Driving into the future

A recent news article suggests Google is considering building driverless cars. It’s a natural conclusion to the research and development they’ve been carrying out for the last few years, refining driverless cars that have successfully navigated California’s most difficult streets. This is a welcome development for those of us who think the worst thing about the private motor vehicle is the tyranny of the driver’s seat, besides reducing fuel consumption and road accidents.

But Google’s driverless car is not the future. The future’s much bigger. Imagine this.

You own a driverless car. Let’s say it’s an electric vehicle, because that’s what we’re most likely to have in the garage once the fossil fuels are gone. It’s zippy around town but lacks the range for easy long-distance cruising. Yet by coordinating open road travel, multiple driverless cars can be seamlessly merged into a close convoy, reducing wind resistance and maximising fuel efficiency. Vehicles peel off when they approach their destination, merging seamlessly with smaller convoys on city streets and arterial routes as you’re chauffeured to your door. The whole process is managed by the navigation system while you read or play poker – or whatever activity you choose to while away your traveling hours with.

The system will know when you need a recharge too. It’ll send out a tender from the nearest service centre to hot-swap your batteries by docking with your vehicle while you’re traveling. The convoy will create a gap so the tender can ease in and make the connection without a hiccup. Your account will be debited and the job will be done without pulling off the highway.

And consider this: traveling by road will be quicker, not just because of mobile refueling and the convoy slipstream, but because everyone’s speed is optimised for the road conditions. Spending half an hour stuck behind an elderly driver who’s forgotten how to get out of second gear will be a thing of the past.

The cost savings will be impressive. The navigating system will be more consistently accurate than I ever was; lanes can be narrower, markings and road signs can be reduced. And motorists on the roads can use travel time for something constructive.

Google’s plan to build driverless cars is a step in the right direction, but I think there’s a whole lot further we can take the concept … and a whole lot further the concept can take us.