8 questions: the next generation of cars

BMW’s Mini will feature an app in the dashboard to let drivers find and pay for parking spaces online. This month’s 8 Questions looks at technologies being developed for the next generation of cars. 503 readers took part

 1. Would you find BMW’s parking space locator a useful addition to a new car?

Companies like BMW don’t make too many mistakes when it comes to the introduction of new technology. And most PE readers think the German carmaker is on to a winner with its new online parking and payment system. Many respondents said they found searching for car parking spaces to be hugely frustrating and that any help in doing so was to be welcomed. However, some disagreed. The main concern from the No voters was that drivers would be using the parking system while still operating their vehicles, and that taking eyes off the road would lead to more accidents. Smarter technology didn’t always equate to smarter drivers, it was noted.

Three-quarters of readers said they didn’t covet autonomous parking systems. If you can’t park, then you shouldn’t hold a driving licence, it was said. Others were more welcoming of the technology, saying that proximity sensors had proved a useful addition to new cars, and autonomous parking was just the logical next step forward.

Engineers are wedded to their internal combustion engine cars, it seems. And why? Cost. Hybrid vehicles are still seen as something of a novelty, and not worth paying a premium for. But a third of readers had considered buying one. And that figure was far higher than it would have been had this question been asked a couple of years ago. The tide might be turning.

4. Have you ever considered buying a pure electric vehicle such as the Nissan Leaf?

There was even less appetite for pure electric vehicles. Cost was the primary factor. But range anxiety came into it too. Engineers feel that pure electrics are still too restrictive in terms of how far they can travel. Battery life and infrastructure needed to improve, it was said.

This question caused a reader split. Many engineers said they saw the benefits of hydrogen cars in terms of no tailpipe emissions. But others thought hydrogen cars were a pipe-dream that would always be 20 years away.

Augmented reality systems already feature heavily in the aerospace sector. And it seemed that many readers could see how they might be transferred to an automotive environment. There were concerns though: several readers said new technology such as this risked delivering too much information and causing driver confusion.

7. Semi-autonomous vehicles – where drivers can let go of the steering wheel for certain tasks such as motorway journeys – are coming soon. Would you embrace such a technology?

There was quite a bit of support for semi-autonomous vehicles. That was probably because most drivers are already used to adaptive cruise control. Lots of readers said they would like the convenience of being able to let go of the steering wheel on motorways.

So much money is being spent by companies such as Google on fully autonomous vehicles that you have to think that the technology will eventually get to the stage where we will start to see it on our roads. But do engineers think they will own such a vehicle? No, said most readers. Fully autonomous vehicles were a total abstraction of driver responsibility, and many readers said they would never be comfortable with that. Others said that cars were supposed to be driven. It was no fun having them operated by computer. 

Would you like to participate in the PE Reader surveys?
If so send us an email to pesurveys@caspianmedia.com with the words Panel Member in the message box and we will add you to future correspondence.