Brent Toderian

Will self-driving cars lead to more driving? Here’s something to consider — Berkeley researchers gave subjects a chauffeur for a week, mimicking the experience of owning a self-driving car.

Miles driven jumped 83%.

Via @jalopnik HT @davidzipper #cars #cities #SelfDrivingCars #DriverlessCars
https://jalopnik.com/zombie-miles-and-napa-weekends-how-a-week-with-chauffe-1839648416

Zombie Miles And Napa Weekends: How A Week With Chauffeurs Showed The Major Flaw In Our Self-Driving Car Futur

A few years ago, Mustapha Harb realized there was a problem in his field of research about how autonomous cars will change the way people travel. The solution to the problem he settled on was as simple as it was revealing.

Jalopnik
Feb 11, 2023 at 2:27amWeb
Show threadJoanna HolmanFeb 11, 2023
@BrentToderian @davidzipper that makes sense. Today I took public transport even through it was slower because I couldn’t be bothered to deal with an area with a stack of stressful intersections. If I had a self driving car I’d probably use that
Show threadNow at @[email protected]Feb 11, 2023

@BrentToderian @davidzipper In Australia, we're already at around 1.1 passengers per car on average.

There's a very real possibility with self-driving cars that the number of passengers per car will drop *below one*.

Show threadCelloMom On CarsFeb 11, 2023

@BrentToderian @[email protected] @davidzipper

Good that this research is done, finally. It's not surprising though. When my kids were school age, I would use an AV to despatch them to school (then drive home), then bring my husband to work (then drive home), then take me to wherever I need to go. In the afternoon, same thing in reverse.

With me at the wheel, I would do errands right after dropping the kids off. My husband: he can damn well bike.

But again, good to do the research.

Show threadCelloMom On CarsFeb 11, 2023

@BrentToderian @[email protected] @davidzipper

I once went to a talk by Alain Kornhauser, the AV guru.

It was so telling - he started the presentation talking about AV experiments, but spent most of it talking about how AV BUSES can get people places efficiently, and how he wanted it so that you just push a button on your phone, like a horizontal (and 2D) elevator. Smart guy.

Because of course I should put my kids on an AV to school WITH OTHER KIDS also going to school.

Shared AV = good AV.

Show threadderfredFeb 11, 2023
@BrentToderian @davidzipper
good read, thank you for sharing.
You gotta love that the advertisement is for electrical SUVs (at least for me).
Show thread⇐∗∗⇒ Jean-Luc - POI I7FI ✅Feb 11, 2023

@BrentToderian
Didn't the subjects have to pay for gas?
I mean, we all know the "it's free" fallacy where rational thinking somehow gets under the wheels.
Did they consider this influence?

Or is gas in the US just too cheap to be regarded as a serious influence?

Show threadShino MeFeb 11, 2023

@BrentToderian @davidzipper
Maybe self-driving cars will lead to more drinking!

I'm sorry I woke up without connection to the part of my brain used to form rational sentences. So, laying in my bed, I write non-serious sentences. Hoping that my brain will connect with his "serious adult part" till 11 a.m.

Show threadDavid RosnowFeb 12, 2023

@BrentToderian @davidzipper Javons predicts this quite well. Reduce the cost of using a car, by eliminating the opportunity cost of driving, and people will use cars more. We can see a good analog with TNC already.

Note that EV also reduce the cost of operating a car. That’s also a problem in terms of VMT.

These effects make pricing roads imperative.

Show threadstoicmikeFeb 12, 2023
@BrentToderian Why would having a chauffeur be like having a self-driving car?
Show threadPJ "Vote Green" CoffeyFeb 12, 2023

@BrentToderian @davidzipper

“now’s the time to tax the robots.”

Yes. Good idea. The being driven to work and picked up again example is a definite problem.