QUOTE (Turin Machine @ Jan 11 2017, 12:27 PM)
Muchof your concerns seem to stem from green issues? A little puzzled as to how driverless cars would address this. Electric cars maybe but driverless? How? And as to domestic capital costs you still need to buy the this thing. Not trying to be contentious but I don't see the argument.
I would enjoy discussion on the subject though
You certainly arn't being contentious, all very valid points. Driverless cars against today's environment (fossil fuel / individually owned / proximity located) is actually feasibile today. Like most things, it's the next wave developments that bring the gain. So, if we extend the vision:-
- if you can simply 'call up' transport to arrive within minutes, why would you want to personally own and maintain it? Particularly if you had a choice of size / quality etc. on call.
- if your transport was designed simply to get you (and your immediate belongings) from a to b, it would not necessarily be as big / heavy as today's versions.
- if you didn't own it you wouldn't need to park it, if fact you wouldn't really care if someone else used it next provided when your next one came it was pristine. Common user vehicles can when not in use can be stacked rather than parked.
- with greater working from home your 'into work' commute is likely to be less distant a d less frequent.
- using separate transports for each leg of your journey means massively extending the on board 'fuel' store and so range.
All of this makes electric propulsion, even with today's store technology even more viable. On top of that there are trials on going to enable wireless power transmission in addition.
The main things getting in the way:
Need to remove the concept that 'your car' helps define you as a person
Understand you don't need to 'own' essentially domestic utilities
Need to substantially up 'service industry' ethos substantially
Need to properly plan and managed change, conceptually and economically
That is just the ramblings of an old man without stimulants; but it's getting closer technically. We could have a very pleasant future; which is sustainable and viable which is why we should concentrate on the vision and get some decent politicians.