Self-Driving Cars
An overview - from horseless to driverless
Why We Need Them
A summary of why we need self-drive cars
They will eliminate bad drivers
Some parts of America are really dangerous places to drive
One small example of impact of bad driving
Why Google wants to get rid of human drivers altogether
Human error is everywhere
The high indirect car ownership costs
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what to expect
How Americans learn to drive
Who Will Benefit From Them
1. Governments love self-drive cars because they can see huge reduction in accidents meaning lower hospital and welfare costs; and new roads won't be needed as existing ones used far more efficiently
2. Regulators love self-drive cars because will cut their budget costs for policing and for cleaning up after accidents
MONEY is a huge motivator for legislators and regulators - every dollar saved can go to someone's pet project
3. Insurers love self-drive cars because they will reduce the costs of payouts faster than reduce premiums - that's the lesson of past few years as cars have got measurably safer
4. Traditional Vehicle Makers
Car manufacturers would prefer self-drive cars never happened but recognize as inevitable and nobody wants to be the dinosaurs left behind
Trucking companies love self-drive semis because it will save them a whole lot of money in labor costs and accident premiums.
5. Software Companies - the New Disruptors
Google has its financial clout behind self-drive cars because they can see it as a business, as well as something worth doing for its benefit to society
Apple doesn't want to be left behind and is building its own version (iCarus?)
Baidu, the Chinese search engine company is building completely autonomous cars, initially for Chinese cities.
Uber is making a big investment because drivers are their biggest cost. Uber board member Steve Jurvetson recently commented that if Tesla developed an autonomous vehicle, Uber would buy half a million of them in 2020.
6. Motorists
95% of drivers want self-drive cars because they like idea of doing something else on commute or shopping run or kid delivery to school - being able to do something productive, or just relax instead of wasting time controlling car is a huge plus in almost every driving situation.
And they will see the benefits of smooth running roads - nobody going to sleep at traffic lights or making a mistake and causing an accident.
Teenagers want them because they no longer see the need to learn to drive
Adults want them because they don't need a car. Uber and car-sharing apps give them alternatives, and they don't want to spend the capital.
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on why most drivers like the idea
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what you might choose
The 5% of drivers who want to do their own thing will be outvoted and will have to organize alternative places to drive, just as equine enthusiasts have
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how some people love driving
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how they will be nudged into acceptance
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how a car of your own can be useful
Google car today
How Will We Get There
Prediction for 2016:
Cars (most notably from Google and Tesla) can already handle routine driving and maintain a safe speed. We won’t be handing over the steering wheel this year, but we will begin the prep work: talking about regulations, figuring out the best ways to apply the technology, and testing how humans interact with these vehicles.
Car use is changing - the four stages of this
The technology has already been invented
We are becoming accustomed to being monitored everywhere we go
Insurers use that to make you drive like a girl
Police are using dashcams to do the same ...
... and track journeys by photographing your plates
FAQ - But I don't want to be monitored (tough luck)
Google leads the way
(And maybe Google might add an I Feel Lucky button ...)
Tesla is catching up fast
.... and Tesla has 90,000 cars to actively test incremental upgrades
Other researchers working on the software
And new software going beyond GPS and radar/lidar is on the near horizon
Car manufacturers are steadily making existing cars autonomous.
Semi-autonomous trucks already in use in Australian mines
Roboracing - Self-driving Race Cars
When Will They Arrive
By 2020 they will be commonplace
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what the masses think about the timing
- Self-Drive Cars are legal in some US states
- Google expanding into other US cities
- Universities trialling their own cars
- Other autonomous cars on private roads
- Driverless buses on the road today
- Greek driverless buses on the road today
- Ford plans driverless cars by 2020
- China may be ideal place to test cars
- New Zealand keen to be a lab test
- England is trialling Self-Drive cars in 3 cities
- Driverless Vans in London
- Next 5 years in Britain
- Singapore is trialling a Self-Drive taxi service
- Sweden - 100 Self-Drive Volvos on Swedish roads in 2017
- Japan wants Self-Drive cars ready for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Australia - Trials in Adelaide Nov 2015
What Objections Do People Have
The objections people think of first aren't problems
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether people will abuse or prank the cars
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether you need a human driver sometimes
But some people will never be convinced Haters gonna hate
But there are things which could go wrong (liability, hacking, unexpected events) and haven't yet been resolved.
And the cars have to learn how human drivers behave.
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on liability
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on problem of hackers
Implications
It is inevitable that a lot of jobs will go
Other future implications for car makers
And implications for the hotel industry
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on implications for the future
Off the page Unexpected outcomes
And not just cars .... Pilotless passenger drones
Main Index page
William Flew Auckland
An overview - from horseless to driverless
Why We Need Them
A summary of why we need self-drive cars
They will eliminate bad drivers
Some parts of America are really dangerous places to drive
One small example of impact of bad driving
Why Google wants to get rid of human drivers altogether
Human error is everywhere
The high indirect car ownership costs
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what to expect
How Americans learn to drive
Who Will Benefit From Them
1. Governments love self-drive cars because they can see huge reduction in accidents meaning lower hospital and welfare costs; and new roads won't be needed as existing ones used far more efficiently
2. Regulators love self-drive cars because will cut their budget costs for policing and for cleaning up after accidents
MONEY is a huge motivator for legislators and regulators - every dollar saved can go to someone's pet project
3. Insurers love self-drive cars because they will reduce the costs of payouts faster than reduce premiums - that's the lesson of past few years as cars have got measurably safer
4. Traditional Vehicle Makers
Car manufacturers would prefer self-drive cars never happened but recognize as inevitable and nobody wants to be the dinosaurs left behind
Trucking companies love self-drive semis because it will save them a whole lot of money in labor costs and accident premiums.
5. Software Companies - the New Disruptors
Google has its financial clout behind self-drive cars because they can see it as a business, as well as something worth doing for its benefit to society
Apple doesn't want to be left behind and is building its own version (iCarus?)
Baidu, the Chinese search engine company is building completely autonomous cars, initially for Chinese cities.
Uber is making a big investment because drivers are their biggest cost. Uber board member Steve Jurvetson recently commented that if Tesla developed an autonomous vehicle, Uber would buy half a million of them in 2020.
6. Motorists
95% of drivers want self-drive cars because they like idea of doing something else on commute or shopping run or kid delivery to school - being able to do something productive, or just relax instead of wasting time controlling car is a huge plus in almost every driving situation.
And they will see the benefits of smooth running roads - nobody going to sleep at traffic lights or making a mistake and causing an accident.
Teenagers want them because they no longer see the need to learn to drive
Adults want them because they don't need a car. Uber and car-sharing apps give them alternatives, and they don't want to spend the capital.
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on why most drivers like the idea
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what you might choose
The 5% of drivers who want to do their own thing will be outvoted and will have to organize alternative places to drive, just as equine enthusiasts have
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how some people love driving
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how they will be nudged into acceptance
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on how a car of your own can be useful
Google car today
How Will We Get There
Prediction for 2016:
Cars (most notably from Google and Tesla) can already handle routine driving and maintain a safe speed. We won’t be handing over the steering wheel this year, but we will begin the prep work: talking about regulations, figuring out the best ways to apply the technology, and testing how humans interact with these vehicles.
Car use is changing - the four stages of this
The technology has already been invented
We are becoming accustomed to being monitored everywhere we go
Insurers use that to make you drive like a girl
Police are using dashcams to do the same ...
... and track journeys by photographing your plates
FAQ - But I don't want to be monitored (tough luck)
Google leads the way
(And maybe Google might add an I Feel Lucky button ...)
Tesla is catching up fast
.... and Tesla has 90,000 cars to actively test incremental upgrades
Other researchers working on the software
And new software going beyond GPS and radar/lidar is on the near horizon
Car manufacturers are steadily making existing cars autonomous.
Semi-autonomous trucks already in use in Australian mines
Roboracing - Self-driving Race Cars
When Will They Arrive
By 2020 they will be commonplace
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what the masses think about the timing
- Self-Drive Cars are legal in some US states
- Google expanding into other US cities
- Universities trialling their own cars
- Other autonomous cars on private roads
- Driverless buses on the road today
- Greek driverless buses on the road today
- Ford plans driverless cars by 2020
- China may be ideal place to test cars
- New Zealand keen to be a lab test
- England is trialling Self-Drive cars in 3 cities
- Driverless Vans in London
- Next 5 years in Britain
- Singapore is trialling a Self-Drive taxi service
- Sweden - 100 Self-Drive Volvos on Swedish roads in 2017
- Japan wants Self-Drive cars ready for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Australia - Trials in Adelaide Nov 2015
What Objections Do People Have
The objections people think of first aren't problems
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether people will abuse or prank the cars
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether you need a human driver sometimes
But some people will never be convinced Haters gonna hate
But there are things which could go wrong (liability, hacking, unexpected events) and haven't yet been resolved.
And the cars have to learn how human drivers behave.
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on liability
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on problem of hackers
Implications
It is inevitable that a lot of jobs will go
Other future implications for car makers
And implications for the hotel industry
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on implications for the future
Off the page Unexpected outcomes
And not just cars .... Pilotless passenger drones
Main Index page
How Will We Get There
Prediction for 2016:
Cars (most notably from Google and Tesla) can already handle routine driving and maintain a safe speed. We won’t be handing over the steering wheel this year, but we will begin the prep work: talking about regulations, figuring out the best ways to apply the technology, and testing how humans interact with these vehicles.
Car use is changing - the four stages of this
The technology has already been invented
We are becoming accustomed to being monitored everywhere we go
Insurers use that to make you drive like a girl
Police are using dashcams to do the same ...
... and track journeys by photographing your plates
FAQ - But I don't want to be monitored (tough luck)
Google leads the way
(And maybe Google might add an I Feel Lucky button ...)
Tesla is catching up fast
.... and Tesla has 90,000 cars to actively test incremental upgrades
Other researchers working on the software
And new software going beyond GPS and radar/lidar is on the near horizon
Car manufacturers are steadily making existing cars autonomous.
Semi-autonomous trucks already in use in Australian mines
Roboracing - Self-driving Race Cars
When Will They Arrive
By 2020 they will be commonplace
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on what the masses think about the timing
- Self-Drive Cars are legal in some US states
- Google expanding into other US cities
- Universities trialling their own cars
- Other autonomous cars on private roads
- Driverless buses on the road today
- Greek driverless buses on the road today
- Ford plans driverless cars by 2020
- China may be ideal place to test cars
- New Zealand keen to be a lab test
- England is trialling Self-Drive cars in 3 cities
- Driverless Vans in London
- Next 5 years in Britain
- Singapore is trialling a Self-Drive taxi service
- Sweden - 100 Self-Drive Volvos on Swedish roads in 2017
- Japan wants Self-Drive cars ready for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Australia - Trials in Adelaide Nov 2015
What Objections Do People Have
The objections people think of first aren't problems
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether people will abuse or prank the cars
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on whether you need a human driver sometimes
But some people will never be convinced Haters gonna hate
But there are things which could go wrong (liability, hacking, unexpected events) and haven't yet been resolved.
And the cars have to learn how human drivers behave.
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on liability
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on problem of hackers
Implications
It is inevitable that a lot of jobs will go
Other future implications for car makers
And implications for the hotel industry
FAQs - Feedback from forums and letters to the editor on implications for the future
Off the page Unexpected outcomes
And not just cars .... Pilotless passenger drones
Main Index page
William Flew Auckland