What's the next big automotive innovation?

"NeedForSwede" (needforswede) 01/03/2014 at 15:37 • Filed to: None

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There have been many advances in the history of automobiles: forced induction, seatbelts, car radios, cruise control, et cetera. What's the next major automotive advance?

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:39

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Automonous driving.

After that, possibly flying.

CalzoneGolem > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:39

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Autonomousity.

HammerheadFistpunch > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:39

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I can't tell you

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:39

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laser headlights?

jsmizira > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:39

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Say it with me now..

CAMLESS ENGNES!

William Byrd > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:41

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My first Oppo article was about autonomous cars. That's what I would consider the next big thing. We just need some infrastructure and government approval. The technology is close(ish).

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Beyond that, signs point to a continual drop in fossil fuel use in cars. Whether it's electricity, hydrogen, or some sort of alternative, it will happen. Just not sure when.

CalzoneGolem > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 01/03/2014 at 15:41

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No, it will never be flying.

Milky > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:44

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4 speeds and wife trade ins on new cars.

GhostZ > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:45

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It's currently a race between Camless engines and Autonomous cars, both of which could completely reinvent tuning, software, and manufacturing for automobiles.

DatASSun > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:47

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Here you go Boys and Girls the future !!!!

Pneumatic Valves !!

GhostZ > Milky 01/03/2014 at 15:48

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There is some serious truth to that. It seems to me like each new advantage in widening an engine's powerband is just an excuse to sell a shittier transmission.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > CalzoneGolem 01/03/2014 at 15:48

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Well, ok, driving vertical then. But there is no reason to stay on a surface forever .

I mean, cliché or not, but look at cars in, oh, I dunno, Minority Report. Or the Fifth Element.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > DatASSun 01/03/2014 at 15:49

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I actually can't wait for this, I wonder if aftermarket kits for cars will come out with such a technology.

stoke > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 15:49

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Anonymous is starting a car company? That's going to run somewhat contrary to their heretofore anti-corporate ideology, but it'll definitely shake things up.

DatASSun > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 01/03/2014 at 15:51

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If I can one day drive to work on gas and build up enough air in my tank to drive home from work on air ... I'd be happy .. Especially if I can take that air and turn it into more Hp ..

GhostZ > stoke 01/03/2014 at 15:52

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HA. HA. HA. Facepalm and fixed.

Flat Six > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 15:52

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Yeah you only get one lousy gear in a Tesla :)

GhostZ > Flat Six 01/03/2014 at 15:54

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At least the Model S and the Roadster's torque curves were actually flat.

Joe_Limon > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:56

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My ideal car would have all of the below new/old/etc technologies.

-Laser Ignition
-Camless
-9 Speed DCT
-Continuously variable length intake/exhaust manifolds
-Variable vane turbocharger
-Hydraulic launch assist, or electromagnetic kinetic flywheel
-AWD with electronic clutch based differentials
-3d printed Nanocelluslose/carbon based frame
-Autonomous
-Soft bodied continuously variable aerodynamics
-Continuously variable camber
-Continuously variable damping
-Continuously variable spring rate
-Road condition sensing ESP/ABS
-Tilting seats
-Tire temperature feedback loop into traction control/camber system

-Heating/cooling/moisturizing leather seats
-Cell phone activated car starter ^^
-Proximity sensors to drive adjust settings to a saved preset, including radio/etc
-Humidity control on ac/heater
-gesture/voice control infotainment system
-Bluetooth media center
-Cell phone controlled app/docking/screen sharing with console.

CalzoneGolem > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 01/03/2014 at 15:57

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I think there are plenty of reasons to stay on a surface. Especially if the future is autonomous cars. A rail of sorts could easily be placed in/on the surface to guide cars. Plus there's the whole using energy to overcome gravity bit.

RacecaR > NeedForSwede 01/03/2014 at 15:58

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I think you are all thinking too advanced. It will be the mass production and mass use of the airless tire.

stoke > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 16:00

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Sorry, couldn't resist.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 16:11

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Camless engines will be an evolution, not a revolution from the point of view of the driver. You still drive the car like you did before, it will simply have more power, more torque and better fuel economy. Same for laser headlights someone else suggested: it will be an improvement, but not a dramatic change.

Autonomous driving however, that will dramatically change the way we dri... the way we travel.

GhostZ > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 01/03/2014 at 16:21

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It can make a huge change in manufacturing: camless engines remove the need for multiple gears or a CVT. They can get peak torque at almost any RPM range, therefore a single reduction gear is all that is needed (like a Tesla Model S). to drive at normal speeds. That's a fundamentally different way to doing things, and makes a huge improvement on the manufacturing process and longevity of the car.

Plus, camshaft limitations determine about half of an engine's ability to be tuned or improved, removing those limitations entirely sort of redefines the concept of 'chip tuning'.

As a driver, they may not change much, but from a manufacturing standpoint, this has bigger weight than even Autonomous cars, which only require some additional controllers and software.

Joe_Limon > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 16:27

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See, that doesn't make sense to me... wouldn't it be a flat power curve... not torque curve that would make gear ratios useless?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > DatASSun 01/03/2014 at 16:40

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Just so you know, this "valve" is meant to replace the traditional camshaft driven ones, and it is powered by air pressure.

GhostZ > Joe_Limon 01/03/2014 at 16:42

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You're right about that. A camless engine (not an electric one) would have a flat torque curve, since the speed of combustion cycles would increase as the RPMs went up too. An electric motor doesn't do that, so yeah, it's power curve is flat.

BUT, that doesn't make gear ratios useless. Flat torque curves would make a gear ratio useless too, since torque at the wheels is very different form torque at the engine, and a flat torque curve means any gear can be chosen, and for any MPH, the engine will be in its most efficient rev range.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 16:42

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I wouldn't go as far to say that camless engines could make do with just a single gear. (OK, and one for reverse). You still have the intake runner length and exhaust headers to optimise. You can't tune those optimally for a full rev-range.

What's more, internal friction losses rise with rpm. So you might be able to cruise nicely half-way up your rpm range, but doing the same cruising at a quarter of the range will still mean less frictional losses, and a reason still to have some form of gearing/cvt.

Still, camless tech is very very interesting. Just not as paradigm-shifting as autonomous driving will be.

GhostZ > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 01/03/2014 at 16:44

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Great point, but they actually already make variable-length intakes and exhausts, just so you know. Audi's been doing it for years.

As for friction, yeah that is a problem, I didn't consider that.

Joe_Limon > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 16:47

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Are you sure about that? For a flat torque curve, the power/energy being put out will increase proportionally to the rpm. Sure 50 lb/ft at 2000rpm or 6000rpm will yield the same tractive force at the wheel, but the tractive force*velocity nets you your power/energy... in other words, why have x amount of force at the wheels in second gear, when you could get 2x force at the wheels in first gear provided you aren't redlining.

DatASSun > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 01/03/2014 at 16:56

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well I'm just throwing this out there (into the room ppl throw random things into) but if you were able to have the valves controlled by air or or electricity then at that point you could potentially use the air as a power adder .. think of it as a weak N20 set up .. just put more gas in the motor and instead of the valves being controlled by air they could just be electric ?

I feel like I'm on to something but I dont have the time so I'll leave it up to the Swedish.

Singhjr96 > DatASSun 01/03/2014 at 17:03

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HOLY SHIT THAT IS AWESOME! I wish I could actually see a major company like ford or mazda dump a bunch of money on just producing this technology, and actually see it in use very soon. I also wonder what the difference in cost between this and a normal setup is.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > DatASSun 01/03/2014 at 17:10

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Air in itself doesn't add more power, it requires more fuel to do that. Forced induction already forces a lot of air into the engine, thus there isn't a need for an extra air injection into the engine.

The reason why air is used, is because it's a simpler and more reliable system than electrical equivalents, they also make less noise.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > GhostZ 01/03/2014 at 17:26

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True, Audi, BMW, Porsche, to name a few. But neither can cover the full rev-range optimally.

TheOnelectronic > NeedForSwede 01/06/2014 at 03:55

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Most likely is hybrid/electric systems that aren't massive compromises.

Example: Off-road SUV that gets around the limitations of independent suspension and driveshaft angles by using smaller hub motors

Or, a car that uses a high speed, low torque engine such as a turbine mated with a low speed, high torque electric motor to provide the best of both worlds and fill in any gaps in power, responsiveness, etc...

DatASSun > Singhjr96 01/06/2014 at 11:34

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If you haven't gone to Youtube.com/drive and watch all of the episodes of "inside koenigsegg" then your missing out .

Singhjr96 > DatASSun 01/06/2014 at 17:39

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/drive is really a good channel. I like it quite a bit. Almost as much as top gear, and their specials. obviously top gear is not as informative, things are rigged, but it's still pretty funny.

DatASSun > Singhjr96 01/07/2014 at 09:47

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I just feel like TOP GEAR USA should be made up of Mike Musta , Chris Harris , and Matt Farra .. it would be way more funny and informative as far as BBC Top gear anyone that changes that is a Jackass

Singhjr96 > DatASSun 01/07/2014 at 17:34

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By top gear I meant the bbc version. I don't even know the names of the host on the U.S. version. Watched a few episodes didn't like it.