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When Google and other tech companies like Uber and Lyft launched self-driving cars in 2017, the idea of self-drive cars as an affordable alternative to taxis and buses seemed like a reasonable, if not inevitable, reality.
But as self-serve cars become more popular and widespread, they’re also being criticized for creating more traffic congestion and contributing to air pollution.
As the car industry grapples with the problems associated with autonomous driving, these critics have taken to arguing that the cars have created unnecessary congestion and wasted taxpayer dollars.
Here’s what you need to know about the technology, its critics, and what’s actually going on.1.
Google’s self-Drives Aren’t a Good Solution to Air Pollution Problems The first thing to note is that self-driven cars are not the only way to reduce congestion on roads.
There are plenty of other ways to reduce traffic, from using autonomous vehicles for short trips, to using a fleet of fully automated trucks or buses.
But for now, autonomous cars are being marketed as the solution to traffic problems that have existed for decades.
In reality, the technology can exacerbate traffic congestion by creating an even greater burden on private vehicles.
“It’s kind of like a high-speed train,” says Jonathan Adler, a professor of urban policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
“When you have a high number of vehicles on the road, there are more drivers.
You need more people to move around.
If you have fewer vehicles, there is less traffic congestion.
It just happens to be a lot more expensive to operate.”2.
Google is Wrong to Claim Self-Servers Aren’t Costly The cars that Google and Uber are touting don’t actually have any self-service costs.
In fact, according to Google’s own calculations, they actually reduce traffic congestion at a cost of only $3 per trip.
So, to claim that self driving cars aren’t expensive doesn’t make any sense.
And that’s because Google’s cars are only designed for cars with “limited driver assistance systems” and a minimum of six passengers.
Google has said it will build “up to 20 self-propelled vehicles,” but it hasn’t specified how many of them will be self-powered.
Google also claims that its cars are more fuel efficient than traditional taxis, but that’s only true for certain cities.
For example, according in the New York Times, in Los Angeles, self-drivers only use an average of 22.3 gallons of fuel per trip, which is far below the national average of 35.7 gallons.
And even when a self-driver is actually driving, they don’t drive all the way to their destination.
Instead, they take a round trip to the nearest exit and wait for the other car to take off.3.
Uber Is Right That Self-Driver Cars Are Costly, but the Numbers Are a Lot More Perceived Google’s cost estimates are misleading because they are based on a very small sample size.
A 2014 study by the University, University of Michigan, and Carnegie Mellon Universities found that “there is considerable evidence that self drive vehicles are less expensive than conventional buses and light rail systems.”
Uber’s cost estimate of $1,000 per trip is based on the average cost of a regular taxi in the city where it operates.
That cost is actually closer to $1.50 per trip for Uber drivers in New York City, according the Washington Post.4.
Google Is Right that Uber Is Not Costly Uber’s costs are based entirely on its drivers.
While the average fare for a regular Uber driver is $13.50, the average daily rate for an Uber driver in San Francisco is $17.
The average daily cost of an Uber ride in Austin, Texas, is $15.
The actual cost of owning a self driving car in San Jose, California, is about $1 per hour.
But the company’s estimates are based purely on its driver costs, which it claims are the cheapest of any commercial vehicle on the market.
5.
Google Isn’t the Only One Wrong about the Costs of Self-Serve Automated Cars According to a 2015 study from the University at Buffalo, the cost of operating a self driven car is $12.35 per hour, and the cost for operating an autonomous car is about 10 times less.
The study also found that self drives make up about 50 percent of the overall transportation industry.
“The majority of the transportation industry’s costs do not come from self-directed vehicle systems, but from the cost associated with operating a fleet and operating the fleet,” the study said.
“Operating vehicles, which include self-operated vehicles and autonomous vehicles, contribute significantly to transportation network costs and to the costs of transportation in general.”6.
Google Needs to Stop Promoting Self-Drive Cars and Stop Calling Them a Solution For Traffic Congestion There’s one other thing that Google is saying