From AI in-car assistants to drone delivery helpers, the future of transportation is versatile and varied, thanks to the latest developments in robotics, autonomy, electric vehicles, and hydrogen. IDTechEx's wide research portfolio, including Robotics & Autonomy, Electric Vehicles, and Hydrogen Research Reports, is home to the latest futuristic software and hardware technologies making their way onto the transportation scene.
Source: IDTechEx.
AI assistants and on-the-go coffee orders
An on-the-go AI assistant built into the car could become the new normal for drivers. The software could provide assistance with navigation, sending hands-free emails, or ordering coffee at the next service station when the car's in-cabin sensing system detects tiredness. The assistant could draw upon past logged driver behaviour and real-time data to make decisions that would most benefit the driver depending on their mood or speech, while also being able to select radio and seat preferences automatically depending on who is in the driver's seat.
Scenario simulation, predictive behaviour modelling, enhanced learning capabilities, and customized assistance are all named applications for AI within automotive applications, covered within IDTechEx's report, "Autonomous Driving Software and AI in Automotive 2026-2046: Technologies, Markets, Players", where forecasts and trends can be found alongside some of the key players currently working on providing these services for a future of more streamlined driving experiences. IDTechEx's report, "In-Cabin Sensing 2025-2035: Technologies, Opportunities, and Markets", covers key sensing technologies which provide the data to allow these software features to operate accurately.
Source: IDTechEx.
Robotaxis and hands-off driving
The futuristic landscape of driverless vehicles is becoming a reality. Taxis with no driver are operating within some cities in the US, such as Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where passengers can pay for a trip and be picked up by a car just the same as any other ride service. In regular passenger cars, autonomy is levelling up, with Level 3 on the horizon. This level of autonomy within vehicles would see drivers able to take both their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road temporarily, so that car conversations or lunch on the go could be enjoyed safely while the car takes care of the journey. In some regions, such as in Germany, Level 3 autonomy has been certified and is operated by companies like BMW and Mercedes, who are paving the way for more to join them. IDTechEx's report, "Autonomous Vehicles Market 2025-2045: Robotaxis, Autonomous Cars, Sensors", covers in depth the market for autonomous vehicles, along with some of the current liability difficulties of implementing Level 3 on a wider scale.
Drone deliveries and electric vehicles
Up off the road and in the sky, drones may start to be deployed to deliver parcels. Alongside their other uses within inspection and maintenance, agriculture, security, and more, drones could become useful in assisting with last-mile deliveries to help with increasing e-commerce demand and strain on delivery companies. IDTechEx's report, "Drones Market 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, and Opportunities", identifies that this application in particular is still in a pilot phase, though looks to be promising, meaning more efficient deliveries and robotic postmen could be on the horizon.
Source: IDTechEx.
Rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and hybrid VTOL are three types of drones outlined within the report, each presenting a different approach to drone technology that have their own best-suited applications. The increased uptake of drones in general across a wide spread of sectors represents the multifaceted capabilities of electric vehicle technology. When it comes to electric road vehicles, the efficiency and environmental benefits of moving away from combustion engines are already being seen, with increasing electric passenger cars on the road and growing infrastructure to keep up with demand. The developments of battery technologies are also creating possibilities for more and more vehicles to become electrified, including buses, trains, and ships. IDTechEx's report, "Li-ion Batteries and Battery Management Systems for Electric Vehicles 2026-2036: Technologies, Forecasts, and Players", covers the global market for lithium-ion batteries and their applications across the electric vehicle sector.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars and planes
Decarbonization technologies have a large part to play in changing the future of transportation, and it is not only electric vehicles that are changing the landscape, but fuel cell vehicles too. The use of hydrogen in the place of traditional fossil-based fuels could eradicate many of the emissions associated with travel, as only water vapour is produced as an emission during the process. IDTechEx's report, "Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles 2025-2045: Markets, Technologies, Forecasts", explores the increased uptake of fuel cells in buses and trucks, as an alternative to the heavier batteries that would be required to power these larger vehicles over longer journeys.
Hydrogen's use doesn't stop at road transport, with fuel cell planes potentially becoming a thing of the future as part of the efforts to decarbonize air travel. IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Future Aviation 2025-2045: Trends, Technologies, Forecasts", looks at different approaches to making planes more sustainable, with sustainable aviation fuel the most likely solution in the short term, but hydrogen being very much considered for its unbeatable gravimetric energy density and clean emissions.
Source: IDTechEx.
For more information on the future of transportation, visit IDTechEx's portfolios of Robotics & Autonomy, Electric Vehicles, and Hydrogen Research Reports, for the latest research spanning the entire transport sector.
