Seven Craziest New Car Features

If you take a look at the original Batmobile used in the first version of the Batman movie, it’s comical by today’s standards. Clearly, a great deal of thought did not go into thinking about the future with this version of a rocket ship. On the other hand, the space age motorcycles used in the new version of Tron are available for purchase, and they look like they’ve arrived from 50 years in the future. Highly impractical, they’re nevertheless eye catching. On a similar note, here are a half dozen plus one outlandish new car features.

1. Lane Departure Correction Mechanisms.

Leaving the driving to a computer has been a dream of many a weary traveler for a long time. Now, it’s a reality as these systems not only take note of a deviance across lane lines, but also actively correct the issue. That’s pretty handy just in case you actually DO fall asleep.

2. Cars that talk to one another.

Designed by BMW, this feature allows the other BMW’s on the road in your vicinity to send reports to your auto, telling it crucial data about road surface conditions or rapidly changing weather.

3. Turning the car into an iPhone.

Direct access to Google from your car, so you can figure out what’s worth visiting in the vicinity. This one was easy to see coming, particularly following the success Apple has had with their Smartphone.

4. Power from the sun.

Covering the surface of an automobile in solar panels is a new concept that seems likely to be standard within a decade or two. As electric vehicles take to the streets in ever larger numbers, battery power has to be extended. To increase mileage available per charge, it’s important to bring some charging ability with you as you drive. It’ll be a very long time before solar panels can produce enough power to keep an automobile going indefinitely. However, Rome was not built in a day, but by taking small steps one at a time.

5. Flying cars.

Yes, it’s true. Everyone’s childhood dream of flying around like the Jetsons is one step closer to reality. Some MIT students have built a working model, which runs on unleaded gas and includes wings that fold up for driving down the highway.

6. Holograms.

Like an airplane pilot, one can look at an on-windshield navigation display that helps get you where you’re going. Just don’t expect it to talk to you like Princess Leia did in Star Wars. Yet. It’s not hard to envision voice features being included in near future versions of this technology.

7. Emission-less transport.

Using only wind or solar power to charge an electric vehicle creates no on the spot emissions. Emissions are created in the making of windmills or solar panels, however.

Finding new car prices on models which carry all of the above features won’t be possible for decades, if ever. And if you opt out of all these bells and whistles, think about all the awesome gifts you can buy when you save money on your car.  Until these features are standard, different manufacturers do offer them individually. Choose what is important to you and ignore the notion that this crazy stuff should be relegated to the 28th remaking of the Batman movie. It’s here now.