World Economic Forum Says the Technocratic Future for Cars Is in the Cloud

(by Kevin Stocklin | Epoch Times) – The era of cars as the ultimate tool for personal freedom and mobility will, if the future the World Economic Forum (WEF) envisions comes to pass, soon be over. Cars will be something you ask to borrow and the cloud will be taking the wheel.

Speaking in Davos, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said, “the car is becoming a connected computer on wheels.” Like cell phones, he said, “everything around us is becoming connected intelligence.”

The automotive industry is becoming part of the “industrial to digital transformation,” Amon said. “The technology transformation in the industry is electrification and is digital.”

Increasingly, car makers are partnering with tech companies like Qualcomm and IBM.

Tech visionaries say that computerized cars will be integrated into the cloud, where they can be monitored and controlled by a centralized network that can prevent collisions, alert you about road conditions and manage traffic.

While much of this technology already exists via cell phones, and some cars already track your gaze to alert you when your eyes stray from the road, the next step is linking the car’s systems together with manufacturers and other vehicles, and allowing for continuous third party tracking.

These developments are moving in lockstep with efforts to compel consumers to buy electric vehicles (EVs), including laws in California, Washington, and many European countries to ban the sale of gas-fueled cars by 2035 or sooner. Many carmakers, like GM and Volkswagen, have stated that their entire fleets will soon be electric. Read Full Article >