Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Electric Cars and Driverless Vehicles

It’s time to weigh in on the latest fantasy that is hyping the auto industry. 

Electric cars will have a limited market, because they have a limited range. They may be practical as a second car for commuting to work, if work isn’t far and you can recharge it in your garage every night. 

Self-driving cars will cost an extra $100,000, because of all the sensors and computers that will be stuffed into them. Most people won’t buy one because of price. 

Self-driving technology will probably fail to take hold for 16 wheel trucks, because of cost and would require a computerized, robotic receiving facility that will also cost a lot. This could work if companies build one receiving facility per city and had human drivers deliver to stores from that warehouse. I have no solution to how driverless trucks buy fuel at the truck stops or know to pull in to the weigh stations. The cost of maintaining driverless trucks needs to be carefully determined. These trucks need to be hijack-proof and hack-proof.  I predict lots of driverless truck accidents on our highways. Trains could try self-driving technology to avoid the frequent crashes they have with live human drivers, but again, cost is the key. If companies do this, they will need to eliminate the risks.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

1 comment:

Priscilla King said...

Good points. I wouldn't trust driverless vehicles anyway; don't we all know that, no matter how fabulous electronic technology seems at first (case in point the D.C. Metrorail system), in a few years it starts falling apart! I could see a market for driver-optional vehicles where long-distance drivers could program trucks to steer themselves down the highway while the drivers take a nap, stretch, or meal break, but I'd still be very very concerned about risks as well as initial costs.