Obama Wants to Spend $4 Billion to Fill Our Roads With Autonomous Vehicles

Yea ummm no... thankfully it probably wont be an issue for me till im already to old to drive, or dead.

Self driving is great if you never ever leave the pavement... I like trail running, I hunt, I back country hike... id like to see a self driving car make it over rocks... through mid door deep mud, or water.

I like the idea of self driving cars- but I don't like the reality of the world in which they're being brought up.

It would be nice to hop in the car and have it bring me to work while I'm catching up on my paperwork- but it needs to be optional.

In this world, it won't be. They'll mandate any non self driving cars first have special computers added to them so the self driving cars can work around them- then slowly take them away from us with one regulation after another.
The same way we're losing everything else independent of their complete control.

They're already doing it with older cars- I drive a thirty year old car, and it's harder every year to keep it on the road. Not because I can't keep it running- it's the most reliable car I've ever had... but because they keep changing the laws, regulations, and restrictions that I have to follow to legally drive it. Soon they'll mandate cellular tracked OBD2 readers like the ones insurance companies currently offer (and new cars have built in) to get past registration and inspections- and my car predates obd2 so it won't be eligible for registration!

All I can think of is Bill Nye saying "Erosion!"

While I believe there are other issues with autonomous vehicles, cost is not one of them. Need I remind people that $4 billion is roughly 0.8% of your military budget?

originally posted by: lordcomac
I like the idea of self driving cars- but I don't like the reality of the world in which they're being brought up.

What reality is that? So the cars are a good idea but reality is not?

but it needs to be optional.
…
In this world, it won't be.

Why would you think this won’t be optional. Of all the options available on cars today, you can still drive the first cars ever built, why would this be any different?

The same way we're losing everything else independent of their complete control.

What exactly have you lost or are losing?

They're already doing it with older cars- I drive a thirty year old car, and it's harder every year to keep it on the road. Not because I can't keep it running- it's the most reliable car I've ever had... but because they keep changing the laws, regulations, and restrictions that I have to follow to legally drive it.

What laws, regulations, and restrictions are they changing every year? You need to monitor emissions and make sure your car can operate safely. I have an old car and it predates emission tests so no need. There are no laws, regulations or restrictions preventing me from driving it. We must live in two different realities.

Self driving cars will change the model of car ownership. Taxi's will be the way of life. Without the driver the cost of Taxi business is the car, maintenance and fuel. Rather then a car payment you will pay for a car service and your rate will be dependent on the mile you drive.

Imagine that you setup a schedule for your work commute, the car is waiting for you in the morning at your house and the evening at your job. Going to work late, a mobile app connects you to the service and you can change the time.

This model can also help with electric car adoption. Services can have transfer points for long distance trips where you change cars rather then wait for a charge. So cross country trips will take the same amount of time as today and the costs will still be cheaper then air travel. Electric costs are far cheaper then gas even now with low gas costs in the US.

This will be a major shift and it will start to be widespread in 10 years. Car ownership will dwindle and self driven cars will become a collectors items.