Driverless cars could change everything

[DaFace]

Thought this article was cool to think about.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-28376929

Driverless cars could change everything


For now, it seems like a novelty - cars that can operate independently of human control, safely cruising down streets thanks to an array of sensors and pinpoint GPS navigation.

But if the technology avoids getting crushed by government regulators and product liability lawsuits, writes the Federalist's Dan McLaughlin, it could prompt a cultural shift similar to the early 20th century move away from horses as the primary means of transportation.

First and foremost, he writes, the spread of driverless cars will likely greatly reduce the number of traffic accidents - which currently cost Americans $871b (£510b) a year.

"A truly driverless road would not be accident-free, given the number of accidents that would still be caused by mechanical and computer errors, weather conditions, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and sheer random chance," he says. "But it would make the now-routine loss of life and limb on the roads far rarer."

Computer-operated cars would eventually reshape car design, he says, as things like windshields - "a large and vulnerable piece of glass" - become less necessary. Drivers will be able to sit wherever they'd like in their cars, which could make car interiors more like mobile lounges than like cockpits.

The age required to operate a driverless car is likely to drop, he says. There could be an impact on the legal drinking age, as well, as preventing drunk driving was one of the prime justifications for the US-wide setting minimum age to purchase alcohol at 21 years old.

There's other possible economic fallout, McLaughlin contends, such as a restructuring of the auto insurance industry, the obsolescence of taxi drivers and lower ratings for drive-time radio programmes.

The high-tech security state will also get boost, he writes, as GPS-tagged cars will be easier to track, making life difficult for fugitives and car thieves. Police will also be able to move resources away from operations like traffic enforcement.

Of course, he writes, the towns that rely on speed traps to fund their government services will be facing budget shortfalls. Privacy advocates could also get an unexpected boost, he notes, since traffic stops are one of the main justifications for police vehicle searches.

Finally, there's the prospect of the as-yet-unrealised futurist dream of flying cars. With computer-controlled vehicles that strictly follow traffic rules, McLaughlin says, "the potential for three-dimensional roads becomes a lot less scary and more a matter of simply solving the technological challenge".

Where we're going, we may not need roads after all.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Read an article the last couple of days about Waymo or whatever you call it, making a good profit. It's coming.

Coming?

Dude it's been here for two years.

I see 20 a day. One of their parking pods is across the street in a business park. White Jaguars.

I've taken a few rides. They observe the speed limit so everyone passes you.

Not on the highways yet.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by scho63

Coming?

Dude it's been here for two years.

I see 20 a day. One of their parking pods is across the street in a business park. White Jaguars.

I've taken a few rides. They observe the speed limit so everyone passes you.

Not on the highways yet.

Being off the grid I only read about this stuff. I do remember you saying you have used them.

[HemiEd]

Waymo’s robotaxis are now available to everyone in Los Angeles


Waymo is ditching its waitlist in Los Angeles, much like it did before in Phoenix and San Francisco, making its fully autonomous vehicles available to anyone who downloads the company’s Waymo One app.

There are still some geographic limitations with which to contend: Waymo only operates within 80 square miles of Los Angeles County, which includes neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Chinatown, Westwood, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, and Playa Vista.

Still, it was a sign of the company’s growing confidence in its technology, especially after securing a record $5.6 billion investment round, led by its parent company, Alphabet, to help fund its next phase of growth. Waymo recently said it was conducting 150,000 paid trips and driving over 1 million fully autonomous miles every week.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/12/...ent=newsletter

[HemiEd]

Autonomous vehicle company Cruise is laying off “nearly” 50% of its workforce — cuts that extend to the CEO and several other top executives — as it prepares to shut down operations. What remains of Cruise will move under parent company General Motors as the automaker directs its resources toward improving its hands-free driver assistance system Super Cruise — and eventually rolls out personal autonomous vehicles.

The layoffs were announced by Craig Glidden, Cruise’s president and chief administrative officer, according to a companywide email that TechCrunch has viewed and verified with sources. Individuals who were affected received a separate email from Cruise Chief Human Resources Officer Nilka Thomas.

CEO Marc Whitten will depart from Cruise this week, along with Thomas, Chief Safety Officer Steve Kenner, and Global Head of Public Policy Rob Grant.

Mo Elshenawy, Cruise’s chief technologist, will stay on through the end of April to help with the transition.

“As a result of the change in strategy we announced in December, today we will part with nearly 50% of our Cruise employee base, through a reduction in force,” the email from Glidden reads. “Anyone who has been through a reduction knows that days like this are extremely difficult, and today is no different. With our move away from the ride-hail business and toward providing autonomous vehicles to customers alongside GM, our staffing and resource needs have dramatically changed. Today’s actions align our teams to our new needs, and focus our efforts on continuing to build world-class AV technology.”

As of January 2024, Cruise employed about 2,100 people, according to sources who based the estimates on the number of members on a Slack channel for company announcements. That means more than 1,000 employees might have been impacted by the layoffs.

“Cruise shared the difficult decision to part ways with approximately 50% of its workforce,” the company wrote in an emailed statement. “We are grateful for their passion and contributions to help us reach this stage, and our focus is on supporting them into their next chapter with severance packages and career support. While not an easy decision, we are focused on combining efforts with General Motors to accelerate autonomy at scale on personal autonomous vehicles.”

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/cr...78644b3aaad4a0

[HemiEd]

This should be a good test for the driverless cars as I hear Houston has horrible traffic.

Waymo One begins autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, exclusively through Uber

Starting today, the fully autonomous Waymo One ride service is available exclusively to customers in Austin, Texas through the Uber app. Today’s news builds upon Waymo’s existing partnership with Uber and is a milestone in the robotaxi startup’s expansion to new cities around the US.

As promised, robotaxi developer Waymo is expanding its Waymo One service to new US cities. While much of the world is still not completely sold on the plausibility of full-fledged robotaxi operations across major metropolitan areas, Waymo is trekking forward in its operations and has the data to prove it is, in fact, safer in many ways.
https://electrek.co/2025/03/04/waymo...78644b3aaad4a0

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

Political/legal/social hurdles are a big problem, although not the only problem.

Driverless cars with 1/10 the accident and fatality rate might not be acceptable in this country.

Although a crowdstrike update turning off millions and millions of computers within hours doesn't reassure me about turning over millions of tons of metal moving at 70 mph to automated systems...

I admit that I am fascinated by this technology. And I believe this can be a good thing. Still, it is always in the back of my mind how this could be turned into a very bad thing by someone hacking their cars.

[RedRaider56]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Waymo’s robotaxis are now available to everyone in Los Angeles


Waymo is ditching its waitlist in Los Angeles, much like it did before in Phoenix and San Francisco, making its fully autonomous vehicles available to anyone who downloads the company’s Waymo One app.

There are still some geographic limitations with which to contend: Waymo only operates within 80 square miles of Los Angeles County, which includes neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Chinatown, Westwood, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, and Playa Vista.

Still, it was a sign of the company’s growing confidence in its technology, especially after securing a record $5.6 billion investment round, led by its parent company, Alphabet, to help fund its next phase of growth. Waymo recently said it was conducting 150,000 paid trips and driving over 1 million fully autonomous miles every week.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/12/...ent=newsletter

Waymo has been available In Austin, tx for awhile but just announced yesterday they are now available through the UBER app. Pretty much limited to the downtown area though

[RedRaider56]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

This should be a good test for the driverless cars as I hear Houston has horrible traffic.

Waymo One begins autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, exclusively through Uber

Starting today, the fully autonomous Waymo One ride service is available exclusively to customers in Austin, Texas through the Uber app. Today’s news builds upon Waymo’s existing partnership with Uber and is a milestone in the robotaxi startup’s expansion to new cities around the US.

As promised, robotaxi developer Waymo is expanding its Waymo One service to new US cities. While much of the world is still not completely sold on the plausibility of full-fledged robotaxi operations across major metropolitan areas, Waymo is trekking forward in its operations and has the data to prove it is, in fact, safer in many ways.
https://electrek.co/2025/03/04/waymo...78644b3aaad4a0

From my understanding it's a fairly small area they will be operating in... I'd give one a try just to see what it is like.

[HemiEd]

[displacedinMN]

waymo's all over phoenix



Good luck in the snow.

[Chief Pagan]

Yes, it is my understanding they have stuck to snow free environments and places that they have mapped in very high detail.
A great start and an impressive accomplishment. Still a ways to go before a truly driverless society.
The hacking or just software failure is, or at least should be, a concern.

[displacedinMN]

The other thing that killed me is-that is a lot of technology on and in a car. I am sure they are electric, but makes it heavier.

Would love to know the cost to run one.

[Garcia Bronco]

You're looking for 5 nines of reliability. 99.999% reliable.

It's such a vehicle existed and it was big enough I just live in it.

[scho63]

Early this morning I drove from Tempe to the Scottsdale Airpark to pick up my mail. Without exaggeration I passed and saw at least 12 or more Waymo Jaguars out making the rounds.

[Al Czervik]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Nice......

Body by Plymouth....
Soul by Satan....