We will all have self driving cars by 2020?

Got nothing to do with flying machines, but interesting none the less (and ground robots are slightly related anyways)… they say we have to wait until 2030 to see mainstream self driving cars…

We are always obsessing over when hyped-up innovations will become a reality, especially when it comes to driverless cars. Here, Johana Bhuiyan of Recode lays out two differing approaches to rolling out this technology. “Some companies, like Google, are working on a rapid, ‘revolutionary’ model of changes. Others, like Tesla, look to ‘evolve’ cars and gradually add self-driving features. Eventually, experts anticipate the two models will converge around 2030.”

You can read the full article here

Very interesting. My Prediction? Somewhere around 2030 there will be no need to own cars. Companies like Uber will run them for us. Because electric, self driving taxi will be ten times if not more cheaper that the cost of taxi now (no expensive driver to operate vehicle, very cheap insurance, much cheaper maintenance cost, etc). Who would like all that hassle with getting a car and getting driver licence, when for a dollar or so you can have a lift to anywhere you go? It will probably also operate on monthly subscription basis, for a fixed price google will take you anywhere. A car will be allocated to you from a pool long before you think of using an app to call it. After all google will know better than you whats on your agenda, and at what time car must be there, outside of your house.

Similar thing will happen to owning commercial trucks. A lorry will never stop, will never have empty run, and will work for multiple companies, transportation 100% optimized. But that will also mean massive unemployment rise. Transportation industry is the biggest industry around the world. All those commercial drivers loosing their jobs as no longer needed. It will be softened by dropping prices in stores as costs are reduced…

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Yeah that is probably true, I have also seen some stuff on shared cars,t that work like the shared city bikes you get in London (and just about any other major city), but if cars are self driving, no need to drop them off.

But you will still get the petrolheads and other geeks who want their own cars to mod and customise even if it’s electric. Also will be interesting to see how hacking will play a part in all this, especially with the dricerless taxi idea. Exciting times :smiley: