Embracing the Past and Future: The Evolution of Our Automotive World
Hanging on or holding out!
Some say they wish they still had their first car or a car from their past. Nostalgia with a touch of hindsight as murmurs boil upon the warped reflection of the most reliable or valuable vehicle ever owned.
On the one hand, many people love what the future has in store for their mode of transportation—the technology on offer, the creations in the making and the concept of future vehicles.
Whether your preference is for the old-school or the new age, there is always the option to fence sit, torn between these two eras of our automotive world, by appreciating what we had and looking forward to what’s to come.
On the other hand, we love our old-school thumping petrol V8 engines, high-boosting turbocharged performance vehicles, and our older model diesel four-wheel drives. The experience was that repairs and maintenance were simpler earlier, with much less to worry about if something went wrong. In the days of backyard mechanical repairs, you could jump the fence and help your neighbour tune the engine on their car, or service their car without even thinking twice about it.
Now that we are in this transition phase to the future, we are seeing the latest and greatest technologically advanced systems added to our everyday drive cars. Systems that make driving pleasurable with features such as full climate control, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), traction and stability control, electronic steering, parking assistance, cameras everywhere, car play radios (these do not even have a CD slot) and satellite navigation to name a few.
The technology has progressed significantly, enabling these features to become standard in new vehicles and newer model cars.
The talk of Battery Electric and Hybrid Electric vehicles is taking off worldwide and in Queensland. Then comes Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, a concept that will more than likely replace our fossil fuels over time, giving us much nicer emissions.
Are we excited for the future? Yes.
Are we careful to preserve history, experience and knowledge? Absolutely.
As more technology becomes available, it becomes more affordable, and items which used to be add-ons are standard. The advancements yet to come in the automotive industry will be nothing short of amazing, especially if we consider the significant change a simple 2018 Hyundai Tucson has seen compared to the 2010 model.
The two vehicles are chalk and cheese, with only eight years in between.
While many old-school vehicles will succumb to their end, there will always be those people among us who keep the classics alive and well. As long as we can purchase petrol, they’ll run. Perhaps one day, conversion kits will be available to upgrade to Hydrogen Fuel Cells.
Having purchased a 2018 Ford Mustang this year with the sole purpose of racing it at RockyNats, (ok, there are more reasons than that), we intend to hold onto it for so long that one day it might be as rare and as valuable as the 1968 model is today.
Will we upgrade to more futuristic modes of transportation? Of course. However, we will wait for others to smooth out the bugs before we do so that we know exactly what we’re in for.
With one-half of this columnist team working in the electricity distribution sector, and one now 26 years in the automotive trade and heading to Brisbane to upskill in Electric Vehicles at the time this prints, it makes sense that we invest time and energy into learning as much as possible. This ensures we know what we’re in for and can share with our networks, enabling others to join us on the journey. Understanding what technology is heading our way and the specialist tools and equipment needed will ensure we are always prepared to enable adventure.
