The RoboCabs Are Coming!

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MachineGhost
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The RoboCabs Are Coming!

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[quote=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... cent-study]Self-driving electric taxis could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from conventional car travel in the US by 94% in 2030, according to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

These future “robocabs” would be battery-powered and driven without human intervention, picking up and dropping off passengers using automated technologies.

Greenhouse gas reductions would be made by running the vehicles from the electricity grid, which by 2030 will use a greater proportion of renewable power. A more tailored array of vehicle sizes, including specialised cars for transporting just one or two people, would also contribute to reduced carbon emissions.

Andy Eastlake, managing director of the UK-based Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, agreed that autonomous electric vehicles can provide significant environmental benefits.

“There’s no doubt there is an immediate efficiency gain in terms of using electricity as compared to a conventional engine,” he said. “In addition, human drivers are responsible for between 20 and 30% of inefficiencies in vehicles, so the shift to autonomy has the ability to use the car in a very efficient manner.”
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Tyler
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Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Post by Tyler »

It'll be fun to see Uber unite with the unions to fight the new robot overlords hand-in-hand. 
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MachineGhost
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Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Post by MachineGhost »

Tyler wrote: It'll be fun to see Uber unite with the unions to fight the new robot overlords hand-in-hand.
I doubt Uber will unite.  They will just stop hiring human drivers.  Who need those pesky creatures anyway?  They just cost money and stuff.
"All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called 'Facts'. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain." -- Thomas Hobbes

Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet.  I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!
Reub
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Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Post by Reub »

I flew into JFK last night and learned some interesting things.  It seems that the yellow cabs are deliberately blocking access to the airport terminals to keep out Uber and their other competitors.  My limo driver also told me that the value of a NY yellow cab medallion has plummeted from $1.2 million to a mere $400 G's. See what a little competition can do?
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