Why Tron Is Not Too Far In The Future Of Driving (or, The Current Convergence Of Electric and Self-Driving Cars)

Remember that movie back in 2006, Who Killed The Electric Car? Well, those who tried to kill it weren't expecting the disruption that is Tesla: A different kind of car company that began in the midst of Silicon Valley operated by dot-commers, sports car enthusiasts, and car industry experts, and CEO'd and invested in by a computer geek running an e-commerce company. Now, in a recent Globe and Mail article written by Peter Cheney, the Tesla Model S (Tesla's first 4-door sedan) has driven from San Diego California to Whistler B.C.: a six-day journey that Cheney describes below:  

"By the time I was done, I’d travelled more than 2,800 kilometres, all without a single drop of gasoline. I powered the Model S by plugging in at Superchargers (a network of high-powered recharge points that Tesla has assembled.) My fuel cost – zero."

What's striking about this journey for Cheney is that his past was spent fixing up Porsche's in Vancouver, spending "[his] days rebuilding engines, tracing down vacuum leaks, and adjusting carburetors that wandered in and out of tune like fickle musical instruments." And now with the Tesla, there is no internal combustion, no transmission, and no need for gasoline--his whole education and knowledge of cars has been rendered obsolete.

"Now I was passing through my former home in a car that rendered all this technology obsolete: the electric Tesla Model S. In this vehicle there are no pistons, no valves, and no transmission. Instead, there’s a battery, an electric motor, and enough software to run a mission to Mars."

This is the power and beauty of disruptive innovation: when what was important information and knowledge is rendered obsolete by a better, cheaper, bolder solution. The car batteries are powered by Superchargers (a network of high-powered recharge points that Tesla has assembled (a series of which will be opened in high-volume routes in Canada: "Model S owners will be able to drive the following routes by the end of the year: Toronto to Montreal, Montreal to Quebec City, Vancouver to Calgary, and Calgary to Edmonton," according to the Globe and Mail.)

But what about those who can't afford a Tesla, or want other e-car options?  Kia Soul EV ($35,000-$38,000); Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid ($86,000), Panamera S E-Hybrid ($110,000), 918 Spyder ($845,000 USD); BMW i8 ($145,000), i3; Chevrolet Volt; Nissan Leaf ($31,798); Smart ForTwo ED ($26,990); Tesla SUV all-wheel drive Model X; Cadillac ELR ($78,250).

Again, this is the result of disruptive innovation: the way in which the electric car has begun to revolutionize not only how we drive cars, but how we fuel them, and the technology that controls them. What would happen if cars no longer drove on oil? We are already seeing car mechanics becoming a disruptive landscape with computer geeks growing in number--consider again the statement above about the Tesla Model S: "enough software to run a mission to Mars." 

That said, in another recent news story, legislation is catching up to the already extensive Google test-drives of driverless cars: The California Department of Motor Vehicles has rewarded Google and two car manufacturing companies to allow for 29 vehicles to be dispatched on highways and neighbourhood streets. According to the Globe article,

"Google’s souped-up Lexus SUVs are the biggest fleet, with 25 vehicles. Mercedes and the Volkswagen Group of America have two vehicles each, said Bernard Soriano, the DMV official overseeing the state’s “autonomous vehicle” regulation-writing process. A “handful” of other companies are applying for permits, he said."

 The DMV is beginning to draft regulations for driverless cars once they are ready for public consumption. 

What we're beginning to see is a convergence of technology: The electric car gaining momentum just as the electric car is quickly working out the kinks to emerge on the roads. How long will it take for the driverless car to become as popular as the electric car? 

Think about it this way: How long was it from the time of "Who Killed the Electric Car" to its widespread emergence on US/Canadian roads? Not very long, in retrospect, given that there was so much opposition. Lawmakers seem to be quite open to accommodating the development of self-driving cars, which could make it's ubiquity sooner than many of us think.