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What the future of cars may look like

Futuristic automotive tech graphic

Fasten your seat belts, you’re in for quite a ride when it comes to the future of automotive technology.

The cars that we are used to seeing in movies are no longer things of science fiction and in the next 30 years, we are likely to see more change in automotive technology than we've seen in the last 100 years.

Here at Regtransfers, we’ve pulled together some of the best and most likely automotive technology predictions that are expected to become reality in your lifetime in our new interactive graphic.

Did you know that by 2020, we will be able to control our cars with a simple wave of the hand? The next big tech development likely to invade cars will require only a few simple gestures to control.

From turning on the radio, opening the windows and turning off the engine, hand gestures will be a common way for us to control our car’s functions.

In the same year it’s also expected that you’ll be able to unlock and even start your car without anything more than just your fingerprint. Finally, the struggle to find your car keys on a Monday morning will be a thing of the past!

Light detection and ranging systems will allow your car to ‘see’ the world around it in real time by 2021. This will mean that your car will sense surrounding objects and other cars on the road to extend the driver’s perception of what’s nearby.

Are you sick of sitting in traffic jams  on your commute to work and wasting valuable time? By 2026, a car’s cabin will be configured to change depending on the driving mode — relax, watch a film or catch up on your emails. Volvo predicts that drivers can gain 26 minutes of free time per commute by switching to a self-driving car.

Fast forward to 2027 and you won’t be visiting your local garage for new car tyres, you’ll be fitting your car with 3D-printed tyres. Not only do they never go flat, but they also don’t need replacing!

By 2050 the exterior paint of your car will incorporate millions of nano-sized cameras linked to a display inside the vehicle. As a result, you’ll be able to see through the body panels as if they were invisible (which means no blind spots), while also zooming in on distant traffic signs.

Using our interactive future of automotive technology infographic, you can enter your age and find at how old you’ll be when you’ll be driving a self-driving car, using 3D-printed tyres and be able to see straight through your car’s body panels (yep, it’s true!)

What automotive technology will you be using in your lifetime? Find out using our interactive graphic.

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The role of DVLA

Car registrations and number plates, including personalised number plates, in the UK, are the responsibility of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, usually known as the DVLA. It issues new registrations twice a year and also maintains the central database that records details of all vehicles licensed to drive on UK roads, along with their keeper and registration information.

Regtransfers works closely with DVLA to complete registration transfers as quickly and efficiently as possible. Regtransfers is a DVLA-registered supplier of personal car registrations and number plates and is listed on the DVLA Registrations website. All number plates supplied by Regtransfers comply with DVLA's prescribed standards and regulations.

DVLA administers all UK registration transfers and issues updated registration documents when the registration number of a car is changed, or when a registration is removed from a vehicle and placed on a retention document in accordance with the DVLA Retention Scheme.

DVLA is a registered trade mark of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. Regtransfers is not affiliated with the DVLA or DVLA Personalised Registrations. Regtransfers is a recognised reseller of unissued Government stock.

Number plate regulations

When a car is on the road, it is an offence to display number plates bearing any number other than the vehicle's officially recorded registration number. If you purchase a private registration, learn how to transfer private plates before displaying the new number.

All registration number plates displayed on UK vehicles must comply with the official number plate regulations. DVLA oversees enforcement of number plates display regulations and maintains a register of approved manufacturers and retailers of vehicle number plates.

Regtransfers is not part of, and is not formally affiliated with DVLA.

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