as long as there are people unwilling or unable to upgrade, there will be non-auto cars.

Regarding insurance, that's basically what liability insurance already is. Collision covers the car, liability covers you, people in the other car, lawsuits,etc. So I mean, that's not really anything new.

38

The ICE model is at the height of it's technology, just like everything else in our modern world. 3D printing, robot workers, CAD manufacturing, nano tech, etc. It is premature to say that fossil fuel tech belongs to the dinosaur age. Fossil fuel extraction has also been accelerated into the future with modern methods inconceivable even 20 years ago. No one can predict what is in store for us in the future. This guy is old enough to be still in anticipation of what Popular Science predicted 50 years ago, flying cars!

Go ahead, make your predictions. But we're all like those wise men on the elephant. We are all limited from our own narrow perspective. For myself I would say that as a car enthusiast, after all that's why we're here, that this is one of the most exciting times to be one!

39

The problem I see with computer controlled vehicles is that they will very quickly go the same way as mobile phones/tablets. You will need to upgrade to the newer model every few years as your old one will be unsupported/obsolete. The world will accept it as there are fewer and fewer people who actually enjoy driving themselves around, and everyone these days seems to go nuts over the latest tech gadgets.

40
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I have a way of categorizing cars. Fun/sports cars, and everything else. As long as I'll have a fun car like the R34 in my garage I'll be more than happy. If the other car has to be an electric car that takes the stress off city rush hour traffic and lets you relax on a long motorway journey I'll take it, I'm all for this sort of tech in daily-used cars. If I had the cash the 7-seater Model X would be my prime choice for a family car, ample space for the kids and their miscellaneous junk, totally suited to a big city like Tokyo where you can charge it everywhere and crazy acceleration to piss off ponces in 911s. In 20 year's I'd forget about the Model X, but I'd still lust over the R34.

41

Dude yes. A clean R34 is better than any car they could possibly come up with. Unfortunately by the time I get the money for one they will be rusted to death and still more than I could afford.

42

I completely agree with this but the long term effect of what you said is no more legends being produced for the future to keep the passion going, no more "R34's" for future generations to relate to. I think the line is being blurred more and more as time passes: I am a CAR enthusiast, not a TECHNOLOGY enthusiast. I understand the two aren't always mutually exclusive but if they were 100% inclusive then why do I not get as excited when a new laptop comes out compared to when I first saw pictures of the Z-Tune...

43
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Drastic interpretation come on. There are very good cars coming out all the time, ok they are a little more high end that what the Japanese gave us in the nineties, but they are now more concerned in CVT-equipped boxes on wheels i.e. stuff that sells. So what we'll lust over in the future from this particular moment in time will be exotics.

Author44

Although there are good cars coming out all the time, they're increasingly loaded to the gunwales with technology. Even cars with modest trim levels have auto-parking, phone integration, sensors everywhere, touch screens and digital dashes. In 30 years time that tech is going to be TERRIBLE to use when we're all used to whatever technology has moved onto then.

This doesn't really apply to the more mechanical classics of today – your R34 will still be great in 30 years time because it doesn't rely on that technology to make it an enjoyable experience.

45

It's actually a lot less drastic than you think Dino, an S13 is now 30 years old, so will a Tesla Model X be appealing in the same way for an enthusiast in 30 years? If not, that is a whole lot less platforms within only one generation gap!! (If the industry as a whole heads that way). I have a deep love for cars because what I experienced from age 15 or 16. My first car was an S13 Q's, my second was an AE85, my third was an evo6 and my fourth was an FD...don't tell me that today's Huracan will be as accessible and pure as what was available for us haha

46

Only considering the practical side of Electric cars is naive, because that is the obvious strong point. The bigger issue is wether they will become outdated pieces of junk in the near future, or wether there will still be some appeal and joy provided, like with that of an older car now. BUT banning combustion is a much bigger issue than just with cars - my father owns a hobby plane powered by an air cooled boxer engine, many of my friends have boats, the list goes on - unless a blanked ban on combustion will be put in place, which I highly doubt, singling out cars would be discrimination, if pollution was really the problem, start by developing electric airliners and military equipment - those two categories are exempt from pollution laws and are factually the two "areas" of transport which pollute the most out of anything. Leave our old cars alone, give us a permit to keep them and drive them a certain amount of km's a year and I'm happy.

47

I’m all for technology integration in cars and upgrades accordingly (GPS, safety, entertainment etc), but my concern here is electric cars.

Why are we moving to electric cars? If it’s for the performance factors - like the Porsche & Tesla models - then I’m all for incorporating the technology into an internal combustion car. If it’s for the environment, we need to stop and think.

The emissions and fossil fuels used to create the electric cars (batteries etc) and then charge them is more destructive than a decent internal combustion engine would be in it’s lifetime.

No doubt, in the future, the electric cars of today will be seen as primitive and obsolete, but “it’s the best we have at the moment”. I’m a genuine speedhunter, but I realise we need to think about our future speedhunters and if we don’t create transport that does the same job for the 90% of people that want a “commuter car” that is not built on fossil fuels or harms the environment, then we won’t have cars to enjoy. Unless your name is Max and you drive an Interceptor.

The other issue is location, I’m from regional New South Wales, Australia. I’m yet to see a charging station in my drives anywhere but Sydney. We can’t even get decent roads, let alone charging stations so the costs associated with going to an electric vehicle (or similar) seem so far out of reach for the everyday person. I think there is a long way to travel (pun intended) prior to stopping the internal combustion engine and knowing Australia, we will be decades behind the rest of the world, purely because of our landscape and location. It’s good that we are having the conversation, but I think we need to stop and reassess why we are making changes.

My 2c.

48

Digital technology moves quickly, and dates even quicker. I honestly can’t see there being the same sense of romanticism about driving a ‘classic’ from this era in the near future with all of its outdated software, clunky technology and forgotten networks.



This sentence sums it up pretty well. I am already annoyed by driving cars with early infotainment-systems (from 10 years ago) which just look like from the 80s today. Can't think of something like this in a "classic" car in the near future...

49

Very Remarkable point of views here. Specially decades after today. What will they tell us? That they would reconstruct the circuit boards? Where is the fun in riding an Iphone or a smartphone? that is exactly what they are trying to let us use. They want us to accept riding a big circuit board which is hack-able. That is SAFETY? Next time there would be no drivers, instead we can just call our selves users. Cause if this continues it will just be like using a technological device, even my 1 year old daughter knows how to use a tablet. Definitely will be able to use those electrical cars by the age of 2 ^ ^ safety again ? Were is the FUN of driving and handling. I use a non power steering SR20 FWD everyday for work and for family events. I will use it happily for the rest of my life ^ ^ .

50

Yes.

51

I am still trying to figure out why everyone is on this "electric bandwagon". To me it seems a bit of a novelty that people with money have gotten too excited about and have kept pushing it forward. My point is, are we really about to "switch" to something that was only good enough for go-karts ten years ago, when we have invested over 100 years to the internal combustion engine? One word....hydrogen.

52

Probably the best way to mainstream the electric car would be to disconnect it - in the public imagination - from Safety Stalinists, tree huggers and hipsters. Right now, it's too closely associated with obnoxious social elitists and radicals.

Smartphones are ubiquitous because Apple aside, they're not associated with any one niche lifestyle or personality - everybody has one. It's a general technology for the whole of mankind, and that's what'll make electric vehicles common.

The goal is to make the electric vehicle No Big Deal. Bob uses his electric F-350 dually crew cab to get to the oil rig with his team and Sally drives her kids to school in her electric Sentra - not just Tyler taking his Prius to some Frisco coffeehouse for Interpretive Dance Open Mike Night.

53

I like technical advancement as much as the next person, but the downside is that it opens the door to planned obsolescence . For example I have a 18-year-old mustang drives perfectly fine, but in that same amount of time I've had to throw away a few iPhones because they quit working. A 2007 Car that has been maintained will do what it's supposed to do, but a 2007 IPhone will not. Unfortunately, increasing electronic integration/ planned obsolescence forced up grade with our personal Devices is migrating over to the automobile.

Author54

That's exactly my point Jan. Old mechanical things have a nostalgic romance to them. Old electronics not so much.

55

I haven't seen a modern electric car like Tesla in person but what i have gathered, those things are just soulless. Those modern cars with all kinds of gadgets and tech don't have any character. They are a trendy mean of transportation and only that. They don't inspire us like sports cars before them.

Im worried about the possible ban of combustion engines in cars. General population doesn't really care about cars in any level higher than as a status symbol. Electric cars will catch wind soon and start to replace ICE cars. Eventually majority of cars are electric and self driving cars are following right behind them. Then they'll announce banning of all internal combustion engine cars with a couple year warning period. From there the leap to ban all non-driverless cars is not a big one.

Modifying a electric car is gonna be all about the depth of your pockets. Modern commuter cars are a pain in the rear to service or god forbid, modify and electric cars are going to be even harder. You will pretty much need to take them to overpriced qualified mechanics to make any changes to them. Cars will be no longer built with passion but with fat wallets.

Gearheads and car nuts are already dying out. There's a very rapid decline of affordable sports cars. New ones aren't made because of emissions restrictions and there's no demand significant enough. Old ones are already skyrocketing in price. This puts sports cars out of reach for great deal of people.

The downhill has already begun and being poor and not having a license yet im afraid i can never experience true enthusiastic motoring. Older cars are constantly being forced out of the roads because of emissions. Soon you can't drive anything but new gutless econoboxes or exotic sports cars.

Feel free to tear this post apart as im dumb as a brick and it's all probably mostly faulty logic and stupidity.

56

I'd see to it to make sure to rather have best of both worlds for as to address emission concerns and also for those weekends to drive classics at times.

57

I find EVs fascinating from a technological perspective, but to say they are green is pretty uninformed. Until there is a push towards green energy being produced globally, a "green" electric vehicle isn't doing much good for the environment when it is being run off energy that has been created in a coal burning factory. And that is not even mentioning the waste created from a lot of major components that cannot be recycled in an EV...

58

First image looks like car thieves dumped it in the high desert and some hobos bought to open a soup kitchen #future

59

Thanks for writing this story, I love cars, every kind of them, even the modern ones, full of gadgets and crazy features, but even though, I have to stop and think: Cars are stopping from being cars, they are turning in computers, everyting is electronic and automized (don't know how to spell that one, LOL) Nowadays, manufacturers don't even want us to drive cars, in the near future, the only thing we could do in a car is to sit and wait for an excessive amount of wires and chips drive us to our destiny, and this is very sad. I am not against progress and innovation, in fact I am a purist that loves to combine old school with modern designs, but there is a limit; a limit where no computer should reach, and that's aour lives. Robots were made to help human kind, not to transform in humans. If robots do all of the activities we were meant to do, then, what's the purpose of our existence? I am afraid, but also, I am optimistic that thanks to all of this super modern, electronic, autonomous, disposable garbage cans with wheels, we can appreciate in a better way TRUE CARS, cars that were meant to be driven, raced, drifted, modified, and cared. We, as carguys, petrolheads, gearheads, and hell, I even call RICERS, is our duty to preservate TRUE CARS and hold to our beliefs, because, maybe, when all the people have their cars updating and waiting for a server to reboot, they will turn their heads to the cars that only needed fuel and wheels to run...

60

If it goes fast and is engaging and exciting to drive enthusiasts of motion will like it.

Proprioception is fantastic, but it isn't exclusively derived from internal combustion. I had a blast riding my red wagon down grass hills as a kid. No gasoline, sonorous exhaust note, jiggly gage needles, or warm gear knobs required.

Today's electric vehicles are targeted to today's mass market vehicle buyers. Those people would otherwise buy boring CVT strangled crossovers.

Driving enthusiasts are a small subset of motor vehicle users. We always have been. These comments however suggest we're a subset of luddites.

In 1975 the Corvette was offered with a 165hp V8. 165hp. V8. That was our sports car.

The current industry poster child, Tesla Model S, runs the 1/4 mile in 10 fXXing seconds.

The power is there- easily. And it can certainly be packaged in a compelling, engaging chassis. I for one would love a crack at the NIO EP9 around the 'ring.

There's more to this than the robotization of joy...

61

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