RE: Take me for a ride...

EVs, self-driving, and really the whole wave of AI and robotics that's on our doorstep has taught me how scared people of of change. Also, absolutely everything is politicized now which adds a different facet to the issues. Owning a Tesla for the past three years has given me a front row seat to this fear. I remember driving my car to an outdoor Halloween party a few years ago. This was back before Republicans embraced Tesla. I spent almost the entire evening listening to people rant about how evil EVs were. I was just there to have a good time and visit.

I remember reading how afraid people were of electricity and cars around the turn of the last century. They even believed the wall sockets leaked harmful "vapors". Once people try a truly capable self-driving system I think most will gladly let their car drive them and, eventually, it will be odd to see a human driving. Most modern cars will be able to be retrofitted with a self-driving system. Insurance companies will offer steep discounts for people who opt for autonomous driving because it'll be 10x safer.

We're watching Downton Abbey now and I was struck by how similar our society will be in this next decade to the aristocrats of the 19th century. People who can afford a robot will essentially have house-staff who will rely on it for their cooking, cleaning, chores, and anything else a servant would have done in the Victorian era.