Future Car Leases

In the not too distant future the model for owning cars will become obsolete. Future car companies will start to lease vehicles in a similar manner to cell phone plans with different service levels and a mobile phone that can be upgraded every 2 or 3 years.

For instance future cars leases may give new car enthusiasts the latest and greatest bells and whistles on a car and the owners will pay a premium for this. After their 3-year lease is up, they will lease another vehicle with all of the bells and whistles similar to how it is today.

The leased vehicles, however, that are turned in won't be sold at auction like they are today. They will be retrofitted as necessary and released to those who want a quality car at a lower price. When this lease is over with the owners will have the option to release the car under a different plan at yet a lower price and this cycle will happen for around 20 years which will be the lifespan of the first vehicles to do this.

Think this is far-fetched and consumers and car companies will never go for this? Well, this is exactly the business model for the Riversimple Hyrban open source hydrogen fuel cell car. The future car lease I've described is just as outlined.

Also, since the Hyrban is open source, its competitors will most likely follow the same car lease model. One of the reasons for this future lease business model is environmental. This will keep vehicles out of the junkyard as long as possible.

Since the cars are hydrogen electric with the H2 coming from renewable resources, they will be non-polluting, well to wheel which will drastically cut down on vehicle emissions. Like the space tourist spaceplanes that are being built today and some racecars these future lease cars will be made from carbon composites that are both 10 times stronger and lighter than steel.

Also, when one lease has expired and the vehicle body may be repaired with carbon fiber composites, repainted and leased again to the next consumer. Or it could be leased to the same consumer only with a fresh coat of paint.

So you see, not only will future cars be built in an environmentally friendly manner, be used in the same manner and disposed of (or more likely recycled) in a very green manner, the future lease will also reflect a cycle of sustainability and usability much different than it is today.

But, let's step a little bit further into the future. Now, suppose you live in an apartment complex in a large city and don't want to own a car. Your apartment management company could lease cars and you could pay a monthly fee to re-lease the cars from them in an automobile-sharing program with your neighbors. Or you could pay a flat pay-per-use fee.

Now, suppose in the future you live in a gated community that already has its own Maglev light rail car and hydrogen-powered bus for excursions into the city. The need for cars would be less.

Once again you could join into a car-sharing program with your neighbors. The future vehicles could be leased by the association and the re-lease price would be included in your monthly association fees. Or, once again you could pay a flat pay-per-use fee for the vehicles.

As the future evolves, public transportation will increase and the number of cars and need for cars will decrease moderately. There will always be a need to automotive transportation for the flexibility it affords. But, the idea of ownership of vehicles will become more democratic and future car leases will evolve along with this need.