5 Failed Car Technologies of the Past that Need to Stay Retired
Today a lot of the attention on vehicles surrounds the new technology that is introduced in the industry. But, what about the car technology that failed? What about those “wave of the future” car features that didn’t work out or catch on with consumers?
Here are some of the not so successful car technologies of the past:
1. The Nuclear-Powered Car
Yes, in the late 1950’s Ford thought it would be a good idea to build a car, named the Nucleon, which ran using a small nuclear reactor. Can’t imagine what could go wrong here?
2. Hover Cars
Remember when hover cars were thought to be to future of cars? Was it the 35 mile per hour limit, the extremely terrible fuel mileage, or the fact that the car had no brakes that led to its demise? Well, at least these cars worked out for The Jetsons!
3. Amphibious Cars
A cool idea in theory, just didn’t seem to work out in practice. Perhaps one of the main issues with adoption is that no everyone lives close to water. And really, how often would you take the family out for a drive on the lake?
4. Fifth Wheel Parking
With big cars being popular in the 1950s and parking becoming an issue, Cadillac introduced fifth wheel parking – that’s right – your spare tire would be lowered to the ground, elevate your car and allows you to swing the rear of your vehicle into the clear. Check out the demo video to see it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AryDd1Vo9FI
5. Automatic Seatbelts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkmoQvbMRFk
Originally introduced in the late 1970s but also gained popularity in the early 1990s, this invention is deemed one of the worst car technologies by many. In what was supposed to be a convenient feature turned into a strangling threat in some instances. Many people also did not use them correctly and failed to use the manual lap belt, also making it a safety issue.
Are some of today’s technologies bound to fail?
There is no doubt that today is filled with an abundance of automotive technology concepts and ideas. Some are in their infancy, while others are being test or have already been brought to market. Do you think some of today’s technology will be considered a failure a decade or two from now? Do you think self-driving cars will become the norm? What about electric cars? They don’t seem to be taking off as most have predicted? Will they become another failed attempt at revolutionizing the auto industry? Only time will tell!