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12/23/2024 01:44:58 am

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Self-Driving Cars are a Billion Dollar Industry for Internet Companies

The advent of self-driving cars could be a massive boost to the U.S.economy through a huge dip in accidents leading to cheaper insurance and more time to browse the internet.

This is according to a new report from McKinsey & Company that believes self-driving cars are the next frontier for the automotive industry and will be a paramount technology within the next 10 years.

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Google isn't the only company working on a self-driving experience. Audi, BMW, Tesla Motors and Apple are all working on self-driving platforms.

This means by 2020 -- when self-driving will reportedly be legalized in most of the U.S. -- most of the auto companies should have a few self-driving cars ready to roll.

It's not clear how excited the market is for self-driving cars, but given the current statistics of 90 percent fewer deaths on the road, it's clear car companies will go for the safety selling point to win over customers.

With hands off the wheel, drivers will be able to use the internet in a car for more than Spotify and Waze. Tablet screens will become commonplace inside the car -- like they are on the Model S -- and users will be able to use a variety of apps like on a regular tablet.

This newfound place for browsing could add a few minutes per day on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and could add up to millions of dollars per day in advertising revenue.

Games and movies might also become more popular inside a car when the driver is on a long trip and needs something to watch or play. Things like Steam offline and Netflix could become the most popular services inside the car, to keep the long drive interesting.

There are some disadvantages to self-driving cars, of course. The number one disadvantage being taxis and truck-drivers potentially being booted out of the industry in favor of cheap autonomous drivers.

This is still illegal at the current time and governments might insist on a driver always being inside the car to take over in case of emergency.

As systems become smarter, however, it might become unavoidable for governments to legalize self-driving cars that run on an autonomous route without a driver.

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