A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
America had taken the automobile to heart earlier and more quickly than any other country for a number of reasons. Incomes were higher than in Europe, cars were cheaper, and fuel was less heavily taxed because it did not have to be imported (America was the world’s leading oil producer). By 1910, Los Angeles had the highest rate of car ownership on
... See moreTom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Tom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
General Motors was founded in 1908, the same year the Model T was launched. Its founder, William C. Durant, had made a fortune in carriagemaking and decided to move into cars. He established GM as a holding company and immediately acquired Buick, a carmaker he already controlled, followed by a string of other carmakers, including Oakland, Oldsmobil
... See moreTom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
But predictions that self-driving “robotaxis” would be ubiquitous by 2020 proved overly optimistic. Autonomous vehicles (AVs), as self-driving cars are known in the industry, can do extraordinary things, such as navigating busy downtown streets and handling complex junctions with multiple traffic lights. But they seem to be stuck in perpetual testi
... See moreTom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
Encouraged by this rapid progress, Google established a self-driving car program in 2009, led by Thrun, who hired people he had met during the DARPA challenges, including Chris Urmson (a member of the rival Carnegie Mellon team) and Anthony Levandowski (who had built a self-driving motorcycle).
Tom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Tom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
The average speed of cars in central London today is 8 mph, the same as it was for a horse-drawn carriage in the 1890s, belying predictions that cars, taking up less space on the road, would reduce congestion.
Tom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Tom Standage • A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
As well as slowing sales and rising road deaths, the industry faced another challenge: growing support for the idea of fitting mechanical devices, called governors, to cars to limit their maximum speed. This proposal had been floating around for a couple of years as a potential safety measure, but in 1923 it became a far more concrete prospect when
... See more