Cars of the Future
Automakers roll out new kinds of cars meant to get you around while protecting the environment
Automakers roll out new kinds of cars meant to get you around while protecting the environment
Maybe you've seen some tiny, odd-shaped cars driving around your neighborhood. Or perhaps someone you know owns a hybrid or an electric car.If not, just wait. The cars of the future are going to be smaller, more fuel efficient, and have lower emissions than the cars of today. And they're going to look a lot different than the cars you're used to seeing.
At the New York International Auto Show, happening April 10-19 in New York City, and at other auto shows around the country, carmakers are unveiling what could be the future of the automobile.General Motors (GM) and the Segway company revealed one type of future car: the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle (P.U.M.A.).
The P.U.M.A. is a small cart-like vehicle that seats two people and is powered by batteries.Right now, the P.U.M.A. is just a concept and might never reach production. Other advances in automobile transportation are closer to reality.
Several super-small cars, or mini cars, are already available, or will be available soon. For example, Mercedes' Smart Car is popular in Europe, and is beginning to appear on U.S. streets. Chrysler's GEM Peapod and Toyota's iQ are two more itty-bitty, bubble-shape cars that should be available in the U.S. within the next two years.
One reason for the trend toward smaller cars is that they are highly fuel-efficient. Fuel-efficient cars benefit the environment by reducing the amount of natural resources used to power them. Plus, they save drivers money at the gas station.Interest in alternative-fuel cars is growing, as well.Right now, most cars are powered by gasoline, which is a nonrenewable fuel. It contributes to both climate change and air pollution. One day, we will see cars powered by more-eco-friendly fuel sources, such as biodiesel, hydrogen, solar power, and electricity. 
Hybrids are one type of alternative-fuel cars. A wide range of companies, from Toyota to General Motors to Lexus, make hybrid cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that run on gas and electricity.
Other companies, like BMW and Tesla Motors, have put cars on the road that run on hydrogen and electricity. Right now, these cars can be more expensive than gas-powered ones. As time goes by, though, both the cars and the systems for creating and delivering alternative fuels will continue to improve and become more affordable.
But it may be more than just cars themselves that change. In the future—maybe the very near future—the way that we use cars may be different.
One radical change might be the appearance of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems, or pod cars. They are designed to carry individuals or small groups of people traveling together. They run on electricity and have zero emissions.
Another new approach to transportation is being developed at the Michigan Institute of Technology's Media Lab.
Researchers at the Media Lab are working on City Cars, electric two-passenger vehicles that collapse and stack together like grocery carts. The idea is that you would pick one up from the nearest “stack” when you need it and return it to the nearest stack when you are finished.
Small, fuel-efficient, and alternative cars are clearly on the road to the future. Stackable cars, pod cars, or tiny vehicles like the P.U.M.A. may be following close behind. And who knows what else might be around the bend!
Now, post
1. One interesting fact you learned about cars of the future.
2. How is it different from cars we use today?
3. What book, story, or movie does this article remind you of?
4. What did you already know that helped you understand his article?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. One interesting facts are that the cars have different shapes and size’s
ReplyDelete2 One way that the cars of the future are different from the cars we drive now are that they look different.
3 This article reminds me of the movie Phineas and Furb.
4 I already know that there were going to be flying cars.
By Dylan
Something cool about this car is that it goes on two wheels. The cars of the future are different from todays cars because it goes on two wheels and todays cars go on four wheels. This articale reminds me of herbie fully loaded because it showed a unique car. I understood this article because it wrote it in such a way so you could understand.
ReplyDeleteby arnav
1. One interesting fact I learned about the cars of the future is that all the cars won`t be powered by gas.
ReplyDelete2. The cars are different from the cars we use today because they will be much smaller then some cars we use today.
3. The movie this arcticle reminds me of this movie called Herbie.
4. The thing that helped me understand this arcticle is I already knew that there would be future cars.
By Ginny L.
1. An interesting fact that I learned was that the cars from the future look a lot different from the cars we use now!
ReplyDelete2. These cars look different from the cars we use today because these cars are like mini, small, or even mini, mini small!
3. This article reminds me of the two movies: Herbie Fully Loaded, and the movie Cars.
4. What helped me understand this article was that I understand that there is a lot of cool and different cars in the world.
By: Sarah L.
1 One cool thing that I leaned is cars of the future will have more fuel.
ReplyDelete2 the cars of the future are really small our cars are a lot bigger.
3 a hereby car is what reminds me.
4 I already no a lot about cars.
By zach