Wonders of the Open Road

By Dave Trecker

We hear about the flashy stuff –electric planes, constantly renewable solar panels, robots that do everything but brush your teeth, home delivery that drops off your next order based on AI estimates of when you need it.

The sky-high advances make for good reading. But what about the ground level science that’s transforming America’s highways?

A lot of it is here already and even more is coming. It will make the driver, as Roger Miller wrote:

“A man of means …”

“ King of the road.”

Here are a few examples Mr. Miller never imagined.

Weight Stations now unbelievably slow, will be transformed into nonstop drive throughs. Highway turnoffs will be equipped with AI sensors that measure constant weight (truck body) and variable weight (content), the difference, refined for density, able to instantly deliver a reading on the value of the load.

It sounds like Buck Rogers, but the science is already here. Pilot testing is underway in several western states.

Recharging Lanes for Electric Vehicles (EVs) have been discussed for some time and tested extensively overseas. The technology works but it’s expensive. Instead of stopping and pulling up to a stationary recharging station, the idea is to do it while still driving. Embed the recharging capability into a pull off roadway so the driver can exit and slowly traverse the jacked up stretch to get the car battery electrically revamped.

We’re not there yet, but the advances have been impressive.

As Willie Nelson sang:

“On the road again”

“Just can’t wait to get on the road again.”

Drivers won’t have to wait long to reap the benefits. Here are some examples of the emerging technology:

Fuel Readings while underway will give drivers advice on when and where to stop for the next fill up. The science is clever but not at all profound. Devices will be available for purchase that will tell drivers, based on drop off in vehicle weight, where geographically they should pull off for more fuel. Next step is adapting this to EVs and available recharging sites.

Vehicle Separation will ensure there are fewer crashes, automatically spacing out cars and trucks to safe distances on major highways. The latest in AI will be used to slow down or speed up vehicles to achieve safe spacing. Apps will allow overrides you can get off at designated exits. It sounds great, but the devil is in the details. What is safe separation? What are maximal speeds? Will the technology apply only to newly equipped vehicles? This is a good safety advance and it’s coming, but not very soon.

Closer at hand is development of new fuels, many sustainable and some providing lower carbon emissions.

Hydrogen one of those fuels, is closer to reality than most people think. Billions have been poured into its development, driven by concerns over climate change, and cars and trucks will be the early beneficiaries as engines are adapted to accommodate the new power source. Cost is the issue. The current cost of a fuel cell rig is $450,000, triple that of a comparable diesel truck. The ultimate new frontier, of course, is self-driving EVs. That includes delivery vans and long-distance vehicles of all sorts.

I drove an earlier version five years ago, and much has changed since then.

Autonomous Vehicles are being phased in worldwide. In this country, driverless taxis are in limited use in Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin. Autonomous taxis are being tested in San Francisco, the first U.S. city to provide a service in competition with Uber and Lyft. Earlier this year, self-driving robo taxis were introduced on a limited basis in Miami. Safety problems are gradually being overcome, but widespread use is Stillman years away.

Dr. Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Naples.