5 Most Promising Technologies

SUPER PLASTICS:

Now that carbon-fiber composites are gaining ground, suppliers are investigating other hybrid materials capable of improving collision performance and saving weight. BASF, Bekaert, and Voest­alpine are collaborating on thermoplastics fortified with steel cord. Bumper beams, body members, and interior trim made of injection-molded, steel-reinforced plastic combine excellent energy-absorption and structural-integrity characteristics with low manufacturing complexity and cost. Some clever carmaker will surely add the chrome or faux woodgrain finishing touch.

RANGE-ANXIETY RELIEF:

Fear of running out of juice on the road can be a deal-killer for prospective electric-car buyers. Improved charging ­infrastructure will help to relieve range anxiety, but electric cars could also benefit from onboard mileage extenders. Audi, BMW, Lotus, Mazda, and two European engineering firms—AVL and FEV—have experimented with compact, engine-driven generators (smaller and less integrated than, say, the engine of the Chevy Volt) that hum to augment electrical energy on the roll. The ultimate solution—not yet under development—is a portable hydrogen fuel cell you load with your luggage and attach to the battery pack, enabling highway range comparable to gas-powered cars. 

WHEELING AND DEALING:

Ferdinand Porsche’s idea of building a hybrid’s electric motors into the wheel hubs leaves more space for passengers and batteries, but carmakers have hesitated to adopt this arrangement, fearing that major increases in unsprung weight will harm rough-road ride and handling. Challenging that assumption, Protean Electric contracted with Lotus Engineering to conduct extensive tests ­comparing a standard sedan with one propelled by wheel-hub motors. Lotus’s surprising conclusions: Average drivers won’t notice the performance degradation attributable to extra unsprung weight, and normal development tuning should overcome most steering, ride, and handling ill effects.

GETTING THE LEAD OUT:

Shutting down an engine at stoplights to improve mileage is becoming standard operating procedure, though this strategy necessitates more robust electrical systems. Nickel-zinc battery chemistry (NiZn), patented by Thomas Edison in 1901, is a candidate to replace conventional lead-acid batteries because it can handle aggressive stop-start duty cycles without loss of performance or life span.

WIRELESS CROSSING GUARD:

Some 3000 Ann Arbor, Michigan, motorists are engaged in a Department of  Transportation study using wireless car-to-car connectivity to avoid collisions. Depending on the results, Wi-Fi could be mandatory in-car equipment by 2020. Taking the idea further, GM wants to help drivers avoid mowing down pedestrians. The underlying technology, called Wi-Fi Direct, allows a smartphone in a car to communicate with a phone carried by a pedestrian without routing the dialogue through cell-phone towers. The direct connection cuts the time required to identify a risk from eight seconds to one.