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    One in five drivers would spend $3,000 to add self-driving to their next car

    One in five drivers would spend $3,000 to add self-driving to their next car

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    A J.D. Power survey shows that 20 percent of respondents would spend $3,000 more for autonomous self-driving car technology in their next vehicle, compared with 37 percent that expressed interest without knowing the price.

    By Jeff Blagdon

    Via Los Angeles Times | Source JD Power

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    google car 640
    google car 640

    Judging from what Google has been saying to automakers, self-driving cars are still millions of test miles away from actually making it to showrooms, but survey results indicate some American drivers are ready to pay for the technology today. A new survey from J.D. Power and Associates says that 20 percent of vehicle owners tested either "definitely would" or "probably would" spend $3,000 to add fully-autonomous self-driving technology to their next vehicle.

    Predictably, there were differences in interest between men and women (25 percent versus 14 percent) and among age groups (37 percent of 18-25ers versus 9 percent of 57-65ers), as well as between premium and non-premium car owners (31 percent versus 18 percent). It looks like drivers were expecting self-driving cars to be cheaper though, since 37 percent of respondents answered favorably before hearing the price.

    Call us crazy, but in the US, at the $16.57 median hourly wage being able to get work done during your half-hour commute would be worth about $4,140 a year, which would make an extra $3,000 for autonomous driving a steal.

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