AVs, EVs, and Parking

Ashton McCullough • September 3, 2021

In the year 1478 Leonardo Da Vinci sketched a wooden three wheeled self-propelling cart. If it had been built it would have been able to drive itself over 130 feet without any human assistance. In 1935 a man named David H. Keller published a science fiction, The Living Machine, and in it there is a reference to an autonomous vehicle. "I want to show you something new in the way of an automobile. "Nothing new about this," laughed Babson, scornfully. "One of our best and most familiar models." "How about the steering wheel?" "Where is it?" "I do not need one. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Now watch me. We are going into traffic..." (Keller). It amazes me how the concept of autonomy captured the hearts and minds of artists and thinkers far before its physical or technological manifestation.

Over the past 10 years, we have seen an explosion of electric vehicles (EV) growth thanks to the popularity of Tesla. However, what does the future hold for EV vehicles? Will the technological advances of Electric vehicles like Tesla lead to fully autonomous driving? Here’s a look at where the world of Electric Vehicles (EV) and autonomous vehicles (AV) is headed.

Electric Vehicles will become cheaper than gas vehicles

The widespread acceptance of Electric vehicles is going to be dependent on their price. Electric vehicles have lower maintenance costs; they don’t have a timing belt, oil filter, or spark plugs. The current entry price of Tesla’s model popular vehicle - the Model 3 - starts at just $35,000. Investor Cathie Wood predicts that the average price of Electric vehicles will soon be lower than the average price of gas vehicles. This is expected to cause EV vehicles to outsell gas vehicles before the end of the decade.

Electric Vehicles continue to drive faster

Electric vehicles are known for provided incredible acceleration due to their electric motors. Electric vehicles have fewer moving parts so they can run more smoothly and efficiently. Currently, the Tesla Model S Plaid edition is the fastest production vehicle in the world with a 0 to 60 mile per hour time of 2.1 seconds. In the future, a sub 2 second 0 to 60 mile an hour EV is expected to hit the road with the Tesla Roadster debuts in 2022.

Completely autonomous vehicles are less than five years away

Currently, there are several vehicles that offer some level of autonomous driving. Today you can buy a vehicle with semi-autonomous features. For example, Companies such as Tesla, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and BMW make use of autopilot, lane keep, and self-park. Notably Tesla’s Autopilot system and GM’s Super Cruise system. However, it is expected that vehicles will have fully autonomous driving capacity within a couple of years. That means that a vehicle will be able to drive itself between two long-distance points without any driving input from a human. According to Fortune, by the year 2035 the U.S. streets will have about 4.5 million autonomous vehicles on the road.

Autonomous parking is already here

Currently, there are several vehicles that offer autonomous parking features. Some of the most notable vehicles with self-parking capability including the Audi A8, Tesla Model S, Lincoln Navigator, BMW 5-Series, and the Volvo XC-90. In the future, it is expected that many vehicles will have a “summon” feature which will allow the vehicle to drive out of a parking space and approach the driver. The new Mercedes Benz S-Class is currently capable of receiving a smartphone command to drive itself to a reserved parking space. Automated parking assistance systems make entering and exiting parking spaces convenient, safe, and comfortable.

More Electric vehicles on the horizon

Numbers suggests the future of EV is bright. The future of Electric vehicles include more offerings from other automakers entering the market. Some of the more notable Electric vehicles on the horizon including the Mercedes EQS and the Porsche Taycan. Also, a number of electrified trucks including the F-150 Lightning, the GMC Hummer, and the Rivian. We should see at least one EV model from every major automaker over the next few years. By 2022 it is estimated that 289 different EV models will be on the market.

The future is electric

The future of Electric vehicles includes more nameplates, more affordable prices, faster performance, and environmentally friendly choices. Also, we should expect to see fully autonomous vehicles on the road sooner than expected. However, there’s a large need for significant investment in EV and AV charging/parking infrastructure.This will be an exciting time for the automotive industry and for those who want more from their everyday vehicle.

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