Cars of the Future
What will our rides look like in 10, 25, or 50 years?
A Special Feature from Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com.
Photos courtesy Midjourney and DiscoverCars.com.
Cars of the future: predictions 10, 25 and 50 years from now
Our friends at DiscoverCars.com collaborated with a mechanical engineering specialist, creating incredible AI generated images of what cars could look like on their expert predictions. They were kind enough to share this with RV Lifestyle Magazine readers.
The years 2033, 2048 and 2073 are the focus time periods of the research, covering functionality, design and high-tech features. The expert contributed predictions regarding novel automotive materials, AI technology and sustainable energy sources, among other topics.
The expert’s predictions for 2033 included haptic feedback systems that could provide drivers with information by touch, as well as increased use of lightweight materials like carbon fibre.
Mind control may become the driver’s preferred interface with the automobile – will this diminish the fun of driving?
By 2048, fully self-driving cars could be a reality. Advances in sustainable energy sources could mean cars are solar powered or use solid state batteries.
The vehicles imagined for 2073 are very different to cars today, with VTOL (vertical take off and landing) technology enabling them to fly. They could also be sentient and able to converse with their drivers.
The images based on the expert’s predictions serve to illustrate just how exciting cars might be in the years to come.
Expert Vs AI
As well as creating images based on these predictions, DiscoverCars.com also prompted Midjourney to create images simply by providing the AI with the year or how many years in the future this would be and requesting a “realistic car”.
There were interesting differences between the images. Namely, the expert predicted that cars would become bigger and might be able to automatically adjust their shape to adapt to different terrains and situations. In contrast, Midjourney consistently produced images that looked broadly similar in size and shape to a car today.
The expert’s prediction of a car in 2073
This visualization of a car’s interior in 2073 shows the seats all facing each other, as the car is able to drive itself. Feature walls contain living plants that purify the air inside the vehicle. The interior is a spacious, multipurpose space that passengers could use to relax, sleep, work or socialize.
The AI’s prediction of a car in 2073
The AI has created an image of a car that hovers off the ground. It seems to have jet engines on the sides, which could enable the car to travel at incredible speeds. In contrast to the expert’s predictions, Midjourney’s car of 2073 is not much bigger than a car nowadays – it looks similar in size to a two-seater sports car.
Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com, comments:
“The conversation about what cars will be like in the future is very lively – there is often news about how close we are to self-driving cars, or even cars that can fly. However, it’s not easy to imagine how this highly anticipated technology will look. After gathering some amazing insights from an expert, we wanted to use AI to bring these predictions to life.
“It was fascinating to see how many features of these cars of the future already exist in some capacity – these cars are examples of what could happen when technology that is now experimental becomes an expected part of automotive design. The cars look incredible and we can’t agree at DiscoverCars.com which one we would most like to take for a spin!”
Methodology:
DiscoverCars.com spoke to Electromechanical System Design and Development Expert, Muhammad Qasim Sajid, and analyzed several factors regarding what the future of cars may look like. From functionality to materials and external aesthetics. The factors considered were:
- What may cars look like internally in 10 / 25 / 50 years
- What may cars look like externally in 10 / 25 / 50 years
- What functionalities may be developed in 10 / 25 / 50 years
- What reasons may there be for these developments and what benefits
- Are there any ‘fantasy’ elements that could come into play?
DiscoverCars.com then collated the research together and ran through AI software Midjourney with topline information to generate imagery of what these future cars may look like over the time periods, focusing on external and internal visuals.
The images Midjourney generated without using research were created using simple prompts such as ‘a realistic car in 2033 / 2048 / 2073’, or the phrase ‘realistic car 10 / 25 / 50 years in the future’.
This research is fascinating – please take a few minutes to read the full article here:
https://www.discovercars.com/blog/cars-of-the-future
