Continuing on our series of posts regarding cars in the future, here’s the fourth thing your car will be able to do that it can’t do now:
Financial Transactions
How many times have you pulled up to the drive-thru at McDonald’s or another restaurant chain late at night and realized you had forgotten your wallet? This won’t be a problem with cars in 2020. A small microprocessor will hold all of your financial information. And by then, restaurants will have the technology to communicate with your car and debit your account in a matter of seconds.
If you live in a state with toll roads, you might already have an early version of this technology. Some cars already carry a microchip that a sophisticated toll booth can read so drivers barely have to slow down as they go through the toll area. But, according to car analysts, this is just an early “primitive” version of what’s to come.
You might be wondering how a person can authorize a purchase at the restaurant, though, if everything operates electronically. By then, most navigation systems might have an electronic pad that you can sign in order to authorize the purchase. You’ve probably seen these at department stores where the cashier asks you to sign a screen instead of paper. This will be the same concept. Devices might even use a fingerprint or a retina scan instead of a signature for extra security.
Can you imagine getting a certified Ford during the time when these cars are popular? You’ll be so retro! Let’s hope “retro” is as cool then as it is now.
Come back tomorrow for the final (and possibly most exciting) installment of this five-part series.
For a Ford vehicle in 2008, please visit our Ford dealers - St. Louis, MO and our Illinois Ford dealership.
