Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by jedberg on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @03:17PM
(#13170533)
Availability barely matters though. When I need a ride I open Lyft, see if they have a car nearby, and if the answer is no, I switch to Uber. The switching cost is so low it's negligible.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by baldeagle on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @02:32PM
(#13170003)
Ability to clean / autonomously clean itself. I think this will be the next big thing for car ride fleets.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by ralphhughes on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @07:06AM
(#13175369)
We tried this with our fleet of landrovers. Each one has a waterproof interior and is plumbed with sprinkler pipe with hoze-lock connectors on the back of the vehicle so it can be plugged in to the water supply.
It doesn't work, the water spray is not strong enough, or directed enough to remove the mud and sand. We still have to have people going round with water jets to spot clean. A have my doubts a fully automatic system could ever work effectively.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by maxerickson on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @03:06PM
(#13170425)
If you are competing on price for commuters the obvious thing is a waterproof interior and some high pressure nozzles in the ceiling. Car drives up to machine with hose, hose attaches, water sprays.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by dpark on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @04:43PM
(#13171372)
The obvious thing is to pay a couple of people minimum wage to sit in a parking lot and clean cars when they arrive.
A car with a waterproof interior would be miserable and cheap feeling. No one wants to sit in a humid, rubber car.
- Availability. Who has the largest network and highest availability? - Car Design. Who has the most comfortable or fully featured cars? - Safety. Who has the safest car? Who has the safest track record?
It might eventually become a race to the bottom, but I think there's still plenty of opportunity to compete on other fronts for at least the next five years.