350htrr

Issues, of course there will be issues, so what... There are huge issues with incompetents driving everywhere today...

No, What is crazy is that it is, going to happen that soon/could actually happen that soon...

As for those times you want to drive in "manual" mode meaning personally drive the vehicle you simply put it in personal drive mode and you drive it like you stole it...

cooker

Saw a car commercial - Lexus, I think - at the airport. Older guy in a self-driving car holding his arms out in a driving position while he dreamily remembers his younger self guiding his sporty 2017 car around a scenic mountain/coastal road. The caption: "Enjoy the thrill of driving while you still can!"

wolfchild

Commercials are only for entertainment and are far from reality, just like this thread. I don't think there is any product out there which performs in real life like it does in an advertisement.

I-Like-To-Bike

It is also obvious that some posters on this thread cannot grasp the difference between wishful thinking and reality; experimental concepts and practical products available to the public.

cooker

Clearly you both missed the point of the commercial, which was to promote current drivable cars, not future autonomous ones.

350htrr

I think there are a few people on here who are not grasping, cannot grasp, don't want to grasp where technology is heading and how fast it is going, and what it is capable of doing and what it will be capable of doing in 5 years...

I-Like-To-Bike

"We" didn't watch it, take notes and seek a "point" from a paid commercial; you did.

cooker

I guess that's why the "point" you followed up with was a complete non-sequitur. Earlier were discussing the possibility that once self driving cars become established, human driving might get pushed aside, which in fact has been covered quite a bit in the media as well as in this forum, and I thought it was amusing that car ads are now using that perceived threat, no doubt in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way, to sell cars in the present. What that has to do with your standard diatribe about the supposed lack of common sense of forum participants is anybody's guess.

350htrr

EDIT: Now what do I mean? Certainly not that everyone will have autonomous cars... But that they will be over the hump technically, and some high end cars like a Tesla probably will be ready for real world autonomous driving... and just like anti-lock brakes, airbags, vehicle dynamic control systems, all these started out only available on high end vehicles, how long till it's commonplace and everyone who wants to have one can afford one? That certainly could take 20+ years. JMO

I-Like-To-Bike

My post was no follow up to your so-called "point" and referenced Wolfchild's post, not you, your post, or your so-called "point". I suggest you guess less and read more; believe it or not, not every comment is about you.

Rollfast

I want the little capsules that expand into the Jetson's flying cars!

cooker

wolfchild's comment to me, you mean.

Roody

For anybody interested in the topic of driverless cars, I see here some concerns about them:The 'what if' game for driverless cars - POLITICO

tandempower

And ATMs and self-checkout lines at stores could lead to the elimination of jobs in banking and retail. Does that mean they should be prohibited?

Then charge tolls or issue driving permits for certain routes/times. Since vehicles no longer need to stop to pay tolls, it is easier to charge them. You could have roundabouts with toll-only exits and people/vehicles who don't want to cross through the toll sensor could just circle around the roundabout and go back in the other direction.

Yes, but then there should also be more demand for multipassenger vehicles, like buses, that consolidate traffic from multiple vehicles along popular routes. People will find it a better bargain to transfer to a bus or multi-passenger van for arterial-route travel, rather than opting to stay in a single car throughout a long commute. Of course there will be people who waste money taking the entire trip in a single car, but they will drown in debt unless they have unlimited spending money for some reason.

cooker

Even for single passenger vehicles there will be savings from linking them in caravans along those arterial routes.

tandempower

True, but think about the overall fleet cost of having separate cars for each person vs. just having some cars for local travel that are shared among multiple people; and then having buses or other multipassenger vehicles for longer routes and more arterial routes.

I think the biggest impediment to really harnessing the efficiency potential of these technologies is the business goal of preventing any decreases in sales, period. To consolidate traffic and improve efficiency, reduce lanes, etc., you have to be open to reducing overall fleet sizes - but if your primary concern is maintaining production/sales levels for the sake of maintaining revenues, jobs, stock value, etc. then your just going to have corporate networking geared toward resisting changes/innovations like autonomous vehicle systems, transit, etc.

wolfchild

I hope that you will be the first one on this list to adopt those new self-driving or self-flying cars when they become available for sale 5 years from now as predicted by a few crystal ball gazers on this list.

Roody

Please quit referring to flying. Nobody on this forum has predicted flying cars withing 5 years--or ever. It just makes you look stupid to keep bringing it up.

Roody

I don't think it's been established yet that autonomous cars will be more efficient than what we have now. These cars will presumably be driving around empty half the time, which doesn't seem efficient at all. A lot of studying and some good pilot projects will probably be required before we know if they will be more efficient on balance or not. Or even feasible, fpr that matter. I do think that they will present a lot of challenges to those of us who want to develop better alternatives to cars such as bikes and public transit.

tandempower

Why would they drive around empty if their purpose is to maximize fare-time? They would sooner offer a ride for $1 than drive empty for $0, since there is no additional cost to carrying a passenger than driving empty. For that $1, you might have to get out where the car tells you, or pay an additional fee to go to another destination, but there's no money in driving empty.

You should also consider the benefits to LCF:
1) passengers are free to walk from A to B and catch another ride at B instead of having to always walk back to A, where their car is parked.
2) the more people share the costs of driving/riding, the lower the cost is for anyone.
3) without having to pay a driver, the cost of a ride-share is much less.
4) without parking lots and the need to park, cars can let passengers out curbside, without turning off the road, which means less cars crossing through bike lanes to turn.

350htrr

Of course they would be more economic/efficient then personal ownership of a car for everyone.

1; No driver needed.
2; They would "know" the shortest or least congested route.
3; No they don't need to drive around empty as much as today's taxis, as the closest one would always get the passenger.
4; I read somewhere that each car would get about 6 or 7 people out of the personal car ownership trap/set up of todays lifestyle.

I-Like-To-Bike

Ah, the basis of many facts and predictions and beliefs in alternate reality seen on this list.

350htrr

and, I also read somewhere that FORD just invested 1 Billion in autonomous cars, why would they make a business decision like that if the idea was an alternate reality?... I am fairly sure they think it's a good investment. BMW, Tesla, Audi, and pretty much everyone in the business IS, investing very heavily in autonomous vehicles... Billions and billions, around the world...

EDIT; You and a few others on here are Ssooo far behind the reality curve that it's un-believable... I and most people on here probably would have absolutely no problem with you's saying it's all, BS, it's going to take at least 20 years+ to achieve autonomous vehicles, that would actually be... useful... But, Oh, no you are saying fantasy, an alternate reality... Well 3 years ago I would have agreed with you, but, after sitting in a car that parked itself 3 years ago, with me doing absolutely nothing... WOW, Technology is exploding, and here we are, on the edge... So, You saying it's an alternate reality is... ??? ... WTF... ???

jon c. 

I have no doubt that these vehicles will be widely available in 5 years. I think it will be substantially longer before they take over completely.

pamelaw33

Technology is going to advance for only driverless cars and alternative fuel source. The bicycle is going to be only an equipment for recreation and exercise.

But there is hope as many congested cities are now using cycles for commute. But, I don't see a big change in the next five years.