New Exhibition (The Car. The Future. Me.)
What does the future hold for us… with hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles on the horizon? Of course no one truly knows the answer but the FBHVC’s chairman, David Whale, was pleased to attend the opening of an exhibition at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon Warwick. The exhibition runs until July 2020 and begins by looking at our first vehicles, some powered by electricity, what designers thought vehicles would look like in the 21st century and whether their predictions have come true. The exhibition also explores the latest technology and questions whether they are the best solution for the future?
Exhibits start with the 1897 Bersey Electrical Cab… 13 cabs took to the roads in London but proved unreliable and only survived for two years. The exhibition brings us up to date with a 2016 Aurrigo PodZero, fully driverless vehicle which uses GPS, cameras, ultrasonic sensors and LIDAR to navigate its surroundings.
It is gradually becoming recognised in the automotive industry that we may be at a point similar to the early 20th Century, when the end of the use of the horse and its replacement by the internal combustion engine happened much quicker than anyone expected. And now, unlike then, there are powerful reasons to proceed as fast as technology will permit from the internal combustion engine to electric power for vehicles. Our valued vehicles may surprisingly quickly become different in kind, rather than simply in state of development, when compared with current transport.
The exhibition uses infographics extensively, interactive displays and is very thought provoking and certainly worth a visit!