In Britain the RAC has been asking motorists how they see the future
Down to the sea in cars. Cars of the future could resemble submarines which dock on floating pontoons and are powered by harnessing the energy of the sea, according to a report, Motoring Towards 2050, from the RAC's campaigning arm in Britain, the RAC Foundation.
The future could also bring electronic driving licences, linked to the iris of a driver's eye. Using this technology, vehicles could be immobilised if the driver was banned, unfit or unauthorised to drive.
The report showed that as many as 5 per cent of drivers think cars will be beamed, science fiction-style, from place to place in 50 years time. And 3 per cent believe motorists might have a chip containing the rules of the road embedded in their brains.
While most drivers think cars will be more technologically advanced and "greener", they also believe vehicles will look much the same as today's model. The idea of the submarine-like vehicle came from students of the Royal College of Art's automotive design course in London, who were asked to come up with a selection of futuristic designs.
Their ideas included a concept car which had side panels coated with copper and with an interior which adjusts to the occupant's body shape.
Another idea was a fully-automated driverless taxi, guided by transponders embedded in road markings.
The eye-identification licence scheme was part of a series of ideas in the report, based on the premise that money was no object.
Ideas included vehicles powered by a petrol combustion engine with a 300-400 mile range per tank of fuel, and a projected fuel consumption of up to 90 miles per gallon.
Perhaps more realistically, almost half of drivers thought "crash-proof" cars might be possible in future, while 44 per cent thought electronic control of cars travelling on motorways could be introduced. (PA)