Baby steps back to normal; an electric future ahead

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- In the annual Glover family Christmas letter I sent out this year, I hinted that I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy.  Consequently, I reasoned that 2021 was better than the awful year of 2020.

And I feel that way about the world in general, even though COVID continues to dominate virtually every aspect of our lives. You can't go anywhere to get away from it, right?

And yet, we saw stadiums and racetracks filled with fans in 2021, a sharp pivot from the silent -- or artificially pumped up enthusiasm -- at venues throughout 2020.

We saw vaccines and boosters that seemingly punched COVID in the nose on millions of fronts.

Car dealers struggled to keep inventory, and a global microchip shortage cut into auto manufacturing numbers.  But if you saw the blizzard of TV commercials from numerous automakers to close out this year, you got the impression that wheels were still a popular sales item.

So, what to expect in 2022, automotive-wise that is?

Well, I can guarantee you that the proliferation of electric and hybrid vehicles will continue in full force. For old-school purists, the slow demise of internal-combustion engine-powered autos is a thing to mourn.

Don't feel bad.  Just looking at some of the electric/hybrid cars in the pipeline gets my heart racing. The technology in some of these models is mind-blowing, and I don't say that lightly.

I've already been stunned at the rapid development of on-vehicle sensors and driver-assist features. What's coming up the road is light years beyond that.  Seriously.  It's something to look forward to.

Naturally, electric charging infrastructure will continue to expand, especially in California.  What about hydrogen?  Is it still in the mix?  Yes, it is.  Stayed tuned on that front.

In the world of auto racing, youth was served in 2021, and you can expect more young talent to step up in 2022.  Consider the ages of the season champions in three major racing series: Formula One's Max Verstappen, age 24; IndyCar's Alex Palou, age 24; and NASCAR Cup's Kyle Larson, age 29.

Youth aside, the most anticipated motorsports story of 2022 will be Helio Castroneves going for an unprecedented fifth Indianapolis 500 win.  If he gets it next May, he will do so at 47 years of age.

I look forward to all of it with optimism ... with the idea being that getting back to pre-COVID normal can be done in a series of baby steps.  I can't wait to gulp down that half glass of water when the journey is completed.