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Auto-Driving cars have the potential to help the world cut carbon emissions. Cars that can synchronise their travel, and coordinate their movements can use fuel
by fit2rule 8y ago
Auto-Driving cars have the potential to help the world cut carbon emissions. Cars that can synchronise their travel, and coordinate their movements can use fuel more efficiently.
People are not good at driving efficiently. Over-braking, over-idle, under-steer .. all of these things contribute to fuel waste at scale.
- function_seven 8y agoThe thing that's most compelling to me is the ability to accelerate slowly and maintain a slower speed. I can't do that. Well, I can, but I don't. When I'm driving, I like to get up to speed fairly quickly, and I tend to drive at or just above the posted limits in most cases. It's a flaw in my character. But in a self-driving car, not only am I not in charge of those decisions, I'm okay with it. Because I'm not preoccupied with the road and traffic, it's an out-of-sight-out-of-mind situation as I watch my movie or edit my spreadsheet. Just like it doesn't bother me when the train or bus is slow to get up to speed.
- notahacker 8y agoThat sounds likely to be massively cancelled out by people taking car journeys that otherwise wouldn't happen because they don't have to be awake, sober or focused on driving for hours at a time, because the cheapest autoparking is way outside the city centre or because the taxi/courier is really cheap now the driver salary isn't included. And electric vehicles are already relatively efficient in energy use even if driven badly, particularly if charged using renewables.
- fit2rule 8y agoCould also go the other way: people ride-share more frequently, even as a socialising activity, since they can sit and talk with each other while the car does all the work .. And, the next obvious step: private car ownership becomes a distant memory.