OT: Self driving cars

[dorndawg]

Bless your heart.

 

[VillagepeopleDogs]

You left out a lot of other entitlement privileges that you deserve with no work to get those rewards.

 

[EngDawg]

Other than effects on jobs, I wonder what effects full implementation of automated cars would have on things like culture in the US. A few things come to mind:

1. No more working on a car with your kid on the weekends (a lot of nostalgia there culturally)

2. No more mud riding

3. Would NASCAR have any followers if people didn't really know what it was like to drive a car in the first place and how hard it is to do it in those races?

4. Getting your "first car" wouldn't be a thing to discuss anymore

5. Teaching your kids to drive would stop

It's mostly silly stuff but interesting to consider.

Yeah it's these small intangible things that I'm most concerned about. Cars are cool, and being in control of one is a bit like shooting a gun, big responsibility, but really quite fun when done properly.

 

[MississippiHeavyMetalDog]

Today, you can drive from Jackson to Charlotte, NC with a single 60 minute charge stop in a Tesla 100D. So, it only adds an hour to a 10 hour trip. It will probably be less than 20 minutes in the next year or two.

They only have to increase the output of the chargers. Superchargers are 90 kW, but Elon Musk has already mentioned that the new V3 chargers will be more than 350 kW.

Tesla plans to open superchargers in Tupelo, Grenada, Brookhaven, & Hattiesburg in 2017.

 

[EurekaDog]

How does that work during rush hour? (The time period of heaviest use.)

Theory doesn't always transform into reality.

 

[EurekaDog]

How do they handle sudden encounters with animals, stuff falling off trucks...

while being tailgated? How do they adjust for bicyclists and pedestrians on the road? Do they slow, swerve, or both?

Do they "predict" spots where water pools leading to possible hydroplaning? Ice patches?

How do they handle temporary signage, poor paint jobs, reversible lanes ?

I'm asking about the current models.

 

[ShrubDog]

What about pot holes, lightning strikes, stuck in traffic and power outages.

 

[Hump4Hoops]

At least he didn't call you a "cuck."

That's the next step after "snowflake."

 

[johnson86-1]

Yeah, I meant cycling in a more congested area like a city center where there is a lot of pedestrian activity as well as cyclists changing lanes.

In your rural country highway example, yes it would be safer to have an auto car as the car wont get emotionally angry at having to follow the law and share the road, so there would be no dangerously close buzzing of cyclists.

I do like that you managed to respond to the point and while knowing the law, still get a dig in at those darn jackasses who are keeping people from getting to their jobs. Yeah, cuz the trucks pulling boats on a Saturday morning are all trying to get to their jobs.
The reason for using a road is irrelevant. Using it for work, pleasure, transport to family, or transport to recreation- the reason has no bearing.

Well, like it or not, most roads in this country were built for cars and are primarily meant for transportation. If somebody jogged down the middle of a highway lane going 45 mph less than the posted speed limit, people would call them an ahole and tell them they're lucky they don't get killed. If somebody is going 35 mph less than the posted speed limit on a bike it doesn't seem that different to me.

Drivers shouldn't put either the runner or the cyclist in danger, but neither the runner nor cyclist should get upset that people call them out for being aholes.

 

[Hump4Hoops]

I'd slow down on the smart phone theory.

Wearables are cool and all (for many people, I personally don't like them) but smart phones are great due to their size and screen. You're not going to be able to surf the web, take notes, or play games on your watch. Tablets were a huge step forward, but still too big to carry around all the time.

The next technology I could see replacing smart phones would probably involve flexible materials. If you could roll up a 4"x6" screen and wear it like a bracelet, that would make things interesting.

 

[FQDawg]

Good question. I don't know. I presume someone smarter than me (won't be hard to find) can figure that out.

You may see things like more carpooling. You may see larger autonomous vehicles like buses that drive routes based on who needs a ride that day (and when).

 

[FQDawg]

I'm not an expert but they have regular cars that can stop automatically on their own now so I would imagine it wouldn't be a big deal for a driverless car to be able to avoid collisions.