The British Motor Museum has opened another exciting and thought-provoking exhibition entitled Transitions: The Impact of Innovation, which will run until summer 2024.

The exhibition, which was opened by Kevin Timms, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, explores the technologies that are bringing cars into the future and considers their effects. The car has shaped our world for the better, but also for the worse. As the motor industry strives to find cleaner, safer, and more efficient ways to get us around, the exhibition looks at what its developments mean for our cars.

In the past, the Museum has inspired curiosity about the future of the car, and this exhibition will revisit concepts explored in the 2019 exhibition ‘The Car. The Future. Me’. However, this brand-new exhibition brings a fresh perspective, delving into the practical thoughts and ideas surrounding these new technologies. Visitors will leave the exhibition with a greater insight into the direction car engineering will take in the years to come and how this will affect our day-to-day lives.

The exhibition uses a combination of cars and interactive stations to illustrate areas of future development, such as how cars will be powered, their impact, the materials they use and alternative methods of control. A range of vehicles are on display, including a 1922 Ford Model T, a hydrogen-powered Riversimple Rasa, a sectioned Nissan Leaf electric car, and a 2016 Range Rover Sport autonomous test vehicle. Each car was selected to illustrate a point in the development of the car to date, from the first mass-produced car to a working car powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

These vehicles are displayed alongside a varied range of interactive elements which allow comparisons between different technologies. For example, visitors can compare the energy density of different fuels or test an autonomous car simulator, to see how much they would trust an autonomous car in the real world.

There is a display case at the beginning of the exhibition, containing motoring-related objects that have become obsolete, a sobering reminder of how fast technology is moving. Another display plays host to a collection of alternative materials for car interiors, including options you will never have thought of - fruit peel leather seats, anyone? After exploring the exhibition, visitors will use their newfound knowledge to form their ideal car of the future, based on the four key elements: Energy, Control, Impact and Materials.

To find out more information about the museum, please visit: britishmotormuseum.co.uk