4 ms·
>A self driving truck would get to its destination faster (saving money) I think traveling faster requires quadraticly more energy though. mv^2 E
by windows_tips 8y ago
>A self driving truck would get to its destination faster (saving money)
I think traveling faster requires quadraticly more energy though.
mv^2
E = ---
2
- greenyoda 8y agoThe truck couldn't travel at a higher MPH (they already travel at highway speed limits). What they mean is that the truck would get there faster because a human truck driver legally needs to rest for 10 hours every day, but a self-driving truck does not. The money you'd save is by not having your truck sit idle while the driver slept. You could thus deliver the same amount of freight with fewer trucks. However, trucks would wear out faster due being run for more hours per day.
- windows_tips 8y agoDrivers could be swapped out when the trucks are refueled or loading/unloading. There'd be no speed-up in general if speeds stay the same. >The money you'd save is by not having your truck sit idle while the driver slept. That wouldn't save money. Operating actually costs money, though your total money may increase if the operation is profitable.
- bloak 8y agoThere was an article in The Economist about improving road transport in India with clever logistics. If I remember correctly, one of the significant savings was that by swapping drivers every few hundred miles you can arrange for each driver to sleep at home most nights, which makes the job more pleasant, so you don't have to pay them so much.
- windows_tips 8y agoSounds like an Economist position, to focus on minimizing pay. Reminds me of the Pony Express.