TheCorvetteKid

Hi everyone,

I am a Masters Degree Transportation Design student working on my final thesis project. Being a Corvette enthusiast and a Corvette owner (my ride is a black '89 6-speed coupe), it's been a dream of mine to one day design Corvettes so I've decided to focus my thesis project on creating a future 'Vette.

My (current) brief is simple: create a vehicle designed to resurrect a new optimism in America while paying homage to the past. I am targeting a vehicle for the year 2053 - the 100th anniversary of the Corvette.

I am still in the research phase of my project, so I am investigating new and emerging materials, power/energy sources, lifestyle trends, user markets, etc... the usual research stuff before actually putting pen-to-paper and designing something.

The world around us is changing, and it's doing so at an alarming rate. We all know that Corvette has always been at the forefront of technology, style, and performance; it has always been a type of barometer of American culture, and I think it's safe to say that any future Corvette will be no different. Therefore, as a part of my research I thought it fitting to ask you, my fellow Corvette owners and enthusiasts, what you all think this "new 'Vette" might be like? What special features, or new technologies would this car incorporate? What would the powertrain be? Would it still be a GRP body over a steel structure, or would it be something much more radical? Would it still have a bruising V8 under the hood? Would the vehicle's size and proportions stay the same, or would they change to reflect a new way of thinking about performance cars in America?

I am really curious to hear what you guys have to say. As I sink deeper into this project, I have come to realize designing a new Corvette is probably one of the most challenging projects anyone can embark on. It is America's sports car, GM's "halo" machine, and America's performance/styling/technological offering to the automotive world... and it is really easy to screw it up. Being a Corvette enthusiast, that's something I don't want to do.

QUAKEJAKE

No replies yet ? I'll give it a shoot.Mind you these thought are coming from the view of a 53 year old. Any vehicle that is 43 years into the future albeit a car that is always pushing the envelope of technology is hard to fathom.I'm sure the gas/diesel power plant will be obsolete so "V-8" will be part of the history of the automobile.Electric motors driving each wheel would be my guess but how would they be powered?Hydrogen? clean water for exhaust/produced from water in the future from any location.That solves the drive train dilemma.Chassis could be modular CF reinforced to specs we can't even realize yet.The body?This thought I'm stealing from an article I read in Automobile Magazine about a BMW concept that uses flexible skin to eliminate seems a create a smooth maintenance free surface over a CF skeleton or a solid self repairing material using nanotechnology or again ,a technology not know yet.The vettes Electrical system could be distributed by fiber optics or a wireless technology of some sort. Hope this was helpful or at least entertaining.Good luck!

quimbysr

I'm also surprised that there were no replies to this one before. This effort also seems a lot more fun than my thesis on constructed wetland modeling!

I think the biggest "IF" in this whole endevour is the form of propulsion automobiles will use at that point. That all depends on where battery technology has gone in the interveneing years. I feel that the main barrier to wider acceptance of electric vehicles is the long recharge time once the batteries are exhausted. I see it as an order of magnitude difference with a fueled vehicle needing minutes, where a full electric vehicle needs hours. If technology progresses to bring battery charge times down to minutes (say 30-45), then "Charge Parks" can start replacing gas stations, and you can practically go on a road trip in your electric car; right now you'd have to stay the night once you run out of "gas".

On the other hand, "alternative" fuels may become the dominant approach. One interesting theory is to use CO2 collected from the atmosphere as a carbon source to produce a liquid hydrocarbon fuel at a stable price. The base energy source could be a combination of wind, hydro, solar, and/or nuclear to produce elecricity used in the production of the synthetic gasoline/methanol/ethanol/etc. This regime would allow the continued use of hydrocarbon fueled internal combustion engines in applications where they are practical (automobiles, power equipment, etc) while scrubbing the carbon from the atmosphere to make more fuel. Here the Corvette would likely remain most recognizable to us, and would probably feature at least 1 V8 option, though I see increasing viability of small displacement, forced induction powerplants in the near future. If it is deemed ultimately more efficient to use thos base energy sources to fix hydrogen from water, however, hydrogen fuel cells will likely become the new "conventional" propulsion device.

I agree with QuakeJake on the structural components; there will be a lot more use of CF and other composites as structural materials.

As for what I hope happens: I want the internal combution engine to remain the dominant powerplant. I'm open to wider use of diesel (yes, even in the Corvette), and the incorporation of other biofuels, but it's mostly that there's something about the sound and feeling of a breathing, pumping engine that appeals to me (and I suspect many others) on a primitive level. I also hope to see all cars get quite a bit lighter in the near future (bringing the time frame back from your 2053). I really want to see the increased consentration on efficiency push back on the NVH efforts that have been adding more insulation, sound deadening, and weight. Reducing mass is an area where performance and economy go hand in hand and I want to see the OEMs pay a little more attention to it.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your reserch, and post some updates so we can see how you're doing.

V/R
Bill

TheCorvetteKid

Hey guys,

Thanks very much for your thoughts. To be honest, I'm not all that surprised there hasn't been too many responses to this post. Trying to envision our favorite car in the distant future means having to break away from a lot of the things that we all hold near and dear to our hearts, and that's a difficult thing to do when it comes to a car like the Corvette. Will cars still have internal combustion engines in 40 years? Will they still be made of metal? If technology continues to progress, will there be room for the hands-on enthusiast? Will the generation buying these cars even WANT to work on or customize them?

This has been difficult for myself as well. When I try to think that far ahead I can't help but feel a reluctance to change. I LIKE the raw brutality of the Corvette, I LIKE the sound and the feel... I've always said, "There's nothing like a V8 with a stick!". But everything I've seen is pointing to the demise of all that. Sure, cars of the future will be fast and look dynamic and emotional, but they won't be what we know and love... they will be something else.

I'll post updates as I progress. I am still a way off from beginning the sketch phase - still just doing research. But in the meantime, I hope others chime in soon. This an interesting - and challenging - topic to wrap ones mind around. Especially if that person is an enthusiast.

GarryZR1

We have learned that the two principle driving forces of humanity are freedom and control. While current automotive technology gives us the freedom to drive as fast or slow as our vehicle will take us, and control over our timing and direction, we are still restricted to driving on the ground and we have a hornet’s nest of laws to contend with regarding speed, flow, and operation.
Understanding the “freedom and control” drivers is key to understanding the future of transportation. Any new forms of transportation that do not measurably improve our sense of freedom or give us added control of our lives will likely fail in the marketplace.
Around 2050 we will see commercialization of the first “flying” vehicles which will be considered by many to be the ultimate freedom machine. Even today, flying cars are very much on the radar screen to become a next generation automotive technology. They will begin with a more convenient version of today’s airplanes and eventually converting over to cars. Perhaps we need to redefine car. To be more of a transport vehicle, not like what we know today.
2050 and the Corvette
Power will come from at least 2 sources, short term/range and long term/range. Short range will be 200 miles and likely be electrical in nature, stored in what is broadly defined as a battery, but not like what we know today. The longer ranges will be of a variety of engine choices: after all an engine in really a device to convert one form of energy to another to propel the vehicle. My beloved LS7 converts chemical energy in gasoline into rotational energy that to many devices as well as the rear tires for propulsion. We will also have hydrogen engines and omnivorous engines able to convert different types of fuel into rotational energy. That is assuming we still have vehicles that travel on roads, perhaps we are all riding above the ground by then.
The cost, mass, and manufacturing complexity of these vehicles will be greatly reduced. For this reason the industry will go through a very rapid conversion leaving the mechanical masterpieces we know as cars today far behind. The Vette will have mass of around 1,200 pounds. And due to simplicity the Vette will cost $40,000 in today’s dollars. It will remain a 2 seater, you have to give thrill rides to the newbie’s.
The shape will be very exciting as befitting a Vette, but be made of flexible and definitely changing shape body parts. We will have active air brakes, down force, aerodynamics, etc. Paint will be a thing of the past as we will be able to change the color and appearance of our Vettes.
The seats will turn into a one person safety cell form fit to each of us. It will not remain in one position to the ground but be more like a 360 degree hammock that will move as the vehicle moves and changes direction (perhaps even in a vertical direction). The dash board and instrument panel is gone and we will be wearing a head set that displays all we need. This leaves us with the steering wheel, its gone. Perhaps by now we will just be thinking about the vehicle changing directions and it will, but more likely the head set will pick up on biofeedback and eye motion and take its direction from these. For the old guys like me there might be an option for a system that you use your hands & feet for. But then again I will probably be dead by 2050 and my son will have my 2007 as a classic Vette. The liberal movement will also be dead by then and we will not have a world government, but come back to good old founding fathers basics where the central government is small and individual states have the power dedicated by the people who live there. That is all of course if the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ has not happened yet.
The future of transportation will be derived by strong desires for personal freedom and people’s need to gain control over lifestyles that are moving faster and faster. The enablers will be advanced technology, some we can not even dream of yet as well as environmental and financial considerations.

Kenny94945

Smaller - Room for two and two golf bags - scissor doors (parking and congestion issues).
Solar Power to run all accessories.
Mostly plastic to avoid rust (salt) damage - perhaps only bolts and nuts will be the only metal in the structure.
2G corner ability 4G braking ability 0-100 in 5 seconds.
Probably government speed limited.
Probably electric engine with gasoline backup system.
Self parking.
Fully integrated w/ GPS, Internet, Toll Pass so everyone will know where you are at what speed you are driving and you be able to communicate with everyone anytime.
Complex machine so one must bring to a dealer for repairs - create keeps jobs.
Maybe disposable (recycled) if crashed even slightly.
Maybe a refrigerator and a small oven.
Good luck on your project.

Ryan Kitchen

I'm surprised no one has mentioned nuclear yet.
future cars will be powered by some sort of magnetically shielded stable nuclear power
By 2050 flying cars will definitely not be prevalent, but perhaps a luxury option. (ground vehicles will always remain, the raw amount of power required for hundreds of millions of flying cars could not be generated by green power, and would quickly drain the world's resources)
There will almost certainly be nanotechnology, self repairing machines,
Safety features will include automated collision aversion, and the self-repairing technology will be programmed to act as an inertia dampener in case of collision.
Tires will no longer be made of rubber. Perhaps replaced with some sort of mag-lev.
Human drivers will realistically, no longer exist, except for sport driving. However, there will definitely be some form of neural interface between the driver and the car.

quimbysr

I don't know if it would be worth it to make nuclear reactors small enough for a car, Ryan. I do want to see them try to make a nuclear train locomotive, though. Especially when I consider that the reactor could likely be shaped like to boiler on an old steam locomotive with a cooling tower that looks like a stack; but then I'm just being an artistic engineer.

TheCorvetteKid

I've actually contemplated the idea of nuclear power for this project. I think that there's a potential for it, to be honest. When you consider that it would take a very very small amount of uranium to power something like a car (let's face it, we're talking about boiling water and using the steam to turn a turbine attached to a generator... this isn't new), it is very doable. And given that it won't be a large amount of uranium, maybe depleted uranium from existing nuclear sites could be used? It's not like "used" uranium is useless as a radioactive material... it's just not radioactive enough to make it useful in a massive power station. So rather than have it go to a containment center, it could be used to power such a vehicle... at least until its radioactivity drops below the point where it no longer can boil water.

Plus, there is the added benefit that the nuclear reaction doesn't stop when you turn the car off. The power source will continue to generate electrical energy despite the car being parked. So why not use that power to supplement the power needed to run your home? Or maybe feed that power back into the grid and help power the rest of the community?

Of course, there are issues with nuclear power. Uranium is incredibly rare, making if very expensive. It also can't be handled by humans without some kind of shielding involved so servicing could prove to be quite an ordeal. Not to mention the whole nuclear melt-down thing (insert images of Chernoble here).


And I agree about the whole flying cars not being prevalent. The way I look at it - and call it simplistic if you will - but we haven't mastered just dealing with 2-dimensional driving (ie. on the ground), what makes anyone think we will be able to deal with the 3rd dimension, especially when there will be millions of flying vehicles trying to share that 3rd dimension? And anyone who thinks that computer technology will be the answer... well, even the most advanced aircraft in the world have human pilots, so thinking that computers are going to make it all possible is not the answer.

I worked in the aerospace industry for over 10 years before embarking on this transportation design degree program. Trust me, I can regale everyone here with horror stories about flight. Stuff that the news doesn't report. Flying cars? No. Not gonna happen.