Convergent Futures | Part II

Illustration: Alex Chen

The transportation revolution is upon us. The convergence of autonomous driving technologies, electric cars, and a new era of distributed work will hopefully ease the pressure valve of our traffic clogged cities and record-long commutes.

Digital transportation technology is an unstoppable force. It will change driving in the same way that the Internet has remapped the world at large. Robot cars will end car crashes, improve traffic flow, and reduce energy consumption.

— Peter Cheney

What will our streets look like when autonomous cars are everywhere? How will our lives change when more cars are shared than owned? In this post I imagine our society when we reach our autonomously-driven future.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I remember the countless hours sitting in traffic during my daily commute to school, gazing at all of the wasted space given to moving hunks of metal. Back in 2017 — in the U.S. alone — there were 600 million parking spaces. Since the rapid adoption of autonomous vehicles, that number has now been reduced by 1000%. Looking around LA today, many of the empty concrete lots formally dedicated to parking have been converted to public parks, playgrounds, farms, and hybrid work/play zones.

As a digital nomad, I like to work in a new location every day. With the Nomadic Work Vehicle (NWV) program, an autonomous car picks me up every morning and I get to choose where I want to work. Sometimes I work while my car takes me on a scenic drive. Sometimes I’ll have it find a nice spot to park so I can work without distraction. Whether it’s catching some rays from the bluffs of Malibu, getting some quiet time at Echo Park Lake, or the enjoying the views from West Hollywood, it’s amazing to be able to work from anywhere I choose.

Since most of my work has migrated to the digital realm, my mobile “office” space looks a lot different than the traditional office. Friends ask me if feel isolated working in “a box on wheels,” but actually I feel more connected than ever before.

The other day my friend was bragging about his new corner office on the 55th floor in downtown LA. I told him it sounded… static.

One of the most amazing things about our new driverless society is there are no more car crashes. As a result, vehicle design has changed dramatically. My car doesn’t have headlights because all cars now use invisible sensors to see each other. Side mirrors have been removed and replaced by an array of cameras, and clunky bumpers have been replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass, enabling unobstructed views out.

Illustration: Alex Chen

Last week, I had three clients visiting from Tokyo for an all day workshop. They said they wanted to visit a new part of California, but also have some productive work time. So while had a group work session for a few hours, my car drove us out to Joshua Tree National Park. Once we arrived, we had lunch, took a quick hike, and got home by dark — just another day at the office!

I remember the days when people had to pack themselves into tiny car interiors without the ability to turn around or stretch their legs. Now I can stand up and walk around inside of my car. The interior space is designed to configure to dozens of different types of work or leisure conditions. My three favorites are:

Concentration Mode, which makes all of the windows opaque so I can stay focused on whatever I’m working on. I use this mode if I need privacy or I want to work without distraction.

Group Meeting Mode configures the interior into a hyper collaborative space. All of the seats pivot to face each other and the large vertical windows turn into augmented touchscreen displays that we can use to present work and sketch together. It’s fun to see the look on my clients’ faces when I take a video call while driving up Pacific Coast Highway. “Is your office moving?”

Finally, Happy Hour Mode folds the seats into the floor and opens all of the doors so my guests and I can seamlessly walk between the outside and inside of the car. One of my favorite activities is our Friday afternoon “linkups,” where my colleagues who also have NWVs meet at a local park and we link up into a mini caravan. It makes us feel like 21st-century pioneers brought together by our love of exploring new places.

When I have to go out of town for work trips, others can use my car — I only pay for it when I use it. I remember the days when I would circle my block for 30 minutes looking for parking. Now I never have to deal with parking, insurance, maintenance, cleaning, or charging — my subscription covers everything.

Every evening my car drops me back home and it drives itself to one of the many substations in my neighborhood to get cleaned, charged, and ready for the next day.

Thanks for reading! If you missed Part I of my Convergent Future Series, you can find it here. If you’d like to continue the conversation, leave a comment or message me on Twitter @blakehudelson.