No matter your taste in vehicles, the future is looking bright. Some predict an uptick in electric cars while others predict hybrid models will take over the industry. Before settling on which type of automobile best suits your needs, it’s important to understand the key distinctions.
Electric vehicles
Electrification is revolutionizing the automotive landscape. Auto manufacturers are investing billions of dollars to develop more electric vehicles to replace traditional gas-powered cars and trucks, not only helping reduce carbon emissions but also improving public health by improving air quality.
Electric vehicles offer consumers lower costs, helping to keep ownership expenses low. Furthermore, they’re convenient and safer to drive due to lack of gears or complicated controls that could prove challenging to use.
Driverless cars
Despite all the excitement surrounding driverless cars, there remain significant obstacles to their full adoption. These include legal, safety, and technological issues.
Although driverless cars are years away from being part of our everyday commute, it’s never too late to make our streets more efficient. Platooning, which allows vehicles to travel together in groups to save gas and reduce congestion, is one such example; companies like Zoox are already touting its advantages.
Connected cars
Are you in search of a safer driving experience or more efficient commute? Connected cars offer both. These vehicles provide real-time feedback, send alerts, and enable users to summon assistance in case of breakdown or other emergency.
Data collected from connected cars can be utilized to design safer roadways and predict equipment failure. This information could potentially save millions of lives due to preventable crashes and injuries. Moreover, it saves fuel, reduces emissions, and speeds up travel times.
Hybrid vehicles
In comparison to traditional gasoline vehicles, hybrid cars use less fuel. This is because the hybrid has an electric motor which provides extra power when the engine is off. Hybrids come in two versions: mild and full.
Mild hybrids operate using a battery and electric motor system. Although more affordable than full hybrids, their range is limited.
Hybrid vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. According to a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hybrids offer better efficiency than traditional gas vehicles and produce fewer CO2 emissions. Furthermore, these cars tend to be cost-effective to run.
Levels of autonomy
Despite the uncertainty surrounding automated vehicles, analysts anticipate that 21 million autonomous vehicles will be in use worldwide by 2035. As a result, automakers are heavily investing in this emerging technology.
Automated driving functions employ a range of sensors, including cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, lidar scanners, radar, GPS signals and more to provide a detailed picture of the environment around the car.
Automated driving functions will take preprogrammed actions based on collected data. The vehicle also has the capability to control acceleration, steering and decelerating independently.
Lighter vehicles
Fuel efficiency has encouraged automakers to incorporate lightweight materials into their vehicles. While reducing weight can save on gas expenses, it also raises costs. When selecting lightweight materials for vehicles, make sure they are safe, durable and meet government standards.
Aluminum and steel are the two primary materials used in automotive applications. Aluminum can make a vehicle up to 40% lighter than steel, with US automakers hoping to double their usage of aluminum by 2025 and developing new methods for making aluminium parts.
Reduced carbon footprint
Utilizing more recycled and renewable materials in car parts and vehicle manufacturing can help reduce emissions. Utilizing low-carbon energy sources also contributes to savings while expanded polypropylene (EPP), a highly recyclable material which reduces the need for conventional raw materials, also contributes to these reductions in emissions.
Though electric and hybrid vehicles can reduce emissions, the total amount of greenhouse gases produced depends on the particular vehicle. Furthermore, the energy mix in a given power sector may influence how an electric vehicle performs.
Conclusion
Though electric vehicle development is progressing at an incredible rate with features like AI driving systems, many old cars still exist on the road that need upkeep. Thankfully, there are online technical databases which store auto data on millions of petrol and diesel cars produced around the world.