Americans spend about 300 hours a year in a car. That translates roughly into about 14,263 miles annually, at least according to a few minutes of Google research.
Take the specifics with a grain of salt but nobody would would dispute that we do a lot of driving.
Yes, traffic is bad in Lafayette, but mostly compared to how we think we ought to be living in a medium-sized town, not necessarily by a universal standard. By comparison, picture Atlanta during rush hour, or Los Angeles any time. But, nonetheless there’s no denying traffic, however long you spend in it, can feel like time wasted.
And that’s the appeal of the self-driving car. To some extent, it feels like we’ve been on the edge of a breakthrough with that technology for a decade. But here we are, driving our cars with our hands like Neanderthals well into the 21st century.
Colin Grussing hasn’t given up on the idea. Far from it. In fact, he’s busy “planting flags” as he likes to say, with his latest venture: aftermarket self-driving devices he calls “Palanquins” — named after the mode of royal transportation in the ancient world.
Colin Grussing is an Acadiana pioneer of a whole new industry, creating the world’s first self-driving RV’s
Colin uses an open-source technology to retrofit self-driving devices for road trip driving. (This stuff isn’t ready for your trip to the grocery store.) Colin used open source tech to equip three RVs and a Toyota minivan. He hopes to break into the trucking market and has concepts for another 50 applications of self-driving technology.
And no, he doesn’t live in Silicon Valley, Colin grew up and lives right here, in Lafayette. But he’s no stranger to epic business ventures. He first made a name for himself with 52businesses, a project in which he started a new business a week for a year.
Colin Grussing and Christiaan Mader delve into the world of Colin’s revolutionary self-driving RV over sushi on Out to Lunch Acadiana
Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. Photos by Astor Morgan.
