Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it) [video]

Re:Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do abo... by fragmede on Sunday November 10, 2024 @08:25PM (#42103840)

> self-driving cars are just cheaper taxis.

From a business perspective, why on Earth would you price it dramatically cheaper? Especially when you have to recoup R&D costs, need to show investors a profit, customers have already shown a willingness to pay market price, and maintenance on the cars and the in-car customer service agents isn't free?

And we see that today in the app - Waymo is often more expensive that Lyft or Uber.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do abo... by mitthrowaway2 on Sunday November 10, 2024 @08:30PM (#42103876)

In the long run, if there is competition, it should drive down costs. If the sensors / compute hardware / software costs more than the labor of a human driver then self-driving vehicles won't be viable, but the bet these companies are making is that it will, and in the long run, those costs will be amortized. And if the costs of offering a robotaxi service are lower than a human-taxi service, and if AVs are not a monopoly, then the price will eventually end up cheaper as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]