Masters of Future

Giants such as Tesla, Uber, BMW and Toyota, among others, are investing many billions in self-driving cars. Even though a recent MisterGreen survey showed that nearly half of Dutch people say they will never get into a self-driving car, they are really coming. These kinds of negative figures are also preliminary, of course, because when airplanes, for example, were still in their early stages, they really didn't score any better. Some autonomy is already present in modern cars anyway. After automatic parking assistance, we are now also used to things like lane assist, which keeps you within your lane, and adaptive cruise control, where the car itself keeps sufficient distance and adjusts speed. These are functions that fall under level 2 autonomous driving. In the UK, it is planned that fully autonomous driving (level 5) will be allowed from 2025, and preparations are also underway for its arrival in the rest of Europe.

Racing for the environment

Motorsports gives us the opportunity to look a little further ahead. Formula One, for example, has been running hybrid cars since 2009, and teams have been pushing everyday hybrid technologies forward quite a bit since then. In fact, as of 2026, some 50 percent of maximum power will be generated by hybrid systems. So development is going well, which is why the targets are being pushed back. If we are realistic, the whole world cannot drive electric. So combustion engines must become cleaner, and that is the next task for F1. From 2026, therefore, synthetic fuels will be driven - an important signal for the future. Once these fuels are tested and optimized in the extreme conditions of a Grand Prix, they can hit the public roads. All-electric Formula E is certainly not standing still either. The performance of batteries and regenerative systems has, in nine years of racing, improved dramatically. Before 2023, Formula E has even done away with brake discs on the rear wheels and the cars are slowed by regenerative systems. The energy released during braking is converted into electricity to power the car. Since, as in F1, in Formula E the power sources are built by car manufacturers, these race cars also act as driving test labs for the passenger cars of the future.

Gamechangers

If we go back in time a few decades, you still occasionally come across cars that you can say we hardly saw coming and were way ahead of their time. Consider the McLaren F1 from 1992. Despite the name "F1," this was not a race car, but McLaren's first street car, and the beginning of the hypercar era. Thus, the F1 was the world's first carbon-fiber production car. The McLaren was so far ahead of its time that if you pit the F1 against modern hypercars on the track, most still take a beating from this 30-year-old design. Another gamechanger is the 1966 Lamborghini Miura. Not only is the Miura the most beautiful sports car ever according to many enthusiasts, it was also the first street car to have the engine in the middle. This classification actually applies to every super- and hypercar these days. So it is not for nothing that the Miura is often seen as the first supercar. But what about in modern times, are there still cars that have the potential to be a new Miura or F1? Perhaps there are. For example, anyone who went to MASTERS EXPO in December could see two very special cars there. The first was notable enough, as the Dutch PAL-V Liberty is the world's first flying car that is allowed both on the road and in the skies with full approval. Of course, for now, flying cars are a niche market and are not going to define the street scene. Still, they have the potential to become important. Consider, for example, emergency services, who can do much more with a car that is also a gyrocopter than if they had to choose between either a helicopter or a car.

Bespoke riding

Another trend is the ever-increasing personalization of cars. In the higher end, bespoke driving is important, and that now goes far beyond choosing your own colors and options. Rolls-Royce, for example, is spearheading this, but it can go much further. At MASTERS EXPO, for example, there was a Deus Vayanne, a magnificent car with more than 2,200 (electric) horsepower. But even though that's a spectacular amount, what's special is in the platform on which the Deus is built. Williams Advanced Engineering, indeed from the Formula One team, provides an electric hypercar platform. This means they supply a base car with 2244 horsepower and breathtaking handling, then a smaller builder invents a body and interior on this. This can then become a small series or one-off model. So the driving part is left to the nine-time Formula One world champion, after which the look and feel are customized. That's next level bespoke motoring.

Rainbow colors

Even though trends such as increasing autonomy and electrification are easy to predict, there are still surprising concepts from the major manufacturers. For example, look at the Audi activesphere concept. According to Audi itself, this is a luxury sports car, but the activesphere also has a variable ride height for off-road driving, and becomes a pickup truck at the push of a button. It will be interesting to see how Audi anticipates future autonomy. For example, the interior is made for level 4 autonomy, so the car can do everything by itself, but a driver can always take the wheel. However, if one wants to drive at level 5 autonomy, i.e. without human input, the cockpit folds away. Another fascinating concept is the recent BMW i Vision Dee. The exterior of the BMW is done in state-of-the-art E Ink, where the car can change color and pattern in seconds. So do you want to go to a business meeting in dark blue, then go to a soccer game in club colors and go out at night in rainbow colors? The i Vision Dee switches from one look to another in seconds. And that's the fun thing about cars. Yes, you can broadly predict the future, but there are always surprises.

MASTERS Magazine #53

This article is from the new MASTERS Magazine. In this spring edition, three entrepreneurs shed light on the future: Raymon Pouwels (GO Sharing), Merel van Helsdingen (Nxt Museum) and Tim van der Wiel (GoSpooky). According to the latter, the accelerating pace of technological progress offers enormous opportunities. Sports journalist Jaap de Groot outlines the contours of the new playing field of international sports after the resounding success of the World Cup in Qatar. And futurist Adjiedj Bakas also shines his light on the future. Also: a look back at MASTERS EXPO, a road trip with the new Range Rover and interviews with horse Pope Jan Tops, Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner, chef Margot Janse and visual artist Spencer Tunick.

MASTERS #53