And now, here’s the final installment of Five Things Your Car Will Do in 2020. And if there’s any concept that’s been talked about as much as flying cars, it’s this one:

Your Car Will Be Able to Drive Itself
That’s exactly what the engineers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are working on as you read this. Can you imagine a robot-like technology that drives your car for you so you can enjoy your morning paper and coffee on the way to work?

In 2005, a Stanford robotics expert won a prize for creating this hands-free, feet-free, attention-free vehicle. He named it Stanley. The expert created the technology for soldiers in combat, but engineers will likely get it into the hands of the consumer before that actually happens. Up until now, the robotic creations have only been able to go about 15 mph. But once auto engineers get an inch, they’ll take it for miles. It wouldn’t even be out of the realm of possibility to open up the highways to a 100-mph speed limit (or even more) once the engineers are done with this job.

Analysts feel that a completely robotic car with sensors, predictors and other sophisticated technology will save thousands of lives each year. They don’t know if there will be a need for “Robotic Cars Only” lanes until we’ve phased out the human-driven cars. Only time will tell what’s in store for the future of automobiles.

Today, you can get the best the auto industry has to offer with a certified Ford. You might still need to pay attention when you’re driving your kids to school, but the comfort and technology makes these quality vehicles feel like a dream. Drive one today and see what I mean.

To buy a used, certified, or new Ford vehicle today, please visit our Ford dealers in St. Louis MO or our IL Ford dealers.

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.

If you remember, we started a series of posts on Thursday of last week talking about five things your car will be able to do in 2020 and beyond (maybe even a year or two before). The first two capabilities were predicting the future and communicating with the road. For the third installment, today’s feature is:

Your Car Will Know When It Needs Repairs

With Wi-Fi networks taking over everything in our society and infrastructure, why wouldn’t they be able to affect the way cars run, too? Analysts predict that in the next ten years or so, cars will be able to communicate wirelessly with service stations along the road. With this interaction, the possibilities are practically limitless. The service station’s network can send your car a signal to tell it that it’s time for another oil change. Or it can even check your car’s safety sensors to see if there are any potential problems that could occur farther up the road.

But that’s not the most exciting part. When hybrids and electric cars take over the road, there’s a possibility that satellites could recharge your vehicles from space. By gathering solar energy and them transmitting that power to vehicle receivers through a wireless communication signal, satellites could recharge your vehicle while you sleep!

While these changes are taking effect, though, invest in a certified Ford to get you through these Dark Ages of car technology. You’ll get the quality vehicle you need at a price you want, and it’ll probably last you until the days when your car will be more intuitive than you.

Yesterday we talked about how your car will be able to predict the future in 2020. Today is Part Two.

Communication with the Road
The second thing your 2020 car will be able to do that it can’t do now is communicate with the road. That’s right . . . the road.  Sounds crazy, right? Listen to this. The road will also be able to communicate with your vehicle.

Automakers and local governments are already working on this technology by installing Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) systems into the major roadways of major towns. With these wireless signals, vehicles can talk to each other and the road’s infrastructure. It’s not known yet if the blue vehicles can buy the pink vehicles a drink. Maybe that’s in store for 2040.
The wireless communication networks will have the capability to monitor where cars are going. Some companies are even working on technology that can pinpoint any GPS-enabled vehicle within a few centimeters. This will inevitably involve putting more satellites into space to track the vehicles more accurately.

Here’re two more good things about the new technology. Emergency vehicles will be able to remotely change red lights to green and vice versa to avoid entering intersections with unsuspecting drivers. The new system will also alert drivers of horrible weather conditions and provide alternate routes.

On the other hand, does anybody else think “Big Brother” when they read stories like this? I know the government couldn’t care less about what I’m doing, but it just seems too intrusive to me. These new technologies may also tend to make drivers less aware of their surroundings.

Until these new technologies are available, make a wise investment in a certified Ford.  As they are newer models, you can experience the latest gadgets and technology that automakers have to offer in today’s market.

You’ve seen the commercials for the cars that can park themselves with the push of a button. You’ve probably even seen the vehicles that can change lanes by themselves. But it looks like that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as what vehicles will be able to do in the next decade.  A CNN.com article discusses five things a typical car will be able to do before long. And it might surprise you that none of those five things includes flying.

Predicting the Future
No, there probably won’t be crystal balls on the dashboards of modern vehicles in the year 2020, but cars will be more intuitive than they are now. Some analysts believe it will be standard for vehicles to look for possible dangers ahead so they can react instantaneously and avoid accidents. For instance, you car might be able to predict when pedestrians are crossing the streets even as they are merely approaching the intersections.

This isn’t witchcraft, either. But it does involve a high level of sophistication in the area of artificial intelligence. Vehicles will have hundreds of sensors, both short-range and long-range.

Also, vehicles of the future will work with video monitors at intersections. These monitors will be able to feed information into your vehicle’s computer system through a wireless network as far as 30 miles away. The car can then warn you about potential dangers coming up or even take action itself to avoid these dangers. Several major metropolitan cities already have this technology at many intersections, but it will be much more widespread by the time these vehicles hit the market.

You won’t find these features on your certified Ford for at least another decade. But there’s no reason you shouldn’t get one of these quality used Ford vehicles today. With a little TLC, it’ll last you until these new models come out and probably for several years afterwards.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two!