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No matter how closely together the cars can drive, as long as you have an engine and a crash-resistant shell around each passenger, it will never be as space-ef
by LeafStorm 14y ago
No matter how closely together the cars can drive, as long as you have an engine and a crash-resistant shell around each passenger, it will never be as space-efficient was the 35' Gillig Advantage I am sitting in right now.
IMO the best application of self-driving cars in an urban landscape is last-mile demand for people who live outside the city, where it's not economical to run buses or trains. But inside a city proper, or even on a busy freeway, having one car per passenger takes up a lot of space that could be better used elsewhere, both while moving and while parked.
(Also, self-driving technology could be applied to buses and streetcars to reduce operating costs and expand frequency and range of service.)
- eru 14y agoJust imaging self-driving minibuses.
- netcan 14y agoPublic transport minibuses might actually be a good place to exercise self driving vehicles. Minibuses don't need the same versatility as consumer cars have. They "only" need to be able to handle anything they can encounter on a predefined route. The route itself could even be optimized for them (eg pedestrian barriers).