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Worldwide rollout of robotic cars may take 20 years - Uber CEO

The process is continuously speeding up and therefore it may take less time, he added

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. Rollout of robotic cars across the globe may take 20 years, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Uber online taxi ordering service Travis Kalanick said on Monday when meeting students of Russia’s Higher School of Economics.

"It depends where. And if we talk about it globally it will take 20 years," Kalanick said. The process is continuously speeding up and therefore it may take less time, he added.

Robotic cars may already start operating right now when we speak about the desert, where there are no pedestrians and other vehicles, Uber CEO said. However, if we consider snowy Moscow with huge traffic, the timeframe for implementation can be much longer.

Higher traffic safety, lack of traffic jams and an opportunity to save time for individuals are main advantages of robotic cars, Kalanick said.

Virtual reality to ultimately kill Uber

Development of virtual reality will eventually kill Uber, Kalanick said.

"Virtual reality is a kind of what will ultimately kill Uber. Because when virtual reality is really good you won't want to go anywhere," Kalanick said.

It’s difficult to forecast what Uber will be in 30 years, he said. "I don't know where Uber is going to be in 30 years. I like to say that ruling Uber is like driving a car at a speed but it's foggy. You mostly don't have time to look back to see where you have been, you can only see so far ahead. But if you love the journey than every day is awesome," Kalanick added.