v • d • e Driverless car is within the scope of WikiProject Robotics , which aims to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Robotics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page (Talk), where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks.
Unreferenced rumors from GM
68.33.251.127 said that:
I, personally, doubt it. Moved it over here. Samfreed 13:33, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
Seems to be based on this: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/spyshots/208774/opel_vectra.html . looks more hype than substance. A very similat text appears in 2005 press releases. Samfreed 13:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
Tone of article
This reads like a report someone did for school. There's a lot of 'miracle' and 'marvel' type words, as well as odd first-person references to Italy.
Unattended fueling
"will people still be allowed to drive, when an automated system will be able to do it more safely?" Not a valid question in my opinion. You are applying present-day concerns to a future scenario. If the automated system is advanced enough to offer great advantages over driving manually, most people won't want to drive by hand, and they won't care whether it is allowed. The question sounds like someone in 1900 asking "Will people still be allowed to ride their horses on motorways?". Of course, some people will still want drive purely for leisure, just like people still ride horses today. They will do this on special tracks however and not on the main transport corridors that take people from A to B. 137.222.40.132 17:13, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)
I have just read the page about the driverless car. The issue of the driverless car is whether it should be a private car, or a public vehicle. As a private car it solves very few car problems. As a public vehicle, used as a taxi, it solves many car problems. It leads the way to better road space utilisation by allowing people to conveniently use buses for the corridor part of the journey, and the driverless car for the local networked part of the journey.
Public or private ownership is a mere technicality and not an important issue in my opinion. Driverless cars will allow for a much more competitive rental and pay-on-demand market than is the case with manually driven vehicles. If a city council fails to provide a public driverless car system, private companies similar to today's taxis companies will. More people will choose to use a public-type system because of the clear advantages it will offer (much lower cost due to higher rate of utilisation, more flexible, no parking problems, one way journeys possible). Some people will still prefer to own a private vehicle, or choose combination of both. Whatever the scenario however, I can't see why fully private and "taxi" vehicles can't happily coexist on the road (or any other guidance system).
From what I've heard, it's unfeasible for a computer to drive among human drivers at present, but if human driving were eliminated, it'd be easy for a computer network to control all cars, and at higher safe speeds. this is because of the unpredictability aspect of human drivers even at the lower speeds necessary for their safety.
Re: unattended refuelling Two systems have operated in South Africa for a number of years as a response to the high level of fuel theft and petro-card fraud. BP Fuelmaster and e-fuel, operated by AFS systems. Both are RFID based. No chip in the tank filler nozzle. No fuel. The fuel dispensed is debited to the appropriate account. No paper, no slips, no cash= no fraud.--Gaptech 10:36, 12 August 2007 (UTC)
No personal cars
I chuckled when reading the "no personal cars" at all. I doubt that Americans would be willing to give up the feeling of freedom that comes with car ownership. While people who live on Manhattan or in Tokyo may find owning a car a hindrance, someone out on Long Island or in Akron, Ohio or Detroit, Michigan would probably tell you that "you can have my car when you pry the keys from my cold, dead fingers." Similarly, I doubt Germans would give them up. Heck, Finns, Norwegians and Swedes would probably hate to lose one of the ways of getting around their countries too. The "no personal cars at all" is so pie-in-the-sky silly that I am tempted to remove it or slap a POV tag on this article. It simply won't happen in any of our lifetimes. --Habap 13:54, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
--Keep Chuckling--
You are now 9 years old and live in Kitty Hawk. Orville and Wilbur have just landed. In twenty-five years, you will be an airline pilot flying the DC-3. Is that "'nuff said" for you ?? If not, it is now 40 years later and your son has just landed on the moon. "One giant step ...
--Keep Chuckling--
I beg your pardon for the date error. I should have recognized you as a hard-core doubter, sorry.
I cannot find the quotation I wanted to use from IBM's Tom Watson, Sr, but maybe this one will do (From IBM/Wikipedia) --
""IBM neglected, however, to gain an even more dominant role in the nascent industry by allowing the RAND Corporation to take over the job of programming the new computers, because, according to one project participant (Robert P. Crago), "we couldn't imagine where we could absorb two thousand programmers at IBM when this job would be over some day, which shows how well we were understanding the future at that time" IBM would use its experience designing massive, integrated real-time networks with SAGE to design its SABRE airline reservation system, which met with much success"".
Back in 1968, we were astonished to find that a group in Minneapolis/Honeywell in St Pete, FL, had developled a silicon intergrated circuit containing (now get this) ONE-THOUSAND BITs << BITS, that is !!! Honeywell declined to support them any further, "It was obviously impractical and of little commercial value". Let's see, where are we now on semiconductor memories ? Many, many megabytes, I have lost track.
--Keep Chuckling --
I saved the best for last : ECONOMIC Flexibility, as in Consumer Credit. The automated auto will NOT be owned by consumers, just as few of us own now own airplanes, but we still fly when necessary. Even now, electric vehicles would be much more popular if one did not have to purchase the storage batteries up front and then maintain them and then replace them : The gasoline and electric vehicles thus do NOT now operate on a level playing field.
The auto autos will be owned by a transportation utility (public or private), like the streets and highways they run on -- after all, few of us generate our own electricity, but granted that a good number of us in rural settings still provide our own water, waste disposal and gas.
Of course, one MAY own his private auto/auto if he has that kind of bucks and no place better to put them. For the rest of us : No more car payments, no more car washing & maintenance, no more car insurance, no more tires, no more batteries, no more transmissions, no more speeding or other traffic violations, including DUI, no more road rage, no more fender benders, no more crashes while using the cell-phone or not -- go ahead and take a nap, work, read, compute or whatever you please while on your way.
Do THESE "no mores" constitute the "benefits" of car-ownership and car-driving that FEW Americans will give up ? Well, you believe that and I have some prime ocean-front property for you here in AZ (Chuckle, chuckle). Think of it as "democratized personal transportation", equally available to all : young, old (like me), fit or disabled -- How otherwise does one who can no longer drive get around ?
Okay, look. The guy who said that few will want a fully automated car is correct. Driving is FUN. I like to drive, and so does almost everyone I know. Honestly, listen to yourself. Will many people really want a car that does everything, perfectly, and you just sit there? I know you do, but most won't. Yes, it would be safer, but the possibility of an accident is part of what gives driving its thrill. Also, most individuals LOVE to own a car. I work on my truck every week. I like changing the oil and the filter, tweaking the engine to perform better, etc. I like to see how hard I can turn on a sharp corner and I like to speed when nobody is around. See? No personal cars is BORING. Automation gives life a dull, repetitive, bland quality. You always know what will happen, and the chance of excitement, adventure, or disaster is practically none. Humans need danger, control, freedom. For example: many people like to go for a drive for enjoyment. Nobody likes to ride in a taxi for enjoyment. That is essentially what an automated car is, a robot taxi. It would be great for blind, eldery etc., but regular people want control. I want to actually steer, to feel the gas and the brake, to control it. I can go ten miles under the speed limit or I can peel out at a stop sign. Now I understand driving is one of the most dangerous activities on the planet, more deadly than lightning strikes and shark attacks combined, but is it really worth surrendering something we have loved for over a hundred years to robots? -USAdrivr
I personally think that a person should not be
Cheap Car Insurance | Instant Car Insurance Quotes!
Cheap Car Insurance Quotes - Just Fill In The Easy Form To Get An Instant Quote! It won't take you more than 5 minutes to complete...
Senior Car Insurance - Instant Online Quotes!
- Instant online car insurance quotes available in most states. Compare top car insurance companies in your area by zip code ... Cheap Car Insurance Quote
Compare ¤ Cheap ¤ Car ¤ Insurance ¤ Quotes ¤ Online ¤ UK ...
You Will be able to compare up to 80 cheap car insurance quotes online in an instant. In a hurry and not got the time at the moment to view all the quotes?
Cheap Car Insurance Quote - Instant Online Rates!
Cheap Car Insurance Quote Locator! - Instant online car insurance quotes available in most states. Compare top car insurance companies in your area by zip code.
UIA Car Insurance - Start/Recall Quote
Instant Car Insurance Quotes Online from UIA. Welcome to UIA Insurance Competitive car insurance is easy to find, but does a cheap car insurance policy give you the cover you need ...
Car Insurance, Cheap Car Insurance Quotes | Quinn Direct
Car insurance quotes online. Get a cheap car insurance, motor insurance van & home insurance quote online. ... Get an instant car insurance quote online and see how much you ...
Car Insurance For Women - Compare Ladies Policies for Cheap Quotes
Looking for cheap car insurance? At Car Insurance For Women by just submitting one form you can compare over 85 different insurance providers to find the ideal premium to suit your ...
Las Vegas Car Insurance - Instant Online Quotes! | Call (888) 438-5968
Compare Las Vegas Car Insurance Companies! - Instant online car insurance quotes available in most states. ... Cheap Car Insurance Quote | Senior Car Insurance | NC Health Insurance ...
Affordable Online Auto Insurance Quotes By Instant Car Insurance!
on your next auto insurance policy! Get Instant Online Car Insurance Quotes ... fast online car insurance quotes, discount auto insurance rates, and down right cheap car ...
USA Online Auto Insurance Quotes, Car Insurance Brokers - Auto ...
If free car insurance quotes, we provide offer much cheaper premiums for the ... insurance rates, direct affordable best low cost business cheap instant budget cheaper insurence, car ...