The World of 2045
In which we, the 2018 staff of Popular Mechanics, asked the smartest engineers and futurists for their visions of future cities, and built a handbook to navigate this new world.
Popular Mechanics Editors
Oct 14, 2018
Transportation 2045
Back in the 2020s, the tech industry started talking about transportation as a service (TaaS). Instead of owning and operating your own car or even your own bicycle, you told an app where you needed to go, then used a network of shared wheeled things to get there. What started with companies like Lyft and Uber led to Ryde, the company that won the TaaS war in U.S. cities.
After decades of controversies and fatalities, we’re still years away from completely eliminating the need for a human behind the wheel, but leaps in autonomous driving technology led to one specific advantage that Ryde is now deploying: When the vehicle operator (VO) ends their shift and there are no occupants, vehicles can safely deliver themselves to recharging and cleaning warehouses. Before this level of autonomy, the VO had to park conveniently close to home, taking up space in already congested areas. Now that the vehicle can move itself, it can be idle conveniently far away from a city center. After cleaning and recharging, the car finds the VO, then places itself strategically close to passengers headed to a common destination. The type of vehicle you order can vary depending on users’ plans. Commuting? Sit around a shared work surface. Weekend? Join other standing passengers on a bus with a food stand or retail space.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a22824579/city-future-2045/
