However, there is hope for the private-ownership model still, I believe, but it will need to move more heavily into a recreational structure as opposed to the commuting structure.
The idea, is that in a driverless context people will want to travel a great deal more for general recreation, and the basic structure I suggest, to accommodate that demand, allows people to take holidays or short weekend trips at minimal cost, yet with excellent convenience.
I believe there will be great developing demand for this. Only private ownership can make a car "home", and again I believe this is where the demand for sustained private ownership will be.
The above included image gives my best guess, example, and structural suggestion. It's still a car, but a camper-car. You can sleep in it, and sleep well, yet unlike a campervan it's economical to run and buy, and as mobile as a car. Like a car you cannot walk or stand in it, though it still caters for the essential functions.
Note, the camper-car of tomorrow will be supported by complimentary facilities, like micro-cars that cheaply deliver meals. The driverless context will change how a campervan/car should be formed. The rationale for a full kitchen in a campervan for example, will not be there in the future.
Description:
The front section is like a fold-out double bed, though it also supports seats and a dining table. It will have block-out blinds, a small heater (integrated with a heat-exchanger for ventilation), and employ electronically-controlled temperature. It also has retractable mechanical stabilisers (see yellow on image) to remove all notable movements from wind gusts, and the stabilisers adjust to keep the vehicle near-perfectly horizontal on moderately variant terrain. All of this is meant to ensure that the vehicle can be well slept in, which is essential before anything else. On holiday you have plenty of time to fuss a little with trivial inconveniences, but a bad nights sleep can ruin your day.
The vehicle will have at least level-4 autonomy. The driver will take control, as needed, with only a motorcycle-structured steering system, with integrated twisting accelerator, and a hand-mounted brake (again, just like a motorcycle). No foot controls. There's no mechanical link for the over-ride controller - only electronics.
Note, manual override is only employed when necessary. 99% of the time the car will do all the driving.
The car will be electrically powered, with a modest battery pack, though employ a diesel-electric 20kw range-extender. Naturally it will be highly efficient.
Immediately behind the front seating is a very large storage space, for whatever.
At the rear of the vehicle (accessible when the pop-up door is open) is a small sink, microwave, and gas-cooker to the left. And to the right is a sit-in toilet, and also a shower hose which can be used with the fold-out tent. The rear door opens out and up, to form the frame and roof for the tent so it can be rapidly erected.
The result is a camper-car that's cheap and mobile enough to use wherever, and whenever, and of course it removes the cost of hotels. It can also function as a spare room for guests when stationed at home, as the sleeping section should prove to be excellent with the cars perfect climate control.
Because camper-cars built in this structure would be, presumably, anywhere from about NZD$30,000 - $100,000, they would be accessible to the mass-market. Remember also, the far-reaching impact of driverless cars will make the mass-market considerably more wealthy in its own right, which in turn impacts the nature of future demand.
Concluding:
By my perspective, if car manufacturers simply move closer to the direction of turning the humble car into a mobile extension of the home, they could well find themselves surviving and thriving in a (mostly) driverless commuter-taxi world.
The demand for recreation will naturally explode in a driverless world. Mass-market car manufacturers can take the opportunity to move with that demand.
-Andrew Atkin
No comments:
Post a Comment