By Luke Lango, Investment Strategist, InvestorPlace
Sometimes the future comes faster than you think… I recently flew into Sky Harbor International Airport in my hometown of Phoenix. It was late. My wife and kids were asleep. So, I hailed a ride in an app. The car arrived. It took me to my home in the suburbs. It dropped me off. It was like a regular Uber or Lyft ride, except for one important detail…
There was nobody in the car except me and a bunch of sophisticated sensors and electronics.
The car that picked me up drove me through Phoenix and dropped me off at my house was a Google-made autonomous vehicle (AV)… aka a “robotaxi.” The cost was US$26, versus the cost of a taxi, typically US$46.
Waymo is the self-driving division of Alphabet (GOOG), Google’s parent company. It’s been working on developing autonomous vehicle technology for over a decade. And over the past few years, it’s rolled out autonomous robotaxi services in Phoenix and San Francisco. Folks in those cities can hail a Waymo AV. It will take them from A to B with no human driver in the car using its AI-powered piloting system.
And San Francisco and Phoenix are just the beginning… This week, Elon Musk will reveal his NEW AI product, Robotaxi, and it promises to shock the world. Reportedly, the vehicle will be a fully self-driving car without any steering wheel or pedals. Early descriptions reveal that it’s likely to comprise a two-seat interior with a large center console. Musk says it will also have the lowest cost-per-mile of any transportation option. And supposedly, it will be accompanied by its own ride-hailing app (just like Uber), allowing customers to fetch autonomous rides in the Robotaxi at the push of a button.
Waymo is also testing in Los Angeles. And it’s expanding to Austin and Atlanta, Georgia early next year through a partnership with Uber. After that, Waymo is expected to launch in one or two new cities almost every month. So, by the end of next year, we’re talking two dozen – maybe three dozen – cities that will have at least some Waymo capability.
And that’s just one part of the story… on the interstate, Aurora (AUR) is doing autonomous trucking. That’s happening in Texas. Aurora is autonomously hauling freight on trucks. These are loaded semi-trucks taking goods from one city to another, without a driver. An autonomous AI system is doing the work instead.
What we see unfolding is all in line with end times Bible prophecies. Daniel 700 years before Jesus Christ was told what the world would be like at the time of the end.
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4