Predicting The Future Of Travel

Are science fiction predictions for the future of travel ever likely to be proven right?
History is littered with inaccurate predictions about the future of travel. In the formative years of the 20th century, it looked like zeppelins might be the future of air travel – the Empire State Building’s mast was specifically designed so airships could be tied to it. Fuel rationing in post-war Britain led to predictions that bubble cars would fill our highways, while sci-fi films are notorious for predicting a future filled with gyrocopters and electric motorbikes.
Science fiction has rarely translated into reality, although technology is certainly shaping the way we travel in many interesting ways. Volvo’s experiments with autonomous vehicles have recently seen a hundred cars driving themselves around the streets of Gothenburg, albeit under close human supervision. Self-parking technology has already filtered down to family hatchbacks, and manufacturers are working flat-out to develop whole-journey technology. Soon your car could be automatically pre-book parking spaces outside a sat nav destination, stipulated by the appointments in your Outlook calendar. The Internet of Things should also enable cars to book their own services and order spare parts, even if the occasional trip to the local garage is still necessary for fitting replacement parts.
A related area of rapid technological advancement involves fuel sources. Electric cars haven’t taken off yet (literally or metaphorically), and 98% of the new cars sold in the UK last year still rely exclusively on fossil fuels. Hyundai’s ix35 is the first conventional passenger car to offer hydrogen fuel cell technology, and will cost a sizable £53,000 when it’s launched later this year. Many other models will follow suit, and fuel cell technology is likely to migrate into commercial vehicles – its benefits include zero emissions and an abundantly available fuel source. That said, obtaining hydrogen currently involves hydrolysis of sea water, a process which uses electricity supplied by fossil fuel power stations…
From hydrogen fuel pumps to self-driving saloon cars, it’s clear that the future of travel will be far removed from today’s experiences. However, we’re already partway through a technological travel revolution. A decade ago passengers needed a paper boarding pass to navigate an airport, whereas today’s tickets can be displayed electronically on a smartphone app that can be scanned by cameras. It’s been suggested that NFC might enable airlines to check passengers in as soon as they enter a departure lounge, as the technology will alert airlines to their presence.
Some people still regard the Oyster card as being sophisticated, and a similar version (called the Saltire) is planned in Scotland for buses, trains, ferries and Glasgow’s subway network. In future, biometrics may take over from those easy-to-lose credit cards and fobs – a fingerprint or eyeball scan could serve as your ticket to ride. It’s hard to see bus journeys getting much more sophisticated than they are today – there’s only so much technology can achieve – but apps will be able to identify vacant seats and improve upon today’s erratic system of live arrival information.
Of course, Tomorrow’s World has already demonstrated that predicting the future of travel is a highly subjective and unreliable business. Predictions of maglev trains in Britain seem risible given the astronomical cost attached to the technically-unremarkable HS2 proposals, and the days of the personal jet pack are no closer than when James Bond used one in Thunderball half a century ago. What can be said with confidence is that technological convergence should ensure more and more of our travel plans and activities will be regulated via our smartphones, and today’s vogue for green solutions will mean tomorrow’s journeys are cleaner and greener than ever.