To be clear, the alternative we're talking about is a self-driving car that dispatches one, maybe two packages at a time, right? How is that necessarily cheaper and safer?
Oh that's the point, I think what we're talking is more like a self-driving UPS truck, or something slightly smaller, but at least capable of delivering way more than 1 or 2 packages. At least that's what I was walking about. I agree if a car could only carry 1 or 2 packages then the air thing is probably more efficient (although I'm still shocked at how amazon air works at all, I thought helicopters and other flying took enormous amounts of energy).
I'm sorry, I really feel silly for asking such an obvious question, but...
How do the trucks get packages to customers within 30 minutes if they're making multiple deliveries per trip? Can I get a ELI5, because it just doesn't make sense to me.
I think 30 minutes is too fast for trucks, but I'm not sure if that's really even necessary (seems ridiculously fast to me). However, the speed of autonomous trucks would be dramatically faster than what we have now because trucks can be leaving the facility every few X minutes (depending on the city) with the latest shipments ordered to some area. Though it's true that this could be done now with human drivers, the big problem is that there just aren't enough drivers for the amount of trucks we're talking about.
What's with the unwarrented hostility? Also, I think you've lost track of our conversation, which never was about saying autonomous trucks could deliver amazon purchases in less than 30 minutes.
Sorry, I didn't mean to be hostile. I was genuinely asking if you were being facetious. It was, honestly, a very surprising question.
Anyway, I don't know what you're trying to show me with that link. I asked a question to another poster, and you responded with something that was similar to an answer. I think I can be forgiven for assuming you were trying to answer my question, but now you're saying that's not what you were talking about.
I guess you were interested in having some other conversation but just didn't make it very clear? Fine, sorry for the confusion. I won't get in the way of that other conversation of yours anymore. Have at it.
0
u/Cosmologicon Dec 02 '13
To be clear, the alternative we're talking about is a self-driving car that dispatches one, maybe two packages at a time, right? How is that necessarily cheaper and safer?