Earlier quoted context omitted.
"It is a self driving car, it is so clearly the future, I wish it existed now, it is going to be awesome (in my opinion)." Even now, several years into the current news/development arc of self-driving cars, I still can't believe this is going to be the future. We're really never going to european (or japanese) style train networks ? We're really going to keep binging on roads ? We, as a nation of fat slobs [1] are re…
train networks and subways are significantly more expensive to build, operate and maintain, even electrified ones. Roads + autonomous electric cars are hard to beat in terms of efficiency, utility and ease of operation.
Space? Roads take up way more space than tracks.
Efficiency of cost? Roads are very expensive. Often more expensive per passenger mile than railroads.
Efficiency of energy use? Moving a 2000kg electric car around for 1 person is never going to be efficient.
Efficiency of through-put? Roads even with autonomous cars will never have the throughput of a train-line.
Also I think you significantly underestimate the cost of road building and maintenance.