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Carmakers have to adjust and prepare for a reality in which mobility is treated as a service and cars are losing their traditional function as a (middle class)
by mortyma 10y ago
Carmakers have to adjust and prepare for a reality in which mobility is treated as a service and cars are losing their traditional function as a (middle class) status symbol.
I think that self-driving cars may actually increase traffic and our dependency on cars. Just think about it:
- If you don't have to drive yourself but can instead use the time to sleep, watch a movie, study or shitpost on the Internet, a 1.5 hour commute to work isn't that bad anymore.
- Since the labor cost for operating a self-driving car is probably really low (we'll still need mechanics for maintenance and such) and streets are heavily subsidized by the government, self-driving cars are cheap and could be a competitor to traditional public transport services.
- There isn't a reason why kids, who now have to use a bike, a scooter or the bus until they are allowed to drive a car shouldn't be able to order a self-driving taxi; thus, they get used to being shuttled around all the time from a young age.
- stormbrew 10y agoMany people have hour+ long commutes during which they can shitpost on the internet. It's still really fucking boring and a massive waste of your day. Also, congestion still affects people in a self driving future. A complete abandonment of public transit in major cities would lead to much larger increases in commute times than you seem to think.
- drcross 10y ago>I think that self-driving cars may actually increase traffic Your assumption is that cars will stay the same form and shape after they become self-driving, which is myopic. Without needing all of the safety protection cars or three spare seats, cars can be far smaller and you can easily envision a sitution when we get a x4 increase in traffic density, meaning traffic won't be an issue.
- tmptmp 10y ago>>Without needing all of the safety protection Curious to know, what safety protections can be removed. Also, how small a car can get, given the limits put by the physics of comfort, balance, commute speed, aerodynamics?
- white-flame 10y ago> I think that self-driving cars may actually increase traffic and our dependency on cars. Exactly. Remember how computers were supposed to give us paperless offices? They're automated paper-wasters and likely increased paper consumption in offices incredibly during the 90s and 00s. I've not been in corporatastic environments for a while, so I can't comment on the 10s.
- Aloha 10y agoI work in those offices, paper still exists, lots of it is printed, often though as an easy way to carry a document around for review.
- santaclaus 10y ago> cars are losing their traditional function as a (middle class) status symbol. Cars are a status symbol? I haven't heard anyone talk about owning a car since high school...