the real future of the automobile?

[cmcpokey]

so we all have our own beliefs of what the future of the car will be. i think we all realize that the future isn't really in hybrids, but how are we going to move away from fossil fuels.

I have postulated over the last year or so, that the future will be in induction charging for an electric car. receiving power wirelessly as it drives. turns out i wasn't alone in thinking that, and some kids at the University of Karlsruhe built a prototype that drives on this very principle.

Students Develop E-Quickie EV That Runs On Energy Transmitted From Ground - Auto Motto

very cool, and i am glad to see something that i really see as a plausible future. on a self plugging front, i finally, after a few months of dicking about, finished a set of blog posts on what i see as the future of the car. have a read if you like: Pic Key: Driving into the Future

[NSXType-R]

I doubt it. Who wants to invest billions onto infrastructure? They don't have batteries, they're always tethered to charging in the road. There's no way anyone's going to pay for that, let alone hydrogen gas stations.

[Dino Scuderia]

The real future is mostly fossil fuels in our lifetimes....and beyond that fossil fuels will still be a large part.

[csl177]

I'd read about that and think it's another interesting step in broadcast (narrowcast) power, but have doubts. Not so much about infrastructure, but with an ever growing number of electronic devices, shielding will be an issue. Low-power apps such as charging small batteries work now; how will mass numbers at higher transmissions? Still, the experiments are impressive.

The use of capacitor-in-series-discharge is intriguing and I agree, it makes sense to explore. Lithium is a clean tech but charging and range remains a problem. Surely manufacturers and energy distributors know that standardization of package size and application is paramount to those industry's survival. We'll see.

It won't be in our lifetimes (at least mine) but it's more likely that as populations grow and resources diminish, personal transport will become increasingly a luxury reserved for the wealthiest. Mass transit technologies may include quasi-private "cells" or pods that can be directed by computer traffic controllers, but I believe that in 100 years or so what we currently know as an automobile will be gone.

[henk4]

The real future is mostly fossil fuels in our lifetimes....and beyond that fossil fuels will still be a large part.

possibly true, but can you also forecast price developments?

[csl177]

Fossil fuels will be with us in our lifetimes, sure... but increasingly for industrial/military needs, and will be so for the next few hundred years. The world population is conservatively projected to reach nearly 21 Billion between 2100 and 2300. Those numbers will render increased road transit infrastructure untenable. That is, if food production, water availability and health issues hold at levels making such a sustained population even possible. Most curves show a drop of 1-2 billion over that period, ultimately stabilizing. Fossil fuel is the least they'll need
to worry about.

[Dino Scuderia]

possibly true, but can you also forecast price developments?

My forecast for crude is it will remain affordable for economies due to recent large finds and extraction technology....including crude and natural gas.

The catch is the most constant and significant pricing factor....the trading market. For example crude supplies are at a 30 year high and the barrel is $76 when if based on supply and demand it would be $15.

It isn't fair to judge the future price of fossil fuels against the cost of alternative fuels with out taking the 'market' upcharge out IMO. I realize the end user is paying a price based on the 'upcharge'...but for the sake of comparing energy costs...I think fossil fuels will always find the level the market can bear.

[henk4]

My forecast for crude is it will remain affordable for economies due to recent large finds and extraction technology....including crude and natural gas.

The catch is the most constant and significant pricing factor....the trading market. For example crude supplies are at a 30 year high and the barrel is $76 when if based on supply and demand it would be $15.

It isn't fair to judge the future price of fossil fuels against the cost of alternative fuels with out taking the 'market' upcharge out IMO. I realize the end user is paying a price based on the 'upcharge'...but for the sake of comparing energy costs...I think fossil fuels will always find the level the market can bear.

Do you mean crude reserves or crude supplies? Reserves are a function of the price...

[Kitdy]

The world population is conservatively projected to reach nearly 21 Billion between 2100 and 2300.

I have not heard that at all - the figure I am familiar with is 9 billion in 2050 or so and then flat line and potentially decline.

[Matra et Alpine]

Had to go google to check as I was sure Tesla would have tried this.
He did.
Tesla was promoting radiowaves energy transmission at the same time Edison amd Westinghouse were locked in how to send it over wires.

AND YES, in 1930s he BUILT a car run by radio reception
Google it, I was amazed how well he got it running. Tesla's Electric Car

[f6fhellcat13]

[aiasib]

Had to go google to check as I was sure Tesla would have tried this.
He did.
Tesla was promoting radiowaves energy transmission at the same time Edison amd Westinghouse were locked in how to send it over wires.

AND YES, in 1930s he BUILT a car run by radio reception
Google it, I was amazed how well he got it running. Tesla's Electric Car

So how come no one is taking advantage of Tesla's 70-year-old design?

I guess my real question here is, why is Matra's link to 'Tesla's Electric Car' so amateurish and scammy-looking...? Is there is big giant catch that prevents this all from becoming a mass-produced reality?

[Kitdy]

There was a man.

[csl177]

I have not heard that at all - the figure I am familiar with is 9 billion in 2050 or so and then flat line and potentially decline.

My number was from an old UN report, so looked up the new and you're right... more likely 9B stabilizing and then dropping a bit.
Makes sense as a larger portion ages and birth rates decline. Nonetheless, the other issues regarding mass transit over personal remain,
the most pressing of which will be distribution of energy whether fossil fuels, bio or electricity.

And yeah... Tesla was so far ahead, some tech is just now catching up with his ideas. The lightening cage is always amazing!

[Kitdy]

My number was from an old UN report, so looked up the new and you're right... more likely 9B stabilizing and then dropping a bit.
Makes sense as a larger portion ages and birth rates decline. Nonetheless, the other issues regarding mass transit over personal remain,
the most pressing of which will be distribution of energy whether fossil fuels, bio or electricity.

I strongly support public transit... Less people on the roads means easier driving for me.

Beyond that, I think PT is a good option for many people. My friends and I often discuss the state of transit in this city.