Will anyone buy a self driven electric car?

[Falcon25]

I was walking down my road and just saw how many cars there are everywhere, so many of them parked on the roads and idiots speeding with kids running out infront of them, don't get me wrong I do like cars but so darn many of them. It just made me hope for self driven cars that can drive you around and then drive off to somewhere where you will never see them again and then they can just reappear and drive you somewhere.

Anyone agree, or is that just me?

[techturtle]

I was walking down my road and just saw how many cars there are everywhere, so many of them parked on the roads and idiots speeding with kids running out infront of them, don't get me wrong I do like cars but so darn many of them. It just made me hope for self driven cars that can drive you around and then drive off to somewhere where you will never see them again and then they can just reappear and drive you somewhere.

Anyone agree, or is that just me?

Google (of all companies) has actually been working on self-driving cars for years now. Impressive results, but I think it'll be a while before they are legal on streets. I'm down for one once they are here though! http://theweek.com/article/index/212871/googles-self-driving-cars

[Agilemind]

I've seen a few documentaries on the progress of self-driving cars. I would absolutely get one once they are here. The problem of course is the switch, if every has a self-driving car it would be much easier to design and build them but a self driving car that can cope with the irrationality of human drivers is much tougher.

[Falcon25]

There should be some sort of tag, a nano-tag in old cars and peoples clothes that can be picked up by GPS or something, doubt that would work though. Don't see why it should take so long till motorways/highways have automatic drive ways, don't know where you guys live but we have kamikaze bus and lorry drivers here and I would just like to go out with minimal hazards for once. Also, the countryside is really nice and theres just a road ripped through the middle of them with cars going at 60 through the small lanes and tractors, can't wait for the new tech to change this hopefully within 10 years at most!.

Now reading about the space elevator, I've got to much time on my hands

[jingda]

Well, if there are self driven car i would certainly buy them myself. Anyone estimates when the car would be on sale, 2 years later or 5 years later?

[jwenting]

people have been predicting self-driven cars "within a few years" for at least 50 years.
It ain't happened yet.

Electric cars of course are utterly useless for anyone who needs to drive more than a very short distance per day, as their range is extremely limited and the recharging after use takes forever (think 20-50 mile range, after which you can't use it for 12 hours or more in case of the latest production models, not enough for the vast majority of people).
Another major problem with the large scale adoption of electric cars is that the national grid just can't cope with the extra load. It's groaning as is and government policy combined with greenie blocking of any new powerplants means that's going to get a lot worse.
And then there's the charging. For most people it'd mean running an extension cord from their living room across the sidewalk to their car, which of course would get stolen almost instantly, if they didn't get fined and sued first for creating a hazzard on the sidewalk.

[jingda]

If that was the case maybe i do not have the chance to pruchase a self driven car in my lifetime.

[WASDted]

Very interesting thread. I can see a use for them, especially for those with a handicap or too old or sick to drive. Personally, I love driving, I would want to stay in control.

Here are a couple of other videos (not electric cars, but self-driven):
[youtube]U88UlyjM4Pc[/youtube]
[youtube]50rbUfTYykc[/youtube]

[jingda]

Nice video, WASDted. I didn't you can even add video when you post. Is there any self driven vehicles?

[e-papa]

Anything to make life easier, even though i don't believe in the easy way, but by the time Self driven electric cars are on sale, I don't think i will have a choice, I will buy, things are getting automated who knows what's next.

[jingda]

Is there self driven car for Audi car

[e-papa]

people have been predicting self-driven cars "within a few years" for at least 50 years. It ain't happened yet.

Electric cars of course are utterly useless for anyone who needs to drive more than a very short distance per day, as their range is extremely limited and the recharging after use takes forever (think 20-50 mile range, after which you can't use it for 12 hours or more in case of the latest production models, not enough for the vast majority of people). Another major problem with the large scale adoption of electric cars is that the national grid just can't cope with the extra load. It's groaning as is and government policy combined with greenie blocking of any new powerplants means that's going to get a lot worse. And then there's the charging. For most people it'd mean running an extension cord from their living room across the sidewalk to their car, which of course would get stolen almost instantly, if they didn't get fined and sued first for creating a hazzard on the sidewalk.

Well I like this post because, you us understand the pros and cons of this electric cars, but I think by the time they are out, All of that will have been put into consideration.
Good one anyways.

[jwenting]

Electric cars are here now, and have all the drawbacks I mentioned (and more, like sensitive high voltage systems which are a danger to rescue workers in accidents, large quantities of highly toxic materials which are a danger to rescue workers as well as for recycling, etc.).

Most of those we can't easily solve either. Batteries take time to charge for example. It can be shortened a bit, but doing so always goes at the cost of severely reducing either the charge it can hold and/or its life.
Science and technology have no answer to this.

Charging the vehicle on the fly from solar cells on the roof can offer some relief in sunny areas, but in most of the places these cars would be used that's no real option.
They also have extremely limited lifecycles, so probably would need replacement long before the car wears out mechanically. And they contain more toxic materials and rare earth metals, which are very expensive (and the world supply is owned almost exclusively by China).

[e-papa]

Hmm picking something here, I think you know your onions.

[Falcon25]

It might be a good thing that the batteries run out quickly, then people would only take the journeys that they actually need to make like going to work and occasional trips out, then if they have to take an emergency journey there might be a company that rents out self driven cars or something in the future.

Road deaths in all countries have to be cut whether its self driven electric cars or just new cars with advanced sensors hopefully they will catch on with the public and our governments make it a realistic option to own one.

Seeing people bike ride or on small electric vechicles (can't remember the name of the things) instead of noisy petrol cars flying through the road is definately the way we should be going in the future. Sounds corny but people will hopefully be more patient and healthier when transport has advanced like this. I dunno thats my opinion might be wrong.

[jwenting]

Road deaths in most countries are no problem, we're talking a few deaths a year per million citizens here (that's for places like the US or EU, not Guatemala or Peru).
The whole "if it saves one life it's worth it" argument is blatantly false. It's playing on peoples' emotions rather than reason.

You're not thinking about travel, but social engineering. Taking freedom and mobility away from people for political goals. That's communist thinking. Restrict people in what they can do, make them stay put, so you can control them better.

[Falcon25]

I'm not communist in any way at all. I promote UKIP in my country so that people are more democratic and I'm about to vote on our alternative vote. To think your always right about something is the personality of a communist. Why would you turn down the option of having a clean, pollution free safer world? That would be crazy. Plus I did say 'in the future' which means that problems such as a cord left in the road would be dealt with and nanotechnology in the solar field is going to enchance it enormously. I'm not a green activist either I think neclear power is definately the way to go because the advancements that have been made on the power stations, their much safer. Plus cars at the moment hinder peoples freedom becuase of petrol prices at the moment so you can't say I have an attitude of a communist

[Falcon25]

I meant nano technology in the solar field will help generate electricity for the cars and who knows what technological advancements will be in the future. Also quick point it is not 'a few' deaths its hundreds and thousands each year here its probably worse in other countries. Most people on here seem to be in favour of self driven electric cars imagine putting in your destination and getting there quicker without major traffic and being able to watch a film or something without having to worry about most things, it'l be great wouldn't it?

[Kusanagi03]

Probably not on the self driving car thing not until a 100% full proof system has been invented and tested without crashing and on the electric front potentially yes once the infrastructure has been setup i.e mains plugs in every refuelling station, hotel garage etc. so finding a charge point without causing problems is easy.

[vegaseat]

Electric storage devices are not quite there yet to make a practical electric car. Might be just around the corner.

If I would drive my electrical car by myself, would that be self-driven?