First Ride: Google's Self-Driving Car | Edmunds.com

Comments

• zimtheinvader Member Posts: 580

  October 2015

  As much as I love driving this is the future. We won't even need to own cars, we'll just summon them with our phones and off we will go. There is no range anxiety when the 'system' will send the car with enough charge to get you where you need to go. And if you need to go farther another car will meet you to swap out.

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• stever Guest Posts: 52,454

  October 2015

  No longer need to own a car? Think of all the junk you'll be able to put in your garage.
  
  Just like you do now, while your car lives on the street.

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• throwback Member Posts: 445

  October 2015

  'The Prototype comes across as a trackless version of the old PeopleMover. " Sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. Hopefully this is way down the road past the point where I can't drive anymore.

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• schen72 Member Posts: 433

  October 2015

  stever said:

  No longer need to own a car? Think of all the junk you'll be able to put in your garage.
  
  Just like you do now, while your car lives on the street.

  My garage contains 2 of my cars, with whatever junk can fit as well. I value my cars a lot more than junk and keeping them garaged keeps them protected.
  
  BTW, all this R&D on autonomous cars is great. I can see the first phase being easier commutes during heavy traffic and probably increased efficiency. Eventually, car ownership will become obsolete (or just for true enthusiasts) as all "driving" can be on-demand. Think of the all the car infrastructure we won't need anymore: parking lots, gas stations, repair centers, body shops, etc.). The amount of real estate we can reclaim is staggering.

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• throwback Member Posts: 445

  October 2015

  I don't know about driving being on demand, maybe initially. If anything manual driving will be banned on public roads for 'safety reasons".

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• desmolicious Member Posts: 671

  October 2015

  Imagine when these things get 'hacked'. You get locked into your car, and whisked away to...
  All for the greater good Komrade!

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• metalmania Member Posts: 167

  October 2015

  So, what - the way to create better drivers is not to learn at all and just have the car do it all for us? I'm OK with tech like this as "active safety" equipment, but I don't want to see the day where I'm not allowed to drive my own car. I want my kids to learn how to drive and do it responsively and safely, because if the car always does it for them they won't have the reflexes and experience to take over competently when and if they ever have to in a serious situation. Of course I want the world to be safer, not just for them but for everyone. But I don't want us to become ever more lazy and unskilled either. I guess I might be OK with a limited "autopilot" for the most monotonous drives but I really don't want something that I can't be in control of at all. And I know the "pod" is just a prototype but I can't even put into words how much I hate little tiny "cutesy" cars like that.

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• contheon Member Posts: 16

  October 2015

  "We can only imagine what the drivers behind us are thinking." The most important observation in this fantasy. Take your "future of cars" on I-95 from NYC to Florida and you will find out fast what those drivers behind you are thinking.
  
  And all the accidents you cause ... well Google will just claim "human" error. Ohh ... and when you are not in Calf sunshine, lets see those ouside cameras and sensors work in snow, ice, and slush. Best of luck. This is no where close to ready for prime time.

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