On 10/10/2017 1:10 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 9 Oct 2017 14:55:03 -0500, DougC
wrote:

I think eventually self-driving cars will be a lot more efficient than
what we have now...

Maybe. Personally, I see some initial problems where a line of
self-driving vehicles proceed at the speed of the slowest vehicle.
Even if a passing algorithm is perfected, there will still be a
tendency for similar speed vehicles to "clump" together in traffic. My
guess(tm) is that the self-driving vehicle will be the equivalent of
filling the highway with very conservative drivers, that follow every
driving regulations, never go past the speed limit, and are courteous
to other vehicles to the point of paranoia.

Regarding "clumping": That can be beneficial on freeways. Especially if
they communicate, self-driving cars can draft each other, forming a de
facto train on the pavement. Car occupants could relax and read, work,
look at scenery, whatever. Gas mileage (or electricity consumption)
would be reduced.

Yes, travel time might slightly increase, but the difference would be
small. For freeways, it's easy to calculate. Driving 70 miles at 70 mph
saves only about 5 minutes over driving at 65.

And this scheme would remove one of my personal frustrations. I use
cruise control on freeways, but it seems most drivers do not. (I guess a
system with four buttons is just too complex.) Anyway, very frequently
my car on cruise will approach a slower car, so I'll move left to pass.
But as soon as the driver notices me, he's reminded that he can indeed
drive a bit faster. So he speeds up, often matching my speed and keeping
me stuck next to him in the left lane. In some cases, he'll speed up and
pull ahead; then when he loses concentration he slows back down. Rinse
and repeat.

If everybody just locked into a convoy, that annoyance would go away.

--
- Frank Krygowski