That's short sighted and incorrect. Rental is only going to cost more than ownership if multiple people aren't sharing the cost, but the whole point of autonomous cars defeats that idea, renting will be vastly cheaper than buying.

> but personal vehicles are not going to go away.

For the vast majority of the population, yes, they will go away.

If that was true everyone would live in hotels. Renting rides only makes sense in cities where the cost and inconvenience of parking are high.

Look at the quality of the interior of the average cab and you will see why a lot of people would prefer to own.

That's not good analogy (living in hotels), better would be to compare how many people own their flat/house and how many rent it. Which would imply that a lot of people will still own their car ...

Why should rental be more expensive by definition? A fleet of autonomous vehicles can operate 24/7. Your own personal car gets a trip to work and a trip back home every day and maybe another round trip to an activity or chore.

That depends on how much do you need to use a car. If you dont need it that frequently, renting is cheaper.

who in the world doesn't need a car that frequently?

young people, old people, and homeless people.

Everyone else needs a car frequently.

Those who live in Europe. Or anywhere with decent infrastructure.