I have been saying this for over a decade! Ever realized that 'greening the car' and making it driverless can be two sides to the same coin?

Look, new technology tends to influence product format. Smartphone is a great example. Instead of putting VA hard- and software in conventional cars as add-ons, better reformat the vehicle first to have it benefit optimally from autonomous technology.

The smaller — sleeker — less boxy the car, the easier it is for the AV tech to ‘sweep’ its surroundings and evade other road users. Rounded and sloping contours make it easier to scan/image/sensor the vehicle’s surroundings when used autonomously. Below: “get more autonomous out of a more suitable size and shape”. A self-driver can be set up like an elongated 360 degree vision motorcycle helmet.

Ralph Panhuyzen, sevehicle@gmail.com @NextGenEV