> Imagine if instead of becoming an uber driver, you retrofit your car with an Uber Automated Car Taxi Converter(c), "guaranteed to put your car to work for you

> Imagine if instead of becoming an uber driver, you retrofit your car with an Uber Automated Car Taxi Converter(c), "guaranteed to put your car to work for you!" No way; see my comments above about the differences in car design. Combining electric vehicles and autonomous driving is a HUGE combination that trades mechanical complexity (difficult to diagnose, time intensive, permanent fixes are extremely costly) for software complexity (less deterministic but can easily be patched). This greatly reduces both the initial cost and the maintenance costs of electric vehicles (really, the only thing you have to swap out are the tires). Reduction in fleet maintenance costs alone is huge. My theory is that the Tesla Model S only costs as much as it does because they're using it as a premium option to fund R&D of the self-driving auto platform. I'd bet if we saw the total marginal cost for a Model S it would be SIGNIFICANTLY lower than a comparable internal combustion / hybrid automobile. Your current car is also designed at least partially for driver comfort. If you no longer need a driver, then you no longer need a steering wheel, or control of any kind really... and you can offer a completely different transportation experience. Do you even need a windshield? What happens to the interior of the auto as VR/AR gain popularity? But I'm pretty sure whatever the future of the car is, your current auto won't be along for the ride. I'm not even sure that individual auto ownership will make sense anymore -- companies with large fleets will almost certainly be able to offer various levels of guaranteed pickup times. If you're wealthy and want your own car, you would just pay more for a "dedicated" car instead of a "shared" one.