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Possible Futures

changing the auto industry from the outside

An industry ripe for change from the outside is one full of inconsistencies, as is the automotive industry:

• In many cities, we're traveling at less than the speed of a horse and cart, yet drive cars that can travel at 100 mph.
• We buy cars which are unused for most of the time. Should we be buying finite mileage or finite travel time instead?
• What other ownership structures could we have?
• How could we enable owners/others to get value from car use down-time?
• Is there a place for premium automotive service as well as/instead of premium automotive vehicles?
• How could time spent in traffic jams be non-wasted time?
• How can vehicles as an energy source be exploited?
• We have intelligent drivers and increasing intelligent vehicles (satnavs, cruise control, etc) but most of the track upon which vehicles move is 'dumb'. What role can telematics and as-yet unimagined technologies play in developing holistic intelligent systems?
• Could there be a 'Dell' car? (see A T Kerney's Thinking Beyond 4000 Pounds of Metal)
• What impact will there be of increasing proportion of aging and infirm drivers, all of whom have had personal transport as of right for all their adult lives?
• Is there a role for refurbishment of vehicles, rather than purchase?
• What other post-POS actions could renew or recustomise the car?
• The auto industry has a track record of technical ingenuity and incremental innovation, but little understanding of what auto technologies have value outside the industry, and how they can be transferred.