Final Essay

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The first autonomous cars date back to the late 20th century. However, recent increases in sophistication and reductions in cost are now bringing autonomous cars closer to the market (Carlo Ratti, 2014). Autonomous vehicles have gained public awareness prior and are now emerging as one of the latest technological advancements in transportation. The elevation of the characteristics that these vehicles offer as well as the benefits they have to society are premises by which companies have decided to do continued research into bringing autonomous vehicles to the transportation market. Google introduced the first autonomous vehicle in Austin, Texas in 2015 as a prototype. Autonomous vehicles—also called driver-less cars or self-driving cars are …show more content…

In 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for 27 percent of total U.S.A. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (The United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2017). Emissions are the byproducts of engine combustion and the evaporation of motor vehicle fuel. These emissions are released into the air by vehicles as long as they are driving on the road. These emissions are one of the causes of global warming. The greenhouse gases trap the heat into the earth’s atmosphere leading to a rise in temperature.The use of autonomous vehicles can decrease the number of emissions being released into the atmosphere by reducing the number of gas vehicles use. In a comprehensive research done by ( Ratan Hudda, Clint Kelly Garrett Long Jun Luo Atul Pandit Dave Phillips Lubab Sheet Ikhlaq Sidhu, 2013) Autonomous cars travel in platoons or small groups with inches between each vehicle adapting speed as needed. Research has indicated that platooning could increase highway lane capacity by up to 500%. Platooning enables cars to follow behind the lead car in order to reduce the effective drag coefficient on following vehicles and reducing fuel use by up to 20%. Drivers will have no control over the speed or acceleration of the vehicle which will lead to less gas being evaporated and fewer emissions being released into the