Self-driving
cars are just beginning to creep onto our highways. But in the future,
autonomous vehicles may dominate the roads, freeing up their human
passengers to engage in all sorts of other activities. For instance, you
might want to spend your morning commute pouring through your emails
whilst a barista prepares your pumpkin spice latte. Wait, what?!
The notion
that “driving” may be a very different experience in the near future
hasn’t yet had much impact on vehicle design. By and large, self-driving
cars are being built in the image of the cars we use today. But Michael DiTullo,
chief design officer over at Sound United, thinks we could be having a
lot more fun imagining the future, which is why he’s created a fantastic
series of drawings depicting what the evolution of self-driving
vehicles might look like.
As is often
the case with new technologies, DiTullo suspects the first few
generations of self-driving cars will look an awful lot like their
human-driven predecessors, but that we may start seeing subtle,
incremental changes. For instance, steering wheels could start getting
smaller and more vestigial as they’re used less, seats might start to
trade functionality for comfort, speed and fuel gauges may give way to
movie screens:
A few
generations in, things start getting really interesting. DiTullo images
that self-driving cars will integrate into the sharing economy to the
point where renting a car by the hour or mile becomes commonplace. But
by the time we get there, why should cars look like their 20th century
ancestors at all? Why rent a cramped hatchback when you could take a
Starbucks owned and operated vehicle out for a spin and sit in a lounge
chair sipping overpriced coffee while you’re stuck in traffic? Need to
run an errand during your lunch hour? Grab a burrito car! Running out of
date night ideas? Why not catch the latest summer action flick in an
autonomous movie theater? Drive-throughs are so old school, anyway.
Here’s what DiTullo has to say on the matter:
I imagine an entire crop of small businesses existing solely on cars. The payment in exchange for the goods and services these businesses provide would pay for the car journey itself.Ultimately, I think there is room for the coexistence of the entire experience spectrum, from fully automated transport, to completely manual analog cars designed just for enjoyment. Personally, I want the best of both worlds, a self-driving experience to get me to and from work, and a vintage sports car to putz around in on the weekend and have a blast on the backroads. Hopefully, the traditional automotive driving experience won’t be relegated to purely immersive VR experiences. Every trend has its counter trend.
Personally,
I’m a bit concerned about the legal issues that are bound to crop up
when your self-driving coffeeshop hits a pothole and you spill hot
coffee all over yourself. But sign me up for that burrito car.
Images via Michael DiTullo and reproduced with permission. You can check out more of his work over at Polk.
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