Would you buy a self driving car?

[JulianWilliams]

Sooner or later self driving cars are going to come on the market IMO, with some companies like Google already investing in developing them. The million question however is whether people will buy them or not. So, what about you, would you buy one if some manufacturer were selling them already?

[David]

Not until I am forced to as I love to drive.

[ZL-1]

Not until I am forced to as I love to drive.

This

[balthazar]

What for??

[JulianWilliams]

What for? Well, for starters you'd have more time to simply relax or work or look around or do some other pleasant activity. Secondly they'd probably be safer by removing you from the ecuation. Let's face it, none of us is a perfect driver and we do all sort of distracting things,

[balthazar]

There are 'dangers' all around- look up the stats on bathtub injuries.

Why not stop working & go on the GOv't dole; stay indoors all the time (and never take a bath).

Computers are far from perfect, also. Look up the stats RE GSP-guided drivers turning onto RR tracks or off a pier into the bay. How about bugs/fixes for new platform launches?

 

IMO, self-driving cars are a (hideously expensive) solution looking for a problem.

[David]

What for? Well, for starters you'd have more time to simply relax or work or look around or do some other pleasant activity. Secondly they'd probably be safer by removing you from the ecuation. Let's face it, none of us is a perfect driver and we do all sort of distracting things,

So from a Marketing / Sales stand point. What can we create to fill a need to make money on. Perfect for those that should not be driving or cannot drive we have a self driven auto.

 

Customer:

 

Blind

Narcoleptic

paralyzed

those not wanting to drive for various reasons.

 

So I can see the ideas and reasons for this, yet we also need to do one thing. Acknowledged that Driving is a PRIVILEGE not a RIGHT!

 

Biggest problem to distracted driving is the politicians who have pushed allowing driver license testing to be done in various languages and giving a person who cannot communicate with the local emergency responders / police the ability to drive when they are not prepared.

 

Driving is a PRIVILEGE you EARN!

 

We need tougher drivers training courses which can install the responsibility of not being distracted by cell phones, movies on entertainment systems, etc in an auto. If you do not want to bother with driving or enjoy it, then take the bus, taxi or get a self driving car.

 

Yet before we push self driving auto's out on the public before their time, we really should look at fixing our system on how you learn to drive and the responsibility that comes along with driving.

[ehaase]

I am almost 51 and I don't expect this technology to be widespread during my lifetime.  The cost to develop the infrastructure would be trillions of dollars.

[ocnblu]

No way, no how.  Self driving cars are evil incarnate and should be banned IMMEDIATELY.

[FAPTurbo]

Yes. Driving in the city is awful. There's nothing 'fun' about stop-and-go gridlock, or being caught behind a trail of morons who don't see the left-turn signal. Hell, when driving last week, I was one of hundreds of people stuck on an exit because some driver was too intimidated to merge, despite plenty of gaps in traffic flow. 

 

I'd rather spend time reading or enjoying the scenery. 

 

The faster we remove people who want to be removed from driving, the better. Those who still want to drive will enjoy more efficient roads. Win-win. 

[balthazar]

^ People don't occupy lanes in traffic, cars do. Idiot-proof cars will still plug lanes and the programming merge logarithm will be much more conservative than the typical driver due to lawyer input, so expect collectively longer merge waits, not shorter.  

[Blake Noble]

Based on what's going on in this thread, I can gather one bit of information about folks who are opposed to self-driving cars. Can anyone guess what that would be?

[Intrepidation]

[balthazar]

Time for lunch… in a cup!

 

[ocnblu]

You kids can take the train or the bus if you cannot be bothered with the task of driving.  Keep your nose in your hand held electronic device and stay off the roads.  You are part of the problem.

[JulianWilliams]

There are 'dangers' all around- look up the stats on bathtub injuries.

Why not stop working & go on the GOv't dole; stay indoors all the time (and never take a bath).

Computers are far from perfect, also. Look up the stats RE GSP-guided drivers turning onto RR tracks or off a pier into the bay. How about bugs/fixes for new platform launches?

 

IMO, self-driving cars are a (hideously expensive) solution looking for a problem.

There are millions of truck drivers (about 3.5 million ) in the US getting paid over a hundred billions of dollars / year. That's a gargantuan cost that's just begging to be cut from the trucking companies' perspective.

[JulianWilliams]

You kids can take the train or the bus if you cannot be bothered with the task of driving.  Keep your nose in your hand held electronic device and stay off the roads.  You are part of the problem.

I'd buy the version that has a bed instead of seats so I can take a nap while being driven to work. If the GF wants to share a ride that could get even more interesting

[David]

We'll I have not even hit middle age yet so I do not consider myself old, but I do love to drive!

[balthazar]

 

There are 'dangers' all around- look up the stats on bathtub injuries.

Why not stop working & go on the GOv't dole; stay indoors all the time (and never take a bath).

Computers are far from perfect, also. Look up the stats RE GSP-guided drivers turning onto RR tracks or off a pier into the bay. How about bugs/fixes for new platform launches?

 

IMO, self-driving cars are a (hideously expensive) solution looking for a problem.

There are millions of truck drivers (about 3.5 million ) in the US getting paid over a hundred billions of dollars / year. That's a gargantuan cost that's just begging to be cut from the trucking companies' perspective.

IMO, all those trucks took from the railroad industry, and that load needs to return to the RRs for economic reasons.

But I can tell you this; while SD cars are one issue, no way would I like SD 80,000 tractor trailers next to me on the highway.

[Drew Dowdell]

Driverless cars wouldn't even be on the radar if we had a decent public transportation system..  People who don't want to drive shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place.

[SAmadei]

^ People don't occupy lanes in traffic, cars do. Idiot-proof cars will still plug lanes and the programming merge logarithm will be much more conservative than the typical driver due to lawyer input, so expect collectively longer merge waits, not shorter.  

 

Yes and no.  Since driverless cars will communicate with each other about upcoming actions, the ability to pack more driverless cars in a 'train' will be possible... giving an aerodynamic boost to the fuel economy.

The question will be... will driven cars 'bully' the driverless cars or will the opposite happen? (such as when you need to fight a train of cars to get over to a off-ramp)

I imagine that due to the conservative programming, you will find a lot of drivers disrepectiing driverless cars... i.e., cutting them off, intruding in on buffer space, etc.  It will kind of be like when you are in a racing game with a bunch of AI driven competitors... I can bully them in the corners and they will yield, giving me a better line or making overtaking easier.  (At least in the GRiD series, I know some games' AI don't care about self-preservation and will just plow into you... Gran Turismo 4, I'm looking at you.)

 

[Drew Dowdell]

... hmm... a bunch of cars following another to ensure efficient and safe travel carrying people who don't want to drive.... I bet they'd even be electric....

 

If only we had such technology....

 

 

 

 

 

[FAPTurbo]

I love how C&G's resident champions of liberties and 'FURRDOMS' are the first to want automated vehicles and young and/or minority people off the roads. Stop being such communazis. 

 

You kids can take the train or the bus if you cannot be bothered with the task of driving.  Keep your nose in your hand held electronic device and stay off the roads.  You are part of the problem.

 
I have good income. Taking transit is not optimal. I want a personal mode of conveyance where I can stretch out, and not have to engage the road. If I want a safe, reliable mode of transport, I should be allowed to buy it. 

 

My owning an automated car doesn't immediately stop you from having the freedom to own a conventional vehicle. If you want a vehicle that lets you transmit your driving errors into the nearest concrete median, be my guest. It's not a zero-sum game.

 
Automated cars have been a dream since the 1920's. For nearly a century, people have wanted to not drive. We're nearly at that stage and you somehow believe it's the fault of 'kids?' That's dumb. 
 
Some people don't like driving as much as you do.  
 

[Z-06]

Driverless cars wouldn't even be on the radar if we had a decent public transportation system..  People who don't want to drive shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place.

 

This. US needs a good public transportation system. There is honestly no need for automatons running over town. It is the dream of IT guys who see automobiles as the next automation frontier as the industry tries to find new markets.

 

There is a reason why Apple, Microsoft, Google are getting into this array, as car manufacturing is more than a trillion dollar industry. Their expectations and hopes are that the barriers of entry for traditional automakers for automation is higher than their barriers of entry to propulsion.

[ocnblu]

Buzz Kill ington:  Spin Doctor of The Year!

[balthazar]

I love how C&G's resident champions of liberties and 'FURRDOMS' are the first to want automated vehicles and young and/or minority people off the roads. Stop being such communazis.

Wouldn't they first have to GET on the road before anyone could call for them to get off?

 

Cost is still be breezily ignored; like I stated earlier- cost estimate I saw last fall for the technology was $150,000/vehicle.

Hope your 'good income' is really really really really good.

 

COST is the 'old man with ribcage-high pants and grumpy demeanor', not the opinions of those who were asked if they would buy one.

[Drew Dowdell]

 

I love how C&G's resident champions of liberties and 'FURRDOMS' are the first to want automated vehicles and young and/or minority people off the roads. Stop being such communazis.

Wouldn't they first have to GET on the road before anyone could call for them to get off?

 

Cost is still be breezily ignored; like I stated earlier- cost estimate I saw last fall for the technology was $150,000/vehicle.

Hope your 'good income' is really really really really good.

 

COST is the 'old man with ribcage-high pants and grumpy demeanor', not the opinions of those who were asked if they would buy one.

 

 

$150,000 per car doesn't seem to be an up to date estimate Balth.  Cadillac is releasing their semi-autonomous system in as little as 18 months.  I don't know which cars they are releasing it in, but as the XTS is currently one of the test mules, I'm sure that one is a good bet.... and I don't think we'll be seeing a $150k Cadillac XTS anytime soon.

 

The Cadillac Super Cruise system will allow you to drive hands and foot free on the highway and in bumper to bumper traffic.    As I already pointed out... most of the components are already available in cars you can buy today.

[balthazar]

Doesn't sound like what most are associating this with; get in your car, punch in address, and post cat videos to your timeline for the remainder of the ride.
There could be 100 levels/conditions of 'self-driving'- until one is clearly defined in both parameters and feature cost in one car, it's tough to address directly.

 

Article from last month states the projected price for just the LIDAR equipment portion of a self-driving car "should" fall below $10,000 two years from now. No one has published a committed price for this technology; we'll have to see if an OEM is willing to take a loss on the vehicle to keep it obtainable, but I haven't seen anything reputable that indicates it will be.

[JulianWilliams]

Driverless cars wouldn't even be on the radar if we had a decent public transportation system..  People who don't want to drive shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place.

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

Edited January 21, 2015 by JulianWilliams

[Drew Dowdell]

Driverless cars wouldn't even be on the radar if we had a decent public transportation system.. People who don't want to drive shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place.

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

If you're driving an old beat up Corolla, you probably can't afford a self driving car anyway.

[Z-06]

 

Driverless cars wouldn't even be on the radar if we had a decent public transportation system..  People who don't want to drive shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place.

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

 

 

Then why do you need a Self Driving car?

[JulianWilliams]

 

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

If you're driving an old beat up Corolla, you probably can't afford a self driving car anyway.

 

Most new cars don't exactly provide some sort of thrills to their drivers while they're doing their regular commute either. I'm also not sure they'd be that expensive either afther people start buying them in large numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

 

 

Then why do you need a Self Driving car?

 

For the same reason I need a non self driving car.... to always have it my disposal and to be able to hop in it whenever I want to go to somehwere.

[SAmadei]

If you need a Lambo to enjoy driving, you should stop driving right now and wait for driverless cars.

The only time I dislike driving is when it causes physical discomfort... like when I'm all crammed up in some little tiny POS... which is pretty much 95% of modern sedans.  Give me a $750 comfortable cruiser, and I will have lots of fun looking for opportunities to get ahead of traffic (safely, of course)...

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

If you're driving an old beat up Corolla, you probably can't afford a self driving car anyway.

 

Most new cars don't exactly provide some sort of thrills to their drivers while they're doing their regular commute either. I'm also not sure they'd be that expensive either afther people start buying them in large numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

 

 

Then why do you need a Self Driving car?

 

For the same reason I need a non self driving car.... to always have it my disposal and to be able to hop in it whenever I want to go to somehwere.

 

 

Bus/Trolley + Car Sharing

 

Again, an excellent public transit system makes cars not really necessary.  The city I stay in, in Germany has a fantastic trolley and subway system.  I can get anywhere I need to quickly and efficiently... and at 100€ a month, it is much cheaper than owning a car.  When I need to go somewhere that I can't reach by public transit, I go to https://www.flinkster.de and select a car I want to rent for a short time.  

[Z-06]

 

 

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

If you're driving an old beat up Corolla, you probably can't afford a self driving car anyway.

 

Most new cars don't exactly provide some sort of thrills to their drivers while they're doing their regular commute either. I'm also not sure they'd be that expensive either afther people start buying them in large numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

 

 

Then why do you need a Self Driving car?

 

For the same reason I need a non self driving car.... to always have it my disposal and to be able to hop in it whenever I want to go to somehwere.

 

 

Well taxis, public transportation will be at your disposal at all the time, which will make you hop, skip and jump in them and go to do anything while multitasking as a passenger. Why is there a NEED for a SD car, if you need to be chauffeured around?

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

 

Why? If you're driving some s****y car like the vast majority of people do it's not like driving is bringing you some sort of joy. It's not a particularly pleasant activity for the most majority of time and I think if they (SD cars) were available and people wouldn't be affraid of the idea of letting the car drive itself they would soon become the majority.

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

If you're driving an old beat up Corolla, you probably can't afford a self driving car anyway.

 

Most new cars don't exactly provide some sort of thrills to their drivers while they're doing their regular commute either. I'm also not sure they'd be that expensive either afther people start buying them in large numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding in a SD car would be no different to taking a taxi.

 

 

Then why do you need a Self Driving car?

 

For the same reason I need a non self driving car.... to always have it my disposal and to be able to hop in it whenever I want to go to somehwere.

 

 

I actually enjoy driving 2/3rds of my cars.  My 2013 Buick and my 1981 Oldsmobile are both enjoyable.  Enjoyable doesn't have to mean "thrilling" as in handling or speed... it can simply be enjoyable and satisfying.  

 

As for commuting, I'd rather take the bus if that were a reasonable option, but due to constant cutbacks by our Republican governor, the bus service has dwindled to be unusable now.  I'm actually a public transit enthusiast if there is such a thing, and yet public transit is virtually unusable to me.

[David]

Public Transit is very unusable on holidays that the gov, schools and local cities, control. They just might as well force all business to close down for those days as one wastes hours trying to get around.

[Drew Dowdell]

Public Transit is very unusable on holidays that the gov, schools and local cities, control. They just might as well force all business to close down for those days as one wastes hours trying to get around.

 

Maybe in your town, but in the areas that I would consider to have excellent PT would still have some service running.  Even my crappy Public transit just shifts to a Sunday schedule which is fine for most on those days.

[David]

 

Public Transit is very unusable on holidays that the gov, schools and local cities, control. They just might as well force all business to close down for those days as one wastes hours trying to get around.

 

Maybe in your town, but in the areas that I would consider to have excellent PT would still have some service running.  Even my crappy Public transit just shifts to a Sunday schedule which is fine for most on those days.

 

The greater Seattle area PT is fine and does for holidays go to a Sunday schedule for buses every 30 min. The problem is cross county. Normal work days going from Snohomish County to King County you have 6 buses that run from the north end into Seattle. On holidays they reduce this two 1 main express bus comes on the hour and 2 local stop buses that take hours to cover the normal 20 min express run. It just makes it really hard when you do not work local and must use a bus that goes cross county.

[Drew Dowdell]

Timely...

[David]

[smk4565]

There are 2 nice things about a self driving car, it takes stress away from the driver, and you could read a book, watch a tv show on your tablet or work on your laptop while the car drives you somewhere.  The other nice thing would be on a long car trip, you could go to sleep for a couple hours and perhaps arrive at your destination.  But for those to happen you need a level of autonomy like KITT in Knight Rider, where the car could almost think for itself.

 

Personally I would still rather drive myself, with the exception being a long high way drive where the car could drive overnight while the driver slept.

[JulianWilliams]

There are 2 nice things about a self driving car, it takes stress away from the driver, and you could read a book, watch a tv show on your tablet or work on your laptop while the car drives you somewhere.  The other nice thing would be on a long car trip, you could go to sleep for a couple hours and perhaps arrive at your destination.  But for those to happen you need a level of autonomy like KITT in Knight Rider, where the car could almost think for itself.

 

Personally I would still rather drive myself, with the exception being a long high way drive where the car could drive overnight while the driver slept.

The fundamental issue is what we would need to do in order to make fully autonomous cars possible. Do we need to fully segregate self driving cars from the rest of the traffic (including pedestrian traffic) or can they be made smart enough to navigate through the traffic we currently have? From what I can tell Google's cars are able to "read" the roads as they currently are instead of them needing some sort of expensive technology to be embedded into the roads or something like that.

[balthazar]

^ The Google car has a top speed of 25 MPH. That to me doesn't sound like 'amazing technology' but just enough crash resistance to avoid fatalities.
Bring out a affordable 'selfie' car that matches at least all road performance capabilities (IE: highway speeds / 60 MPH), and you're 75% of the way to mass acceptance.

[Z-06]

If I get involved an accident with a self-driving car, which was at fault, who should I sue?

 

Who should buy the insurance, the user or the maker?

 

What happens when the cars get hacked by nefarious personnel? Will there be a firewall and Norton anti-virus to prevent it? Again, whose liability is it?

 

Who is in charge and owner of the communication of the car?

 

Can robot cars be taught to make empathetic, moral decisions when an accident is imminent and unavoidable? Like for example, should I swerve into a ditch 25 feet below to save a deer, or should I run over a deer? If there is a pregnant passenger in my car, should the vehicle swerve to keep her safe, or should it just find the safest damage to itself?

 

Let me repeat, development of autonomous vehicles is the game started by software manufacturers, and traditional automakers are jumping in to save their market shares. Unfortunately, everything is governed by law, and if law is 20-30 years behind in this development, we will be screwed as a society. Rather than creating order, SD cars will cause chaos. SD cars do exist, they are public transportation, we need a stronger infrastructure for them to give people options for not driving.

[Drew Dowdell]

Self driving cars don't have to be perfect, they just have to make fewer mistakes than humans do. 

 

Unfortunately, they could cut fatalities by 2/3s and the families of those who did die would sue the auto maker. 

[balthazar]

That's certainly nothing new.

[hyperv6]

I really don't see this getting too much traction as long as I am driving. We do have flying cars but we really have no way to really intergrade them into our normal lives.

I like driving and really don't want to give it up.

As for the law suits like Drew posted it is a real issue as these system too will fail and will too kill people one way or another and that is a killer to the system as a whole. As of now you can blame on car or one person not a total system .

 

Second The fact remains that once you turn over control of your car to someone else they can tell you when you go, where you go, how fast you go etc. Be it total control that prevents you from traveling to another state or city or as simple as if they space people out to the point you now have to work till 6 PM as your slot on the freeway is an hour later and you have to come in later and go home later. Also that stop at the store it is on Thursday as you can not travel to that part of town as traffic is too heavy and you do not have the clearance to go there.

 

Expect travel clearances much like airplanes use today as that is how they will control volume and flow. Sure they may get the cars closer if they are all self controlled but even then they will place limits and space out travel times. In other words you may be forced to use their times or reserve a slot at best.

 

But for the most part I would not get too worried about it as this will be years off. While we have the technology we just don't have the will yet and the infrastructure and even the change over would be difficult as mixing the self driving with non self driving would be difficult.

 

Add to this just look at how many GMP units out there are wrong. Until they can get a better GPS for public consumption at a lower price that is just another thing to be worked out.

 

Until then I will just enjoy the drive!

[David]

If we get to SDC then I expect the US will have to have a large WIFI network coast to coast to allow the auto's to communicate and manage all the merging, driving, passing, etc. to minimize accidents and problems. This will then take all driving away from people who do love to drive.

[Drew Dowdell]

No need for Wifi.  The cars have C2C communication.