The Manila Times

The future is here

FROM THE DASHBOARD IRA PANGANIBAN The Manila Times

T

ODAY we celebrate the 20th year of Fast

Times here at The Manila Times.

It has been 20 years of stories and features about cars and motor- cycles and mobility, everything that can bring anyone from point A to point B using machines and contraptions.

In the past 20 years, we have seen this mobility section move from the typical coverage of cars and transportation to a more dynamic and technologically inspiring coverage of developments in the issue.

But now, we are looking at the future. What used to be a purely automotive view, this section is now also featuring gadgets, technology, and lifestyle. Indeed, the life of a person in a car has changed from just driving.

Today, cars are becoming electric, literally of course. They are gadgets. Toys. Even providing power during emergencies. This, as the not so humble motor vehicle has already been transformed to an essential need in less than half a century.

Just this past week, some three car brands introduced versions of their electric vehicles (EVs), with a travel range of up to 500 kilometers in just one full battery charge. This is a radical development from the 48-kilometer range of the first ever mass produced, commercially available EV, the Toyota Prius of the 2000s.

BMW has introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas the I Vision Dee, a color changing car that can reflect the mood of the driver and even show emojis on its front grille.

European cars have also developed headsup display technology on the windshield glass of their models that can project data as intricate as those shown on the helmets of jet fighter pilots.

And Toyota is now developing in their Mount Fuji facility what they call “Woven City” where cars don’t have drivers, use automated navigational tools to drive their passengers around, and talk to each other to go through traffic.

All of these developments in the automotive scene, developments that were the stuff of science fiction as near as only in the 1990s, are now here and driving us around.

It is enough to say that “the future is here” and the world we live in may not be as simple as what we had when Fast Times began 20 years ago. Of course, it has always been a joy to cover events that revolutionize the industry, and much more exhilarating to be the first to know about these developments.

And while we continue to read, research, and cover these events, we also find happiness in letting you, our valued readers, know about these milestones.

Yes, this year is a milestone for Fast Times. Congratulations and thank you Fast Times and for the honor.

Fast Times

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2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/282235194913288

The Manila Times