Who needs robo cars?

Many consider the introduction of robotic cars in the future as a matter of course, it only remains to bring to the mind developments like Google Mobile. And after the technology is run-in, you can gradually give up owning your own cars, because you can always use robotaxi.

What consumer groups may be interested in such a product? What could be the main driving factors when buying such an unusual and cautious vehicle?

Usage patterns

When it comes to robo cars, and especially robotaxi, the following opinions usually sound:
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• We will never give up our cars!
• Few people will keep their car if comfortable robotaxi becomes massively available. After all, they will not be any suspicious drivers, and do not have to spend money on insurance, constantly suffer from parking, etc.
• The robots will force out human drivers even before the robotaxi will become available, so the rejection of your own car will be quite logical.

However, extreme scenarios are unlikely to become a reality. It is much more likely that several different models of using robo cars will get on the market, some of which will be especially popular. And in fact it is difficult to say which model will turn out to be the most demanded:

• Many people will not give up owning and driving a car. The new models will be implemented automatic driver assistance systems, smoothing control errors and, to the extent possible, prevent accidents. Something similar has long been used in civil aviation.
• Many will purchase robots for almost personal use, in the wings.
• In cities with good access to robotaxi, many will begin to abandon owning their own car. It will be possible to order exactly the type of car that is best suited for a particular situation.
• Some will buy robots, but they will periodically rent them out if the opportunity arises. This way owners will pay back the cost of owning another, more expensive car. This group of consumers will be less likely to use the services of a rotataxi, only for special occasions or when their robot car is currently rented. Personal belongings will be stored in a special safe in the car.

Surely there will be mixed models of the use of robotic cars. For example, families that now have two or three cars will get rid of the “extras” and will rent a rototaxi if necessary. For example, they will leave a three-door car, and for traveling with the whole family, you can call the robotaxi more displaced. At the same time there will be substantial savings on insurance and maintenance.

Also, surely many parents would prefer not to buy their young car their own car, but they would pay for robotaxi, at the same time checking the logs where their offspring actually went. And it will be possible not to be afraid that the younger generation foolishly will have an accident. Of course, the younger generation is unlikely to like it, so you can already predict family conflicts about this.

Two minus one

Consider the option when the couple abandoned the second car in favor of the periodic use of the robot. For this model to be viable, the coverage area will have to include the residence of this hypothetical couple, both places of work and a number of the most popular places: hypermarkets, catering, places of entertainment, etc. If, for example, one of the spouses will work there, where the robot does not go, then he will have to pick up the only remaining car for the whole day. And then the second member of the family will be quite difficult to get out of the service area of ​​the robot, if the need arises. For example, out of town for a picnic. You have to go by public transport, by bike, go on foot or ask for a ride from friends. Well, the “vote” on the road has not been canceled.

It is quite possible that the opportunity to travel outside the service area will be realized in robotaxi. True, this will have the passenger to get behind the wheel and bear full responsibility for the safety of the car. Of course, this is a little inconvenient, and the cost will be different, so for such trips, couples will try to use their own "manual" car.

What are you driving?

If you drive a car, then surely this is a five-door sedan or a jeep of varying degrees of parquetry. For couples, a compact three-door coupe or hatchback is much better suited. Perhaps there will be options for compact robo-cars "for two", where passengers sit facing each other, one in the direction of travel, the other with their backs. Such cars would have turned out much the same, which would greatly increase their maneuverability in the stream. Yes, and find a free parking space would not be an example easier. Considering that a lot of people travel in cars one by two, such narrow robots would be an excellent way to solve road congestion. By the way, here also suggests an electric car version.

Larger families need a matching car. Today it is either a jeep or a minivan. Of course, they are convenient when you have several children, or when you need to carry any children's props in the form of bicycles and other pleasures of life. And with the development of robotic cars, we can expect their division into classes according to the number of passengers: for couples with one small child, for couples with two children, for couples with a teenage child, etc.



Given that people will only rent such specific cars, rather than buy, then there will be no need for several “multi-purpose” structures prevailing today in the automotive industry, and it will be cars that are “sharpened” for different groups of passengers. And let it not sound for you a little absurd, - “re-equipment of production, excess assortment, will not pay off,” think of the rapidly developing industrial 3D printing. It seems to me that we have the right to expect not only the mass introduction of robotic cars as such, but also new manufacturing techniques for the vehicles themselves.

Status symbol

Many people are attracted to the car as a symbol of their status, financial and / or social. Or as a way of expressing style. Such people will not give up owning their own car in favor of a robotaxi, even a luxury one. Probably, the status of owning an expensive manual car will rise even more in society. As today, hand-made quality things are valued.

Unlike today's "mass", traditional taxi, robotaxi will have to cover the requests of different categories of users, in terms of cost, car class and related services. There will be a considerable number of people who would prefer to order expensive high-comfort robotaksi, of course, for the corresponding price.



For such a group of consumers, it would be better to offer a subscription for the use of services, for example, for a month. This will allow taxis to schedule a fleet use schedule. If you prefer to drive only on a white Mercedes, but order a car without a subscription, upon request, then there may not be a free white Mercedes. But in the minute availability will be an inexpensive compact car. So you can lose "dear" and demanding customers. Nevertheless, many of today's owners of quite expensive cars may well switch to the use of equally expensive robotaxi. Not from economy, but from convenience and unwillingness to drive independently through traffic jams of megalopolises.

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Outside the framework of this post, there were many interesting moments of development of the robotaxi. For example, the same coverage areas: is it advisable to include the entire city in them or to make exceptions for some areas? How to prevent and punish passengers for vandalism, because in the cabin there will not be a human driver? Landing a remote observer for each car will not work, and who will agree to ride in a taxi under constant supervision? Although in any case, cameras cannot do without cameras, but at least they will just shoot “for the record,” as is now done in public transport, and we will have to put up with these users.

In general, many questions, and the answers to them will have to look pretty soon, given the statements of Google and Elon Mask.