Autonomous vehicles vs. 914, Your Driving In The Days Of The Wild Old West! Options

[Skydance]

Autonomous vehicles will render our old cars useless, and therefore worthless.

I don't think so.

Horse people talked about these same concerns ever since horses stopped being beasts of burden. Today, the recreational use of horses has increased the horse population to it's highest number in the past fifty years. Considering the cost of ownership, shrinking countryside, escalating environmental restriction, and many other issues we still have a high and healthy horse population.

Autonomous vehicles will hit us fast, an avalanche of them is on the way. Level four driverless cars will be taking the kids to school, circling back to take me to work, and then picking up the dog at the groomer. Driverless cars make good sense, and for many reasons. We all get the concept. After all the safe shuttling is done, I think a lot of properly wired guys and girls will feel like taking a good old car for a real drive. I don't think we'll see people lose desire for driving, in fact I think the opposite is likely.

Check the oil, enjoy your ride, your living in the days of the wild old west!

[Spoke]

There is enough fossil fuels to last our lifetimes so no worries about quantity. Delivery systems will always be suspect though.

For price, I don't think many foresaw a glut of oil happening in 2015 and US gas prices dropping below $2/gal as large producers in OPEC trying to squeeze out shale-entrapped oil producers to again corner the market. This cheap oil will also hinder development of electric/hydrogen/alternative fuel vehicles.

For driver-less vehicles, it can be done and maybe someday will be widely accepted. If they're GPS guided and video-driven, all it will take is some jackasses on the side of the road or driving beside/behind the vehicle with a GPS-scrambler and/or laser video inhibitor to cause the vehicle to crash or be diverted to crash to cause great difficulties in mass acceptance.

Keep in mind that airliners with very advanced auto-pilot systems for taking off, cruising, and landing still had a couple of pilots sitting in the driver's seats.