The Paradox at the Heart of Elon Musk’s Self-Driving Vision
WiredA sleek, gold car pulls up to a bustling corner market, and a middle-aged couple alights. A vehicle constantly on the move could obviate the need for parking: “You’re taking the ‘-ing lots’ out of parking lots,” Musk quipped, as a presentation showed the asphalt expanses around LA’s notoriously trafficky Dodger and SoFi Stadiums transformed into green spaces. “A car in an autonomous world is like a little lounge,” Musk said, noting a ride in a self-driving taxi would cost less than even a bus trip. For proof, check out the studies of Uber’s and Lyft’s effects on US cities; research suggests that, despite marketing promises about the death of private car ownership, their introduction brought more urban traffic, not less. “People love to move in a safe and comfortable way,” says Andreas Nienhaus, who heads up the consultancy Oliver Wyman’s Mobility Forum.
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