I couldn't agree more, this is just the very thin edge of the wedge as far as I'm concerned. As it stands now, it's nigh on impossible to repair your own modern car if something goes wrong, thereby costing a small fortune to repair it at dealer prices. If the cost to repair is prohibitive, which is part of the planned obsolescence built into cars now anyway, then they would no doubt be scrapped. Once you get into the realms of autonomous cars, there's a whole world of hurt waiting to come into our lives. You won't be able to carry out any repairs to them as they will be too technically advanced. They will have to go into the designated repair agents for repairs. This will no doubt cost a huge amount money which "Joe Public" probably wouldn't be able to afford anyway. Once the manufacturers have mastered the ability to run totally on electric motors, without the need for petrol or diesel, cars as we know them now won't have a viable source of fuel. That is the end of motoring as we know itRoger King wrote:To play the darkest kind of devil's advocate, I think it is the potential legislation that concerns me the most. As more autonomous vehicles appear, there will be pressure on more conventional cars to conform to new regulations which favour the newcomers. They are touted as being able to drive close together at speed, electronically aware of each other's presence. How long before motorways etc. are restricted to autonomous vehicles only on safety grounds? - which will impact negatively on petrol/diesel stations, which already operate on a financial knife-edge. If that delicate system is tipped over fuel stations could get few and far between very quickly, which will really destroy motoring as a hobby or passion. As more and more classics become exempt from road tax and MOTs we will have no say in any of this.
I'm predicting that at some point we won't even be allowed to own our own cars. I personally feel that the world powers are aiming towards this end, and cars would be "owned" by the state. If you want a car for work, you "call" for one and it arrives at your door, taking you to your destination. The same would no doubt apply for all journeys. I'm not sure that I would want to be picked up and have to travel in cars that have been occupied by God knows what sort of people prior to me getting the car. I wouldn't want my dog to go in a large majority of car interiors I've seen over the years. I dread to think about what the interior smells or condition of the cars would be like.
Once it gets near to that point, all our type of cars will become worthless as we won't be allowed to use them, we will have to use autonomous cars for our own safety. I'm just glad that I was born when I was and won't have to endure all of this high tech malarky............" and breath"
Nige