How Self-Driving Cars Can Improve Our Cities, or Ruin Them.

[bjelkeman]

A really interesting post about how most decision makers in society hasn't understood the implications of autonomous electric vehicles yet. Not something new for a lot of people on these forums. But interesting nevertheless.

Self-Driving Cars Will Improve Our Cities. If They Don’t Ruin Them. — Backchannel

Some quotes:

Picture zombie cars — those with no one in them — clogging our cities and our roads, because it will be cheaper to keep them moving than to pay for expensive urban parking, and cheaper to bring retail to a customer than to pay rent on a retail store. While the number of vehicle miles driven skyrockets, our transportation infrastructure revenues, dependent on the gas tax, parking, fees, and fines will disappear.

The Center for Automotive Research found that taxes associated with motor vehicle manufacturing and use amounted to $206 billion a year. Major sources of revenue for city, state, and country transportation infrastructure — fuel taxes, parking revenue, parking and speeding fines, driver registrations — will disappear if we go with electric AVs.

 

[ecarfan]

Current laws about how we tax and pay for vehicle infrastructure are based on existing models of vehicle ownership. Autonomous and shared autonomous EVs will obviously upend those models. It will be at least a decade before such vehicles exist in sufficient numbers to meaningfully impact the current legal structure that has been built up over many decades. During that time the laws can be changed to handle the new type of vehicles. Of course there will be intense discussion about how they should change, as entrenched interests see their influence and power slip away.

The most immediate issue in the US is the decline in gas tax revenue. But to date that has little to do with EVs and everything to do with increasing fuel efficiency driven by government mandates (a good thing, by the way). Governments have been slow to address that issue, in part because few people are willing to accept tax increases to pay for needed infrastructure.

 

[ATQuoteService]

I can see that fully autonomous vehicles will cut down or even eliminate accidents, but I do not think it will cut down traffic. I think traffic will actually get worse. We will have self driving food deliveries, self driving to pick people up, etc.. the only way self driving cars will help traffic is if more people start using free/low cost fully autonomous public transportation in more areas.

For example, I live in Tampa, FL. I work from home so I don't NEED a car, but it is convenient. If there were a great public transport system that was fully autonomous and more luxurious than the current "bus" it would appeal to me.

 

[voyager]

The car killed public transportation, particularly in and around Detroit. If you don’t see and treat them separately, car sharing + ride services + self-driving cars needn’t clog up our infrastructure. Add ‘reservoiring’ robo cars and reduced footprint of the vehicle itself to the equation, and going from A to B can be more cost-efficient, eco- and customer-friendlier than public transportation.

 

[Ludus]

I can see that fully autonomous vehicles will cut down or even eliminate accidents, but I do not think it will cut down traffic. I think traffic will actually get worse. We will have self driving food deliveries, self driving to pick people up, etc.. the only way self driving cars will help traffic is if more people start using free/low cost fully autonomous public transportation in more areas.

For example, I live in Tampa, FL. I work from home so I don't NEED a car, but it is convenient. If there were a great public transport system that was fully autonomous and more luxurious than the current "bus" it would appeal to me.

It will reduce the total number of vehicles registered but raise utilization rates. What it does to traffic depends on how much innovation there is in vehicle sharing.
I agree that there's the potential for much better public transport. A single App could lead a user through a public transport/ride sharing system. You tell it where you want to go, it gives you options and prices then walks you through the process. Sometimes you'd get off a bus and be picked up by a coordinated shared car.

I'd think the biggest traffic issues are associated with commuting times which are for most people exactly when they're willing to share rides and don't want to drive. If Mobility apps, L4 vehicles and fleet management can make carpooling to work something that's easy and cheap, then the net effect will be to reduce traffic problems.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Maybe? If every journey destination is known then route planning software can optimise the total traffic and reduce congestion, overall. Perhaps a further saving with no need to set up division signs etc., and maybe no need for lengthy procedures for applying for a road closure - the whole fleet can just avoid that road for X hours with very little notice. Heck ... Waze does that now!

 

[voyager]

The prospect of self-driving vehicles operational around the clock, only to stop to fill up or get recharged, comes in reach. The independent contractor status of ride-haling chauffeurs no longer needs disputing, as personal drivers will no longer be required. Imagine a future street - you’d probably see considerably less vehicles parked outside. Car sharing may become something of the past too. The parked cars you will see, might be collectibles for recreational, hobby or show-off purposes.

 

[Doug_G]

Moved a bunch of off-topic posts to Politics - Quarantine Thread

 

[voyager]

Didn't want to start another thread on yet another new concept vehicle. It fits this thread, so therefore...
Rinspeed's Oasis concept is the rotating pizza delivery car of the future

Designed as a two-seater city car, the Oasis previews Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht future of driverless urban motoring for everyone from commuters to delivery drivers. There's a huge glass area and a solar panel on the roof, while inside a temperature controlled drawer is ideal for delivering food.

 

[GuyHall]

A really interesting post about how most decision makers in society hasn't understood the implications of autonomous electric vehicles yet. Not something new for a lot of people on these forums. But interesting nevertheless.

Self-Driving Cars Will Improve Our Cities. If They Don’t Ruin Them. — Backchannel

Some quotes:

Excellent reference.