Thinking in Public
I drive a 2023 Mazda CX-5 Turbo. I like it. And I think it might be the last car I ever own.
The car — a 2023 CX-5 Turbo
The driverless era is next, and the beauty of it is the economics. Once cars run themselves, the cost per mile starts to drop. No driver to pay, fewer accidents, better routing, higher utilization. A car that drives itself is a car that can work all day instead of sitting in a driveway for twenty-three hours.
Follow that far enough and I think we land on free transport. Here's the chain.
My prediction — each step in the chain pushes the next one toward zero
Generating power is heading toward free — solar keeps getting cheaper, and storage is catching up. Once power is nearly free and automation handles the labor, most services trend toward zero cost too. That's a lot of things — cars included.
And a car that drives itself is also a captive screen. Ads in the car, the way ads paid for the internet, cover whatever's left. Put it together and you get a ride that costs you nothing but your attention.
I still like my 2023 CX-5 Turbo. But I don't think I'm buying another car again, unless it's for pleasure.