Text and images by Richard Bartholomew –
Many men like mechanical things to varying degrees of complication depending on access. In simpler terms men like to fiddle with gadgets and the more money a guy has there is a bigger chance that his gadgets are bigger and more complicated, hence these billionaires in the news going to space lately, the very highest level of the ‘my toy costs more than your toy’ game. But it isn’t just a game and it isn’t just space travel that is advancing.
The world is turning to electric powered and self driving vehicles. You can’t stop it by complaining about the power grid or complaining that new cars are too smart for their own britches and that they shouldn’t be driving cleanly on our roads and thereby replacing all the accident prone human guided smog spewers.
A Possible Electric Robot Car
Many times here on My Car Quest, and other sources, a lot of comments are posted by people that really do not want to get rid of the internal combustion engine (ICE). They generally all bring up the power grid, lack of chargers and the carbon footprint these cars generate during the manufacturing process (including the batteries) and none of these arguments sway me from embracing the electric future because solving problems is what people do. I believe the only constant is change and forward is the best way to go.
I envision advances in everything and the twenty or thirty years that car companies are talking about to change to all electric cars and trucks is a lofty goal but not unreachable and who knows what other advances will mean in the large scheme of things?
My visions of cars in 50 years: The cars are so smart you barely notice them, they pick you up when you tell your phone or smartwatch that you’re ready to go somewhere, they already know your schedule, they go charge themselves by themselves after they drop you off. People, like kids today, will walk from their living space to their car without taking their eyes off the smart phone game they are playing and then SAFELY keep playing while the car takes them to their destination.
No Accidents – cars are light because they are all connected via internet, no need for big heavy bumpers or side beams. Consider even a three wheeler because no human driver means no getting into situations they shouldn’t and at speeds that are dangerous. Maybe coachbuilding will return as gadget guys perfect different bodies for small and midsized chassis.
When I made this illustration melding a Lamborghini and a Rover I didn’t intend to make it a three wheeler but as I was moving the wheelbase around I took off the front wheel and filled in the space and it ‘became’ a three wheeler and voila! A small robot three wheeler is the future of the peoples car or it could be.
It is my humble opinion that too many polluting ICEs is a problem that can be solved and I wouldn’t mind having a robot conveyance that looks like this and picked me up when I wanted and took me safely where I want to go.
So, small electric cars, light and swift and all computer controlled and connected to each other saves the air from tons of bad stuff, saves lives and car and property damages from bad drivers, saves resources for other things besides four ton land yachts (space travel?), puts drivers and some insurance brokers out of a job, some mechanics will have to learn other skills. There also may be many fewer cars on the road as deliveries become robotized.
I am sure there will be changes that nobody could imagine, good or bad. I just don’t think we can or should stop progress.
Worst case: a Soylent Green, Blade Runner world.
Best case: we solve all our problems and the aliens are friendly and don’t want to eat us.
I only know for sure that I nor any old car guys that I know personally will solve the problems of the electric change over, but it will happen.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Richard Bartholomew is an artist and photographer based in Southern California. Visit his YouTube channel here. He is open to interesting consignments and can be reached at zeroagenow@aol.com
Could be a convertible too
When you say all cars are connected by internet you are really saying ICE cars will be OUTLAWED. Done away with. Zilch.So let’s close all the engine building schools, fire all the engine mechanics, close all gas stations, and meet Ric’s Brave New World. Tis sounds like some West LA liberal’s idea of a perfect world, like where they build $500,000 condos for the homeless
No, I mean all cars will all be connected to the internet so they will never bump into each other like human controlled cars often do. But yes, ICE cars will be done away with, that is the point of the article and you can’t stop it.
”All the engine building schools”? Do you mean along with all the horse stables on every block?
Gas stations can become something else, maybe charging outlets because for all we know the ‘not so fast’ charging problem that electrics have may be solved in the near future.
Seriously Wally, the change is coming so we might as well do it right, which might mean using several formats to start with until we figure out which is the VHS and which is the beta.
If your answer to homelessness and the electric car changeover is just to whine then neither will ever be solved so I refer you to the last sentence of the story.
Wow, ugly cars, no ability to use your mind because the computer thinks for you, total conformation, this sounds just awesome.
Please clone me next so I can be a drone. I am sure we can get a little more plain jane yet if we keep letting other morons dictate our futures for us.
Is this what America has become?
First, I don’t think they are ugly, Second you can still use your mind, you just won’t be able to drive drunk because your mind is sure you can handle it.
As for ‘clones and plain Jane’ maybe you haven’t noticed but cars today all look the same anyway and I like the looks of Electric cars so to each his own in that respect. Maybe you missed the part about possible coach building coming back for future smaller lighter cars, at any rate I guess you can be cloned if you want to be a drone whatever that means. If you think the switch to electric cars is moronic then I am ecstatic you do not get to decide the future. America is still the place where people can improve and innovate the worlds technology. ie. green new deal. And we will get even better at it when the loonie clean coal cult is gone, btw there is no such thing as clean coal.