Jump to content
Create New...
  • 💬 Join the Conversation

    CnG Logo SQ 2023 RedBlue FavIcon300w.png
    Since 2001, Cheers & Gears has been the go-to hub for automotive enthusiasts. Join today to access our vibrant forums, upload your vehicle to the Garage, and connect with fellow gearheads around the world.

     

  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Robotics Expert Believes Kids Born Now Will Not Need A Driver's Licesne

      Kids born today may not need a driver's license

    Technology is moving at a rapid rate and it seems every aspect of our lives are affected by it. Take for example cars, many believe in the future that cars will be fully self-driving and be powered by some sort of alternative powertrain. One person believes that kids born now will not even need a driver's license because of this technology. 

    Henrik Christensen, head of UC San Diego’s Contextual Robotics Institute said in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune said in about 10 to 15 years, autonomous vehicles will be a regular part of our lives.

    “My own prediction is that kids born today will never get to drive a car. Autonomous, driverless cars are 10, 15 years out. All the automotive companies — Daimler, GM, Ford — are saying that within five years they will have autonomous, driverless cars on the road,” said Christensen.

    The paper asked Christensen his feelings on future generations not driving, he said,

    “I love to drive my car, but it’s a question of how much time people waste sitting in traffic and not doing something else. The average person in San Diego probably spends an hour commuting every day. If they could become more productive, that would be good. With autonomous, driverless cars, we can put twice as many vehicles on the road as we have today, and do it without improving the infrastructure.”

    Christensen also believes car ownership will be a thing of the past as well.

    “There would be no need to have parking garages in downtown San Diego. In theory, you’d get out of the car and say, ‘Pick me up at 4 PM.’ Long-term — we’re talking 20 years into the future — you’re not even going to own a car. A car becomes a service.”

    Do you think Christensen is on the right track or is his head in the clouds?

    Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    At best, this is slightly optimistic, and even then only for major metropolitan areas. I think we can easily expect such areas to embrace autonomous cars on a large scale, and that they will stand to gain the most of their integration.

     

    One thing I keep noticing however, is how ignorant a lot of these 'experts' are to other regions in the country. I don't mean that to be an insult, just an observation. Widespread use of autonomous cars in rural areas with long driving distances, gravel/dirt roads, and subject to other conditions that are not factors in an urban setting is a very long ways off. Much further than 10 years. The logistics of their use just doesn't make sense. That's to say nothing of vehicles' use as workhorses that will further prevent the adoption of this technology.

     

    15 years into the future only puts us at 2032. Anyone who thinks autonomous vehicles will account for even half new car sales at that point is way off base, imo. And in those 15 years, public transportation is not going to expand to the point to make POV's in general superfluous. I feel there's way too many people putting way too much stock in autonomous cars' takeover of the market. 

    • Agree 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Totally agree with Frisky on this one, we are 50 - 75 years out at the earliest of having 100% autonomous vehicles. I know I will still be driving in 25-30 years from now and have no plans to go with one of these robot auto's. I love my older auto's and love driving them and being rural, I do not see autonomous auto's working in the rural but for maybe 25% of the time.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Support Real Automotive Journalism

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001, Cheers & Gears has delivered real content and honest opinions — not emotionless AI output or manufacturer-filtered fluff.

    If you value independent voices and authentic reviews, consider subscribing. Plans start at just $2.25/month, and paid members enjoy an ad-light experience.*

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • Interesting read, one thing I have noticed with my Kia EV9 self driving is that traffic circles confuse the system, seems Tesla also in their current version are still confused with traffic circles. I totally agree with the guy that the fit n finish of the BYD is better than Tesla. Having been around plenty of Tesla, I know my Kia has better fit n finish than tesla. I'm a retiree living in Mexico who owns a BYD and a Tesla. Here's why I prefer the Chinese car.
    • I have to totally disagree with the Chinese 996 work approach. This is total BS. Scale AI’s 30-year-old billionaire cofounder has a warning for anyone who craves work-life balance: ‘maybe you’re not in the right work’
    • So did a little research on this and I see Cadillac does post this on their website, but I also verified with a stop in at my local Cadillac dealership. You can drive around in normal mode and get 300 hp with 354 lb-ft of torque as the normal mode programming allows. This is default for all trim levels of Optiq including the V.  Pressing the v mode button on the steering wheel is much like my Kia with drive mode. You can go into the various drive modes including Velocity Max with a 0 to 60mph in 3.5 seconds using the full 519 HP / 650 lb-ft of torque. In playing with it, it is noticeable the change in performance from Normal mode to Tour, Snow/Ice, Sport, My Mode, and Velocity Max mode.  Brotherton Cadillac did NOT have a Optiq-V yet on the lot, but they did have the Optiq in Luxury, Sport1 and Sport 2. The Sport 1 and 2 trims has the default of Sport drive mode where the Luxury has Tour mode as default. Now the item was was wanting to verify, was exactly what even the service department could not verify as their own documentation does not say what the various HP/Torque are for each drive mode. We just have default 300/354 for Tour and V-MAX of 519/650. At least this gives us a better understanding of if you need or want the extra power while driving, change into sport or V-Max mode if you have a V and then stomp on the accelerator.
    • Just not GM Loyalty card, their points program as well as other bank rewards programs. Seems Everyone is wanting to go cheap and give minimal for customer loyalty. Making me rethink many programs. I have started to stop and quit a few as the changes are not worth the hassle. 
    • So, it seems like they are screwing around with the GM Card again.    https://news.gm.com/home.detail.html/Pages/news/us/en/2025/may/0520-GM-enhances-loyalty-program-unveils-GM-Rewards-Mastercard-Barclays.html are cardholders getting screwed?  I can’t hardly tell from the bull$h!. 
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search