Nevada authorizes driverless cars (Pittsburgh, California: insurance, to buy, taxis)

[BrianTH]

Here is an article:

Nevada authorizes driverless cars (like the ones at Google) - latimes.com

Google had already been successfully testing this technology in real traffic, so the next big impediment was legal. And if this works out in Nevada, it could spread rapidly after that (in fact, supposedly California doesn't actually have any laws prohibiting them, which is part of how Google felt comfortable testing them there).

Driverless cars combined with carsharing (think robo-taxis with no labor costs, or a Zipcar that will pick you up at home, or wherever you happen to be, and drop you off at your destination) could end up significantly reducing the amount of capacity we need for roads and (even more so) for parking. That in turn would free up lots of land, which would be particularly useful in places where land was scarce and valuable (e.g., downtowns). In could also nearly eliminate car accidents, greatly increase the average speed and energy-efficiency of car travel, and allow for more rapid adoption of future vehicle technologies.

So this could get interesting.

[Craziaskowboi]

If you don't like driving, take the ****ing bus, and leave the highway to those of us who actually do like driving.

I support rail expansion because it gets people who don't belong on the Interstates off the Interstates.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

If you don't like driving, take the ****ing bus, and leave the highway to those of us who actually do like driving.

Not to alarm you, but it is a good bet driving your own car is going to end up like horseback riding. You'll be able to do it as a hobby, but not on most working roads and highways.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Not to alarm you, but it is a good bet driving your own car is going to end up like horseback riding. You'll be able to do it as a hobby, but not on most working roads and highways.

Yeah, and if you ask me, that's ass-backwards. The whole point of an automobile is autonomy, which means you can go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go, and at the rate you prefer. If I wanted to be a passenger, the I'd ride the bus or a train.

Guess I'll have to buy that Charger sooner than I expected.




"Hands-free driving. Cars that park themselves. An automated car driven by a search engine company. We've seen that movie. It ends with robots harvesting our bodies for energy."

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

The whole point of an automobile is autonomy, which means you can go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go, and at the rate you prefer.

Two out of three ain't bad.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Two out of three ain't bad.

All three is optimal.

[Yac]

And how is this a Pittsburgh thread? What am I missing ?
Yac.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Yac

And how is this a Pittsburgh thread? What am I missing ?
Yac.

I was thinking the same thing. How about this, will it ever come to Pittsburgh with our narrow city streets and wild terrain?

[BrianTH]

Sorry, I should have been more explicit about the Pittsburgh connection.

We have recently been discussing issues such as parking rates in the City, possible transportation projects in the region, and so on. This technology implies a very different set of future considerations for such issues than would otherwise be the case.

[hnsq]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

The whole point of an automobile is autonomy, which means you can go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go, and at the rate you prefer.

No...the point of the automobile to be able to get where you want to go when you want. Having to be burdened with the exorbitant cost of owning a car is a ball and chain, not freedom. If you could get where you want to go, when you want to be there without having to put up with paying a car payment, insurance payment, gas money, maintenance, oil changes, etc. why wouldn't you? Owning your own car is a necessary evil to get where you want to go, and nothing else.