Fewer hire cars would be needed than private cars, as those tend to sit around unused. I drive about 15000 miles a year at an average speed of 45mph. That means I drive it less than 4% of the time.
Self-driving cars will start out being used in defined locations, like a high density car park in a city centre, where the general public can be kept apart from them. This would help to shuffle them around to use a limited number of chargers. As the software improves, and the insurance industry gains confidence, they can then run on specific routes. They might also be driven remotely. At some point, a few substantial donations to one or other political party and self-driving cars will then be let loose on the normal roads. That will
The Queen has a private train. Most people just hire space on a train when they want to use one. I'm sure some people will keep using their own private car, but a combination of carrots and sticks will reduce this in city centres.
If you definitely want a car that has always been cleaned before you get it, return it in a mess, or that will definitely be available with a full charge, you'll be able to pay for that. If you are happy to take a car that hasn't been cleaned and perhaps return it clean, if you don't mind one that needs charging, or which might get cancelled, then it will be cheaper, and perhaps earn you money.
It's a great aspiration, but it isn't going to happen.
Yes there are too many cars filling streets not being driven, but there's no way to substitute that many cars with enough hire cars that will be clean, in the right place, the right size/type and so on. Part of the convenience of owning a car is you already have your stuff in it, that isn't removed every night. It's paired to your phone, the satnav has your presets on it (sure, now you'll likely use Android Auto/Car Play but you get my point) and even has the right seat/mirror settings. Plus, you know all the controls.
Self-driving cars are still 10+ years away at minimum (it's nearly 20 years since people were talking seriously about full automation and look where we are now - still miles away from anything close to level 5). There's going to need to be an acceptance at some point in time that for a car to fully self drive itself, safely, it will need to do so in controlled environments - on roads not shared with people, bikes, horses and other obstructions. For normal roads, you'll need that driver. So forget the idea of summoning a vehicle to your home or place of work (assuming it could find you easily, as there's then the issue of accuracy in mapping data for that level of detail for a computer over someone who can look around or even ask for directions) - and how are we solving congestion issues if cars are driving around empty to get to us over it simply being parked where we last left it?
In a town, where does that summoned car stop? In the middle of the road? Or does it park up nearby and call you to make you walk to it? There are literally SO many reasons that this future utopia isn't going to happen as we all wish it would - unless we tear up all current roads and rebuild something akin to a railway in terms of controlled environment.
This thread is of course about people buying EVs and of course, yes, is the answer to whether people will get them and whether they're a good thing. That solves emissions, but not congestion. That is solved by having people who own a car not using it all the time because they can use other modes of transports a lot of the time.
If someone buys an e-bike, or perhaps a scooter if they're legalised, then they might not need a second car at all. That then helps free up the streets. Streets should also have segregated cycle lanes (rather than painted lines) to encourage more usage to the point that for a lot of the time you'd willingly choose to cycle than drive.
Technology will continue to improve with more sensors being able to help a driver reduce the risks in normal driving, and assist in many ways, but forget about people giving up cars and joining a car club. In a city, these have had some success (but clearly not enough as they're still pretty sparse) but everywhere else it's just pie-in-the-sky.
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