Waymo: Google's self-driving car company

Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company by yessql on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @02:08PM (#13169702)

Peak pricing can spread out demand a bit, and also, people can use much smaller vehicles most of the time. We buy cars for worst case size or conditions. Look around the parking lot of a white collar work place that is filled up with four wheel drive all terrain vehicles and pickup trucks.

Ride sharing for rush hour would use a ton of compact vehicles. Even if the number of vehicles is the same to account for peak usage, the majority of the vehicles will be much smaller and much less capable, and therefore much less profitable for manufacturers.

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Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company by semi-extrinsic on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @06:18PM (#13172213)

How does "spread out demand" work out with "people need to work 9-5"?

As for "much smaller cars most of the time": not if you want to maintain the current safety level while also being able to travel faster than 20 mph.

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Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company by inimino on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @05:28AM (#13175024)

The idea that everyone needs to arrive at and leave the office at the very same minute has always been idiotic. It's a holdover from assembly-line thinking. Presumably in a predominantly ride-sharing, autonomous-car world this would be reflected through pricing rather than through ridiculous commuter traffic jams.

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