It's said life's only certainties are death and taxes but another one has increasingly revealed itself in recent years – technology never stops.
Just look at what's happened to our cars this century. Hybrid, electric and other drivetrain technologies are establishing themselves as viable successors to the internal combustion engine (ICE).
Various in-car technology strides are changing how we – and our now-mandatory electronic devices – interact with them. Semi-autonomous driving technology means they can now protect us in previously unthinkable ways.
What do the coming decades have in store? Here's a little of what you can expect:
Move over, ICE
More electric-powered cars will be on your shopping list in coming decades, with a recent report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance suggesting they could make up 57 per cent of all passenger-car sales worldwide by 2040. Hydrogen fuel-cell powered cars – already a reality now, if only in tiny numbers – will also play a part in the move away from current fuels. If you're buying any car with a petrol/diesel engine, it'll likely use some form of supplementary electric propulsion (such as hybrid technology) to help it squeeze out as much as it can from every drop of fuel.
On the cloud
Some luxury brands today offer 'connected-car' technology, allowing owners to download software updates straight to their car, use it as a Wi-Fi hotspot, stream media or, through digital integration, find the nearest service station and the price of a particular fuel from the driver's seat. But the number of connected cars and the array of possibilities will proliferate in coming years. Technology will help us pay for food, entertainment and other pleasures from our car, or operate predictive suspension, with its settings determined by real-time information about the road from other connected cars.
Outside in
Carmakers, including Mitsubishi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are working towards augmented-reality (AR) dashboards that overlay crucial information on top of what you see out of the windscreen. For example, it might highlight a potentially dangerous object, then highlight a 'path' to safety. Other AR concepts involve touchscreen windows that allow occupants to highlight, identify and zoom in on objects outside of the car.
Out of our hands
Autonomous-driving technology is now a reality, whether it's the self-driving function on a Tesla or a basic hatchback with auto-emergency braking. But its scope and impact on our driving experience will grow as manufacturers overcome various technological and legislative hurdles. Technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication will play a big part, allowing cars to 'know' where other connected cars are, relative to them. In theory, it should make fully autonomous driving a reality and lead to much less traffic congestion and road-safety trauma.
Panel power
For years, Volvo has been researching body panels that can store electrical energy. The theory is they will allow tomorrow's largely electric or electric-augmented cars to use fewer heavy batteries, resulting in lighter vehicles and better all-round efficiency. Other makers, including Toyota, are researching energy-storing panels that capture solar energy.
Bag it up
German parts manufacturer ZF has developed airbags that inflate on a vehicle's exterior. These wouldn't just protect pedestrians and add further protection for occupants in a collision – they could be deployed beneath a car, potentially stopping it before a crash occurs.