Cars are a changing transport. Seen by many people as a simple way to get around, there is a lot more that goes into them than that. There’s a whole world of technology inside your personal vehicle, including some technology that might make the car slightly less user reliant as time goes on.
Back when cars were introduced, they were based on a very simple concept. Carriages had been in use for centuries. The car simply took out the horse and replaced it with an engine. Initially, cars were just four wheels, a steering wheel to make it turn, and an engine to make the wheels move. Little more than that. A simple little machine that let you get a little bit further than you could get by walking, and it was slightly faster than using horses.
Fast forward a little over a century, and cars have now become so advanced they are essentially computers on wheels. That’s the opinion of NXT LVL Motors mechanic Rasmus Rydstrom-Poulsen. He feels that over time, cars have become less mechanical and more technological, joking that on super modern vehicles such as cars made by Tesla, “maybe the door is mechanical, except for the Model X where it’s the gull-wing electronic door.” When cars have gotten to the point that the only remaining mechanical part of the car is the door to get into it, you would expect that this would have an effect on how people interact with the vehicle.
With driverless cars in the works from a number of car manufacturers, it is reasonable to wonder what the next step is for personal transportation. Right now it can only be speculated on, but Rydstrom-Poulsen has his thoughts on the matter. “…soon, with driverless technology, cars are a lot more like a convenience instead of a utility. You’ll simply just be getting into them, they’ll get you where you need to go…” he thinks.
With the rise of car sharing programs and driverless technology, the way that people interact with cars is changing, and changing quickly. Twenty years ago, power windows were a luxury. Now a car without them is considered outmoded. And now, cars that have a steering wheel could soon become a thing of the past. A new era of convenient cars is here, and most people agree, soon will be evolving further.