Bob Flint
1. Bottom line is there a real cost advantage? 2. Not all vehicles operate with the same parameters. (ie; legislated set speed, and road rules) 3. Transition & partial self control to full autonomous, versus liability and error determination who's to blame. (the one with the most cash.) 4. We can't even build perfect human driven cars, look at all the recalls of every single automobile manufacturer. 5. So take the human out of the equation and you have a very expensive perfected piece of technology, that is waiting for the latest download, to try and circumvent the impending weather that will force a standby, or reschedule for later mode....Please Stand Buy...Beep..
zevulon
deflationary wages and a prolific amount of spare time for people means, the price point of self driving cars has to be very low and they have to be very effective to have wide appeal.
most people simply aren't wealthy/rich enough for buying an expensive self driving car to make sense, in the current economic context of transportation.
this is why companies like uber and google understand that the economics of self driving cars must actually exploit capital efficienies made possible by the technology, namely the fleet business model of self driving cars maximizes the usage of capital , thereby 1) minimizing the labor input in substituted activities such as the labor cost of running a taxi or a bus and 2) the future of 'car sharing' is essentially a consumer fleet of vehicles that is able to displace the ability of people to own cars by making it FAR CHEAPER TO USE CARS so that the price of these expensive autonomous fleets on a per-car basis, while much MUCH higher than an individual manual car, is still able to compete with existing car ownership by making car-sharing far far cheaper than it already is, thereby making it less attractive to buy a car.
if fewer people buy cars becasue autonomous vehicle fleets make car sharing incredibly cheap and effective ( orders of magnitutde moreso than today) --, than to make the some money selling those cars, the existing auto behemoths MUST raise the prices to keep profits up.
this creates a VICIOUS cycle of increasing car ownership prices for remaining vehicle users that don't car share. effectively----productivity gains in autonomous driving will lead to a capital sharing model that displaces ownership by raiising the costs to owners all things being equal.
so in the future, to own a car, you'll need to be relatively richer than now.
James Poirier
Google-Map "World Transportation Center" ...if you wish to know the geographic location where America's new autonomous-car system begins.
Tom Lee Mullins
While I think self driving cars are cool and there is a place for them, I still want the option to drive it myself. It would be like some of the cars in the movie Demolition Man. They had cars that drove themselves but also had the option where the driver could steer. I think this was true also in the movie I, Robots.
Alexander Lowe
Sounds as if the general answer to the question is: 'not quite yet'. If the technology were fully capable, I'd run it as a public service, not a business. Robot cars would eventually make most other forms of motorised private transport redundant. It's more sensible to have standard infrastucture (e.g., recharging systems for electric 'auto-autos'), rather than repeat the mess of duplication, of the sort we've seen in the UK with the mobile 'phone companies. Where they don't duplicate (e.g., transmitter masts), they collaborate, so there is an effective monopoly, and where there is a natural monopoly it needs to be controlled democratically. The same is applicable to the privatised bus and rail companies. Another issue is legal accountability, and that's been a disaster in the UK, where rail companies (for example) are contractors, who sub-contract work. When accidents occur, deciding who is liable can be like trying to untie the Gordian knot. In summary, it's not the technology, it's how it's used.
Brian M
@Tom
Think the opposite will happen! People like owning their own things especially houses and cars., although taxi drivers might well be looking for a new career!
The technology for the driverless car is not going to be much more expensive to buy or run than todays cars, maybe even cheaper as cars will be driven correctly!
Yes the development is expensive but once done the additional hardware is going to be minimal. The conventional car has been heading towards electronically controlled mechanical parts for some time on cost grounds anyway, so driverless just adds the cost of sensors and control.
Perhaps its time to re-think projects like high speed rail links - and put infrastructure in for driverless electric cars, door to door convenience, with your own space and no over talkative taxi drivers - heaven!
Cyndy
I love this idea because it takes ego's out of the equation. This tech has been worked on since the 80's and has matured well. Self driving vehicles will usher in far fewer accidents, crashes, and deaths. This could end DWI's as well. These vehicles will also obey the legal speeds. Hotrodders and macho drivers will fade into history, bye and good riddance.
Rigby5
The belief we can now make affordable autonomous cars is totally and completely ridiculous. Planes, trains, ships, and even trucks cost many times more, and yet still can not afford autonomous systems. No one has done it yet, and it is not clear anyone can ever do it in a general way. Current tests that avoid parking lots, rain, snow, etc., are not at all proof of concept.
This is based on ignorance.
Autonomous systems are not better than human drivers. For example, most people think ABS reduces braking distance automatically, but the reality is any good driver can beat ABS significantly, so ABS has increased braking distance for them. Another example is the belief people want autonomous cars. That is silly because people LIKE to drive. They are not going to pay for expensive autonomous systems they won't trust and don't want. Anyone who does not like to drive, takes mass transit, not spend ridiculous amounts on something that is not reliable.
Autonomous car hype also ignores the realities. Makers will go bankrupt quickly because they will become party to any and all accident lawsuits, and with the deepest pockets, will always be paying big jury awards. The government will never allow autonomous cars once they realize they could easily be used for crime, such as delivering terrorist bombs.
vonborks
Self-driving cars, the final battle in the cyber war between Machines and Humans. A simple but real world example: Early in the morning you jump into your self-driving car and direct it to take you to work, the car reminds you that it is Voting Day, it informs you that it will take you to your neighborhood voting Poll first and then on to work, you agree and thank the car for the reminder. You fully intend to vote for Candidate “B”. Soothing background plays, subliminally you are being told to vote for Candidate “A”. You reach the Poll, jump out and quickly vote for “A”, back into the car and off to works, believing that you voted for your Candidate “B”.
ezeflyer
Self flying personal aircraft will make self driving cars secondary transportation.