For those of us not in the area and unable to attend, this is an interesting topic to speculate on. Here is my take on how it might unfold:
Robot cars are permitted for test and demo purposes on public roads (already happening).
Autopilot becomes a high-end feature on some stock vehicles, marketed as a “designated driver”.
Some models are shipped with no manual human interface beyond giving directions to the autopilot, for limited use by people who are incapable of driving, marketed as “accessibility”.
These “accessible” cars displace human cab drivers, effectively eliminating the whole industry. Car-pooling services like ZipCar switch to the robot cars exclusively, to save members money on insurance and liability.
The price of a cab ride drops to a fraction of the original cost, pulling in more customers.
Owning a car slowly becomes a status issue, like keeping horses, rather than a necessity.
Select jurisdictions start prohibiting human drivers within city limits, in order to reduce accident rate.
Robot cars are permitted for test and demo purposes on public roads (already happening).
Not only that, but Nevada, Florida and California have legalized robot cars, and Nevada has issued at least one license for such a car already. (1, 2).
For those of us not in the area and unable to attend, this is an interesting topic to speculate on. Here is my take on how it might unfold:
Robot cars are permitted for test and demo purposes on public roads (already happening).
Autopilot becomes a high-end feature on some stock vehicles, marketed as a “designated driver”.
Some models are shipped with no manual human interface beyond giving directions to the autopilot, for limited use by people who are incapable of driving, marketed as “accessibility”.
These “accessible” cars displace human cab drivers, effectively eliminating the whole industry. Car-pooling services like ZipCar switch to the robot cars exclusively, to save members money on insurance and liability.
The price of a cab ride drops to a fraction of the original cost, pulling in more customers.
Owning a car slowly becomes a status issue, like keeping horses, rather than a necessity.
Select jurisdictions start prohibiting human drivers within city limits, in order to reduce accident rate.
City parkades
Not only that, but Nevada, Florida and California have legalized robot cars, and Nevada has issued at least one license for such a car already. (1, 2).