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Bob Lutz, former General Motors Vice Chair, opines:
It saddens me to say it, but we are approaching the end of the automotive era.
The auto industry is on an accelerating change curve. For hundreds of years, the horse was the prime mover of humans and for the past 120 years it has been the automobile.
Now we are approaching the end of the line for the automobile because travel will be in standardized modules.
The end state will be the fully autonomous module with no capability for the driver to exercise command. You will call for it, it will arrive at your location, you'll get in, input your destination and go to the freeway.
...
The vehicles, however, will no longer be driven by humans because in 15 to 20 years — at the latest — human-driven vehicles will be legislated off the highways.The tipping point will come when 20 to 30 percent of vehicles are fully autonomous. Countries will look at the accident statistics and figure out that human drivers are causing 99.9 percent of the accidents.
Is he right? Is the age of the automobile coming to an end?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @12:28PM (7 children)
It will happen if we allow it. I suspect that large groups of motivated people will fight for their right to drive. I suspect large city cores will be the first to mandate automated driving. Hopefully smaller cities should be safe for a long time.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @01:23PM (3 children)
When you say "safe", you mean 40k deaths per year? Just trying to calibrate.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday November 13 2017, @02:04PM
Sounds reasonable to me.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Monday November 13 2017, @03:48PM (1 child)
Give me liberty or give me death
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Monday November 13 2017, @04:35PM
Give me liberty or give me something of lesser or equal value. Or a coupon for it.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Monday November 13 2017, @04:40PM
When you get a drivers license they make it clear that driving is not a right.
Other people fight for their supposed 'right' to smoke. To pollute the air and water with chemicals for their own profit. To improperly park in handicap spaces. In some places even, to defecate on the sidewalk.
When someone wants to live among other people, they don't always get everything they want.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @07:59PM (1 child)
i will be building my own road warrior autos between now and then. fully equipped with various weapons systems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 18 2017, @07:29PM
Thank you Mad Max, I'll look forward to seeing you in Thunderdome.