Electric and automated vehicles represent an industry of great importance. Not only can they reduce the number of human drivers required, but they can also address traffic congestion. As it turns out, some researchers feel an electric robo-taxi could be 10 times cheaper compared to owning a car. This threshold is expected to be met by the year 2030, which is quite a bold claim.
Electric Robo-taxis May Take Over Soon
Slowly but surely, the tides are changing when it comes to owning a car. Ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have shown the world an on-demand ride is far better compared to buying or leasing a car. However, these companies may soon find themselves dethroned, thanks to the emergence of electric robo-taxis. Self-driving vehicles have been a topic of substantial debate these past few months, and it looks like things will get even more heated from now on.
Research by the Energy Information Administration paints a very interesting picture for the future of electric robo-taxis. More specifically, the group acknowledges electric cars may not make much of an impact anytime soon. In fact, close to 3% of all miles traveled in the US – by 2050 – will take place using an electric car, which is next to nothing. A lot of people will be rather disappointed by that number, yet this is only a projection that needs to be tweaked at every possible moment.
More specifically, a new report predicts the future will look very different. Self-driving cars will have an impact on regular traffic and ride-hailing services all over the world. In fact, when combined with electric vehicles, prices of these services will plummet by quite a margin. Rest assured these developments will also have a major impact on traditional cars on the road.
This same report states how 95% of all passenger miles traveled in the US could take place through on-demand and autonomous electric cars. That is quite a big difference compared to what the EIA predicts, to say the least. Moreover, the report states this could happen as early as 2030, which is quite a bold statement. For the average US household, this can result in saving over $5,500 per year on transportation costs.
It is evident that electric and autonomous cars will have a major impact on the oil sector. It is certainly possible the price per barrel of oil will go to single digits, assuming these predictions come to fruition by 2030. However, everyone should know by now how the original electric car concept was killed off by wealthy individuals, most likely with strong ties to the oil industry. If these projections have the slightest chance of becoming a reality, the sector will undoubtedly try to intervene to make sure this does not happen.
The report also makes another bold claim by stating how consumer-grade autonomous cars will receive regulatory approval by 2021. Considering a fair few manufactures won’t even have a car ready by then, that is quite an interesting statement. It is possible this date needs to be pushed back by a few years, but it should occur anywhere between 2020 and 2025. The benefits for our overall society are certainly there, but it remains doubtful regulators see things the same way.
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