The average American drives 15,000 miles a year, so this adds up to quite a bit of money, about $8,500.

而一名美國人平均每年會行駛 15,000 英里，加總起來每年便要花上不少錢，大約是 8,500 美元。

With shifting societal needs and emerging technologies being announced nearly every day, some people are asking if the cost of owning a car is even worth it.

由於社會需求的轉變以及日新月異的科技技術，讓許多人開始思考：買車真的值得嗎？

Breaking down that 57-cent figure, only about a dime of that goes towards fuel and maintenance.

開車一英里所花費的 57 分錢，只有大約 10 分錢花在燃油和維護費上。

The most expensive part, by far, of driving a new car is depreciation.

而目前駕駛新車最昂貴的因素，其實是車子的折舊成本。

On average, a new car loses $15,000 of value during the first five years of ownership, about $3,000 a year.

平均來說，一台新車會在交車的頭五年損失約 15,000 美元的價值，也就是每年損失約 3,000 美元。

While this hasn't been a sales issue to car buyers or manufacturers yet, car makers are worried about the future.

雖然目前對買車的人與製造商來說還沒有碰到什麼銷售上的問題，汽車廠商們卻對前景感到憂心。

Millennials now make up more than a quarter of all Americans, making them the largest generation in the US.

千囍世代現在已經佔了全美人口的四分之一，使他們成為了美國人口最多的世代族群。

And according to a report by the Brookings Institute, a huge number of them are moving to urban centers, where alternative services like Uber and Lyft, as well as public transportation or even walking and biking, are feasible driving replacements.

而根據布魯金斯學會所做的一份報告，他們當中有相當多的人移居到了城市中心，在那裡，像是 Uber 和 Lyft、大眾運輸工具，甚至是走路與騎腳踏車都是能夠替代開車的移動方式。

A few short years ago, if you wanted something, you had to go get it, and that usually meant hopping into your car.

短短幾年之前，如果想要買點東西，代表你一定得出門採買，而這通常代表你得開車過去。

But these days, if you need to buy anything, you can just get on your smartphone and have it delivered to your door.

但現在如果需要買任何東西，只要在智慧型手機上點個幾下，就能直接把商品送到你家門前。

And if you live in a city, same-day shipping and grocery deliveries are becoming more and more common.

如果你住在都市中的話，當日配送和雜貨外送也越來越常見了。

This decreased reliance on the car is changing how we see the automobile.

這種對車輛依賴度下降的趨勢，正在改變我們對汽車本身的看法。

Cars used to be a symbol of what it meant to be an American: freedom and the open road.

汽車曾經是做為美國人的一個身分象徵：自由與開闊的道路。

And because of this, they became an integral part of our society.

有鑑於此，他們內化成為了我們社會的一部分。

The classic representation of this is the rush to get your license when you turn 16, finally granting you the ability to do whatever you want, like see your friends or other stuff high schoolers do.

這種思維的典型呈現例子就是美國人會在 16 歲時急著去考汽車駕照，讓你總算能夠去隨心所欲地做想做的事，就像你看到朋友們或是高年級生做的那樣。

Now, though, a study released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, who oddly track this kinda thing,

然而如今根據美國疾病管制局，他們很奇怪的竟然有調查這種東西，的一份研究指出，

shows that fewer teens are choosing to get their driver's licenses, with the total number of high school senior drivers falling nearly 10% from 2006 to 2015.

越來越少的青少年會去考取駕照了，而高中高年級生的駕車比例從 2006 至 2015 年下降了將近 10%。

These teens are choosing not to drive for a number of reasons.

這些青少年之所以選擇不開車有幾個理由。

These include things like the cost of owning and buying a car, and the fact that public transportation and ride-sharing apps have become more common,

其中包括了買車與顧車的花費、大眾交通工具與共乘應用程式越來越普遍，

and the ability/convenience to do things online without leaving their home.

還有不用離開家也能做許多活動的能力與便利性。

I mean, think about it, when I was in high school, I wasn't going anywhere unless I knew someone with a car or my parents were down to drive me.

我的意思是，仔細想想，當我還在讀高中的時候，如果我沒有認識會開車的人或是父母沒有載我，我根本哪都去不了。

But now, any 15-year-old with a smartphone and an iTunes gift card can get a ride across town to Lindsey Luckenbach's house when her parents aren't home.

然而現在一名 15 歲少年只要有智慧型手機和 iTunes 點數卡，就能叫車然後趁人家父母不在時，前往遠在鎮上另一邊的 Lindsey Luckenbach 的家。

What a time to be alive.

真是個奇妙的時代。

For people my age, the keys to freedom started your car.

對像我這種年紀的人來說，自由就從發動自己車子的引擎開始。

But now, it's a smartphone passcode.

但對現在的年輕人來說則是智慧型手機的解鎖密碼。

To try to attract these otherwise lost customers, new methods of ownership are being thought up and tried out.

為了吸引這些即將流逝的顧客們，廠商們開始思考並嘗試了新型態的擁車方式。

Manufacturers like Lincoln and Volvo are launching subscription programs in a number of locations around the world.

像是林肯與 Volvo 等車廠正在世界上的幾個地點啟用訂閱計畫。

Rather than having to deal with purchasing or financing a car, then insuring it and maintaining it, all while dealing with depreciation, subscription programs roll all of that into a single monthly price and no down payment.

使用者不必去管買車時的資金或貸款問題、買車後的保險與保養，還有折舊的問題，訂閱計畫把全部的費用都涵蓋在每個月的訂閱費用中，不需支付額外的頭期款。

It's sort of like how cell phone companies have started rolling insurance and the cost of a phone and usage all into one bill.

這有點像是電信公司把保險費、手機的費用與電信費都涵蓋在同一張帳單上那樣。

For instance, Volvo's subscription services offer a vehicle, maintenance, and insurance, starting at $600 a month for 24 months, with the option to upgrade to a new vehicle after a year.

舉例來說，Volvo 的訂閱服務提供一輛車、保養服務與保險，簽約 24 個月，每月 600 美元起，並能在開始一年後升級至一輛新的車輛。

Although, if you upgrade, your 24 months restart, and that's how they keep you.

然而若是你決定升級，24 個月的約定期便會重新開始計算，而這就是他們留住你的方法。

I'm keeping my eye on you, you Swedish bas—

我會好好盯著你的，你們這些瑞典渾－

And it isn't just Volvo.

不只有 Volvo 在這麼做而已。

Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are all trying out subscription programs in one way or another.

林肯、凱迪拉克、保時捷、BMW 與賓士都在用各種方法來嘗試訂閱制計畫。

They're all trying to (bleep) us.

他們全都想搞死我們。

Some companies are thinking even further into the future.

某些公司甚至設想到了更遠的未來。

Unless you've been living under a rock or in my apartment, then you may have heard of Uber and Waymo testing autonomous cars on public streets.

除非你住在深山老林或是我的公寓哩，不然你應該有聽過 Uber 和 Waymo 正在公開道路測試自動駕駛車輛的消息。

Such developments might make car ownership a thing of the past.

這樣的科技發展可能會使私人擁有的汽車成為歷史。

AAA estimates that your car is doing nothing but sitting, turned off, for 95% of the time that you own it.

根據美國汽車協會的估計，你的車在你擁有它 95% 的時間中，都只是引擎關閉地停在哪裡，什麼都沒做。

In this future world, vehicles are in use 95% of the time, constantly being summoned to and from where they are needed by connected devices.

而在未來的世界中，車輛有 95% 的時間都在時刻運作著，不斷被需要他們的使用者們利用連線裝置招來喚去。

Imagine, it's 2024, you're subscribed to an autonomous ride service.

想像一下，時間來到了 2024 年，你訂閱了一個自動駕駛服務。

You go to work at 8:00 every morning, so a car's waiting outside your house.

你每天早上八點要去工作，所以有台車會屆時停在你家外頭。

It already knows where you're going and will combine your trip with others to make the journey more efficient.

它已經知道你要去哪了，而且會把你的路途與車上其他人的路途合併起來，藉此更有效率地運送乘客。

Your phone will tell the car you're inside, and it'll just drive away.

你的手機會在你坐進車裡時告訴車子你到了，而車子便會直接出發。

You slip on your Acme-brand VR goggles to distract yourself from the hellish, lonely, subscription-based dystopia, Ubertron is now driving you through.

你帶上了 Acme 公司製作的 VR 眼鏡，藉此來讓你不用看到 Ubertron 正帶你駛過的這個地獄般、孤寂、訂閱制至上的反烏托邦景象。

As you arrive at Obey Corp., your car leaves for the next rider.

你抵達了任職的 Obey 公司後，車子便離開前去接送下個乘客。

And you think to yourself, hey, you didn't even need to find parking.

你於是心想：「嘿，我甚至不用找停車位。」

On top of the financial hurdles of such a future is the hurdle of convincing the public, you know, you and me.

要造就上述未來所面臨的除了有金錢上的困難，還有該如何說服大眾的問題；你知道，就是像你我這樣的人可能會有的不滿。

In Uber's world, cars are simply a means of transportation.

在 Uber 的世界中，車輛不過是種交通工具而已。

You use them to get from point A to point B.

你能利用它們讓你從 A 點到達 B 點。

While this may be true on paper, for many of us, including most of you watching this, our cars are so much more.

雖然在表面上可能確實是如此，但對許多人，包括正在看這部影片的各位中大部分的人來說，車子有著更深的意涵。

They're our happy place.

它們是讓我們開心的地方。

Somewhere to escape the day-to-day, to put the hammer down and drive.

讓我們能夠忘卻日復一日的枯燥，重重踩下油門激情駕駛的地方。

And even if that's getting more expensive, I'm not ready to give that up.

雖然現在買車越來越貴了，但我可還不想放棄這種感覺。

What do you think?

你覺得呢？

Is it inevitable that we give up driving, or would you ever own an autonomous vehicle?

我們最後會不會不可避免地仍得放棄開車？你會想要買自動駕駛的車輛嗎？

Let me know in the comments. Subscribe to Donut Media so you never miss an episode of WheelHouse.

在評論欄中告訴我吧。訂閱 Donut Media 來讓你不會錯過任何一集的 WheelHouse。

If you wanna know how cars got so expensive, check out this episode of WheelHouse.

如果你想知道為什麼車子變得那麼貴，看看這集的 Wheelhouse 吧。

How about you watch this episode of Up to Speed?

也看看這集 Up to Speed 如何？

It's on the Ford GT.

這集講的是福特 GT。

If you liked this video, share it with your friends, wear your seatbelt, I'll see you in—

如果你喜歡這部影片的話，就和你的朋友們分享吧。繫好安全帶，我們下次－

Oh, what's that?

噢，怎麼了？

Oh, my... my Uber's here. Oh, well. See you later.

啊，我的... 我的 Uber 到了。好喔。之後再見啦。