By Hannah Cargo
Frankly, the promise of self-driving cars excites me. Yes, I am well aware of the dangers of teaching computers to drive, especially if it includes trial and error. The fantasy of being able to work or read instead of having to keep your eyes on the dreary road, to call a car to your location through a mobile device, and not having to deal with reckless drivers is certainly one to be enjoyed, especially if you had to suffer the stress of driver's ed like I did. However, when addressing an innovation that could so deeply affect our daily life, it's important to think about how it will affect our environment and the biosphere as a whole.
Because autonomous vehicles are still in testing phases and severely limited in use, predictions for environmental effects may be more speculation and guesswork, but the way I (and a few other researchers) see it, a future with widespread use of self driving cars will either exponentially decrease our environmental footprint or fuel a greater demand for fossil fuels. At the moment, I am leaning towards the positive effects on the environment.
In the computer-driver future, the amount of cars in existence could decrease. Cars continuously driving, like taxi cabs on steroids, could circle from location to location, never really parking. Since cars are parked and unused about 85% of the time, a autonomous car could get more "bang for its buck", and reduce the need for constructing large parking garages, lots, or even home garages, which could cut down on the concrete jungle that is urban areas. Assuming our computer drivers are programmed with utmost precision, many protective materials that make up our modern cars would not be necessary. Heavy air bags, anti-lock brakes, and laminated glass would no longer need to be created, or eventually, wasted. And since these heavy, unnecessary protective materials no longer weigh down the car, emissions would decrease and propulsion could be more effective. Another way driverless cars could cut emissions would be the elimination of traffic. A future with autonomous cars that can communicate to each other slightly faster than wifi speed means driverless cars don't need to wait at a red light. Stop, yields, and red lights are all human signs to communicate who has the right of way to people you can't stop to have a conversation with. With digital information being conveyed during the drive, traffic and sitting with the engine running can be cut entirely, reducing useless CO2 emissions.
On the other hand, driverless cars means that driving could be very much more appealing. The average passenger, who may spend their drive time watching a movie, would be encouraged to take longer trips, which could increase demand for fossil fuels with which to power the drive.
Until more data is available to the public, most of this is prediction and speculation. However I believe it is better to weigh out all possible options when it comes to the environment. Safe is better than sorry, after all.
What are your predictions?
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29 comments:
I agree with your opinion that autonomous vehicles would benefit the environment through reducing extraneous materials and especially traffic and wasted fossil fuels at red lights or slow downs on crowded roads. I would be interested in finding out how much more likely people are to engage in long drives since the hassle of driving would be taken out of play. Perhaps though, the negative effects this would have could be counteracted by less air travel which requires a lot of fossil fuels and is damaging to the environment, as well as costly to average consumers.
Personally, I am excited for a future of autonomous cars. I find driving extremely stressful because of the quick decisions that need to be made. I think that autonomous cars will help the environment because less people will need to own a car, and less cars will need to be made because there will be fewer accidents. When cars communicate with each other the roads will be safer and so move faster meaning fewer emissions. I also believe that these autonomous cars will likely be electric. However, I don’t believe that people will use autonomous cars for longer drives because I think America in the future should switch to high speed trains to travel across the country. Trains should become the most convenient method of travel to help our environment. I sincerely hope that America moves towards autonomous cars to keep us safer and our environment healthier.
I believe self driving cars will be a huge benefit in the future, but only if they are electric cars. Tesla, for example, has self-driving cars that are powered solely by an electric engine meaning it leaves a much smaller footprint. Although it can be scary to imagine cars driving on their own, as technology can have its flaws, I think we are at a point where we have to try it out in order to reap the benefits that are obviously visible. For lengthy drives, public transportation should be promoted more than using these cars. The longer the drive, the more likely a computer is to mess up, so maybe electric trains will be the new thing. Overall, electric, self-driving cars are the future of the car industry and will most definitely help reduce fossil fuel emissions.
I totally agree with your optimism for the future. I believe that if this technology can be perfected in the future, we very well may be experiencing a new "Uber" concept of driverless cars. The idea that these cars will always be picking and dropping someone sounds very optimal for our environment. However, you bring up a strong case on whether there may be more pollution due to people being willing to take lengthier trips. To tackle this conflict, I believe that cars with fully electric cars is the best solution. With these electric cars, carbon emissions will be reduced quite a bit. Maybe if we can perfect the technology with cars, we will be able to implement this type of technology in other modes of transportation such as airplanes or trains. Obviously these technologies are going to take quite a bit of time to perfect and implement in society. Regardless, I am excited for what scientists can innovate in the future.
Rather than a self driving car, the idea of electronic cars, which have already been manufactured and released to the public, sounds much more environmentally sustainable as it completely eradicates the use of gas. Although they are relatively new to the market and a bit expensive, some electronic cars, like the Tesla, already come equipped with an auto park and drive mode, as long as the electronic touch. This machinery seems more appealing than a driverless car that is still dependent on fuel. Even if a Tesla may seem out of your budget, there have been other car companies like Toyota who have released a hybrid model of some of the car models that also do not use fuel to drive, This option is much more realistic, available on the market, and definitely more ecologically favorable than a car that might just use less fuel.
I believe that the worry of self-driving cars increasing the use of fossil fuels is nonsense. The idea of a self-driving car revolves around the use of electricity to automate the steering, coordination, and communication of cars without human intervention. Using gas as fuel for the car destroys its purpose. Although a self-driving car has already been developed, I find it hard to imagine a world with an abundance of automated cars. Unless companies are willing to sell these cars for less and manufacture them for less, only the upper classes of society would be able to afford them. It is great to be optimistic about the future of the environment, however it is crucial to keep in mind the economic alterations that may occur as a result of these innovations and advancements in technology.
I believe that the idea of self driving cars has both positive and negative effects. While Tesla’s have been the most popular automobile that has the capability to self drive, and it is an electric car which does contribute to the excessive use of fossil fuels, there are other concerns and issues that arise. For instance, there is the issue of how dependable these self driving cars can be; we don’t know how well they can drive in different environments and weather conditions, and there is the issue of what to do and who is responsible during accidents or emergencies. There is also the issue of the high prices and many are unable to afford these “luxury” cars, thus it is hard for these self driving cars to be fully functional among a sea of cars with human drivers. I believe that give a couple decades, most of the cars on the street will be self driving cars, and I’m excited for the next generation of technology to spring us into a new world.
I believe that the concept of self driving cars is still a little scary because depending on a machine to drive and interact with other cars on the road without the human instinct can be dangerous. Yet with the positive impact that it has on the environment, the cars seem to be the perfect balance between increase need for transportation and sustaining the environment. The fact that these cars would act as our own Uber's would decrease the need to remove trees and grasslands for commercial parking lots. This would allow more vegetation to thrive and less deforestation which helps decrease the excess CO2. As a matter of fact the cars would reduce CO2 in two ways as it you also pointed out that these cars wouldn't have to be parked which allows less burning of CO2. So only looking at its benefits, the car seems very efficient but practically I don't think I would put my life along with my loved ones in the hands of a self driving car without a guarantee of 100% safety.
The possibilities that driverless cars bring to the table is undoubtedly amazing. As highlighted by Hannah’s post, driving would be much more efficient and require less cars, roads, and parking garages to accomodate for all of those that rely on automobiles for transportation. This in itself would help the environment as less vehicles means less carbon emissions from them, but I believe it is more important to look towards the future of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have been created to expel little to no greenhouse gases, thus being a major step forward in reducing our environmental footprint. By combining this environmentally friendly technology with the automation of cars, we would be able to improve the safety of our roads and the safety of our world. It is key to a developing humanity to work on improving and making novelties such as this one widely available to the public.
I agree that the idea of autonomous vehicles is an interesting concept. I also do believe that a completely autonomous vehicle may be widely available for purchase in the near future, which can be predicted by the current technology in cars that are available for purchase. However, I do think that some people (including myself) may be reluctant to put their life on the line of a programmed computer, even if it is claimed to be more accurate than people. Therefore, I think that it should be required for people to still learn how to drive and be alert, especially during the first couple of years, in case the vehicle makes a mistake. As explained in the blog, another positive impact of self-driving cars is the fact that most are electric, which helps the environment. This may cause more people to consider purchasing an autonomous vehicle.
I believe that if these self-driving cars are electric, they could be of a huge step in favor of the conservation of the environment. However, I am skeptical of whether or not these cars would be used by enough people to actually make a difference. For one, the price of these cars could be far too high to be accessible to others. This means that people are likelier to buy cheaper, gas-powered cars instead. I'm also unsure of whether or not people would be willing to trust the self-driving feature of the car. No matter how technologically advanced these cars are advertised to be, it would be frightening for someone to leave their lives in the hands of technology.
It is really exciting to see the evolution of technology to this point of self-driving cars! As amazing as it is to sit back and relax while traveling on a car, I don't think I'll ever be able to let myself relax. Technology in this field hasn't evolved enough yet to earn my trust as current self-driving cars do still get in accidents, even though they may not as often as regular cars. I would probably still be paying careful attention to the road, pedestrians, traffic signs, signals, and other cars around me. Although most self-driving cars are electric and avoid the use of fossil fuels like traditional cars, I am not quite sure if the environmental impact would be significantly impacted. Electric cars still need to be charged and this electricity will still probably come from a non-renewable energy source. Self-driving cars would also get more people of the road, emitting more fossil fuels and using up more petroleum. This and its production process brings up the carbon footprint of one electric car to about the same as a regular car. Nevertheless, it is exciting to grow up in an age where such techology is being created!
I agree with your opinion of how autonomous cars are more environment-friendly. It is amazing how efficient our environment could become with these types of vehicles. I think these cars can drop the percentages of harmful emissions and improve our fuel economy. I believe that electric cars, like the Tesla, can help prevent the depletion of fossil fuels and pollution. These batteries for the cars last upto 10 years, which is incomparable to how many gallons of gas is used in the same amount of time. Driving would be even more efficient, creating a healthier environment. Cars like so can decrease our carbon footprint, which greatly impacts our environment. Inventing new vehicles with this technology can do wonders for our society.
Though I agree that autonomous vehicles are beneficial because they reduce fossil fuels that are wasted from idling cars, I think the success of such vehicles will be determined by the cost of production. The future of self-driving cars is exciting, but the software needed to operate the cars will need to be highly secure and advanced. A major concern that's associated with self-driving cars is not only passenger safety, but the safety of other vehicles and pedestrians. If people can overlook these concerns, cost of the vehicle will most likely be the only obstacle in the way of purchasing a self-driving car. Overall, I am optimistic for the future that autonomous vehicles have.
The advent of autonomous cars have definitely brought with it a series of challenges, along with potential benefits. For one, I believe it is incredibly difficult to teach a car how to react like a human. If a car must make a life-threatening decision, how should we program it to react. Humans have a complex sense of empathy that allow us to make these decisions. Even a small mistake in coding could cause these automated cars to accidentally take someone’s life. So, before it can be implemented, these cars must withstand vigorous testing. Yet, since these cars will initially be very expensive, most drivers will not be able to afford them. One possibility are electric cars, which do not directly burn through fossil fuels. Already, Tesla has combined autonomous driving and electric cars, greatly slowing the use of nonrenewable resources, though this is still very expensive. We must work to find a cheap way to integrate this helpful technology so that a majority of the public may utilize it.
The idea of autonomous cars have advantages and disadvantages. The idea of less accidents, fuel emissions, and more resources being saved is extremely appealing. I also think the cars would need to be electric and charge using renewable resources such as solar power. An idea I have is making a service similar to uber or lyft where you can call a ride to yourself using a mobile phone. Instead of a person driving a car, however, it would be a self driving car. And this would be how the roads operated, nobody would need to buy a car. This service would probably run on tax payer dollars, and there definitely needs to be more specific details on how it would work, but I think it is a cool idea and would make how car industry uses resources much more efficient.
There are a lot of interesting possibilities for the future of autonomous cars. Many probably think that autonomous cars will only bring a greater demand of fossil fuels, nut I think we wouldn’t have to worry about that. I could never have thought of eliminating the use of parking garages through perpetually driving cars or using wifi signals in place of traffic signals thus reducing carbon emissions. Both are pretty outlandish ideas, and yet they seem plausible if executed correctly. I think this says a lot about the creative effort in trying to create a more environmentally friendly environment. The future is upon us and as mankind grows, so does our technologies. Driverless cars, especially if made electric, could definitely contribute to the environmental effort.
I'm super excited for autonomous cars because i hate driving. Environmentally this could help reduce the number of cars per household and limit the terrible environmental Impact of regular cars and popular services such as Uber and Lyft. Right now though public debate mainly centers around whether these driverless cars are safe or not, for some reason people are wary of these cars even though data suggests they are safer than regular cars. So i hope people get over their fear and this goes into market soon because I really don't want to drive. And also because it'll be revolutionary for the environment.
I'm excited too! The future of self-driving cars has so much potential for the environment. Self-driving cars will reduce carbon emissions and reduce pollution by a significant amount. Companies that create self-driving cars plan on doing this by making the cars entirely electrically powered. However, this may lead to some environmental downfalls. If the cars are electrically powered, this may lead to increased energy consumption. Overall, though, the concept and future of self-driving cars seems exciting and beneficial for the future of the environment.
I honestly believe that self driving cars are the future, and the more we have of those the better it would be for out environment. By having many of these self driving cars and making them present in every household will greatly decreases the carbon dioxide emissions, which i feel is the biggest problem we are dealing with right now considering the world. Although the use of these self driving cars would mean that they are electrically powered, which would lead to increased electrical consumption, this is not as big of a problem as excess carbon emissions. I feel like excess carbon emissions will cost the most damage, so our focus should be on combatting that.
Personally, I am very excited about the prospect of self-driving cars, although I do enjoy driving. I think they would make driving much more efficient and safer, because of the reduced risk of human error. Tesla has already released cars with basic autopilot features, and fully automated cars definitely a possible in the next few decades. The best way to make them incredibly environmentally friendly would be to make them electric, reducing carbon emissions immensely. The reduced use of parking garages was a very interesting point from your article, and the prospect of cities not looking as much like “concrete jungles” is promising. Cars and other vehicles are one of the biggest causes of carbon buildup, and the implementation of self-driving electric cars is a big step towards full sustainability.
I think that self-driving cars are the future. However, there need to be laws to regulate what happens on the road and they need to make sure that people can safely look away from the car. Furthermore, the stigma behind self-driving cars needs to be eliminated so that companies can start innovating instead of being held back by unrealistic fears. Ultimately, self-driving cars are really good for the economy, environment, and the general populace as having less traffic and fewer emissions will lead to a world where less gas is burned.
Fully self driving cars that can communicate with each other on the road seems like a futuristic idea. I feel like it would take a long time for these type of cars to be implemented in roads. First, the hardware and software for the self driving cars have to be made, then everyone has to be willing to make the switch to self driving cars. If even a few people stick with driver controlled cars because they either can’t afford self driving cars or simply just don’t want to, then the full potential of the communicating self driving cars cannot be achieved. Additionally, if there is a software problem or malware on the self driving cars, it would negatively affect people’s lives because they would be so dependent on the self driving vehicles. Another problem that may arise if the self driving cars idea is implemented is how we would dispose of all of the driver controlled cars in the world. The vehicle would mostly be compounded and take up space in the junk yards because not all of it can be recycled.
I believe that self-driving cars will benefit the environment in the future. Manufacturers such as Tesla already utilizes electric cars rather than the typical fossil-fuel powered car. The future will likely be filled with electric, autonomous cars similar to Tesla’s. Truthfully, I do not believe we’ll be alive to see a world run solely by autonomous vehicles. The technology required to coordinate every car and avoid accidents seems too advanced right now. Not only that, what could the world population be by the time self-driving cars are a standard? Roads could be densely populated with traffic. If self-driving cars used the “circle from location to location” method, it could reduce the traffic instead of allowing everyone to have their own cars. Nonetheless, self-driving cars will be the future of environmental sustainability.
In my opinion, autonomous cars are benificial to the environment in regards to the fossil fuel powered cars and help reduce carbon admissions being released into the atmosphere. Though, we are only a portion of the way there. Transportation has a lot of room for improvement, such as how there can be an alternative for using less fossil fuels than we consume, efficiency of travel (factors such as traffic and amount of congestion on the street) and safety protection. The point is, transportaion will change drastically in the future but I believe that we will not be around to see it's ideal car system. Throughout all of this, manufactures will have to take into account of how much resources they will be using and be sure that they can increase effieciency with a decrease in fossil fuel usage. These self-driving cars are the first step to a bright future for transportation.
I believe that there is a very promising future for automobiles and transportation. Once humans master the ability to manufacture driving cars without any computer mail functions, the environment would be able to benefit and humans would be able to drive safer without human error. Self driving cars would make roads safer due to the significant decrease in car accidents, which are very dangerous for the driver and also very expensive. If humans are able to create a cat that can both drive itself and prevent accidents, the world of driving would become a safer place. I also agree that the use of self driving cars may also increase the use of fossil fuels, however humans may also find other uses of fuel other than fossil fuels. For example, humans can use biofuel for their cars through the use of energy crops. These so-called "energy crops" include wheat, corn, soybeans and sugarcane. Biofuels burn cleaner than fossil fuels, releasing fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. They are sustainable, and energy companies often mix biofuels with gasoline.
I think self-driving cars would be a great advancement for the future of humans because of the greater ease that these vehicles could provide. We could help reduce global warming if autonomous cars were more common since most cars nowadays run on gasoline which releases a lot of carbon dioxide when burned. However, I'm curious if there's a con to self-driving cars that can cause our ecological footprints to grow? The reason I wonder this is because most likely, these self-driving cars would be powered by electricity, yet a lot of our electricity is powered by other fossil fuels, so maybe the sustainability concern of these autonomous cars is not fully avoided, unfortunately. Still, I find these vehicles to be a plausible solution to reducing the need for improving the environmental conditions of the earth, yet more steps need to be taken to make these vehicles have a significant impact.
I am also optimistic about the future of self-driving cars. However, I believe it needs to be executed in a certain manner, and the technology is not going to be reliable for long drives for years to come. The focus for the future of transportation should be on public transportation, as this has the highest potential to cut down on emissions and traffic. Driverless cars are not likely to become ubiquitous in the short time frame we have to crack down on climate change. In the meantime, consumers should opt for electric or hybrid cars.
I think that self driving cars are the key to the future, and right now, the future is becoming a reality. I think that because they are electric cars, they will also help the air pollution problem we are currently facing. However, I wonder whether there would be more accidents and deaths due to technology failures. I also think that it would be really good to start promoting self driving taxis and carpooling so that we can protect the environment.
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