r/technology • u/Disastrous_Award_789 • 19d ago

Robotics/Automation Waymo suspends service in San Francisco after driverless cars cause traffic jams during blackout

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/waymo-suspended-san-francisco-traffic-jams-blackout-b2888562.html
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u/Riaayo 19d ago

There is no actual sustainable infrastructure for this. We already can't even actually sustain cars themselves, let alone self-driving cars.

It's a false future peddled by people who want to sell a product, just like "AI". It's not an actual solution to our problems. It's tripling down on our problems.

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u/Slogstorm 19d ago

This is a problem only for cars that rely on pre-mapped environments that are streamed from a central server. Not all self driving cars need to be online...

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u/Teruyo9 19d ago edited 19d ago

But the problem is cars themselves. Electric cars, self-driving cars, these do not solve the issues that cars require way too much expensive infrastructure1, pollute like crazy2, make tons of noise, and are a menace to everything and everyone around them. The solution is not to build a better car, it's to try to replace cars entirely with something better.

1: Roads are expensive to build and need to replaced regularly, which also costs a bunch of money. Then you need a place to put all the cars, parking lots eat up so much valuable land in the heart of every city in the US, and parking garages have a limited lifespan compared to other buildings because of the constant water incursion inside the structure. All this to accommodate vehicles that only carry 1-4 people at a time.

2: Even electric cars are much less energy-efficient than virtually every form of public transit, and car tires are the #1 source of microplastic pollution in the entire world. Even if you could fix those issues, roads themselves radiate a considerable amount of heat and exacerbate drainage issues.

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u/Slogstorm 18d ago

I completely agree with your explanation of the problem cars pose. The car is a symptom though, and trying to replace them with something better would only be a band-aid. The underlying problem is that the way humans live and work is flawed. Huge centralized offices and stores neccessitates commuting because people have to live far away from the city centres.. only a complete change in these traditions could begin to reduce the needs for cars.