Holy Shit Moment--how transportation and energy change overnight

[JP4]

Electric cars will never catch on. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-03/tesla-passes-ford-by-market-value-before-musk-delivers-model-3

[blackeye]

"where is the self-driving RV?"

Autonomous car trips of up to 4-5 hours will replace short hop commercial airline flights. A vehicle with the comforts of home or hotel could easily replace longer continental flights.

If "flight" plans could be coordinated (note 1), autonomous cars could link up to form multi-car trains. These could go faster, brake less, use less energy, share energy, and densify road traffic. This would be especially good at choke points like tunnels and bridges. Cars could simply peel off when their plans diverge from the rest of the train. I think of this every time I am stuck behind a semi-trailer, especially deadheading ones. I want to latch on and let their diesel do the work. I suppose the "Chunnel" connecting the UK to France is a manual version of this concept whereby vehicles are loaded onto train beds. Or car ferries, same thing.

(1) my iphone already knows when I am leaving home and going to work, and probably knows the route I most often take. It certainly knows better routes and responds to semi real time info like accidents and road conditions.