#autonomous driving

Not just assisted, but full autonomous driving. And it is going to fundamentally change our relationship with cars and transportation in general.

People are going to stop buying cars. The whole sales pitch of everyone buying their own self driving car is ludicrous— it fundamentally misses the opportunity that self driving actually presents.

Owning a car sucks. Having constant immediate access to transportation is a form of autonomy.

Both those things can be true. A car has to be maintained, insured, parked, replaced, protected, fueled— this whole laundry lists of responsibilities to maintain access to self directed transportation.

What about all the perks of having a car, but none of the hassle? That’s what a self driving car offers. A car when you need it, where you need it, without having to worry about everything else that goes along with owning a car.

Because you won’t own the car.

How much time do you actually spend driving? How much time is your car just sitting there? Why worry about and pay for a car you’re not driving?

Your car is going to be a subscription service

Uber is already testing this basic model, but in a world of self driving cars it makes perfect sense. You don’t own a car. You have a Car Subscription, which means there is a car there to drive you when you need— scheduled in advance or on demand. You pay for different subscription levels (pay per mile, unlimited, luxury, etc)

A personalized public transportation

People will realize owning a car is actually a burden, and a fleet of self driving cars that take themselves for servicing and refueling is actually a world easier.

There are going to be two major downsides

First, you are going to be tracked. Not just where you’re going but what you’re listening to and riding with on the way there. Think about it— you will not be able to anonymously go anywhere

Owning a car will become suspicious— an expensive luxury that offers anonymity. It will be like having a pager in the 90s— associated with doctors and drug dealers. Bikes and motorcycles will thrive in the ‘socially acceptable non tracked transportation’

Second major issue will be ads

The double edge sword of a self driving car is that it frees you up to do other things.

You think you are going to get to sit and enjoy life uninterrupted by ads during your morning commute? Your Hulu and Netflix are already synced— you buckle your seatbelt and your episode picks up where you left off. Spotify is connected. Your use profile instantly tailors the ride to your tastes

Just watch a couple ads first

You can always pay extra to go ad free. You’re just sitting there anyways. Also means they can finally get rid of billboards (or at least move them to inside the car). Short on funds? Watch ads your whole ride for a discount.

The U.S. government is checking out Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software more closely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has kicked off an investigation into 2.4 million Teslas after four accidents were reported. One of those crashes was deadly, and that’s got people really worried about how safe the tech actually is. What Prompted the Investigation? The NHTSA is…

Like how tf are you, the computer, gonna push me into the rumble strips and them scream at me on your wittle screen about Lane Departure. Like, I know we're departing the lane. You're the one who took the curve too tight!

And don't even get me started on how awful the line tracking it. Like, oops, lane's getting wider. Better move over really fast and jerk the steering wheel really hard. Wait... what's this "interstate exit" you speak of? Better jerk the steering wheel back the other way and get back centered into the lane we were never supposed to leave.

Oh, the car in front of us is entering the turn lane? Better slam on the brakes and match its speed until it's been fully out of the main lane for a solid fifteen seconds.

And then there are the times it just gives you back control without warning. No audible chime at all. You'll be mid-turn on a curvy highway, and it'll just decide "nope, I'm done" and all off a sudden steering assist is disabled, and you're veering into the next lane, and then you realize the car can't see the lines anymore, so you have to jerk really hard back into your lane, and it's just ugh.

Just to be clear: two men were in a Tesla and neither of them were in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash. Because apparently, they trusted not only their lives with Tesla’s “autonomous” “autopilot” driving system, but they were also willing to risk everyone else’s lives. People who do this should be criminally charged if they survive an accident. And Elon Musk should be held accountable and charged for continuously (mis)labeling it as “autopilot.” (x)

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Self-driving cars have been hailed as the future of transportation, promising safer roads and more efficient travel. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate roads and make decisions on behalf of the driver, leading many to believe that they will revolutionize the way we commute. However, as with any technology, there is a dark side to AI-powered self-driving cars that must be…

Volvo to Accelerate Autonomous Technology Development

Zenuity, the assisted and autonomous driving software development company, will be split into two parts to maximize the potential of Zenuity’s developments to date. One part is a new stand-alone company, focusing on the development and commercialization of unsupervised autonomous drive software, and will be owned by Volvo Cars. The second part will focus on the continued development and commercialization of advanced driver assistance systems and will be integrated into Veoneer, the automotive safety equipment company.