I agree that most of the problems can be solved. People in Manhattan have kids and manage without cars after all. I'm just saying is so much more convenient to not have to worry about it. :)
One place where I think we'll have to agree to disagree is on the attraction of ownership of a self driving car. I like having my own car that is my space. It's got my dirt and germs and the seats are the way I like and I understand all its quirks. I don't see how self driving changes that.
My car already has adaptive cruise and lane keeping. It only makes me enjoy the car more. The more it "self drives" the more I enjoy it.
In fact, when it is self driving, that just means even more stuff in the car that I will want to be customized to me, because I'll be spending more time using the amenities in the car instead of driving it. I'll want my own blankets for sleeping, my own books for reading, my own movies for watching, my own keyboard for typing that isn't covered in other people's grime, and so on.
Sure, once we get to a point where self driving is ubiquitous I suspect owning a car will only be for the ultra wealthy as it just won't make sense otherwise, but none the less I will still want to own one.
It's like with planes now. I'd love to own a plane that someone else flies where I want it to go with my stuff inside. But it's just not cost effective.
I think the best argument you can make against ownership is that it will be far more cost effective to rent instead of own. But the desire to own will always be there.
One place where I think we'll have to agree to disagree is on the attraction of ownership of a self driving car. I like having my own car that is my space. It's got my dirt and germs and the seats are the way I like and I understand all its quirks. I don't see how self driving changes that.
My car already has adaptive cruise and lane keeping. It only makes me enjoy the car more. The more it "self drives" the more I enjoy it.
In fact, when it is self driving, that just means even more stuff in the car that I will want to be customized to me, because I'll be spending more time using the amenities in the car instead of driving it. I'll want my own blankets for sleeping, my own books for reading, my own movies for watching, my own keyboard for typing that isn't covered in other people's grime, and so on.
Sure, once we get to a point where self driving is ubiquitous I suspect owning a car will only be for the ultra wealthy as it just won't make sense otherwise, but none the less I will still want to own one.
It's like with planes now. I'd love to own a plane that someone else flies where I want it to go with my stuff inside. But it's just not cost effective.
I think the best argument you can make against ownership is that it will be far more cost effective to rent instead of own. But the desire to own will always be there.