Study says self-driving cars will create a $7 trillion 'passenger economy'

Mashable ^ | June 3, 2017 | Brett Williams

[2ndDivisionVet]

The race to create self-driving cars is on—but what happens when they’re everywhere and nobody has to drive?

That could lead to a “passenger economy” worth $7 trillion by 2050, according to a new report by Intel and analyst firm Strategy Analytics.

While the name of the potential new market is lame, the amount of cash it's estimated to drive is not: the study predicts self-driving cars will free up 250 million hours of commuting time per year, providing the backbone for a thriving $800 billion industry by 2035, when the study predicts fully autonomous vehicles will begin to proliferate globally....

[unlearner]

“What if, as is often the case, the act of driving, of being in direct control of over a ton of steel, rubber, etc., is itself the goal, or at least part of it?”

I agree. And it may be an unfortunate consequence to implementing self-driving cars that people are unable to enjoy driving their own cars as we can now.

This has happened in many ways with other activities. Often communities try to find ways to bring back access to simple things that modernization has destroyed. There are things like bike and jogging trails, parks, etc. Without a concerted effort, things that are now a normal part of life could get swept away with little thought.

Access to exercise tools is one example. Two-hundred years ago, I think the idea of a gym with exercise machines would have been ludicrous to most Americans. They would have just recommended learning some skills that involved physical work. These jobs have always been in abundance. Now, not so much. So people need to compensate for this change.

It will probably be the same for driving. An older generation will be nostalgic about driving, while a younger one will think of it as quaint like a horse and buggy. Maybe some small towns, as well as special zones in bigger cities, will adopt areas where only human driven cars are allowed.

[Vision]

F your self driving cars, socialistic nerds.