NEWSI OPINIONI GOSSIPI STUFFWe Say...
tech22 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2019B
y my count, this is MotorTrend ’s 263rd Technologue
column, stretching back to May 1982. For the first
two years, the page answered readers’ techie car
questions. Then Ron Grable, Rick Titus, John
Hanson, B.J. Hoffman, and Don Fuller took turns
mostly explaining new technologies hitting the market.
Between January 1988 and September 1995, Tech-
nologue downshifted from monthly to occasionally.
During the pre-Markus era, 23 future-tech concepts were
explored, my favorites of which were the crazy Waller
opposed-piston swashplate engine of September 1986
and the Acro-Tech “Vented Valve” concept of August- Since November 2004 I’ve mostly used the page to
explore how engineers, chemists, physicists, and scientists
of all stripes are working to make our motoring world a
better place. For this anniversary issue, I’ve spent a month
working up this virtual highlights reel.
In all, we’ve covered 183 future technologies—77
percent of all Technologue topics. Of the concepts high-
lighted, 36 percent have been developed to the point
of production, after an average of 4.4 years. Extensive
Googling suggests another 20 percent—including most
of the recent topics—still have active research ongoing.
Topics-wise, I’ve covered 27 alternate-fuels technolo-
gies, 20 battery/EV/HEV concepts, 16 advanced combus-
tion engine ideas, 15 electronics/infotainment topics, and
14 columns each covering chassis and safety.
Another 37 of my favorite columns defy such easy
classification—like the HondaJet, the odor-fighting seat
Highlight Reel:
37 Years of Technologue
upholstery made of shrimp shells, the thorium-powered
car, Ford’s braille window film that helps blind passengers
enjoy scenery, and the Toyota/JAXA lunar rover.
Two of my favorite columns that have yet to bear
fruit (as far as I can tell) are 2008’s “Dyno On Board,” in
which 16-year-old Taylor Blackwood dreamed up (and
prototyped) a way to outfit a car’s driveshaft universal joint
so it can report the torque it’s transmitting in real time.
The U.S. patent office granted Blackwood US7603918B2
in 2009, but I find no evidence of production.
My other favorite was July 2009’s “Catom & Eve,” intro-
ducing the concept of “pario”—an “actual reality” 3-D
Claymation-like evolution of today’s virtual augmented
reality. Carnegie Mellon U is still working on downsizing
the microbot “pixels.”
Favorite column titles through the years include
“NuVinci Code—At last, a tranny with some balls” (about
an orbis and globus CVT concept that is now in produc-
tion for bicycles), “Road Hard (if not put down wet)—
Rethinking concrete science” (about new longer-lasting,
low-CO 2 , ash-based Portland cement replacements
that hit production in 2017), and “Noblesse Oblique—
Privileged with federal government resources, NHTSA
upgrades NCAP” (about the 15-degree oblique sled crash
test and other revisions arriving soon).
Various methods of turning trash, ag waste, old-car
shredder residue, algae, or fast-growing grasses into
biofuels have inspired seven columns and one political
screed imploring our government to institute a floor
on the price of oil to foster development of promising
technologies. (Oh, the hate mail that one drew!)
I’ve also given a lot of ink to the idea of running a cheap
gas engine on more efficient compression ignition. I was
so pleased to write “GTHO! Mazda gets the H out of HCCI”
in December 2017, when this nut finally appeared to be
cracked by the Skyactiv-X engine, only to learn this year
that EPA/CARB is proving difficult.
I’ve covered autonomy only six times. That’s because
the topic is no fun. Yes, it’s coming at us like the inevitable
root canal or hip replacement; yes, it should save lives
and enable nonstop in-transit mobile-device fiddling for
all. I still hate it, so don’t hold your breath for tons more
coverage on that topic.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to pitch me future
column fodder @MT_Markus. nTechnologue's
humble debut
back in 1982
(below) and
Frank's first
Technologue
that kicked off
in 2004 (left).Frank Markus
TECHNOLOGUE