Autonomous Vehicle
// CONCEPT //
Observation
THE WORLD
HAS CHANGED
Since the automobile became king, things have gotten a little out of hand. The American dream of living in the suburbs with a house, a spouse, 2.5 children, a dog and 2 cars in the driveway has turned into a expensive, congested nightmare.
Millennials are living in denser and denser urban spaces that satisfy the trifecta of the "live, work, play" lifestyle.
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As the simultaneous shift from the suburbs to the city has taken place, public transit systems have begun to show their age, becoming unreliable and unpleasant experiences, often failing to solve for the "last mile" delivery of people to their destinations.
Taxis have always been a utilitarian option for urban mobility, but no-one truly enjoys a taxi experience, from the uncertain and time consuming "hailing" to the heavily used stained interior, and the meter spooling up and chipping away at your wallet with every block that passes - its all around unpleasant.
A path forward?: We have seen the rise of the sharing economy, ride sharing apps (Uber/Lyft) provide a more convenient and cost effective option for urban living than owning a automobile. But that doesn't address the trend of long term declining personal vehicle sales/ownership.
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Does the personal car have a future?
Empathize
TODAY:
COMMUTES SUCK
"On average, the latest Census suggest Americans who drive alone spend an average of nearly 25 minutes traveling to work. The national average for bus commuters is 45 minutes, while those who ride subways or streetcars spend an average of 47 minutes traveling to work. For those who primarily walk to work, commute times average only 12 minutes."
