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And even simply reading through posts, one can already notice a trend of posters agreeing to an idea of this or that.
That is how crowd is guided in a desired direction.
First something is tossed out as eccentric, strange idea. Then, tolerance to it is promoted. As tolerance develops, acceptance comes in play and it slowly becomes norm. As it became norm, it becomes obligatory. After it became obligatory, non compliance is punished.
Want simple example? Gay marriage. Look at its progress. I keep forgetting who put science behind this process, it's (name) windows. One window is opened, that leads to another window leading to another and so on, until goal is accomplished.
Folks, we are talking strategies, not tomorrow. Strategies that are lined for 50-100-200 years into the future and religiously followed. Example is simple. Plan to dismantle USSR was coined in mid- 40s of the 20th century. Took them 50 years to accomplish it.
And here you come, with your "I don't want this, disagree with that". You WILL agree with what WILL come, like it or not and, in a manner you won't even notice how and when.
As of the particular timetable. There is a a man in the know. Ron Kurzveil. He has a book with dates in it and if you want to, you can read through and find out, when and what will come.
Those of you younger here, as I shall not, that will last till 2040 - mind the post and year. As it WILL come the way Elite wants it. Unless big crap will happen.
Also, look into Holland (yep, there is reason Holland or Switzerland are pioneering a lot of things) that already runs fleet of autonomous trucks. Truck driver is profession to die. So is cabbie. Parking attendant, valet. Insurance agent, as there will be no accidents. Bolts ans nuts turner, as cars will self diagnose and go to hub for repair by a robot. Example? Here's your fan boy, Elon, showing that it takes same time to replace two Tesla batteries at service station, by a robot, that it takes a human to fill a midsize car tank with petrol. So IN PRINCIPLE any future car can simply be repaired based on the same idea. And you already have sound designs of cars where everything is modular and you can have one set for you for whatever trip you want to at whatever comfort level, based on standard chassis and interchangable components.
All this will be touted as benefit to humanity. Bloody car wrecks will be shown on TV or online, followed by happy faced autonomous cars cruisers, enjoying work or entertainment while they are carried SAFELY to their destinations. Then a senator, an Al Gore type, will raise question about making "dangerous" cars illegal. After some discontent from the crowd of the die hard fanatics, law will be implemented. And that will be it.
Remember - it is ALWAYS for the benefit of YOU, the customer. Like damn modern healthcare and health insurances. Someone, somewhere along the history of this country, VOTED for all this. Complied.
When they came up with the first steam engine train, they had to put prisoners on board as passengers, to show that it is actually safe and not devil's work. They had law telling any automobile to have a fellow with red flag walk in front of it to caution people in the streets. Very serious, intelligent people did all this. And what happened next?
So have no doubt.
Look back at the 1970s and see how people envisioned the future. Back then they were thinking we'd be flying supersonic commercial aircraft all over the world, traveling back and forth to space cheaply, and all wearing vinyl jumpsuits (watch A Clockwork Orange to see how the early 70's envisioned 1995).
Now its 2017 and we have no supersonic commercial aircraft and we can't fly into space at all unless the Russians take us on their 1960's Soviet era spacecraft. See sometimes things actually go backwards.
Now you have me curious as to what you do in your free time.
Seriously, for a number of reasons including lower costs and less environmental impact, I think most of us can see the trend is moving toward electric/alternative-fueled vehicles.
So, I give the UK government credit for at least taking the initiative and trying to get in front of the curve instead of being behind it and having to play catch-up, by trying to plan for what is probably an inevitable eventuality.
Here's the problem. Environmental impact isn't an economic strategy.
Right now electric vehicles aren't financially, nor practically feasible. If they were no government mandate will be required. No government intervention was required for you to chose to by a smartphone, you just bought one because it made more sense.
We live in a global economy. That means if Britain's economy is crashing because electric cars are expensive and electric semi trucks take forever to ship stuff in the most expensive way possible, then business will simply move to a country who is more productive and less restrictive. That country will probably burn supercheap fossil fuels at a rate much higher than Britain is saving by outlawing them.
By Europe not burning fossil fuels, an over abundance of supply will be available to everybody else to burn less expensively than they do now. Do you think Venezuela cares how much CO2 output they're contributing if it means inheriting Britain's economy?
Bottom line, if the government has to mandate it, then its not self sustainable and will fail under global competition.
Remember a politician today can promise anything they want for the future with no consequence now. When it doesn't work out and widespread poverty sweeps the land 20 years later, they'll be retired and not have to worry about it.
By 2035 a) most automakers will have cars that can/will automate a whole host of driving tasks, b) increasingly people will want the computers doing the work of driving (will a kid born in 2020 really have a strong desire to learn to drive in 2036?), c) an increasing percentage of people will be satisfied with alternatives like ride-sharing / ride-hailing.
By 2053 it'll likely be impossible to buy a new car that doesn't have a good deal of optional automation. We may have whole swaths of the population who get around in vehicles while rarely touching the controls, and who have minimal driving skills. A lot of people will be making the fairly rational decision to not own a car themselves. In addition, telepresence via virtual reality will be getting so good by then that a lot of people will be keeping their physical bodies at home, while autonomous rolling and flying drones will be growing in usage for around-town chores. A stigma will develop where people who insist on driving their own cars will begin to be viewed as luddites or pariahs. It may become inconvenient or impossible to access certain areas without being in a networked self-driving vehicle.
By 2071, 54 years from now, the transition will be complete. There will be a dwindling percentage of people who can even remember a time when we drove ourselves. The AI will have brought traffic fatalities down to low double-digits per year, nationwide. It'll have long since become impossible to buy any vehicle that wasn't completely automated. It'll be illegal and unheard of to drive a non-automated car in a lot of areas. Decisions about where to travel and when will be significantly out of the hands of the populace. There will be few people under 30 who don't spend a substantial portion of their lives plugged into the Meta-world and the rest of their lives with Augmented Reality.
Well, that was by me from a thread in the Politics forum from a couple of weeks ago.
I feel like the electric, self-driving, and ride-hailing onslaught is inevitable, but it's interesting to read the quite valid objections and concerns and issues raised here by various people. I used to love to drive. I still like to drive, though that wanes year by year (and the most fun I've had driving in a while has been in various driving games in VR with a good racing seat, pedals, shifter, and force-feedback steering wheel).
My main concerns center around the possibility of the elimination of privacy and the implementation of controls restricting travel.
Because driving is generally considered a “high risk” activity, we long ago gave up any idea of the “open road”. There was a time when a person could get into a vehicle and experience freedom. Now every movement – on the road and off – is minutely analysed – and in many cases is linked to your profile of interactions with other high risk activities. All vehicles – even bicycles – have become surveillance devices that continuously analyse and transmit data.
All you electric and AI car enthusiasts who think the majority of people in this world are lazy and just want to sit at home on a couch rotting their lives away while watching fake virtual reality and thinking you are actually visiting some place while having their superior personal robots do everything for you from shopping, cooking dinner and even bangin your wife. Remember, not all of us want to live like that and not all of us live in NY or SF (thank god). Their are many of us in rural areas who need our own personal transportation that can go the distance without worrying about losing a charge and we like to do things ourselves.
Enjoy living vicariously through a robot. I'll enjoy my active one, away from any big, crime infested city!
Well, the word is - there will be no need for parking.
As:
1. all will be electric (and by then, range WILL be good0
2. all will be autonomous driving
3. car will be there when you need it and when done, it will drive itself to a central storage.
Word is, owning a car may actually become redundant, vehicles will be more on a subscription type thing. You sing up for a program that suits you, so car is where you need it, for trip you need already programmed, car type you want, done - it's gone to drive someone else.
So it makes sense in THAT light.
And big rigs like construction cranes, tractor trailers, loaders, graders, runway snowplows and blowers, etc., all will be electric
Think it could happen? I think it misses the fact that many people don't have off street parking, that many of us need (even if its just occasional) range beyond what Electrics can provide today.
Didn't California demand something like that a few years ago but had to rescind?
Now you have me curious as to what you do in your free time.
Seriously, for a number of reasons including lower costs and less environmental impact, I think most of us can see the trend is moving toward electric/alternative-fueled vehicles.
So, I give the UK government credit for at least taking the initiative and trying to get in front of the curve instead of being behind it and having to play catch-up, by trying to plan for what is probably an inevitable eventuality.
Don't forget that just because the car runs on batteries does not mean that it has a lesser environmental impact than another non-electric car that is about the same size, weight, etc. The electricity and fuel used to assemble such batteries do not come from thin air. Besides, batteries aren't a clean source of energy, and add to the existing pollution. Even nuclear energy creates waste and pollution.
It's not science fiction and could easily be done right now with the existing tech. Having a car that will drop you off at your destination, park itself and then pick you up when summoned is going to be at the top of the wish list for these cars.
Didn't we suppose to have "walking sidewalks" in, oh, I don't know, 2000?
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