Published on May 28th, 2017 | by Guest

New Innovations Are Expanding the Automotive Industry

A lot of people are hoping for further improvements in the safety and reliability of automobiles. Ever since Henry Ford brought the Model T to the United States, cars have more and more become a necessity that most people in industrialized Western countries cannot do without. However, with these very useful transportation vehicles comes a rising cost. Traffic deaths are a leading cause of fatalities in globally. The desire to make vehicles safer and more modern has led to several recent innovations.

1. Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars combine electric and internal combustion motors. They are slightly heavier for their size, but they are far more fuel efficient. Hybrid cars are often ignored because of their higher initial purchase price, but they often pay you back in the long run in the form of great savings on gasoline. Hybrid cars are the wave of the future, and more and more manufacturers are including a hybrid option on their most popular vehicles. The most famous hybrid car, which was purposely designed as one, is the Toyota Prius.

2. Flying Cars

Although this might seem fantastical, there are some manufacturers, including Volkswagen, who have looked into the concept. Hover cars include vehicles that combine features of aircraft and cars. Other forms of nontraditional personal vehicles like cars include personal hovercraft. Magnetic electrogravitic vehicle concepts were investigated by inventors Nikola Tesla and Dr. Brown and then classified by the U.S. government early 20th Century. There are reports that some scientists are aware of such vehicles, and so their technologies may appear for the civilian market eventually. Insurance regulations for them would still need to be developed.

3. Turbo Boosted Cars

Some manufacturers, such as Ford, have started downsizing engines and replacing the lost power with turbochargers on smaller engines. This saves fuel economy while still giving the power benefits of larger engines. If you drive a car with one of these devices fitted to it, it can help you save fuel economy and avoid losing the acceleration that you like on the highway from a more powerful engine.

4. Rotary Engine Cars

Rotary engine cars like the Mazda RX-7 have engines that are a little bit different than typical piston-based internal combustion cars. Rotary engines give you higher power per size in exchange for higher fuel consumption. Rotary engines produce 3 times the power for their size as a typical internal combustion engine. Mazda has been working on a lighter next generation rotary engine.

5. Electric Cars

Electric cars rely solely on electrical generating stations to charge their batteries, which then drive motors for their wheels. Electric cars have been around for over a century, but they have only become mass produced in recent years. Electric cars offer lower power prices and higher efficiency than conventional gasoline vehicles. They are hampered by the need to recharge every 100 miles. Many people feel that this is inconvenient. Electricity is also not free. It is, however, much cheaper than gasoline as a fuel, which explains why electric cars are becoming much more popular. Examples of modern electric cars include the Nissan Leaf, Smart Car, and Ford Focus Electric.

Understanding the modern technological innovations that manufacturers are bringing to the table can save your family in fuel consumption and make your ride safer. There are a lot of new products that manufacturers are designing. Researching them can help you make better decisions in purchasing your next vehicle. Be prepared to ask questions at the local dealership. Salesmen are usually quite interested in answering the questions you might have about vehicle safety and attributes.

Tags: automotive, expanding, industry, innovations, new