Customer Reviews

Car of the Future

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This episode examines the state of automotive technology in 2008, with a focus on the alternative fuels and cutting edge designs of cars. The two brothers from the NPR show "Car Talk" travel across the U.S. and the world to visit companies and individuals that are working to develop new cars that are less reliant on hydrocarbons, or are fueled by completely different sources. It isn't too technical and spends 5 or 10 minutes on each approach (ethanol, hydrogen, hybrids, EVs, light-weight, etc.) and highlights the potential, as well as the pitfalls, of each approach. It was made in 2008 so its not quite up to date (Chevy Volt was a newly unveiled concept, now the production model is on the streets) but still a relatively good overview of what's coming down the pipeline in the automotive industry.

Nova's Car of the Future episode from 2008 really brings home how the automotive landscape has changed in a very short timeframe. At the end of 2011, while we're still in the early stages of a transition that was only beginning when Nova produced this, we've taken any number of steps they never anticipated. It's almost like one of those "Life in 1980" films from the 1962 World's Fair. Where's my nuclear countertop oven, anyway?