The Automated Lives of Fully Autonomous Vehicles
Remember those days where people would all go crazy over Knight Rider and the amazing self-driving car KITT? Oh, how badly did we wish for a car that could drive autonomously! Well, this wish is about to come true in a few years. Nowadays, many renowned automobile manufacturing companies (Nissan, Audi, and Ford) have embarked in the designing and manufacturing of self-driving cars.
Tesla Motors is among these renowned manufacturers. The company even has plans of introducing autonomous buses, trucks, and other commercial vehicles. If all goes as planned, we might see the first “fully” autonomous car hit the market by 2018. This makes many wonder: how would life be with a self-driving car? Let’s take a look below to find out!
Picking up Passengers
Autonomous cars will prove to be of great use for picking up passengers without you having to drive the vehicle. You can either set the location from your home to pick up someone or you could sit in the car and enjoy the ride, while your vehicle cruises the streets minus any input from your end. This totally revolutionizes the concept while ensuring you reach the desired location on time. In cases where you have consumed alcohol, there’s also no need for a designated driver as the car operates autonomously (reducing drunk driving incidents).
Running Errands
No longer will you require a driver to specifically drop you off at locations for running short errands. Autonomous vehicles can drive you around without a hassle. You don’t even have to worry about finding a space to park your vehicle. Self-driving cars significantly reduce parking headaches by dropping you at the desired destination, while locating a parking space farther away. You can then summon your vehicle at the same spot once you are done with your grocery shopping.
Driving Those with “Special” Needs
Life can prove to be incredibly tough for those with special needs, like the elderly, disabled, or blind. People with memory/reflexes or physical disabilities will always find driving an impossible task, but not anymore. Autonomous vehicles will get you anywhere you want to go, anytime you want to go.
Faster Commuting
Autonomous cars in large number are known to follow a behavior known as “Platooning”, which has the ability to significantly improve traffic congestion. This means, when you sit in your autonomous car to travel to work or commute to any other place, you get to benefit of faster travel time– minus the worry of encountering traffic. Autonomous cars also tend to maximize gasoline usage by offering a more protective form of driving eliminating hard braking. No “speeding up” and “slowing down” also contributes to consuming less fuel. This further helps in saving you money.
All in all, the life of an autonomous vehicle and the benefits it brings along to consumers prove to be really interesting. Now, we just have to wait for the self-driving vehicles to actually hit the roads. Keep your ears and eyes open, fellow car enthusiasts!
