Self-Driving Vehicles
Autonomous driving could create $300 billion to $400 billion in revenue.
Will you be rushing out to buy a fully self-driving car that requires no human interaction in 12 years?
Experts predict that it is unlikely we'll see fully automated cars that require no human interaction on the roads until 2035.
Self-driving vehicles, the stuff of science fiction, are coming
Imagine getting into your car, typing, or speaking a location into your vehicle’s interface, then letting it drive you to your destination while you read a book, surf the web, or nap., and they’re going to radically change what it’s like to get from point A to point B.
A self-driving car (sometimes called an autonomous car or driverless car) is a vehicle that uses a combination of sensors, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence (AI) to travel between destinations without a human operator. To qualify as fully autonomous, a vehicle must be able to navigate without human intervention to a predetermined destination over roads that have not been adapted for its use.
Today, most cars only include basic ADAS features, but major advancements in AD capabilities are on the horizon. Vehicles will ultimately achieve Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 4 (L4), or driverless control under certain conditions.
AD could revolutionize the way consumers experience mobility. AD systems may make driving safer, more convenient, and more enjoyable. Hours on the road previously spent driving could be used to video call a friend, watch a funny movie, or even work. For employees with long commutes, driving an AV might increase worker productivity and even shorten the workday. Since workers can perform their jobs from an autonomous car, they could more easily move farther away from the office, which, in turn, could attract more people to rural areas and suburbs. AD might also improve mobility for elderly drivers, providing them with mobility options that go beyond public transportation or car-sharing services.
Will you be rushing out to buy a fully self-driving car that requires no human interaction in 12 years? You can get a sense of the experience today.
Waymo and Cruise given nod for 24/7 robotaxi services in San Francisco
Members of California's Public Utilities Commission voted 8/2 in favor of the move
Robotaxis are coming to San Francisco in a big way after California regulators voted on Thursday to allow autonomous-car companies Waymo and Cruise to offer around-the-clock paid ridesharing services in the city.
The move marks a major expansion for the companies, which previously faced limits on when or where they could charge for rides. The decision is viewed as a big moment for the industry that could lead to a more rapid rollout of similar services.
Officials for both Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spin-off from a secret project within Google, point to the mostly unblemished safety records that have proven their robotaxis are less dangerous than vehicles operated by people who can be distracted, intoxicated or just lousy drivers.
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Waymo and Cruise have been testing their autonomous cars in San Francisco for years and have even been carrying passengers, but various restrictions regarding times of operation and the presence of a safety driver prevented them from launching full-fledged ridesharing services.
Currently, the companies only offer limited service. The vote in favor of the companies essentially gives robotaxis full access to the peninsula and its residents. They are now able to operate similarly to Uber or Lyft, travel anywhere in the city, at any time of day, and charge money for the rides.
Cruise and Waymo already operate paid, driverless ride-hailing services in metropolitan Phoenix, where the Arizona state government has mostly opted out of regulating autonomous vehicle technology.
Cruise currently operates in Austin, Texas, and Phoenix as well as San Francisco, regularly completing 1,000 driverless trips with passengers every night. It said it planned to start offering service in the Texas cities of Houston and Dallas soon as well.
The companies say they have plenty of other cities on the horizon. Cruise has said it will bring its self-driving services to Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, and Nashville. Waymo said earlier this month that it would expand into Austin, in addition to an already planned expansion in LA.
Both companies viewed approval of their San Francisco expansions as a major springboard to launching similar services in other congested cities that would benefit from a technology that they contend will be more reliable, convenient, and cheaper than ride-hailing and taxi services reliant on human drivers.
Not everyone will be happy though, as some in San Francisco have complained that the driverless cars disrupt traffic and cause problems. Although they have so far been able to drive millions of cumulative miles without causing any major accidents, the robotaxis have come to unexpected stops that have created roadblocks that have at times impeded firefighters and police, in addition to normal traffic. The robotaxis have also driven into areas where traffic is prohibited, including repeated incursions into places where firefighters and police officers have been responding to emergencies.
A running theme was skepticism of big tech companies that don’t have the best interests of the city of San Francisco at heart. Opponents also dismissed autonomous vehicles as tools of the surveillance state, festooned with cameras and other sensors that could be handed over to law enforcement upon request.
Driverless car services have been slow to live up to the promises of transforming transport that accompanied the start of their development more than a decade ago. They have been bogged down by technological glitches, safety fears and high-profile accidents involving vehicles.
The commissioners urged the companies to address problems raised by San Francisco officials and residents about AVs blocking roads, causing traffic jams, and impeding emergency vehicles. If there are further reports of incidents, the CPUC could vote to limit the number of vehicles allowed on the road or revoke the companies’ permits altogether.
Autonomous driving
The idea of cars driving themselves is inherently futuristic and captures the public imagination. This interest has contributed to media coverage, discussions, and general excitement around the topic.
The concept of driverless cars, also known as autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars, has gained a lot of attention and hype over the past several years. Many big technology companies, as well as traditional automotive manufacturers, have been investing significant resources into developing and testing autonomous vehicle technology.