The skycar

Speaker: Justin Ratcliffe (Standard British accent)

How will cars of the future be different?
Science fiction and action movies have imagined amphibious cars, talking cars, cars that drive themselves, analyse you and fly. These dreams will soon come true (except perhaps 007’s ejector seat from Goldfinger).

Did you say cars that fly?
Scientists at the Electric Aircraft Symposium believe flying cars will solve congestion within 20 years. “I’m talking about making aviation available to everyone as a daily means of transport,” says Richard Jones of Boeing, explaining that technology will enable anyone to drive car-planes. If you can’t wait, the Parajet Skycar can take off and land almost anywhere, while the Terrafugia Transition has extendable wings for Bond-style escapes.

Anything more down-to-earth?
The Bugatti Veyron evokes sports cars of the past, but it is today’s fastest car – and most expensive – passing 400 kilometres an hour and €1 million.

Anything cheaper?
The world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, expects annual sales of one million. Although light on fuel consumption, critics say it is aggravating traffic and pollution.

What about the environmental cost?
The Sexy Green Car show in May 2008 proved that motoring can be environmental without being boring or slow. The Axon Automotive’s incredibly light body requires less fuel. The Morgan Life runs on hydrogen cells, proving that even sports cars can be green. With climate change a hot issue, research into alternative fuels is flourishing. Many drivers are switching to vegetable oil; 1970s inventor Harold Bate ran his car on chicken manure. Other potential fuels include electricity and compressed-air, though conspiracy theorists claim oil companies suppressed breakthroughs in water-fuelled cars.

What else is new?
Stanford researcher Clifford Nass proposes interactive cars, like KITT from TV’s Knight Rider. “There’s an Italian restaurant nearby with a discount,” your car might say. “Don’t park here: it’s not safe.”
Nass explains: “Your car knows your preference in music, news, sports, where you shop, what you eat. Would companies pay for this information? You bet!” So would your spouse. Intelligent cars could keep us alert, warn of obstructions and sympathise when we’re late.

When will cars drive themselves?
The Honda Accord stays within motorway lane lines and slows down near other vehicles, but you can’t actually go to sleep. Volkswagen’s Golf GTi prototype negotiates turns on its own using satellite navigation. Some day it may be illegal for humans to drive cars. But a useful control for today is Ford’s MyKey. Parents can limit children’s vehicle speed, fuel consumption and even audio volume: the perfect way to stop teenagers from driving as if they’re in a videogame.