THE VERY NEAR FUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS CARS

Self-driving cars used to be a staple of futuristic movies and novels. The idea that a piece of machinery that big can operate alone, navigating roads full of other vehicles, pedestrians, and potential obstacles, seemed basically impossible. Yet here we are, looking at actual self-driving cars and a future that will make them completely normal. Some scientists have estimated that within a decade we could have more self-driving than human-driving cars out there on the roads. That’s a crazy prospect - what will it mean?

 

Self Driving Cars

No one is totally sure, of course. The pace has taken a sudden spike recently as more major car manufacturers have begun working on self-driving cars and announced functional models which will enter the market in the next 5 years. Of course, Tesla was early on the scene, but now Ford, BMW, Volvo, and others are pressing full steam ahead to compete. The race is on! One issue still in the works is the level of autonomy. Early levels of self-driving cars will still require some human involvement and interaction. They will allegedly still be safer than total human control, but require some basic human interaction. These will be cheaper, easier to make, and less of a monumental switch for drivers. Higher levels of self-driving cars will theoretically be able to function entirely without human operation. They can be used for taxis, deliveries, trucking, research, and a variety of other uses that before have needed human control. This could completely change the trucking & delivery industry, not to mention replace taxi and ride-sharing services.

 

Buy Vs. Rent

Another hot topic is that of buying vs. renting. Most of the manufacturers are creating these autonomous vehicles with the idea that they can be rented or used as a taxi or public transit service - not that they’ll be purchased and owned by private individuals. Let’s say BMW creates a huge fleet of self-driving vehicles. Those vehicles would then be stationed in strategic locations and used almost like a taxi or shuttle service. Users could pay for the ride or possibly use some type of subscription/monthly plan to use the self-driving cars. Will self-driving cars decrease the number of traditional cars being produced and sold? It’s hard to say. It’s possible that most people would choose to utilize self-driving vehicles if it was cheaper and safer to do so. However, others argue that there will always be a market for luxury, racing, sporty, outdoor, off-road, and other types of cars for car enthusiasts, so there will always be a need to manufacture and sell “normal” cars. Only time will tell what autonomous cars can bring for our roads and our garages. We’ll have to sit tight, buckle up, and watch carefully!