A dramatic headline from one of the most powerful people in the automotive industry to be sure: the end of cars! Must be a reaction to the knowledge that ending climate change means the end of the industrial era!
Yeah, no. This article simply laments the rise of autonomous vehicles and the joyless lives we will lead when they are fully implemented in our society:
“The end state will be the fully autonomous module with no capability for the driver to exercise command. You will call for it, it will arrive at your location, you’ll get in, input your destination and go to the freeway.
On the freeway, it will merge seamlessly into a stream of other modules traveling at 120, 150 mph. The speed doesn’t matter. You have a blending of rail-type with individual transportation.
Then, as you approach your exit, your module will enter deceleration lanes, exit and go to your final destination. You will be billed for the transportation. You will enter your credit card number or your thumbprint or whatever it will be then. The module will take off and go to its collection point, ready for the next person to call.”
How sad for us. Both with the vision that we will enter the end state of modern civilization as prisoners of our mobility technology, and that our “brightest” minds cannot – will not – understand the peril we face over the next few years.
steve austin 