As manufacturers are trying to one-up each other in the technology stakes, the consumer is the one to benefit - most of the time. Especially as electric vehicles are becoming the norm, with less mechanical differentiation possible than what ICE offered, automakers will need to up their tech game massively in order to provide buyers with that new USP no-one else has.
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Tesla
Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer largely attributed to driving the EV revolution. Through the Model S and subsequent products, Tesla has innovated and challenged industry conventions on numerous fronts, including over-the-air updates, self-driving technology, and automotive construction methods. Tesla is considered the world's most valuable car brand as of 2023, and the Model Y the world's best-selling car in the same year, but the brand's greatest achievement is arguably the Supercharger network of EV charging stations.
- Founded
- July 1, 2003
- Founder
- Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, USA
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Elon Musk
In 2025, you may be surprised that we don't yet have flying cars, but we do have some cutting-edge tech that you may find on your vehicle in the near future. Some of these have been implemented in limited ways already, but expect the technology to grow into bigger, more encompassing systems that will help to ease your life behind the wheel and make roads safer. Here are some of the coolest features we have found.
This is a general overview of cool tech features currently on the rise; let us know which other features you want to see become the norm in the comments below. We list these in no particular order.
1 Biometric Access
Blink And You'll Miss It
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What Is It | Biometric access to your vehicle |
|---|---|
How It Works | Retinal scans/facial recognition software to access and use your vehicle |
Pros | More secure than a key fob |
Cons | Everyone that's possibly going to use your car must be scanned beforehand |
Biometrics aren't unheard of in the automotive industry - we've had fingerprint scanners in cars for a few years now, with the Genesis GV60 and Kia Telluride being examples of this. Even that tech has been upgraded, with facial recognition by brands like Genesis and Cadillac on some of their European models. We foresee more of this in the future.
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Big companies are using such tech for homes and offices these day, and soon your family sedan could require you to look at the camera wedged into the B-pillar before it'll unlock the doors for you. An infrared camera scans the eye to see whether you are allowed to get access or not. As everyone's retina is unique, this is a more secure way of access control for your vehicle than the normal key fob and transponder we use today. Of course, there are a couple of things to consider for the automakers. Everyone who may need access to the car has to be scanned, which may be limiting - or, in the case of emergencies, problematic.
2 Hologram Windshield
A Virtual Reality Experience
What Is It | Holographic windshield display a la Tony Stark |
|---|---|
How It Works | An augmented reality head-up display of icons on your windshield |
Pros | Visually attractive; safer as it keeps your eyes on the road; it's really cool |
Cons | Could be distracting; may require special glasses/equipment |
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One of the more exciting new things in the car world we could see sooner rather than later, is the use of holograms as a upgraded head-up display. General Motors aims to introduce this technology to cars like the Cadllac Lyriq imminently:
"This innovation will further elevate the driving experience... adding a second plane of graphics that gives drivers more immersive information integrated within their natural field of vision."
- Sandy Lipscomb, Head of Enterprise Design, General Motors
We already use gestures and voice control, so this next step is just an add-on whereby you can flip and page through the menus of the touchscreen in the air, rather than just swipe left or right on the screen. Think Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.
Of course, this flies against the debate regarding the need for more physical buttons rather than the current trend to phase them out in favor of touch-sensitive surfaces. It's also unclear if you would have to first put on special glasses to be able to see the floating icons. If not, and it's all about the equipment projecting the hologram, how expensive will that be - and how will that impact pricing, insurance, and potential repairs? Still, it could be a unique selling proposition for the first manufacturer who goes out on a limb to try it.
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3 Fault Prediction
Your Tires Are Getting Old, James
What Is It | Car-fault Predictor |
|---|---|
How It Works | AI monitors all systems in the car to predict failing quality |
Pros | Early alarm, limit potential damage |
Cons | Start-up cost, repair cost |
A logical continuation of the diagnostic trouble code detection of a car, is the car-fault predictor. The theory is that this is already being implemented in production facilities, where machine-learning and AI are used to predict where a possible weak-point is being formed. The evolution of this is to equip this technology to cars where it can predict and preempt issues, points of failure, worn down bits, and the like.
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This could be especially handy for wear-and-tear parts, or to maybe detect a leak somewhere. The crucial benefit is that the system must detect a problem before it starts to become a major issue, so that you as the driver could be notified in time for it to be fixed before it fatally damages the engine, or you get stranded next to the road.
4 Self-Learning AI
Hey, Driver, I know your style now
What Is It | Self-learning AI driving assistance |
|---|---|
How It Works | Cameras and sensors monitor your every move and driving style and habits, to predict next movements |
Pros | Can give helpful tips on driving style; reduce driver fatigue; make driving long distances easier |
Cons | Disastrous if it fails; potential access to hackers for your personal information |
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One of the buzz-words at the CES Show in Las Vegas was self-learning AI. In our cars, we already use AI in our voice-prompt and voice recognition control systems. The idea of self-learning AI is that the computer learns your driving style and habits, and can then either make recommendations on places to visit, routes to use or how to change your driving style to save more fuel. But how much further can we take that? Can AI learn your driving style and combine with hands-free driving technology to... drive like you?
Related
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The arrival of autonomous vehicles will have an effect on every aspect of our lives, including the world of work.
As with any AI system, the biggest worry going forward will be the amount of personal information the system will be able to glean from you, and then how safe that is. But this could be an unobtrusive way of the modern car to help make your life behind the wheel easier and better, whether it's with tips or suggestions, or taking over the next leg of that 18-hour road trip.
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5 Habitat On Wheels
In-Cabin Mood Creation
What Is It | Monitoring system that switches the lighting, scent, feel, and response of the car to your mood |
|---|---|
How It Works | Sensors and cameras combines with AI to detect your mood and make adjustments to the cabin's lighting, driving mode and music played |
Pros | Fun; can be a boon if you're tired and need to be reinvigorated; can help with concentration |
Cons | Distraction potential is concerning |
We're no stranger to ambient lighting and fragrances and special scents in our cars these days, with many a new car being programmed to release special scents as and when needed. Infiniti is one such automaker. But setting the mood is more than just about scent and sight. One technology that we expect to take center stage in the future relates to setting the mood in your car in a very different way.
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In our cars today we already use various cameras which detect your eye movements to see whether you are drowsy, or not looking at the road in front of you. The next step would be that the central computer analyzes your body language to see in what mood you are in. It can then play soft music and soft, blue lighting in the cabin to fit your mood. Or red ambient lighting and switching the car in Sport mode with the radio blasting AC/DC, if you're on an adrenalin high. The ultimate cabin experience - or habitat on wheels - is the new buzzword in this regard, and the guys in white jackets believe customers will fall over their feet for a feature like this.
6 Wireless Charging
For Your Car, Not Your Phone
What Is It | Charging for your car without needing to plug in |
|---|---|
How It Works | Giant charging pad which your car parks over to recharge its battery |
Pros | Quick and easy to use |
Cons | Speed of charging; setup costs; tech isn't there yet |
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Several manufacturers have toyed with this idea already, and Tesla has showcased the wireless charging tech for its Robotaxi concept. Think of the cradle in your car where you can charge your smartphone wirelessly, and then blow it up to ten times the size so that you can park your car atop it, and leave it at that with no need to find a plug or carry a heavy cable to your vehicle.
"Something we're also doing is, and it's really high time we did this, is inductive charging.... So, the Robotaxi has no plug. It just goes over the inductive charger and charges. So, yeah, that's kind of how it should be."
- Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors
This would be much less hassle at either charging stations or at home. But experiments have been done to see if an entire stretch of a highway could be used like this as well. So, while you are driving on the highway, your car's battery is charged as well. Which is quite nifty, but we would think full of potential danger as well. Maybe we should start with the home charge-pad first, engineers?
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7 Look And Link
If you see it, let's Google it
What Is It | Automatic internet searches depending on your line of sight |
|---|---|
How It Works | Cameras follow your eye movements to see what you're looking at/focused on, then links to a website or search about it |
Pros | Convenient navigation; real-time world wide web at the glance of an eye |
Cons | Still in development phase |
One of the newer technologies Toyota is working on is a camera system that follows your gaze and then uses AI to give you more information on the object you're observing. For instance, if you are driving through a town and look at a coffee shop, the system would be able to detect that you are looking at the coffee shop, and then automatically either give you that shop's menu on the car's touchscreen, give you contact details, or even suggest a prompt for making a reservation.
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It's still in the development phase, but the researchers have managed to trial it without the need to wear special glasses. Instead, the cameras detect your eye movement and gauge whether you are looking at a taco stand or the shop next to it. It is indeed exciting and very practical, if somewhat scary initially at how well the system works. It could also be helpful if you're lost and needing directions, for example, and look at a street name or sign post which could automatically open maps. This is one piece of tech we can see being particularly useful.
Sources: Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Kia, Tesla
