I mean think about it. Really? Or is it just something being shoved down our throats? No efficiency being created. Now a driver-less riding lawn mower.... I'm down. Busses and cabs? Maybe. Semi's? That'll work. But not cars. Driving is fun. Isn't that what millions of advertising dollars are spent on hyping? The excitement of the drive. Unless you're a complete drunk, I see no benefits of a driverless car. Perhaps insurance and fuel savings. Certainly a lot of fuel can be saved as many drivers have zero situational awareness regarding what's in front of them and the power of momentum, but other than that.......who knows. Perhaps texting? All in all more sh*t we don't really need. But the technology is beast. Applied properly, more jobs will be created than lost.
While I do see the point of driving for fun but who wants to sit in a commute every morning? You could also work further away as you'd have time to sit in back and work, sleep, whatever. On a side note, there was a farm convention, I read about recently, and they have a driverless combine.
How to find a girlfriend in Austin, Texas Let's start out by assuming you drive a Tesla and live in Westlake Hills. You should have a trade-in girlfriend at this point (can hire one). As a matter of course, your regular activities should include cruising for the threesome in the UT or 6th Street area. Offering cocaine works. Ok, so your trade-in girlfriend is getting a little old, and you spot this absolutely gorgeous little number who breaks your heart. You and your girlfriend run your pick-up routine and get the girl in the back seat of your Tesla. While the Tesla is largely automated, you will have to install the auto-lock software to ensure the doors will not unlock without your smartphone. As you are the good host, you can show your new girlfriend the auto-drive feature. Leave your old girlfriend in the front seat, while you sit back with your new one. You might offer her some cocaine at this point. After pressing the auto-lock button on your smartphone, ensuring the doors cannot open, simply take something sharp and slice the neck open of your old girlfriend. The Tesla should be on auto-home at this point. A possible pick-up line for your new girlfriend might be, "I really liked my old girlfriend, until I met you." Chat her up as normal, ask her where she is from, what her hobbies are and generally get to know her. Be a gentleman. (Psychologists might refer to this as "instant Stockholm Syndrome.) Once you arrive at your home, park the car in the garage, take your new girlfriend inside and show her around. Do not worry about your old girlfriend, we will take care of her tomorrow. It is important for your new girlfriend to acclimate herself to her new surroundings and to feel comfortable. The next morning, take your new girlfriend shopping and buy her everything she needs. New clothes, perfume, maybe even get her a new hairdo. After making love to her for the second or third time, you two should be feeling very comfortable with each other, so now it is time to handle the carcass of your old girlfriend. You should have some land in Bastrop or some other location within an hour or two of Austin. It should have a barn as well. Program the auto-drive feature in the Tesla and have your new girlfriend take the driver's seat. She might be a little uncomfortable with the carcass of your old girlfriend sitting next to her, but assure her that everything will be alright, program the destination, shut the door and press the auto-lock button. Follow your girlfriend to your remote land and park the Tesla in the barn or garage. Your new girlfriend will be so happy to get out of that vehicle and will very obediently get in the passenger seat as you drive her home.
Aint gonna happen anytime soon. Current navigator software is BS. Prognosis for nationwide software that is functional and completely reliable is remote. Consider that Mountainview, CA (the home of Google automated cars) has every nook and cranny documented 3X or more which isn't applicable in the rest of the country. Computer software has always crashed but somehow this time is different and driverless software that can't be hacked or crash is right around the corner. Also, sober people w/ an IQ over 90 will feel confident jumping in a driverless vehicle in the next 50 years. They will understand the cost benefit analysis of doing so. American car nuts, such as myself, will forgo driving their own cars for the promises of self-driving vehicles. Yeah, right.
On one hand I can certainly see the value/utility/coolness of driver less cars, on the other hand there are still lots of risks. I thought this was an interesting article: We increasingly let computers fly planes and carry out security checks. Driverless cars are next. But is our reliance on automation dangerously diminishing our skills? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/11/crash-how-computers-are-setting-us-up-disaster
The concept is being put to good use. http://phys.org/news/2016-10-driverless-truck-uber-otto-colorado.html