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[Viral_Jim]

No, it won't be here sooner than I think, anymore than the robots I used to see on tomorrow's world.

Where I think it will happen first is HGV's, no driver's salary to pay, no paid legal rest periods, trucks that can drive absolutely optimally to conserve fuel based on load weight, incline, traffic conditions etc. There must be a fortune to be made/saved in Europe's road based economy. I think we'll end up only using humans to do the few miles between localised depots and shops/delivery addresses.

Ultimately I think that personal car ownership will fade away for the masses, but changing mindsets will take at least a generation or two I think. I reckon that the millennials will probably be the last generation for which personal car ownership is the norm.

[Kevin Wood]

No, it won't be here sooner than I think, anymore than the robots I used to see on tomorrow's world.

Where I think it will happen first is HGV's, no driver's salary to pay, no paid legal rest periods, trucks that can drive absolutely optimally to conserve fuel based on load weight, incline, traffic conditions etc. There must be a fortune to be made/saved in Europe's road based economy. I think we'll end up only using humans to do the few miles between localised depots and shops/delivery addresses.

Ultimately I think that personal car ownership will fade away for the masses, but changing mindsets will take at least a generation or two I think. I reckon that the millennials will probably be the last generation for which personal car ownership is the norm.

You might well be right, and it must be an attractive prospect for hauliers to do away with the driver, but, it's interesting that full automation would be much more straightforward on the rail networks and in the skies (in class A airspace, at any rate). Both domains where you have pretty much a fully controlled environment (weather aside). You know where every vehicle is and you haven't got to worry about erratic drivers or kids stepping out into the road. Yet, we still have pilots and train drivers.

[Mister Rog]

Some years ago I wanted to test drive a Volvo 960. A big but very powerful beast.

Got in the car with sales guy, started it up, and commented that the fuel light was on. Sales guy assured me it was ok and off we went.

No prizes for guessing what happened some miles away from the garage, requiring the very red-faced sales guy to call a colleague for ugent assistance.

 . . . . . yes I did buy the car, possibly the best (but thirstiest) car I've ever had

I can sympathise with that..

A couple years ago we used to have a Volvo 740 estate, big old beast of a car.... unbelievably thirsty....

HAD to put a minimum of £30 in the tank for it to last a couple of days, and I mean a couple of days too....

The only time it was economical is when I sold it to a fella a few miles away, and even he brought it back saying that its really thirsty and couldnt afford to run it (I did tell him it was thirsty) I refuesd to give him his money back (I couldnt anyway as we'd just bought a 50 inch Plasma TV with the proceedings...) he went away a bit disgruntled... Then rang at 3 in the morning to ask where the locking key was for the wheels... I genuinly didnt know coz I never needed or wanted to take the wheels off the thing....

My wife still has a 940. Compared with the old 960 the 940 is almost frugal. 940s are mostly 2.0 or 2.3 four pots with or without turbos. The 960 was 3.0 straight 6. MPG was terrifying, but it went like shit off a shovel. 

[X30XE]

No, it won't be here sooner than I think, anymore than the robots I used to see on tomorrow's world.

Where I think it will happen first is HGV's, no driver's salary to pay, no paid legal rest periods, trucks that can drive absolutely optimally to conserve fuel based on load weight, incline, traffic conditions etc. There must be a fortune to be made/saved in Europe's road based economy. I think we'll end up only using humans to do the few miles between localised depots and shops/delivery addresses.

Ultimately I think that personal car ownership will fade away for the masses, but changing mindsets will take at least a generation or two I think. I reckon that the millennials will probably be the last generation for which personal car ownership is the norm.

Please god let you be right. No more lorries overtaking each other on dual carriageways. Heaven.

[TheBoy]

Insignia VXR needed a £10 top up halfway through a three mile test drive in Sluff

As did the Silver Bullet, but I did buy it in the end

[Nick W]

No, it won't be here sooner than I think, anymore than the robots I used to see on tomorrow's world.

Where I think it will happen first is HGV's, no driver's salary to pay, no paid legal rest periods, trucks that can drive absolutely optimally to conserve fuel based on load weight, incline, traffic conditions etc. There must be a fortune to be made/saved in Europe's road based economy. I think we'll end up only using humans to do the few miles between localised depots and shops/delivery addresses.

Ultimately I think that personal car ownership will fade away for the masses, but changing mindsets will take at least a generation or two I think. I reckon that the millennials will probably be the last generation for which personal car ownership is the norm.

Please god let you be right. No more lorries overtaking each other on dual carriageways. Heaven.

Yes there's no way that an auto-pilot won't base a decision on the speed differential, available performance, road space, required ETA and whether it has a pain in the diodes down its left side, and overtake a slightly slower moving vehicle in the 3/4 mile stretch of dual carriageway.


I share Kevin's opinion: self driving vehicles will require a massive change in the way that everybody uses the roads, whether they are drivers, cyclists, pedestrians or wandering dogs. And that isn't going to happen any time soon. It would make every existing vehicle worthless, and there are too many vested interests to let that happen. It's more likely that we make the rail network an affordable first choice for commuting and long distance travel, and if that happens the Devil will skate to work.

[minifreek]

This is it, with my old Astra parked out front ....

Hope the link works LOL

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.5295902,-2.6113346,3a,15y,332.03h,78.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHlrilsrQuQLPKUml1lvNag!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Ours was a 2.3 low blow 4 pot, so might have been a 940 GLE I think... we didnt have ot long TBH

But got ourselves a V70 estate 2.4 D5 now.....

[Steve B]

This is it, with my old Astra parked out front ....

Hope the link works LOL

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.5295902,-2.6113346,3a,15y,332.03h,78.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHlrilsrQuQLPKUml1lvNag!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Ours was a 2.3 low blow 4 pot, so might have been a 940 GLE I think... we didnt have ot long TBH

But got ourselves a V70 estate 2.4 D5 now.....

When you going to get that lawn cut 

[Doctor Gollum]

The dog over the road seems to be enjoying himself

[Steve B]

The dog over the road seems to be enjoying himself

Its destroyed the kids bike thing 

[minifreek]

That pic was taken back in 2009.... sez so on the left of the screen...

The 'lawn' was cut once a week, it grows ruddy fast round here... and the 'lawn' aint there anymore, it got paved over about 2 years ago....

[X30XE]

The dog over the road seems to be enjoying himself

Assuming it isn't brown bread from the evil google radiation. 

First time i've ever seen a pub garden table in someones private front garden before I must admit.  Strange goings on in these parts.   

[minifreek]

Have to remember - it is Wigan... LOL

[Doctor Gollum]

Have to remember - it is Wigan... LOL

Got a pier and everything

[Viral_Jim]

No, it won't be here sooner than I think, anymore than the robots I used to see on tomorrow's world.

Where I think it will happen first is HGV's, no driver's salary to pay, no paid legal rest periods, trucks that can drive absolutely optimally to conserve fuel based on load weight, incline, traffic conditions etc. There must be a fortune to be made/saved in Europe's road based economy. I think we'll end up only using humans to do the few miles between localised depots and shops/delivery addresses.

Ultimately I think that personal car ownership will fade away for the masses, but changing mindsets will take at least a generation or two I think. I reckon that the millennials will probably be the last generation for which personal car ownership is the norm.

You might well be right, and it must be an attractive prospect for hauliers to do away with the driver, but, it's interesting that full automation would be much more straightforward on the rail networks and in the skies (in class A airspace, at any rate). Both domains where you have pretty much a fully controlled environment (weather aside). You know where every vehicle is and you haven't got to worry about erratic drivers or kids stepping out into the road. Yet, we still have pilots and train drivers.

True, but I think both are probably not *strictly*required, the DLR for example runs very well with no train drivers, and AFAIK planes can basically fly themselves. However, as always with these things, the tech will come first, the regulatory framework will lag behind.