What Is The Future Of Car Travel?

Each morning, millions of us awaken like zombies, throw on our clothes, and stumble to our cars. Then, like clockwork, we all drive along the same roads, to the same buildings, where we sit for eight hours tapping away at our keyboards. 

In the UK, the average worker spends 62 minutes commuting to work, while 15% are subjected to 102 or more minutes travelling to and from work. For the vast majority of Brits, that means driving, often at a snail’s pace as they stare blankly at the sea of brake lights in front of them. 

Of course, more and more of us are beginning to embrace hybrid working, where we spent part of our week working from home and the other part in the office. It’s proving, for the most part, to be beneficial for both employers and employees as productivity is up and costs are down. 

But for all the excitement around this better way of working, we will need to embrace the fact that there will always be a need for offices, even if we’re not chained to them for five days a week. 

That means that, no matter how much we despise it, we will still need to commute to work. And unless there’s a seismic shift in government transport policy in the coming years, for most people, those trips to and from work will continue to be done by car. 

But that doesn’t mean car travel has to stay the same. In fact, we’re already beginning to see the beginnings of an automotive revolution. Here’s what direction we’re heading in. 

All Electric

Whether you like it or not, the future of car travel is electric. The wheels are already well and truly in motion on this one and there’s no way of turning back. 

Of course, there are lots of kinks that need to be ironed out with all-electric vehicles, but there has already been a major leap forward in many key areas. The biggest improvement has been in range, with modern EVs able to travel hundreds of miles on a single charge. 

Even so, all-electric cars are still not practical for everyone yet as improvements in the technology and the infrastructure to support them are still needed. 

But that will come, sooner rather than later, and we’ll all eventually be driving silent cars with just two pedals. 

A Place To Be Entertained

Driving to and from work is dead time for most of us. We’re left alone with only the radio and our thoughts for company, whether we like it or not.

This is very different to those of us that travel to work by public transport. Get on any bus or train and you’ll see plenty of people using their phones for one purpose or another, making use of the time that would otherwise be spent staring at the back of a stranger’s head. 

Mobile gaming is one of the most popular choices among commuters. In fact, it is the second most common choice behind listening to music or a podcast, with 37% of people whipping out their phone to play a few rounds of their favourite title. 

Part of the success behind this is the variety of titles as developers have created something for everyone. For those that enjoy traditional opens, card games like poker are a popular choice. This is thanks in part to the fact that many sites that offer these games often provide resources that explain the mechanics of online poker and help them learn how to play it. 

These classic options aren’t the only popular choice though, fans of first-person shooters like Call of Duty also have plenty of choices for their commute. As technology has improved, developers have been able to shrink down these AAA titles to make them suitable for a smaller screen, making them great for commuting. 

Right now, car commuters miss out on the luxury of being able to enjoy games and other forms of entertainment on their way to work. But as autonomous driving technology improves, this could well change. 

Here in the UK, drivers will soon be allowed to watch movies in a self-driving car while travelling at slow speeds and this is likely to be just the start of this shift. 

Safer Travel

Driving in a modern car is a very different experience from 20, 30, or 40 years ago. They are much safer in just about every way and you can often perceive this increased safety, even if you can’t explain why. Bigger chassis, better-designed crumple zones, a cocoon of airbags, and more driver aids have all reduced the likelihood you’ll get into a crash and improved your chances of surviving if you do. 

For car manufacturers, there is still a long way to go. New “active” safety technologies are likely to find their way onto all vehicles in the near future. These will take over from the driver to avoid an accident, either by braking, steering, or both.