I’ve heard both terms used in Taiwan. I tend to use the former because it sounds better (subjective).
Do they have any different meanings or connotations at all?
If I remember right the latter comes by way of Japanese–something that’s not as unusual in modern Chinese as one might think.
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My experience in Taiwan is that I almost always hear 腳踏車 spoken, while I see 自行車 written on signs (I’m guessing because the fewer number of strokes in the latter can be printed more clearly?)
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I’ve only heard 腳踏車 used in Taiwan, while 自行車 and other terms seem more universal among Chinese speakers. You can also call bicycles 單車 and 鐵馬.
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That has been my experience.
From a quick search, I see the Japanese say this: 自轉車. And that’s what Koreans say (자전거- with the last sound coming from the fact that you can say 車 two different ways in Korean). My guess is that the Korean word came from Japan, but I could be wrong (many recent/modern words come from Japan, but I wonder if bicycles are not modern enough).
dont forget 自由车！
I’ve been told that 自行車 is used for racing bikes.
Although today a bike is usually called thih-bé (鐵馬) or kha-ta̍h-tshia (跤踏車) in Taigi, prior to the KMT occupation, the term Khóng-bîng-tshia (孔明車) was more frequently used.
Anyone know what they call driverless cars in Chinese?
自動駕駛汽車 according to Wiki. 自駕車 seems like a logical simplification but I haven’t looked for it.
You can also say 無人駕駛車 or just 無人車.
That last one sounds dodgy. I can imagine someone in a control room saying, “It’s okay, it’s a 無人車.” And then they dispose of it without checking for passengers. 
Maybe it’s a forward looking term. The day may soon come when self-driving AIs get rid of their human passengers completely. Those biological sacks are a hassle to maintain, and don’t really seem to serve any vital function. 
How do you say 天網 in English?
diversion
The Google self-driving cars had been driving around my neighborhood (Austin TX)for the last couple of years. There was always someone in the seat, though they were reading or playing on their phone. I guess there are lots of tests and kinks to work out. I have NO idea how one could respond to the scooters and cyclists of Taipei. I see it smoking and breaking down al la Jetsons style.
Have any been spotted?
The great thing about driverless cars in asia is that the AI doesn’t have to be very good - after all, they’re competing against the accident rate of locals.
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What I want to know is, what’s the difference between 天網 and 天絡?
They’ve been testing a driverless bus at night in Taipei lately.
Will bus drivers soon be out of work? @discobot fortune
Yes