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Comment by bnj | Hacker News Reader

Personally, in the context of fully autonomous self driving cars, I can’t see how ownership would make any sense any more. If the car can drive itself off to find a charging station somewhere densely packed and leave the streets free of any parked cars, imagine how much space would be reclaimable.

I see how it would take a shift in mindset, but the liberation that I think would come with the freedom for the car that drives you to your destination not needing to be the same one that drives you home... I think that’s revolutionary.

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I’m imagining that without ownership, car companies would begin to operate like the worst American companies.

You’d have super complex mileage caps. Per-minute surcharges for peak & late night hours. Early subscription termination fees. Zoning issues: Only Kia & Suzuki will service your neighborhood, while your neighbor down the block can get a Toyota with twice the range allowance at half the cost. The median income for your particular area may not justify building charging center hubs by other manufacturers.

In the event of a power or telecommunication outage, the centralization will undoubtedly strand people wherever they are.

Then, the moralists. Since you don’t own the vehicle, they can dictate how you use it. No driving to the strip club or liquor store on Sunday. Arbitrary restrictions on what you’re allowed to transport. It can be a new vector to govern behavior and control populations.

You’re probably right, but doesn’t Apple kind of seem like a company that would be well positioned to reduce all these issues for a luxury price? Well, perhaps besides moralist issues, if the App Store is any indication.

People are disgusting and I have zero desire to share a vehicle with another person let alone thousands of people.

There will be no shift in mindset. No. Just no.

Presumably you never get on a plane to fly anywhere then.

I don’t even like getting into my partner’s car...

How is an autonomous car any different from taking an Uber? I think most people who currently own a car rather than taking an Uber or taxi everywhere will continue to own a car after self driving cars are a thing - there is a lot of value in having a car immediately available to you no matter what, and it's nice to drive around in your car that is set up how you want and has all of your things in it.

I think if autonomous cars are much cheaper than Uber it could push some people to get rid of their car due to cost, but personally I would never do that since a cheap car isn't a huge expense.

It’s mostly like taking an Uber, but I think the future will have many more instant-car users, since it is so convenient in major cities.

There are benefits of course, a self driving taxi could show up configured to your exact specifications, would probably be a more standard/reliable experience than Uber, no need to interact with people if you don’t feel like it, and no need to consider them either. Play loud music or sit in silence. Make a private call. Sleep.

Relatively minor benefits in the big picture but it’s mainly that I don’t see Apple hiring a bunch of drivers, so I think a self driving fleet could be the dream. They’re big on UX control, kinda their signature.

I think a lot of people overestimate how much of a cost uplift comes from having a ~minimum wage driver piloting the vehicle. Been a while since I looked at the numbers but say you could cut the prices of an Uber by about 50% per mile--which is the ballpark number--how many people would give up their cars outside of dense cities if they haven't already done so. (Assuming they can buy autonomous vehicles themselves.)

In larger cities, yes. In midsize cities, unlikely. The walkability score in my neighborhood is not very good. If I want to go to the store, I can hop on my car when and be there in 10 minutes. If I had to wait for a car to come pick me up everything, that would be annoying.

Not only that, but lots of people’s identities are grounded in the type of car they drive. You’ll never pry that away from those people, you’ll have to wait for a new generation who haven’t formed that type of bond to an vechicle.

I agree on the immediate availability of your car being an issue that will hinder this model but the 2nd concern can be addressed by having multiple subscription levels with a premium level guaranteeing only luxury cars pick you up.

Either way I consider cars a personal item same way as I wouldn't share my laptop.

Not only that, but lots of people’s identities are grounded in the type of car they drive.

That didn't happen by accident. It has taken a huge effort on the part of car manufacturers to get to that point.

Really? In the middle of a pandemic where Covid-19 lives on surfaces for days, you can't see a reason not to use a ride-sharing car?

Surfaces and handwashing were a distraction by American public health officials largely too stupid and proud to listen to Asians telling them to open all the windows and wear masks. Spend more time asking why your office windows are stuck closed.

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