The 2050 Car
Have you ever thought about how much time you spend inside a car? According to recent insights (see research here), Americans spend an average of 18 days per year inside a car — that is nearly 4 years of their lives. You can only imagine everything that could be done in this meantime.
At Axis Innovation we discuss this question all the time, as we’ve had the unique opportunity to work with dozens of startups and some of the world’s largest automakers on building the in-car experience of the future. Therefore we were excited to see a fascinating report by Auto Trader UK for a concept design for what cars will look like 30 years from now (see the full article here). Based on surveys with over 2000 UK drivers and a partnership with Tom Cheesewright, the world’s first applied futurologist, the 2050 car concept was created. As Mr. Cheesewright added, “Tomorrow’s car will take you from A to B with minimum fuss and in maximum style. Future technologies will give designers free rein to create more space and comfort so that we can get on with our lives while AI takes care of the driving.”
The aim of this project was to make the car a home away from home. Besides being fully electric and autonomous, here a are a few of the most interesting takeaways we believe are most appealing:
- Windows: The 2050 concept car is fitted with windows which extend across the entire roof to provide more headroom for passengers to walk around and 360-degree panoramic views to relax and enjoy the views as the vehicle drives itself to a destination. The car will make several activities and entertainments viable with the presence of a built-in library, TV screen, and yoga mats.
- Custom color and style: By 2050, drivers will be able to change the colour and style of their cars with the tap of an app. Rory Reid spokesman for Auto Trader said, “People are increasingly using technology to express themselves and this tech would remove the need to wait for a colour of car to come into stock or fork out extra to have a car spray-painted a certain colour.”
- Lots of Space: The center of the cabin comes with a built-in mattress where passengers can enjoy the huge space in whatever way they want. According to the survey, people look forward to catching up on sleep, reading a book, watching videos on the in-built screen, playing board games, practising yoga, doing hair or make-up, and a whole list of other options.
While it’s not clear how many of these things will come true and when, these insights are critical to moving the automotive industry forward and inspiring the next generation of technology to make our mobility time more fun, efficient, and meaningful. We look forward to seeing the next innovations in the near and long term future.
