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The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:59 pm
by MachineGhost
[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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Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 4:36 pm
by Tyler
It'll be fun to see Uber unite with the unions to fight the new robot overlords hand-in-hand. 

Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:53 pm
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.

Re: The RoboCabs Are Coming!

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 9:01 pm
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?