Goodbye Hot Rods, Hello Mobility Pods

Illustration by Christopher Delorenzo

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By Bradley Berman

Sep 20, 2016

Let's face it: nobody knows what the car of the future will look like. Despite designers producing nearly a century's worth of wonderful concepts for sleek sci-fi roadsters, personal people-movers and low-orbiting flying cars, the forecast for what we might actually be driving/riding remains murky.

The free rein we've enjoyed to fantasize about a brighter transportation future was granted because we lacked the necessary technological clues about how cars will really function in coming decades. Well folks, get ready: autonomous cars are almost here.

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Some assisted driving functions—like keeping steady in the middle of our lane, slowing down for traffic ahead, or parallel-parking—are already being offered in a range of affordable cars. The expected big breakthrough in the form of completely autonomous driverless cars is expected in the early 2020s, signaling the biggest transformation in vehicle design since the demise of the horse and buggy.

Size Will Still Matter

Geoff Wardle, executive director of graduate transportation systems and design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., is responsible for preparing the next generation of car designers for that cataclysmic change. "The purview of our students will be much wider than stylizing cars," he said. "They will need deep insights into customer psychology, human factors, interaction design, user experience as well as the business and politics of the future mobility industry." That sounds a lot more complicated than designing hot rods.

Nobody wants a 600-horsepower autonomous car

Nope, sleek sports cars with leather-clad steering wheels and rumbling engine notes will not completely go away in the self-driving age. But they will be reserved for a dwindling group of auto enthusiasts. "Nobody wants a 600-horsepower autonomous car," said David Muyres, executive director for advanced products at Shanghai-based Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, the world's largest supplier of automotive interiors. "You would freak out." In an autonomous car, passengers will want a silky smooth ride, to avoid motion sickness and conserve energy (in what will very likely be a battery-electric vehicle).

Sharing is Caring

Perhaps more importantly for future car design, the rollout of self-driving cars is expected to trigger a massive shift to a subscriber-based model for car usage. Think Uber minus the drivers.

Rather than being saddled with a single privately owned vehicle that needs to serve all our various transportation requirements, we might summons the exact type of single-function vehicle we need for a specific trip. As a result, Wardle believes there won't be a single monolithic shape for tomorrow self-driving cars, but rather "a plethora of vehicle architectures and shapes not seen before."

Certainly nobody had seen anything like the Mercedes-Benz F 015 self-driving concept vehicle, when it was unveiled at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It's the company's vision for autonomous cars in 2035. "Our focus was to provide the maximum possible space for passengers, so we created an unusually long wheelbase in combination with very short overhangs," said Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler AG.

The F 015 is like a lounge on wheels, perfect for socializing with friends as you move towards your destination. What if you're commuting to work by yourself? Take a single-seat mobility machine. Going to Costco? Call up a micro-cargo-van. Taking the family out to dinner? Click an app for a six-seat infotainment-oriented passenger van. Similarly, you'll be able to choose the brand of shared self-driving service that matches your desired experience or lifestyle aspirations. "If status is not very important to you, you'll summons a simple appliance," said Muyres. "If you care about how you arrive, the badge on the hood and leather inside, then you'll ask for that experience."

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Source: Goodbye Hot Rods, Hello Mobility Pods