Future of racing games: "going electric".

[HyperSpeeder]

Possibly 2040.

I think the EU's target is way too strict.

The ICE will die not by legislation but by market. I've seen races of the Tesla Plaid and Rimac Nevera, it's ridiculous. Soon we'll see drag racers making the switch. Once they figure out a way to reduce battery weight and heat soak, electrics will dominate the track as well. Then there's the price and convenience of "refueling" at home.

Trust me, no manufacturer wants to be the car behind in a photo finish. They're gonna try to develop this thing until it surpasses an ICE powered car in every way. When it does, it'll be like moving from carriage to car, because the difference in speed is absurd. Remember Audi dropped a diesel in their LMP just because VW wanted to sell more diesel cars, and it won. From 2006 to 2014 only near-silent diesel cars won Le Mans, that's 8 years.

But another thing that will kill the ICE is the shift in culture. Uber was the start of shared cars. People growing up in such a world won't see a need to own a car. It's not a world that favors the sport of driving.

Synthetic fuels seem expensive to produce. I think they're being developed for classic cars, not for new ones. If new cars have ICEs running on eFuels, they'll be too expensive for most. A Lambo V12 being the sole ICE offering does not save the tech, it emphasizes its death.

On the topic of gaming though, engines are just numbers. You could run anything in a game. Electrics come to add, not replace.

 

[Ayby]

Perhaps artificial engine sounds, to spice up racing, will one day be accepted and desired norm. Just like livery design today, engine sound composing could become part of motor racing art. Kids today seem to have no problem with all the fake photoshop/filter instagram pictures of their celebs, so why shouldn't they accept or want fake engine sounds to make things more exciting?

 

[HyperSpeeder]

Perhaps artificial engine sounds, to spice up racing, will one day be accepted and desired norm. Just like livery design today, engine sound composing could become part of motor racing art. Kids today seem to have no problem with all the fake photoshop/filter instagram pictures of their celebs, so why shouldn't they accept or want fake engine sounds to make things more exciting?

I've watched a video from Audi where the engineer said "with electric cars we can create any sound we want, as an internal combustion engine does not deviate much from a particular sound".

He's right. However, people still value it when the V8 sound comes from the engine and not something else.

 

[05XR8]

Which people value the sound? A small number.
To sell racing games, there's still a small number that developers have to rope in. As mentioned above, they have to reach the generation after those of us today. They'll grow up in a world that won't see many V8 Commodores or V8 Mustangs. Unless there's a car show, many you n people won't get to see a "rare" 1974 Buick LeSabre with the 455cid.
How many young kids will see a Mk1 GTI? Or even care when their older siblings hybrid or EV can outperform the at GTI?

With average EV acceleration probably being 7 seconds and under, the average ICE car will seem like the Mercedes Motor Wagon.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

I wouldn't worry about games losing ICE cars. At the end of the day it's all virtual so there's no issues with emissions. The main concern is, if overly PC people start lobbying game companies to remove them using the reason of "putting ICE cars in games promotes the sales of these cars IRL and slows down transition to EVs".

Honestly, I think games will the best way of preserving ICE cars and motorsports, so they need to include everything for posterity. I can't be bothered driving EVs in racing games. They're just so boring without the sound. There's no sense of speed. Same with watching EV motorsports like Formula E. For daily commuting, I'm fine with EVs and even autonomous cars. But motorsport should be primarily entertainment, and sound is a huge part of that. I'm hedging my bets on alternative/renewable fuels (F1 and manufacturers like Porsche seem to think the same), but no one knows what the future holds.

In the end, I think the love for ICEs will die out with the last generation that used it. You ask lots of kids nowadays and they probably don't really care what powers their transport. Heck, many probably aren't interested in driving or motorsports. I imagine back in the past people were reluctant to swap horses for cars. And you see how many games are there today about riding horses? Not much We think ICEs are great because we lived through it. The kids of today and tomorrow, they wouldn't know better, and they wouldn't miss it, and racing games of the future will also cater to that. Not our needs because we'll be long gone.

 

[Daz555]

Possibly 2040.

I think the EU's target is way too strict.

The ICE will die not by legislation but by market.

The market would have taken too long - the threat of legislation looming moves things along and lets face it big industry cares only for profit, not the environment.

I'm delighted that legislation has been introduced in places like the UK and EU to force the hand of the manufacturers when it comes to ICE.

 

[Hdbd04]

That's why I mentioned game developers need to find ways to make the EV cars exciting in any one game.
The record breaking VW EV is in PC3. Yeah, it's fast, but the sensation of building speed, isn't unlike the throttle of a jet or boat or heck, a go-kart(was going to say power wheels, but nah ).

How can that be made fun in a game? For me, I "manually" select gears, with my controllers. I prefer to "feel" the virtual inertia, rise, fall and hesitation of the transmission. Automatic gear users, would probably be more used to an in-game EV.

I'll admit, I did like the BMW i3, in GT Sport, when I used to play. Also helped I could lower it, change the wheels and change the color/create a livery.
There needs to be a bit more: hyper milling(miling), racing versus other brands of EVs. Some custom EVs, like the Ford Mach E 1400hp drift car.
Whatever can be done to an ICE car, should be done to an EV. Upgrade electric motors, chips, wiring loom or whatever. Customisation could help the transition for players.

I almost fell asleep to most of the electric cars in GTSport other than the Jag and Audi VGT.

In my view, I don't think the future would have any effect on racing games, in a way where the electric cars becomes a new addition like what most replies had been mentioning.

The only thing I fear is how technology-centered current EVs are. I have been disorientated enough using a phone in a car as a passenger, and how much unnecessary bells and whistles a car can have before they are left completely unused.

I some times think about this subject, and it makes me sad that the world is hellbent on going electric whilst artificially raising prices on oil (that is a different conversation), and not actually being ready to go full electric because the infrastructure is not there.

As for real life, it depends on where you are living in. Most developed countries have (from what I've seen) already planned out a transition to EVs. But from where I'm living, it's a different case. While a proposition for EVs to be tax free are underway, the cheapest and newest EV available is already beyond the RM150k range, let alone hybrids surpassing above the RM100k range.

Speaking about hybrids, there were only a few manufactures (e.g Honda being too kind again by offering hybrid versions of their cars outside of Japan) that took advantage during the 2011-2013 tax exemption for hybrids. Again, they didn't sold very well compared to their petrol counterparts. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case for much longer.

Because of a weakened currency, along with protectionism between two national car companies (with one showing signs of introducing a hybrid system soon and the other on a repeated cycle), I can't see anything changing for this decade or even 2040 for these EVs to be within reach like how most ICE cars are currently, in my country at least. Perhaps time will tell.

 

[Rallywagon]

Just my .02 but, anyone married to ICE better get ready for a bad break up. Electric is 100% on its way to replacing ICE. GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, they all have plans to make EVs their primary power train. There's also (and always) new battery tech just around the corner that will significantly boost range and power. EV's aren't a fad that's going away.
In the US, we already have people running cannonballs in electric and making it coast to coast with little problems finding a charging station. The infrastructure is there and it's only getting more prevalent. Hotels, malls, shopping plazas, gyms, my works parking garage, pretty much any place that has a parking has at least 1 charging station.
and that's not to mention, which I will now. People already complain about high gas prices, wait until gas is 7 dollars instead of 3.5 to 4 a gallon. One thing for sure, without serious gov subsidy (read: higher taxes) gas won't get any cheaper. In the US, most of our oil is trapped in tar sands. That cost a lot more to capture and refine than traditional methods. That alone is why we won't get cheaper gas. But go ahead and toss in the rest of economical and political stuff as well.
As for racing, win on Sunday, sell on Monday. EV racing already has Formula E and EVs are being tested and use across the breadth of racing bodies, including drag racing, road racing, hill climbs and even rally cross.
I know there are hold outs. The older you are the grumpier you get about change, blah blah blah. EVs are seriously only really a generation away from majority sales and another generation from complete adoption. And quite frankly thats a good thing. And I don't mean that environmentally speaking. If you have no idea how much stuff comes out of the petrochemical industry, it's worth a little research. The phone in your hand, the chair your sitting on, the caffeine in your pop. Every aspect of your life pretty much has something in it that came out of that industry. It's not only about gas. The longer we can make that truly finite resource last, the better.

 

[HyperSpeeder]

I wouldn't worry about games losing ICE cars. At the end of the day it's all virtual so there's no issues with emissions. The main concern is, if overly PC people start lobbying game companies to remove them using the reason of "putting ICE cars in games promotes the sales of these cars IRL and slows down transition to EVs".

Honestly, I think games will the best way of preserving ICE cars and motorsports, so they need to include everything for posterity. I can't be bothered driving EVs in racing games. They're just so boring without the sound. There's no sense of speed. Same with watching EV motorsports like Formula E. For daily commuting, I'm fine with EVs and even autonomous cars. But motorsport should be primarily entertainment, and sound is a huge part of that. I'm hedging my bets on alternative/renewable fuels (F1 and manufacturers like Porsche seem to think the same), but no one knows what the future holds.

In the end, I think the love for ICEs will die out with the last generation that used it. You ask lots of kids nowadays and they probably don't really care what powers their transport. Heck, many probably aren't interested in driving or motorsports. I imagine back in the past people were reluctant to swap horses for cars. And you see how many games are there today about riding horses? Not much We think ICEs are great because we lived through it. The kids of today and tomorrow, they wouldn't know better, and they wouldn't miss it, and racing games of the future will also cater to that. Not our needs because we'll be long gone.

Also my concern. In 2016, VW removed their cars from Forza for no reason. I suspect Dieselgate was the culprit, because there's really no other reason, and Forza had already licensed Desert Dingo Bug which clearly was intended for Australia game.

Just my .02 but, anyone married to ICE better get ready for a bad break up. Electric is 100% on its way to replacing ICE. GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, they all have plans to make EVs their primary power train. There's also (and always) new battery tech just around the corner that will significantly boost range and power. EV's aren't a fad that's going away.
In the US, we already have people running cannonballs in electric and making it coast to coast with little problems finding a charging station. The infrastructure is there and it's only getting more prevalent. Hotels, malls, shopping plazas, gyms, my works parking garage, pretty much any place that has a parking has at least 1 charging station.
and that's not to mention, which I will now. People already complain about high gas prices, wait until gas is 7 dollars instead of 3.5 to 4 a gallon. One thing for sure, without serious gov subsidy (read: higher taxes) gas won't get any cheaper. In the US, most of our oil is trapped in tar sands. That cost a lot more to capture and refine than traditional methods. That alone is why we won't get cheaper gas. But go ahead and toss in the rest of economical and political stuff as well.
As for racing, win on Sunday, sell on Monday. EV racing already has Formula E and EVs are being tested and use across the breadth of racing bodies, including drag racing, road racing, hill climbs and even rally cross.
I know there are hold outs. The older you are the grumpier you get about change, blah blah blah. EVs are seriously only really a generation away from majority sales and another generation from complete adoption. And quite frankly thats a good thing. And I don't mean that environmentally speaking. If you have no idea how much stuff comes out of the petrochemical industry, it's worth a little research. The phone in your hand, the chair your sitting on, the caffeine in your pop. Every aspect of your life pretty much has something in it that came out of that industry. It's not only about gas. The longer we can make that truly finite resource last, the better.

I greatly enjoy ICE-powered cars.

But I almost want this transition to happen, because I really want to see the used cars market for these ICE cars crash, and hard.

It's got ridiculous. Everything with a quirk that appeals to enthusiasts gains value. We even see now "journalists" with their own ad services earning fat commissions from cars they hype through their YT channels (everyone knows who I'm talking about, but he's not the only one).

If general public moves to electric and new generations don't appreciate old cars, the vast majority of these old cars will become worthless. Almost like the 70s when big block coupes were sold for peanuts.

Maybe then we'll stop seeing overinflated prices for anything that's not a McLaren F1 or something.

 

[Rallywagon]

Also my concern. In 2016, VW removed their cars from Forza for no reason. I suspect Dieselgate was the culprit, because there's really no other reason, and Forza had already licensed Desert Dingo Bug which clearly was intended for Australia game.

I greatly enjoy ICE-powered cars.

But I almost want this transition to happen, because I really want to see the used cars market for these ICE cars crash, and hard.

It's got ridiculous. Everything with a quirk that appeals to enthusiasts gains value. We even see now "journalists" with their own ad services earning fat commissions from cars they hype through their YT channels (everyone knows who I'm talking about, but he's not the only one).

If general public moves to electric and new generations don't appreciate old cars, the vast majority of these old cars will become worthless. Almost like the 70s when big block coupes were sold for peanuts.

Maybe then we'll stop seeing overinflated prices for anything that's not a McLaren F1 or something.

That... I don't think is likely to happen. I mean first off, at that point, what would even be the point of buying an ICE vehicle. Gas prices will just keep on rising, gas stations will start to disappear, and ICE cars will become even more of a collectors item, making them even more expensive altogether. I don't know how over inflated the market is at the moment besides. I mean, cars that were expensive still are. FDs, Mk IVs, RX3s so on and so forth. Even before covid these cars were pulling in 30k+ USD. In the US, I think the after effects of Cash for Clunkers program has more to do with current pricing on older cars than anything else. Then add on to it the silicon chip shortage making buying a new car that much harder... supply and demand. We destroyed the supply and now demand is high, and so are prices. Once chip manufacturing starts the meet demand again, and new cars can finally go to buyers, I think the used car prices will start to settle down some. But I don't know that I will ever see an FB below 3k again that I would want to actually buy.

 

[FrankieStail]

Drop in synthetic fuels will have a part to play in the future for many years to come. Especially in developing countries without the electrical infrastructure or means to implement it.

Whilst expensive initially it will eventually end up cheaper than fossil fuels given the economies of scale in its production, increasing fossil fuel prices, eventual scarcity and the likelihood of it being used in shipping, aviation and road haulage.

Battery electric vehicles will of course be a very important and possibly ideal solution for many, but it’s important to bare in mind that it’s being pushed mainly as the only solution by politicians, whereas a multi pronged approach with various technologies would be the more pragmatic and realistic chance to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.

Where that leaves motorsport is another story altogether. On one hand you could argue the manufacturers race on Sunday, sell on Monday mantra may point to the electric model, whereas motorsport bodies might argue that in terms of entertainment and the spectacle of the show, that the ice model using lower carbon drop in fuels would be a better fit.

As for sim racing? Well it doesn’t really need to worry either way, it can happily cross over both sides of the divide and embrace old and new technologies without any worry of polluting the planet.

 

[Rallywagon]

Drop in synthetic fuels will have a part to play in the future for many years to come. Especially in developing countries without the electrical infrastructure or means to implement it.

Whilst expensive initially it will eventually end up cheaper than fossil fuels given the economies of scale in its production, increasing fossil fuel prices, eventual scarcity and the likelihood of it being used in shipping, aviation and road haulage.

Battery electric vehicles will of course be a very important and possibly ideal solution for many, but it’s important to bare in mind that it’s being pushed mainly as the only solution by politicians, whereas a multi pronged approach with various technologies would be the more pragmatic and realistic chance to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.

Where that leaves motorsport is another story altogether. On one hand you could argue the manufacturers race on Sunday, sell on Monday mantra may point to the electric model, whereas motorsport bodies might argue that in terms of entertainment and the spectacle of the show, that the ice model using lower carbon drop in fuels would be a better fit.

As for sim racing? Well it doesn’t really need to worry either way, it can happily cross over both sides of the divide and embrace old and new technologies without any worry of polluting the planet.

I don't know that alternate fuels will ever take over. It may replace fossil fuels for the reason that crude oil is finite. And talking to a friend is the industry, might not last as long as is commonly touted. I thought we have another 50 years or so, he saying that number is actually lower, possibly by half. Anyway, the issue with alt fuels is three fold.
First is energy. Not much for fuels has the same energy output as gasoline.
The second is the vehicle itself. Alt fuels tend to break down things like rubber much faster than gasoline. And since we are talking about areas that cant afford new cars and the infrastructure, it's probably a solid assumption they are driving older vics that aren't designed for things like high ethanol fuels.
The third, and probably the biggest factor is land usage. It would take nearly every farm in the US moving to corn production to supply the US with enough corn to make enough ethanol to replace gasoline, in fact, I believe the report I read said that there wouldn't be enough land to support complete change to e85 let alone running straight up ethanol, and people still need to eat. Thats going to be a huge challenge in the US, how much more of an obstacle would that be for a poorer country?

 

[Scaff]

Battery electric vehicles will of course be a very important and possibly ideal solution for many, but it’s important to bare in mind that it’s being pushed mainly as the only solution by politicians, whereas a multi pronged approach with various technologies would be the more pragmatic and realistic chance to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.

Not quite.

Zero emissions (or as near as we can get to it) is what's being pushed. Electric gets pushed as a byproduct of that because it's the most developed and market-ready of the various solutions.

 

[FrankieStail]

Not quite.

Zero emissions (or as near as we can get to it) is what's being pushed. Electric gets pushed as a byproduct of that because it's the most developed and market-ready of the various solutions.

Oh don’t get me wrong, electric is clearly the best solution for personal transport in an ideal world.

Problem is we live in a far from ideal world.
The millions of cars and lack of infrastructure in many countries need alternative solutions in the medium term, of which synthetic drop in fuels is much better than doing nothing at all.

And new fuel technologies being currently developed aided by motorsports such as F1 and Wrc are just getting started as I’m sure you know.

I’m lucky enough to be able to be upgrading from a hybrid to full electric next March but unfortunately many people around the world are very far away from being able to go down that road.
And for such situations a lot can be done to help with decarbonisation with new gen synthetic fuels of which many shortcomings can be solved by the worlds best problem solvers, the great engineering minds of motorsport.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Never is such a long time. F1 will go electric as soon as the technology exists to keep them as the pinnacle of motorsport in terms of laptime. We're a long way off now, but in 30, 40 years? It will happen, even if not in our lifetime.

Whilst all of that is true, it's also true that F1 may simply not exist at some point. I cant see it being too popular when it's all electric.