Are We About To Say 'goodbye' To Ducati, Aprilia, Mv ?

Autonomous cars would make the trip home from the pub a lot safer

We've a hotel booked because we'll be drinking at Silverstone. This way, just press home and doze off on the back seat. Wear those glasses with eyes on them and the plod will never know.

 

When have politicians ever had a cohesive plan. Look at Brexit.

 

Or Volkswagen's diesel policy?

 

I couldn't agree more. We are at the pinnacle of the the bike industry – in fact, we are at the pinnacle of the motor industry.

I say this because when self-driving cars become the norm, and it is realised that no one wants to buy self-riding bikes – and firms can't manufacture them at a viable cost even if they did – two-wheelers will either be legislated off the road by the health and safety brigade or will remain a toy for the wealthy few.

Even personal car ownership is under threat from technology that allows subscribers to call up an electric car from a central parking/charging point, use it and then return it. Perhaps a few wealthy people will own Teslas etc, but for most people it will not be economically literate for them to own their own vehicles, so there will be a massive downsizing of the motor industry as people no longer buy vehicles to leave parked out side their homes for 90% of the time.

Within 50 years I don't think anyone will be making bikes at all. Enjoy them while you can and be thankful that you had the opportunity to enjoy the sheer bliss of riding a 155bhp, petrol-engined Ducati. I am!

 

I'd love to be able to order a car on an app that shows up and drives me somewhere and costs less than half of what it does now. All this sounds great to me. Uber is already great, and once we take out the expensive, potentially dangerous driver it will only be better. I don't see why bikes and fun cars can't live alongside as toys. My bike is already 90% a toy.

 

Yet people buy yachts, skis, aeroplanes, and country cottages which stand unused for 90% of the time. People buy pictures which they hang on the wall and leave unused for 100% of the time. And why not? Nearly everybody chooses to buy things they like to own, enjoy owning, and take pride in owning, even if they don't get the chance to use them much of the time.

You seem to envisage a future in which people only buy things they can use for most of the time, and stop buying stuff which often stands unused. Why would that be? Why do you think such an extraordinary and unprecedented change in typical human behaviour will come about?

 

Pete, surely your Picasso/Rembrandt/etc is only "unused" if you put it in a box in a warehouse? (People actually do this.) "Hanging on a wall" is exactly the use pictures are intended for.

But in general you're right; there'll always be a (possibly very limited) market for toys.

 

Pete,

I think you've missed the point. Personal ownership of individual ic engined transport will decline, in the same way as ownership and use of the horse and cart has.

As technology develops, the rate of change accelerates (it is only 10 years since the iPhone was introduced......and nobody envisaged then that you'd be organising your life, major purchases and most of your social intercourse on the things......Ducati Forum?...we will see similar transformation in transportation). Legislation, driven by the introduction of autonomous vehicles, will sideline personally controlled vehicles in the developed world.

Ducati Dave has it spot on......we are at the peak of ic development and its downhill from here on in........and the killer blow will be delivered by a silicon chip and wifi, and not a dried up oil well.

 

If autonomous cars had been here now, Rooney would never had to drive that drunken womans beetle home for her, he's so helpful

 

Taking a taxi or buying a bus ticket are expedient ways of getting from A to B, as they always have been and will go on being.

But buying a car is a lot more than that. A car is an expression of personal taste, a status symbol, a piece of sculpture, a bit of mobile private territory, an investment, something to take pride in, and a sign of freedom from other peoples' timetables and routes. Much like buying (say) a boat, as I suggested

You simply assume that people will give up all those advantages, without citing any shred of a reason why they should. So other means of travelling from A to B exist. So what? That's no reason at all why folk would stop wanting cars.

 

Thing is if you cannot drive the vehicle yourself, which i suspect may be the case in many areas, why would you want to own it?

 

Why wouldn't you? Do you think people only want to acquire private jets and yachts if they can pilot the things themselves? That anyone who is not a qualified pilot/skipper therefore does not want to own one?

 

Even if it is a totally driverless vehicle and whether or not the legislation will be someone has to be present to take control if necessary (ie, in the event of an emergency) it would surely mean a drunk was in charge of a vehicle.

 

You make a good point, but so does Duke63.

I might well want to have my own transport, even if some regulations prevent me from driving it just for the convenience.

I wouldn't want a toy that I couldn't play with and for me being in control of the "toy" bike/ car is part of the deal.

 

The younger generation has a very different outlook on life to my generation. I don't think that many of them are that interested in driving and riding like I am. They prefer a virtual reality world.

 

The times they are a changing:-

https://qz.com/1122534/former-gm-chairman-bob-lutz-says-the-end-of-the-car-industry-is-near/

 

Each to his own....giggity..giggity.

 

I have a fully electric van for work paid for by the company, it's a Nissan env200. Ive been running it for nearly 12 months now I don't see electric as the future anytime soon.

 

Why do you say that? Range? Charge times? Price? Glad to hear a view from someone who's actually using the technology.

 

Range shows 83 miles after a full charge, I never ever get that sort of range and I use the van in full economy mode with regenerative braking, reduced power etc. Everything affects the range from the weather to your driving style. I have a diesel powered (ironically) heater in the van as using the vans own electric heater murders the range. A full charge from a plug socket at home is 6hours, I have a fast charge point which is 3hrs. If you can use one of the charge points at garages etc you can get 90% in 60mins.

From the information I got from the chap who delivered it the batteries are expected to last 5 years who stumps up the cost of replacing was unknown and I'd expect it to be a big job todo so. Of course this is a company lease so wouldn't affect me. But if I was buying one I'd want to look into it as full electric vehicles are not cheap to buy new and how would it affect resale values?

Cost fuel wise I'd say my electric usage per month for the van is half what the diesel would be.

Driving wise thinking of it as purely a tool to get from a to b its fine. It can be quick if required for pulling out of junctions or overtaking just like a normal motor. It's quiet and relaxing to drive other than a bit of tire road noise which suits me as I don't drive with the radio on in work. But I do love engines proper engines not 1ltr eco boost crap for those weekend fun rides/drives and this electric motor has no soul. I can't imagine it being fun for a Sunday sunny ride or drive out there no real noise, smells, vibrations, difficulty in having to be in the right gear or rev range. It's very linear, or you could say boring.

I wouldn't buy one with my own money for a-b or fun toy. Not yet anyway.

Also please ignore my grammar/writing skills they aren't one of my better qualities