- #1
Czcibor
- 288
- 132
Setting: generic, mildly futuristic, nothing that would put you in awe. I rather want to discuss in general terms how get in near future SF correctly usage of self driving cars right with technologies that should realistically accompany them. And get right any social consequences.
Thanks to better monitoring and ability to send a car into needed place - more sharing economy (not necessary with socialistic bent, could be also ultra-capitalistic). So a person less need to own a car, but just need to hire it in the right place:
-less parking places used
-less cars per head (or maybe not: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox)
-getting a taxi equivalent for night may be actually ultra cheap, the only problem would be during rush hours
Revolution in mass transit:
-no night buses - they would have no chance with individual transport
-smaller buses (if driver cost is around 40% of total cost (number for Poland for city transport, your mileage may vary), then there would be new equilibrium point for balancing transporting empty places and using too many drivers per passenger)
New rules on street:
-encouraging coordinated lines of drafting cars for increased aerodynamics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_(aerodynamics)
-right of way can be determined and coordinated in advance by automatic system comparing social interest (yes, as Spock would say: "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few") or just by outright microauction
Extra uses:
-Possibility of sleeping in one's car and arrive in the morning at a tourist destination, or as GTOM pointed out possibility of sleeping with someone ;)
-smaller cargo transport (not only for pizza, I also thought about intermediate loads)
-being transported in spite of being a kid, disabled or intoxicated. Sounds cool, until one realizes that it could dramatically move congestion up - that would presumably lead to some kind of congestion charges, that would encourage some internet applications to squeeze a few unrelated people into the same car who just want to travel on the roughly the same route.
Any other ideas?
Thanks to better monitoring and ability to send a car into needed place - more sharing economy (not necessary with socialistic bent, could be also ultra-capitalistic). So a person less need to own a car, but just need to hire it in the right place:
-less parking places used
-less cars per head (or maybe not: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox)
-getting a taxi equivalent for night may be actually ultra cheap, the only problem would be during rush hours
Revolution in mass transit:
-no night buses - they would have no chance with individual transport
-smaller buses (if driver cost is around 40% of total cost (number for Poland for city transport, your mileage may vary), then there would be new equilibrium point for balancing transporting empty places and using too many drivers per passenger)
New rules on street:
-encouraging coordinated lines of drafting cars for increased aerodynamics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_(aerodynamics)
-right of way can be determined and coordinated in advance by automatic system comparing social interest (yes, as Spock would say: "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few") or just by outright microauction
Extra uses:
-Possibility of sleeping in one's car and arrive in the morning at a tourist destination, or as GTOM pointed out possibility of sleeping with someone ;)
-smaller cargo transport (not only for pizza, I also thought about intermediate loads)
-being transported in spite of being a kid, disabled or intoxicated. Sounds cool, until one realizes that it could dramatically move congestion up - that would presumably lead to some kind of congestion charges, that would encourage some internet applications to squeeze a few unrelated people into the same car who just want to travel on the roughly the same route.
Any other ideas?