[Technology] Driverless cars

[Gwylan]

Who's vision? Uber's? It doesn't mean you have to adopt it if you don't want to. I certainly won't be.

And it doesn't mean it is an inevitability.

The government would very much like it. What if there's a massive premium in owning and driving your own car. If it costs £200 a month to rent a car for your needs and, say, a £1000 a month, I think most people would opt for the former.

And, as I said earlier, cast aside all ideas of what the current situation is, Uber certainly won't be calling the shots

 

[beorhthelm]

Who's vision? Uber's? It doesn't mean you have to adopt it if you don't want to. I certainly won't be.

And it doesn't mean it is an inevitability.

Uber, Tesla, some others. just giving the background picture. people are betting trillion dollars on this.

 

[Flounce]

the vision is you dont own a car any longer, you simply rent a robo-taxi from a pool to turn up whenever you need one. in theory this means less cars and traffic as fewer cars will service the population. as they'll be replaced every 5 years the manufactures will be quite happy. getting from here to there is a challenge, insurance liability biggest problem, along with people just like having a car for the sense of independance and prestige as you go up the ranges. Tesla's ridiculous market value is largely based on this future, valued at more than rest of combinded manufactuers.

I guess I am moving into a minority sector as I like driving “driver focused” cars rather than SUVs or dull heavy electric cars with phenomenal acceleration, so my concern is will we be taxed or even worse banned from driving sports cars. I don’t want to hire a driverless car or taxi to just go for an early morning drive in the country or go on a road trip in the UK or abroad. Doing that in a driverless car would be f***ing dull!

Going out for a meal or a pub trip if you drink alcohol would certainly work better though! It might also keep country pubs and restaurants in business. So many great places have closed because of, I assume, drink driving rules and more responsible people.

 

[chickens]

I guess I am moving into a minority sector as I like driving “driver focused” cars than SUVs or dull electric cars with phenomenal acceleration, so my concern is will we be taxed or even worse banned from driving sports cars. I don’t want to hire a driverless car or taxi to just go for an early morning drive in the country or go on a road trip in the UK or abroad.

Do you mind me asking how many track days you’ve been on in the last few years?

 

[Flounce]

Do you mind me asking how many track days you’ve been on in the last few years?

None! I just like driving and mostly within the speed limit. I have done them in the past but I am not really a speed freak who likes to rag cars to the limit any more. I bloody love driving on N roads in the mostly traffic free French countryside in a sports car and do it every year for a few months.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

Waymos are happily driving around a few US citiies now.

The amount of tech required is far beyond that on any current conventional consumer-targeted cars, even Teslas with their various cameras.

I can't help but feel that UK streets will present different challenges to the large, open roads of the big US cities.

My daughter has just come back from San Franciso and used Waymos all the time; said they were great. As you say they work fine on the grid like layout and stricter lane discipline of a US city but might struggle navigating Hanger Lane. There is of course the other big question of driver jobs being lost.

 

[Notters]

Don't have a problem with it - bring it on. Even better when all cars are driverless - no speeding, no drink driving.

I test drove a BMW last week which had self parking - absolutely bonkers and brilliant. Parked the car far better than I could have done. Lets just do away with human error around driving.

Interesting - my Toyota has this and in 9 months I've not even tried it - but then I have no issue with parking anyway.

 

[Redinpeace]

I’d rather take a chance in a driverless car than sit shotgun when the ex-wife was driving, think she took her test on a horse and buggy.

 

[papachris]

The advantage a robot has over a human driver is the lack of emotion. It will do what it's programmed to do so it shouldn't be speeding, going through flashing/red traffic lights, make dangerous overtaking moves because it's late for work etc.
As much I enjoy driving my own personal vehicle I think at some point in the future personal vehicle ownership will probably be made so expensive by govt etc that it is no longer viable and people will just arrange a personal driverless taxi or pod to take them from a to b.
Most vehicles are sat motionless for the majority of the day. An automated public transport system is much more efficient and would only require a fraction of the current total vehicles.
Not saying I want this to happen, but I think it's likely at some point.

 

[chickens]

None! I just like driving and mostly within the speed limit.

Yeah, but the public roads aren’t really the place for enthusiastic driving and never have been, that’s what track days are for. If you’re driving to speed limits, I’d argue that a small underpowered car with go-kart handling is significantly more fun than a Ferrari or Porsche.

It sounds a little bit like what you’re saying is “I enjoy driving like a bellend and am increasingly frustrated by all the barriers being put in my way.”

I absolutely think that buying a new petrol or diesel car will see tax rates rocket over the next few years, to the point where they’re an unpopular choice, because we have no option but to decarbonise transport. It’s not an option to not do this. As it’s really important to you, I’m sure you’ll continue to buy sports cars, and that’s your choice, but you’re absolutely going to need deep pockets to keep going, you need them anyway if you’re a fan of anything Italian or German.

I used to like enthusiastic driving too, but it’s not the 90’s any more. I grew up, and realised that enthusiastic driving belongs on race tracks with run-off areas and (if it all goes really wrong) a medical presence.

Anyway, fear not, the next Alpine A110 will be electric, and the Renault 5/Alpine A290, Porsche Taycan, Audi e-Tron GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5N are all already here and fun to drive.

You’ve got options. Vroom vroom.

 

[Flounce]

Yeah, but the public roads aren’t really the place for enthusiastic driving and never have been, that’s what track days are for. If you’re driving to speed limits, I’d argue that a small underpowered car with go-kart handling is significantly more fun than a Ferrari or Porsche.

It sounds a little bit like what you’re saying is “I enjoy driving like a bellend and am increasingly frustrated by all the barriers being put in my way.”

I absolutely think that buying a new petrol or diesel car will see tax rates rocket over the next few years, to the point where they’re an unpopular choice, because we have no option but to decarbonise transport. It’s not an option to not do this. As it’s really important to you, I’m sure you’ll continue to buy sports cars, and that’s your choice, but you’re absolutely going to need deep pockets to keep going, you need them anyway if you’re a fan of anything Italian or German.

I used to like enthusiastic driving too, but it’s not the 90’s any more. I grew up, and realised that enthusiastic driving belongs on race tracks with run-off areas and (if it all goes really wrong) a medical presence.

Anyway, fear not, the next Alpine A110 will be electric, and the Renault 5/Alpine A290, Porsche Taycan, Audi e-Tron GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5N are all already here and fun to drive.

You’ve got options. Vroom vroom.

If I drove a Porsche or a Ferrari you’d have a point, however I drive a petrol Alpine A110, with very low gearing but still fun to drive within the speed limits, and an Alfa Giulia so you’re wrong, I don’t need or want a low powered go kart handling car

I do not drive like a bellend either (who ever admits to that btw ) but yeah I do find average speed cameras on a weekend with no work going on fecking annoying.

 

[chickens]

If I drove a Porsche or a Ferrari you’d have a point, however I drive a petrol Alpine A110, with very low gearing but still fun to drive within the speed limits, and an Alfa Giulia so you’re wrong, I don’t need or want a low powered go kart handling car

I do not drive like a bellend either (who ever admits to that btw ) but yeah I do find average speed cameras on a weekend with no work going on fecking annoying.

I hear what you’re saying, but you’re an anachronism. We live in an age where there’s cameras everywhere, and traffic at levels that mean the roads are mainly nose to tail.

Even the Alpine (while a lovely car) will spend most of its time shifting between first, second and then third and then back down again. It’s good wrist exercise, but the car can’t be “let off the leash” safely on a public road.

The car is not a limiting factor any more, it’s the road. It’s possible to break the speed limit in a Dacia Sandero. The Alpine will look better while doing it, but unless you’re doing track days, there’s nowhere where you should be near the limits of even the most basic vehicle.

The impressive part of car advertising is never the car, it’s the beautiful open road stretching out in front of it. That’s what never gets delivered.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I want one that talks to me like Sid James.

If it's a driverless taxi then it's more likely to say "I had that Two Tier Kier in the back of my cab the other day, Kier, I said, what's with all the immigrants I said, can't even say you're English this days I said. And don't get me started on bike lanes...."

 

[Anger]

Going by the incidents I encounter on the roads during most of my journeys I understood that driverless cars are already here.

 

[Flounce]

I hear what you’re saying, but you’re an anachronism. We live in an age where there’s cameras everywhere, and traffic at levels that mean the roads are mainly nose to tail.

Even the Alpine (while a lovely car) will spend most of its time shifting between first, second and then third and then back down again. It’s good wrist exercise, but the car can’t be “let off the leash” safely on a public road.

The car is not a limiting factor any more, it’s the road. It’s possible to break the speed limit in a Dacia Sandero. The Alpine will look better while doing it, but unless you’re doing track days, there’s nowhere where you should be near the limits of even the most basic vehicle.

The impressive part of car advertising is never the car, it’s the beautiful open road stretching out in front of it. That’s what never gets delivered.

If you really think I could enjoy driving a Sandero anywhere near as much as the Alpine, whatever the speed, on an open road especially on France’s windy B roads, I now get why you are such an EV fan

All the best

An Anachronism.

 

[Anger]

Plenty of this will happen…. Jared gets stuck in driverless cars- Silicon Valley

 

[WATFORD zero]

If it's a driverless taxi then it's more likely to say "I had that Two Tier Kier in the back of my cab the other day, Kier, I said, what's with all the immigrants I said, can't even say you're English this days I said. And don't get me started on bike lanes...."

Is @Chicken Run recording the voice module

 

[Commander]

I'm hoping we will get to the point where I can drive my car to a country pub in the Downs on a Sunday afternoon, sink 6 pints and a roast and then get back in the car and press 'take me home'.

 

[Albion my Albion]

I make a living driving a car and I have been accused of trying to drive a driverless car.

Let's see if you can figure out exactly what that means.

 

[Albion my Albion]

They might work on nice big wide US roads

They certainly aren't all "nice big wide US roads." Especially on the east coast in the big cities there are very narrow streets and even in Chicago there are many streets where I not sure if I can get down the street without hitting the side mirror on the car I am passing with cars parked on both sides of the street.