Man has been inventing and refining machines since ages. A simple machine like hand axe dates back to 5000 years. We have been in constant touch with these machines to aid or complete a simple task of digging to a complex task of landing on the moon.

Man and machine have come a long way from a master slave relationship. In no time we will witness the idea of machines being smart, responsive and emotional. Humanoids like Sophia, autonomous cars, neural interfaces are examples of a new era for man and machine relationship.

Public and private transportation ecosystem is our silent companion which helps us move around. Personal vehicle will set one of the first examples of a ‘companionship’ between man and machine. They will transform from ‘one that I drive’ to ‘one who knows me’. Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence will pave the way to redefine personal mobility. The advent of batteries, charging systems and motor drives, we can reimagine the vehicles to be not only electrically driven but significantly connected to internet and other devices.

Personal vehicles can be made to understand your personality and be your companion. Riding pattern records, health monitor, mood register, shopping pattern, location tags, self awareness and self service are some of the few characteristics that will largely influence the upcoming genre of electric vehicles.

Our personal vehicles will be an integral part of our lifestyle. They will help us, not only, to take better decisions but will accompany us to be more healthy, creative, mindful and happy.

In countries, where vehicle to gas station ratios are high, waiting in queue and taking a detour to refuel are accepted as part of the vehicle ownership experience. Wherever you are, visiting a gas station is a ritual that no vehicle owner can escape. It has become so commonplace that we fail to comprehend the time and energy we spend just to refuel.

Fortunately, with the advent of EVs, refuelling/recharging experiences are up for a big change. There are fundamental differences between gas station and EV charging station. Supply of fuel to the gas station is through fuel tankers travelling long distances from the fuel depot. The whole process of filling the storage tank and maintenance of the station are resource, infrastructure and time intensive and not to mention, the risk factor of storing highly flammable liquid in huge quantity. Whereas, for electric charging station, electric transmission networks are already in place or at least they are easily accessible and they are much safer and less expensive to construct and maintain.

In fact, EV charging stations, unlike gas stations, can be installed at your residence, office, restaurants, supermarkets and parking lots. Virtually, any place with a parking space and electric connection are potential location for EV charging station. Therefore, charging station network can be expanded exponentially in a short time.

Sometimes, resistance to change is in the mind. Let’s imagine that we are living in a parallel universe where we have to power our electronic devices like our mobile phones and laptops with fuel and for refuelling we have to go to a designated station. We see how inconvenient the ownership experience will be. We sometimes don’t appreciate how convenient it is to recharge our devices ‘anywhere’. When vehicles become smarter and become one of your ‘devices’, it will become even more apparent. And so it should.

As humans, we associate and assign different sensory inputs from both animate and inanimate objects, natural or man-made, to define and recognise it. For vehicles, the last 100 years of Internal Combustion Engine dictates that more power requires bigger engines, which emits louder noise. So, we associate louder engine noise with a more powerful vehicle.

But the emergence of electric motor for vehicle propulsion defies this association. Because electric motors are quiet and there is a nominal increase in loudness with even more powerful motors compared to ICE.

Recently, EU has passed a law to equip EVs with artificial noise to alert pedestrian at lower speed. Few EV companies have added engine sound to their vehicles not only for pedestrian safety but to make the driver/rider feel the power.

Maybe this is just a transitional phase for us to adapt to the new era of silent electric transport. But we should try to exploit the absence of noise to our advantage.

The World Health Organization [WHO] has fixed 45 decibels as the safe noise level for a city. Experts believe that continuous noise levels in excess of 90 decibels can cause loss of hearing and irreversible changes in the nervous systems. Metropolitan areas in India usually register an average more than 90 decibels. Vehicle noises contribute a sizeable percentage to this.

When the overall noise of the city reduces, we will be more sensitive to the quieter noises in our vicinity. Imagine a ride that not only soaks in the sights but also the actual sound of your surrounding and nature. That will be a more pleasurable experience.

And secondly, let’s look at a shark or a tiger. We recognize them as a powerful predator from sight alone without even their sound. In fact, stealth is their strength and advantage. So, it is possible to represent power and performance with other sensory inputs that don’t pollute, especially noise. It is open to the designers and manufacturers to come up with new vocabularies to represent them efficiently.

Why do we need a separate garage for parking? What if, it can be parked straight into your living room? What if, you don’t need a parking space? What if, your car can park itself? Parking today is a source of frustration, pollution and congestion. Shortage of parking space is becoming a huge problem in modern cities. As an example, in the city of Pune in India, for 25 lakhs registered vehicles, it has parking space for only 1800 vehicles. The cost of construction and land for building public car parking is expensive. Also, owning a dedicated personal garage in the house in the city is a very expensive proposition only few can afford.

The way we understand parking space is going to change with electrified, autonomous and sharing automotive future. With the imperative demand to reduce carbon footprint, architecture will have to play a major role to take advantages of the coming EV era. Lot of changes have already been contemplated in urban planning and building guidelines for smart cities development considering the evolution of smart and electric vehicles. Electric Vehicles is clean with zero tailpipe emission and negligible noise compared to internal combustion engine. This can completely disrupt the idea of garage design. This will allow the vehicle to share living space without the need to isolate it. Contemporary buildings and residences can incorporate lifts and ramps to park and charge vehicles directly into the personal space or on any empty floor reducing the street congestion.

So, it won’t be any surprise when electric vehicles are parked inside your living room for charging. Your vehicle could also become a source to generate and exchange power required for residence & household devices. It can communicate with you, be your companion and give complete entertainment solutions. With autonomous vehicles it will be possible to park itself and summon remotely. Design of the parking space will have to incorporate provision to allow these autonomity efficiently. Shared vehicle, when it becomes more mainstream, will also impact not only the ownership experience but also reduce the requirements for parking space.

The vehicles per person will be reduced and the need to maintain a garage or pay for parking will theoretically be eliminated. However, the need to store/park the vehicles when not in service and deploy it when required in an efficient manner will have to be designed. Future is exciting and urban planning is evolving daily, based on technological advancements and the space requirement. Ideally, electric, shared and autonomous vehicles will empty the expensive multi-storey parking buildings and open parking lots. It can be utilised for something more useful to the society which may be children’s play area, parks, social interaction spaces and even houses where people want to live.