Re:Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco
by thechao on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @12:30AM
(#40796397)
150 cars long! 90000 horsepower! May Immortan Joe live forever!!! To the Vineyards!
Re:Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco
by DANmode on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @02:44AM
(#40797062)
It'll end up being the opposite that causes a positive effect, if there's one to be had.
Leaving proper gaps (which next to nobody reading this will be familiar with!) allows for cars to cross, or even merge.
Re:Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco
by miki123211 on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @07:17AM
(#40798681)
I don't think it's such a bad idea, actually. There's value in having something that can drive in a "train", but that can also disconnect when needed and drive on its own.
If you're driving long distance, you get the advantages of a train, but door-to-door, with no scheduling conflicts and no egregious stop times. If your destination is 5 minutes away, it's still a car.
Re:Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco
by elbasti on Thursday June 27, 2024 @02:06PM
(#40813301)
Or, you know, you could drive (or bike! or waymo!) to the local train station, which should have <30 min, well-scheduled, predictable headways to major cities, then take a train that goes 150+mph, and then drive (or bike! or waymo!) to your final destination, for _far_ less total energy expenditure.
Every car in a train-caravan is schlepping along its own engine, crumple zones, airbags....and with rubber tires...
...its frankly idiotic.
You joke, but I've heard more than one argument about how self-driving cars will drastically improve traffic because, for inter-city travel, they will be able to drive very close together on the highway in a long convoy, leaving almost no space between cars...