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It's Motoring Jim...But not as we know it!

6K views 146 replies 27 participants last post by  BigE 
#1 · (Edited)
It is all likely to change beyond recognition very soon...

Had a very interesting conversation with Mrs ExFS last night once she had returned home from a meeting in Paris with the Companies Top Brass.

The current focus is very much planning for and working on the principle that in the near future 'autonomous' vehicles will have been cracked. Then EV or other renewable energy sources will take over as the Government legislate towards this and manufacturers see all new vehicle registrations being restricted to this type only.

It is then only a matter of time before we don't actually own our own vehicles anymore, as you will just order one (like we do an Uber now), it will appear outside your door in 2, 5 or 10 minutes, whatever you have specified. Only it will be autonomous with a computer driving it & not a person (therefore significantly cheaper than your standard private hire vehicle is now). You will get in (No more worries about the stranger in the driver seat bringing your daughter home from the late night party) and away you go :gt-happyup:

Take into account the depreciation of my XFR (£500 per month minimum), my Finance (£495 per month), Fuel, Insurance, Running costs and Maintenance you could be talking £1500-£1750 per month easily. Times that by two to include the wife's RRS and £3k to £3.5k suddenly covers a lot of chauffeured rides to and from where you might need to go every month. No more worry from 'to blame' accidents or prosecutions for Dangerous/Careless driving. No more worry as to how your son or daughter are driving whilst out with their mates. No more £5k bill when your engine blows up out of warranty or some uninsured tw4t drives into you and fails to stop. No more worries over who's drinking and who's not, so they can drive home...

It's not far off peeps and the very 'model' that several businesses, it seems, are planning for in the very near future. It was actually quite a sobering thought when I sat mulling it all over with a Tangle Foot or three last night...
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like the perfect world for someone who has zero interest in cars.

I still enjoy driving however and take a pride in something I can call my own.

Very interesting none the less.

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#6 ·
Sounds like the perfect world for someone who has zero interest in cars.

I still enjoy driving however and take a pride in something I can call my own.

Very interesting none the less.
I may have an X100 or two just to tinker with and take out on a sunny day, or the Caterham to take to the track for a blast but I think they would very much satisfy my 'ownership' needs and leave the dull mundane day to day stuff to a nice comfy autonomous vehicle, being driven from A to B whilst working/sleeping. I certainly wouldn't miss a crappy 6 hour drive up to the Lake District in the pouring rain with the wife and daughter asleep most of the way and youngest son on his iPad/PS Vita/headphones in the back. I'd quite like to chill as well and perhaps watch some live footy with a couple of beers on the way up, then a bit of a snooze.
 
#4 ·
Hmm, maybe, as to 'autonomous' cars how can you just go for a drive? you would have to plan a journey each time so lose half the fun of discovery by chance;) great for taxi replacement or for those that are too old:afraid: but not for just having fun driving
 
#8 ·
I wonder how long it would be before motorists started taking liberties with autonomous vehicles? You could pull out in front of them, cut them up, play chicken on an overtake & push them out of a lane without any fear of a rebuke - well maybe from the poor bast**d in the back who's now covered in a latté.
 
#11 ·
Question how many people here do not like being driven by someone else, I don't I am sure it will be okay when I am, but there is always a fear has the person driving seen this or that, and being driven by a machine with no steering wheel or brakes etc, to me would not be comfortable, no matter how many people say you will be fine, and how would you tell the car you need to stop for a wee??:afraid:
 
#12 ·
Even if ownership were still an option some 3 car families could get by on 2 or maybe even just 1.

For instance Jo Bloggs leaves home to go to the station at 04:30 the car returns home to take Mrs Bloggs to the station at 06:00, then returns home to take the kids to school at 07:45 and then the eldest daughter to work at 09:00. Charges it's battery for an hour or two before picking the kids up from school, taking them home, then doing the same for each other family member in turn until the day is done.

What family needs or wants to pay for 2, 3 or 4 different vehicles sat all day doing nothing when one could do the lot...most of the time.
 
#14 ·
All this technology is all well and good but these cars cars will be filled with cameras, radar and sensors. God knows, we have enough trouble now but what are these new cars going to do if something goes wrong, what will it default to if it detects an onboard problem.
 
#17 ·
I can think of many junctions where traffic flow is only facilitated either by "flooring it and taking a chance" or by "waving the other chap through". I can see those getting utterly blocked by autonomous cars that will do neither.
 
#19 ·
My point is wilf, that when all the cars are talking to each other these situations will not arise.
 
#25 ·
Owners will soon start loading their own version of the software so it drives like something out of Grand Theft Auto.
Chaps, in fairness I did say when they have the Autonomous vehicle cracked, therefore both of the above would have been nullified and as such not an issue. There are enough brains working on this for it to become a reality in no time at all, and enough people are taking notice to start planning business continuity and future proofing for the very scenario I am talking about. I honestly don't think it is as far fetched as some of you wags make out! :)
 
#21 ·
Owners will soon start loading their own version of the software so it drives like something out of Grand Theft Auto.
 
#22 ·
The pulling out in front of an autonomous vehicle. - if its done quite dangerously surely the onboard cameras will record what you have done and report the incident to the police - and every vehicle will become another set of eyes on the world - Human controlled cars transgressions will result in through the post fines.
But what about those that enjoy a bit of ram raiding - wonder how you could instruct the car to do that - or when you felt like giving your partner one - "Car please find a lovers lane"
There are bound to be a load of questions to answer to book a car - "Please state the nature of your journey" ---reply "Dogging"

If car journeys became something like sitting on a plane for X hours it would be crap - I would rather drive in difficult conditions, tedious or slow moving traffic, rain, snow or fog rather than let the car drive itself.
I accept that autonomous vehicles would be safer but I quite like reminding people they are w***ers, old dicks, fat bstards, fking wimin, thick fkers, rsoles and gits - that's the pleasure of driving - I'm always right.
 
#26 ·
Anyone for a 'Johnny cab'
I wonder what all the stupid people will do for a job when they can't drive taxis anymore :D
In all honesty though, that's a hell of lot of workers out of job if you include, taxis, couriers and eventually buses and lorries.
Precisely my point Lofty. I won't give away any personal or commercially sensitive details however for a Large International Company some of whose business is Insurance (Some of which is for Motor Vehicles) to be shaping its MV business model towards large scale contracts with fleet providers (of autonomous vehicles) and accepting that personal cover will become a thing of the past is not to be taken lightly.

Together with the fact that Amazon/Tesco drones will soon be delivering to our door as well does make me stop and think how dramatic a change we could see.
 
#30 ·
Don't think so but I'm happy to be shown otherwise, I pay about £500 per month out of my bank account for a car that's worth about £500 less each month so there's a real world cost to me of £1000 per month without even looking at fuel, insurance, general maintenance and servicing. Would welcome others thoughts though?
 
#32 ·
Good point Nick, in the event of an accident with these driverless cars, who is accountable.
 
#33 ·
The Lawyers must be rubbing their hands.:rolleyes:

I suppose ultimately it's the software developer that's taking over the driver's role in deciding what the vehicle does in each situation.
 
#34 ·
Probably right. It's an absolute mine field of litigation waiting to happen.
 
#35 ·
I wonder how they are programmed to deal with a child running into the road? Do they just apply the brakes or can they swerve to avoid even if that meant hitting an oncoming car or hitting a wall. The **** will really hit the fan once one of these cars kills a pedestrian.
 
#36 ·
God forbid a kid gets killed by one these things.
 
#37 ·
So which bunch of petrol heads will take a Class action against a government that try's to enforce automonous vehicles.

Furthermore when they are in place. Computer fail so where the manual override.
 
#38 ·
Driverless vehicles can't have a manual override because there's no way of knowing if the passenger is qualified or competent to drive the vehicle. Before control could be relinquished, there would have to be due diligence including a risk assessment.
 
#39 ·
Wondered if anyone would spot that. So all driverless car passengers will need a licence to show they can take over driving if required.
Now assuming the principle that driverless cars are safer will motorway speeds be higher as no fuel being wasted and the cars are in control.
If anything goes wrong I hope the risk assessment is damn quick as the 44 tonne truck driving straight at me gets bigger rapidly.
 
#40 ·
Authority to take control of the car shouldn't take longer than a couple of months.:D
 
#42 ·
Surprised no one has mentioned 1984 yet. Yet another opportunity to disenfranchise the tax paying public.
 
#43 ·
I am working with several companies in the autonomous vehicles market. There is still a lot of development to do, especially as there will be a mix of manual and autonomous vehicles on the road at the same time.

on BBC Click from CES today, they said that if all cars sold from today onwards were autonomous, it would take 20 years to replace the current manual vehicles.

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#45 ·
It would help if some of the pirrocks could drive at all!
 
#47 ·
I love driving, but I do think this is a great idea for the future, as long as on the weekend you can still go out in your own car for a nice blast. But as for the morning commute or coming home from the pub, the ability of not having to drive the journey would be great


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#48 ·
Eventually this may come to pass but not in our lifetime. The concept of no private car ownership is a One World Government's dream though. Yes the technology is already viable but the economics around such an endeavor are mind boggling. Anyone who thinks it would be less expensive than owning your own car needs to think again. Everything that is attached to private car ownership would still need to be covered....everything. Except now that everyone is capable of summoning a ride just think of the numbers of cars that would be required so who will pay for the manufacturing, insurance, upkeep, parking, road tax, etc. etc.? Everyone. And guess who'll determine what that cost will be? The technology will be the easy part. The social logistics will be the hard part and as Trump and Brexit have shown as a people we're about 50% agreeable. The hype surrounding autonomous and electric vehicles is mostly just that.....hype.
 
#49 ·
When the Insurance industry agrees and announces exactly how liabilities from an accident involving a driverless car will be sorted, then you will see them on the road. Until then, not IMHO.
 
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