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from the prepping-for-the-next-gumball-rally dept.
An autonomous car developed by Michigan-based auto supplier Delphi Automotive ( http://www.delphi.com/delphi-drive ) will soon be making a 3,500-mile journey across the U.S. A person will sit behind the wheel at all times but won't touch it unless there's a situation the car can't handle. The car will mainly stick to highways.
Companies both inside and outside the auto industry are experimenting with technologies that take more and more responsibilities away from the driver—right up to the act of actually driving the car. Most experts say a true driverless vehicle is at least a decade away. Delphi plans to show off one of several versions of the car—an Audi Q5 crossover outfitted with laser sensors, radar and multiple cameras—on Saturday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The official car will start its journey March 22 in San Francisco and arrive in New York a little more than a week later.The autonomous Audi warmed up for its long journey by racking up lots of miles tooling around Delphi's Silicon Valley office and taking a drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Delphi showed off the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January where, during a demonstration, the car braked by itself—just like it was supposed to—when two inebriated men fell into the street in front of it.
(Score: 2) by Covalent on Tuesday March 17 2015, @02:47PM
The cost to the end user is real and measurable. Good data is not easy to find, but How Stuff Works says (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/cost-of-car-ownership/auto-maintenance-cost.htm) that "In 2004, the standard family unit earned $54,453, which means they laid out around $817 annually on repairs, or $408 per vehicle."
Let's call it $500 per year in 2014 (inflation). That's a fair amount of money. The same article says about $600 per year on insurance, which presumably would be much less in an accident-free world. Put another way, that's worth something like $5000 for the feature (assuming 5 years of ownership of the car).
And let's not even get started on lost productivity due to lateness from accidents, stress-related illnesses, etc. Increased productivity from working in the car makes the list, too. There are a number of really valuable reasons to promote this technology.
Even better is the possibility of "time sharing" a vehicle. Why own a car that you only drive to and from work? Why not let it drive you to work, then pick up your friend (or total stranger), and take her to work? Then pick you up and take you home, then pick her up and take her home? Split the cost of the vehicle two ways. Maybe even an Uber-like setup with driverless cars just waiting for a call.
I'm so excited that I am going to get to see this. Hurry up googs!
You can't rationally argue somebody out of a position they didn't rationally get into.