[netcan]

Self driving vehicles are a new transport paradigm, potentially. The trajectory of these things is complicated with all sorts of intertwined positive feedbacks between technology, infrastructure, preceding technologies and succeeding technologies.

Roads were built for oxcarts. They followed routes used by donkey trains which followed paths used by walkers who followed pre existing animal runs wherever they could. The width of road cars and train tracks were based on the width of old roads. Shipping containers were designed to fit on trains and trucks. Ships were built to handle shipping containers, as are ports, depots and such. If you want to use something other than a standard shipping container, you probably need to design it to fit in to the shipping container world. It can all be traced back to wild goats making a path from one place to another.

The development os self driving cars as a major mode of transport depends on the development of stuff around it. Infrastructure is probably the big one. Our roads are built for human drivers in standard cars. If when roads start getting features designed specifically for robots, the whole thing could accelerate. I don't just mean physical infrastructure of roads, but maybe the whole ruleset and/or economics of it.

Many old cities have a problem with 10 sq Kms of inner city traffic. Some ban or limit vehicles here. But, if people use robo taxis instead of cars, these inner cities can have different vehicles. Instead of big cars that must deal with trucks and highways perhaps inner cities can be handled by slower, lighter and safer like vehicles like golf carts. This might help solve some safety issues.