SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the I'm-sorry-Dave,-I-can't-do-that dept.
[...] some experts believe as much as 95% of passenger miles could be electric, autonomous by 2030, thanks to some basic economics. Because electric vehicles cost a whole lot less to drive and maintain—but more to buy—and because autonomous vehicles greatly reduce the cost of commercial driving, a combination of the two technologies will make autonomous Transportation as a Service exponentially more cost competitive than either owning a car, or hiring a car and driver. It's also exponentially more profitable for car companies, who have long feared the loss of maintenance and service profits associated with a transition to electric cars.
This question will come up more frequently as self-driving technology advances. Will perfection of that technology make a difference, though, in the face of social behaviors that have been deeply ingrained over the past century?
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Wednesday July 26 2017, @06:41PM (2 children)
I am 27 and I can not imagine not owning a vehicle and driving it wherever. The majority of the time I spend driving has no destination, it is just driving.
Every other night a buddy and I drive around smoking cigars talking about various things, mostly articles/good comments from soylent and bitching about boomers
Every weekend my wife, kids, and I go for a drive either to the park, beach, mountains, or just around
My kids are barely three and if I am home when they wake up the first thing they have been saying recently is "more drive" (or trains)
A segment of the US population has a vehicle based culture. It is much less than it has been in previous generations, but there will always be a market for the type of activities I listed above. It is changing as gas prices increase and young people are unable to afford vehicles (thanks cash for clunkers), but I am uncertain that it will go away. I have noticed a definite rejection of any vehicle based culture by bike riders who refuse to accept that people enjoy driving, but whatever.
With the exception to physical barriers that keep my body from performing the act of piloting a vehicle, there is nothing that will keep me from driving.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 27 2017, @12:19AM (1 child)
You can have my steering wheel when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
(I'm with you.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 27 2017, @05:59AM
Thank you for your feedback. You can keep your steering wheel as long as it is not attached to any pedestrian mover. Do you want to know more?
- Your friendly commuter helpbot.