Vehicle Technology

History

Automobiles suffered gravely through the Fourth Corporate War, when biotoxins targeted CHOOH2 producing crops, creating the worst fuel crisis in decades. This left streets barren of vehicles through the 2030s and 2040s. However, Biotechnica were able to find a solution to this biotoxin, allowing CHOOH2-producing crops to flourish again. That, matched by a boom in fossil fuel industry saw a dramatic return to prominence and profit that has causes streets to flood with vehicular transport once more.
The oldest functioning vehicles in Night City were produced between 2020 and 2050. They’re often spotted on the streets of poorer districts and among Nomad clans.

AVs

Today AV technology is quite popular, although in private hands it’s a sign of luxury reserved mostly for corporates and upper-class citizens. AVs are used on a large scale by police, military, and corporate forces and by transport companies. Transportation of goods within the city has shifted into aviation routes, which helps to decongest overcrowded street traffic.

Induction Wheels

A major breakthrough in electrically powered ground vehicle occurred in Europe in the year 2041 with the development of so-called 2induction wheels.” This groundbreaking tech amplified the charging rate of electric engines, making them almost completely self-powering. Now, most cars operating within the limits of large European cities use induction-wheel technology.

Car Theft

Despite the continued development of security software, auto theft is still a common problem in certain parts of the city. Hacking a car is relatively easy for those with access to a personal link and specialized illegal hacking programs. Every modern vehicle is equipped with an access port next to the fuel intake, and even older car models have been converted to this standard so that they can function within the computerized vehicle recognition that traffic coordination systems of modern cities. Accessing that port and connecting to it through a personal link can allow a thief to open, break, or install malware on the vehicle’s computers.