MAY 3, 2019
Editor’s Note: Recently the Petersen Museum proposed a symposium to study the future of Automobiles with leaders in the industry. I was dying to be there to listen to vehicle designers discuss the future of the automobile and travel. I’m going to post some of the YouTube links here to allow you to watch the findings. Below is the design and my take on this effort:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVBIlQAh6Y0&list=PL5iSAdHStf8FA_kBAlK7B_FQQGaJhtKhR
The Future of the Automobile Conference, held at the Petersen Automotive Museum, brings together immersive and inspirational talks, demos, test drives and exhibitions to give a glimpse into the future of our mobility. The conference explores the brave new world of the personal transportation revolution that is set to transform every city in the world.
INTRODUCTION: VISIONS OF TOMORROW
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Much like the automobile revolutionized transportation over a century ago, society is on the cusp of a major transformation in how people get around. Massive changes will ripple through the global economy, as well as our everyday lives. Respected thought leaders from the automotive and technology industries, academia, and public policy will share their perspectives on the myriad of challenges and opportunities for the future of the automobile.
KEYNOTE: DESIGNING THE FUTURE – KLAUS BISCHOFF
9:30 – 10:30 AM
Implementing the ideas driving future automotive trends will fall to the hands of the engineers and artists populating design studios throughout the industry. New technologies will require a reassessment of balance and proportion to accommodate their components. A revolution in people’s relationship with the automobile, notably the potential liberation of the driver from control responsibility, will trigger a reconceptualization of interior layout and included systems. It is the designers who will truly decide what the future of the automobile looks like.
BREAKOUT 1
WHEN CARS TALK: CONNECTIVITY AND SECURITY
10:40 – 11:30 AM
Self-driving cars will undoubtedly foster a world where people’s ties to their vehicle are lessened, making the connections between cars more critical. Inter-vehicle communication backs up onboard sensors to help navigate the autonomous landscape. This dependence on communication demands strict control of data integrity and security.
BREAKOUT 1
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS: THE FUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITY PLANNING
The original rise of the automobile led to wholesale changes to the infrastructure and patterns of habitation of the day. Cars enabled people to travel further to work, play, and live, leading to networks of congested highways, urban sprawl, and the rise of the suburbs. Autonomy promises another transformation in transportation and city planning, as computer-controlled cars can be more densely packed on roads, and on-demand vehicles lower the need for parking.
BREAKOUT 2
THE FUTURE OF OWNERSHIP AND RIDESHARING
11:40 – 12:30 pm
For the better part of a century, the car has been a central part of people’s lives. However, many people feel that the love affair people have with their car is ending, and the newer generations are increasingly uninterested in automobiles. As cars become more of a service and less of a possession, radical changes are to be expected for automakers, insurers, and many other industries that have been built up around the automobile.
WHO IS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT? ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTONOMY
11:40 – 12:30 pm
Removing humans from the driving equation requires replacing their senses and decision-making. Advances in sensors and artificial intelligence enable this future, as technology progressively replaces the human component. While partly a function of technological capacity, the rise of autonomy opens up a pandora’s box of ethical issues that must be addressed as well.
MID-DAY KEYNOTE: HUMAN DRIVING IN THE AUTONOMOUS FUTURE – MCKEEL HAGERTY
1:30pm- 2:30 pm
McKeel began playing with cars as a boy and hasn’t stopped since, turning his parent’s small local insurance agency into the world’s largest provider of specialty insurance to vintage vehicle enthusiasts and an automotive lifestyle brand focused on the love of cars and driving.
His “grow yourself first” approach to life and leadership has been so successful that in 2016-2017 he was elected international chairman of YPO, the world’s largest peer-to-peer group for CEOs. During his term, he traveled extensively, talking to world leaders and business innovators about leadership and success. He’ll share his thoughts on these subjects in his first book, “Who Will Lead?” due out next spring.
McKeel’s knowledge and enthusiasm have given him a reputation as an authority within the automotive and automotive media worlds, representing the classic car community on numerous boards and advisory groups, and appearing regularly as a commentator for ESPN, SPEED, CNBC and Discovery. He is also a long-time judge of the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
BREAKOUT 3
POWERING THE FUTURE
2:40 – 3:30 pm
While autonomy and self-driving cars get the majority of popular attention, the most progress toward transforming automobiles has occurred in propulsion. While electric vehicles are not a new idea, modern advances in motors and, most importantly, batteries, have greatly increased their capabilities. As the future of the automobile goes electric, are the days of internal combustion numbered, and how does this affect the infrastructure and services built around the car?
BREAKOUT 3
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERFACES, DESIGN, AND THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
2:40 – 3:30 pm
The set of instruments and displays found on most vehicles has been standardized over the course of decades to maximize driver ease and control. With the increased dependence on technology, and less driver responsibility, new approaches are necessary to provide feedback to drivers and to keep them engaged with the driving experience. How do you remove control from people while still keeping their attention?
BREAKOUT 4
RISING CHINA: COMPETITION OR COOPERATION IN FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY
3:40 – 4:30 pm
The birth of the car was a product of innovation in a core set of advanced industrialized countries. More than a century later, a new revolution in automotive design is taking place against a setting of globalized industries and technologies. New market entrants, such as China, are seeking to be leaders in the new era of autonomous automobiles. Will international competition rule the day, or will countries learn to cooperate in the establishment of standards and the sharing of technologies?
BREAKOUT 4
THE INDUSTRY FUTURE: MANUFACTURING TRANSITION
3:40 – 4:30 pm
The rise of autonomy and electric vehicles not only will foster change in how people use their cars, but also in how automobiles are made. New designs, utilizing innovative production techniques and advanced materials, will require retooling by major automakers, while also creating opportunities to new market entrants. Just as manufacturers proliferated during both the automobile’s infancy and the period following the Second World War, the future of the automobile is likely to entail waves of decentralization, strategic partnerships, and eventual reconsolidation around a potentially different set of key firms.
Here is information on all the talks and panelists — https://www.futureoftheautomobile.org/
The other side of the equation
I would hope some of the speakers and attendees would address the following: A chunk of the public believe there’s nothing entertaining or invigorating about driving a car or riding a motorcycle. I don’t buy it. This is a concept fostered by enabled kids, who are not responsible for their own transportation and the threat of Global Warming. Doomsday is at hand if you don’t stop driving your wonderful car!
Some believe that all the future millennials want only to stare at their cell phones for the rest of their lives, no physical involvement with the rest of the world. I beg to differ, which would change the direction of this symposium. So, let’s turn the page and call it the Future of the Driving Experience. How can we improve the driving experience?
In this case the over-riding goal would be to enhance the driving experience since as they said, “The automobile industry is responsible for over 7 million jobs in just the U.S.” So, why are cars left parked for 95 percent of the time?”
I would suggest Congestion should be a major topic, which would lead to enhanced infrastructure. Could folks enjoy a magnificent driving experience through expanded infrastructure?
The Driving experience topic could include safety technology, automation, etc.
The electric vehicle topic could also embrace infrastructure and how electric cars could remain charged and maintained.
A growing population needs to be a topic. Can we build lanes in interesting ways to make the driving experience more fun and entertaining? Or do we need to build vehicles capable of airborne travel to avoid the use of more roads. I personally want to see the flying chopper. It’s coming.
We could also study government interference. How is owning a car or motorcycle more costly and cumbersome than in the past. How could we improve the driving ownership experience?
And finally, the rotten egg in all these discussions. Your booklet lists Transportation as the cause of one quarter of greenhouse emissions. That’s not true. More and more this effort to make mom’s SUV the bad guy is falling apart. This obviously needs to be a part of the discussion.
–Bandit
