Recognize that BMW/Daimler/et al really don't want true self driving cars. It's not really in their interest, because it would radically reduce the need for car ownership and would open up a new world of on-the-fly car rental. Human drivers required = good business. I'm not saying its a conspiracy, just that they have no passion to disrupt their industry in this way.
This is spot on. The car industry has done a quite wonderful job of transforming the 'mechanical horse', a contraption able to take you between locations with minimal effort from the occupants, into an extension of your personality and some form of lifestyle statement. The weak point in their advertising is that it is very often aimed at the driver and the driving experience.
Automated vehicles offer the opportunity for greater efficiencies which will translate into fewer cars as making use of a vehicle becomes much more common than ownership of one. Thus the price of purchasing these vehicles will remain high and many owners will need to ensure their vehicle is bringing in a decent income as some form of taxi in order to cover the cost of ownership (shouldn't be a problem as at the moment, most vehicles probably spend the vast majority of their time parked, waiting for their owner). However, I can see that if the whole system can be made to work as an uber-efficient taxi service most people will have no need to own a vehicle.
Comments
Recognize that BMW/Daimler/et al really don't want true self driving cars. It's not really in their interest, because it would radically reduce the need for car ownership and would open up a new world of on-the-fly car rental. Human drivers required = good business. I'm not saying its a conspiracy, just that they have no passion to disrupt their industry in this way.
This is spot on. The car industry has done a quite wonderful job of transforming the 'mechanical horse', a contraption able to take you between locations with minimal effort from the occupants, into an extension of your personality and some form of lifestyle statement. The weak point in their advertising is that it is very often aimed at the driver and the driving experience.
Automated vehicles offer the opportunity for greater efficiencies which will translate into fewer cars as making use of a vehicle becomes much more common than ownership of one. Thus the price of purchasing these vehicles will remain high and many owners will need to ensure their vehicle is bringing in a decent income as some form of taxi in order to cover the cost of ownership (shouldn't be a problem as at the moment, most vehicles probably spend the vast majority of their time parked, waiting for their owner). However, I can see that if the whole system can be made to work as an uber-efficient taxi service most people will have no need to own a vehicle.