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Technically Speaking

Wonders

of the
Open Road

by Dave Trecker
e hear about the flashy stuff –electric planes, constantly Vehicle Separation will ensure there are fewer crashes,
renewable solar panels, robots that do everything but automatically spacing out cars and trucks to safe distances on
Wbrush your teeth, home delivery that drops off your next major highways. The latest in AI will be used to slow down or
order based on AI estimates of when you need it. speed up vehicles to achieve safe spacing. Apps will allow override
The skyhigh advances make for good reading. But what about
so you can get off at designated exits. It sounds great, but the
the ground level science that’s transforming America’s highways?
devil is in the details. What is safe separation? What are maximal
A lot of it is here already and even more is coming.
speeds? Will the technology apply only to newly equipped
It will make the driver, as Roger Miller wrote:
vehicles? This is a good safety advance and it’s coming,
“A man of means …”
“King of the road.” but not very soon.
Here are a few examples Mr. Miller never imagined. Closer at hand is development of new fuels, many sustainable
Weight Stations now unbelievably slow, will be transformed and some providing lower carbon emissions.
into nonstop drive throughs. Highway turnoffs will be equipped Hydrogen one of those fuels, is closer to reality than most
with AI sensors that measure constant weight (truck body) and people think. Billions have been poured into its development,
variable weight (content), the difference, refined for density, able driven by concerns over climate change, and cars and trucks will be
to instantly deliver a reading on the value of the load. It sounds the early beneficiaries as engines are adapted to accommodate the
like Buck Rogers, but the science is already here. Pilot testing is
new power source. Cost is the issue. The current cost of a fuel cell
underway in several western states. rig is $450,000, triple that of a comparable diesel truck.
Recharging Lanes for Electric Vehicles (EVs) have been
discussed for some time and tested extensively overseas. The ultimate new frontier, of course, is self driving EVs.
That includes delivery vans and long distance vehicles of all sorts.
The technology works but it’s expensive. Instead of stopping and
pulling up to a stationary recharging station, the idea is to do it I drove an earlier version five years ago, and much has changed
while still driving. Embed the recharging capability into a pull off since then.
roadway so the driver can exit and slowly traverse the jacked up Autonomous Vehicles are being phased in worldwide. In this
stretch to get the car battery electrically revamped. country, driverless taxis are in limited use in Phoenix, Los Angeles
We’re not there yet, but the advances have been impressive. and Austin. Autonomous taxis are being tested in San Francisco,
As Willie Nelson sang: the first U.S. city to provide a service in competition with
“On the road again” Uber and Lyft. Earlier this year, self driving robotaxis were
“Just can’t wait to get on the road again.”
introduced on a limited basis in Miami. Safety problems are
Drivers won’t have to wait long to reap the benefits. gradually being overcome, but widespread use is still
Here are some examples of the emerging technology:
Fuel Readings while underway will give drivers advice on when many years away.
and where to stop for the next fill up. The science is clever but not Dr. Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Naples.
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.

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