Hacker Neue

Preferences
dotcoma parent
Cars clogging streets because someone wants a hamburger delivered…

We live in a very dumb era.

furyofantares
Yeah, cars should be clogging streets because people want to go get a hamburger instead.
fainpul
But you understand that cars are made to transport people, and hamburgers are much smaller than people, hence it would be a tiny bit wasteful to drive hamburgers in "people cars", right?
keeda
But then a single car can carry multiple hamburgers to multiple people! Maybe that is still a better situation than multiple people driving multiple cars to each get a single hamburger :-)
ok_dad
So we need a car that drives around and makes hamburgers on-demand, drives to your home while it's being prepared, and delivers it hot and fresh to your door with a smaller bot.

To be clear, we do not need this, and I am being sarcastic. However, if a VC wants to fund me to do this, I'll try my best in the hours between my use of the startup's office sim-rig and the office wood workshop.

joshstrange
I believe you've (re)invented food trucks :)
3 More Comments →
witherk
It depends on what you consider the goal to be. If the goal is bring a hamburger and person to the same location. It doesn't really matter which is in the car.
bobbylarrybobby
A car wouldn't become more productive if you were to strap a person to the roof. If you instead happen to move that person inside the car for the trip, what exactly changes?
paxys
It probably depends on where you live but I haven't had a food delivery in a car in like 3-4 years now. Drivers use bikes, e-bikes and mopeds.
Capricorn2481
In the U.S. unless you're in a big city, it's always cars.
asdff
If only someone invented some sort of 25lb vehicle that one can use their own human power to travel upon. Maybe something with a chain and gearing? No, that would be fantasy, back to my 5000lb steel block I go.
BHSPitMonkey
The point of comparison here would be a human delivery driver, who (as I understand) can be carrying multiple deliveries at a time. I think with Waymo's service, it's one delivery at a time, which results in more cars on the road for the same demand? (Or are there potentially several orders in the trunk when you go to get yours out?)
themafia
The convenience factor means people will utilize one option more often than the other. These are not equivalent exchanges.
BurningFrog
The streets are just as clogged when they drive to the restaurant to eat.
dotcoma OP
You are both right in saying that cars are the root of all problems in urban and suburban areas.

Delivery, however, has increased the number of times people buy a meal made by somebody else.

I doubt this is good for anybody's health, and it's certainly not good for the planet's health.

dheera
> Delivery, however, has increased the number of times people buy a meal made by somebody else.

No, I'd say it's work expectations that have increased the number.

I took a several-month career gap and didn't order delivery even once. Delivered food tastes bad and as long as I have time I either make food (most of the time) or dine-in. But when "everything is on fire" and deadlines are tonight, delivery it is.

Zambyte
They already said we live in a very dumb era.
seanmcdirmid
As long as the delivery doesn't occur during rush hour, you probably won't notice it much.
themafia
The environment will.
seanmcdirmid
You mean the emissions from the EV doing the delivery? Or the emissions from the hydro or solar or wind (or even natural gas) used to generate the electricity that was stored in the battery?
themafia
The absurd waste of energy in moving a 4000lb object to deliver a 1lb object. You can attribute that to whatever source you want. It's still wasted energy.
seanmcdirmid
Wasted energy isn't exactly emissions. The claim was really specific, so I wanted to figure out what they meant by it. Of course, on the east coast they use a lot more coal, so there is a point to made I guess.

I think it is dumb to use Waymo cars, but E-bikes would work really well here. I'm sure whoever breaks through this market will come with some sort of light vehicle solution. Waymo seems to be doing this as a side project to use their vehicles when ride share demand is low.

Rebelgecko
It'll bring the heat death of the universe a fraction of a picosecond closer
dbancajas
1 waymo car delivering 10 hamburgers to 5 different houses better than 5 cars on the street.
ponector
And one can pay for that hamburger in four installments!
dotcoma OP
Agree to paying a fifth installment and you can get your hamburger pre-chewed.

This item has no comments currently.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Story Lists

j
Next story
k
Previous story
Shift+j
Last story
Shift+k
First story
o Enter
Go to story URL
c
Go to comments
u
Go to author

Navigation

Shift+t
Go to top stories
Shift+n
Go to new stories
Shift+b
Go to best stories
Shift+a
Go to Ask HN
Shift+s
Go to Show HN

Miscellaneous

?
Show this modal