Why the Interest in Self-driving Cars?

We cannot achieve that while profit-greedy companies have the best government their money can buy.

 

Respectfully.... BS. When Jeep was forced to put ABS in every Wrangler beginning in 2007 the initial design had an override switch to disable it when in 4 low. The feds threw a fit and said ABS cannot be overriden so Jeep removed the button. If Jeep isn't allowed to do it there is no way that Toyota got approval for it in a Prius. People do add this "feature" in modern Jeeps as it's a simple single pole switch but most only recommend using it in certain offroad situations. Unless you've done a mod to your Prius there is no way that you've disabled ABS.

 

I was just going to check that myself, since turning off stability control might something that might help on the road.

The only time turning ABS off could help is in the case of loose gravel, sand, or dirt. In other words, off road.

In a world with self driving cars, most people won't need to actually own the car for the same reason people don't need one in a major city. The majority of cars would be owned by taxi companies.

 

And, as for privately owned cars, they'll be affordable.

With my car today I don't have to:

• advance/retard ignition
• use a choke to start it
• turn the crank handle to start it
• turn a knob to wipe the windscreen
• use a clutch pedal
• carry around a portable radio
• etc etc

It's all built in - today RADAR Cruise, Stability Control, ABS, Lane change warning et al is standard on PRIUS, something we dreamed impossible 15 yrs ago. The gear on today's TESLA/MERC/VOLVO etc will be on all cars within 5 years, by which time TESLA/VOLVO/MERC/AUDI/BMW/GM will have proper self-drive cars.

 

I think I meant to say traction control and stability control you can disable by pressing and holding the button for a couple seconds. Then you'll see a little message pop up on the upper screen. But yes, the ABS stays on all the time. Which is good.

I lived in the snow, I might use the traction control and stability control. But I sure don't want to hear that loud bang again.

 

if we could provide all the benefits of self driving cars without self driving cars, we would have. it can't be done.
theoretically, self driving cars could drive any speed with no increase in accidents. i could get from here to florida in 12 hours, instead of 3 days. all while sitting in my lounge chair watching video, listening to audio, or sleeping. that's an extra 4 days of vacation!

 

There was an article about TURNING OFF STABILITY CONTROL here just this weekend. The author was saying that we should leave it on because it is mandated (in Australia) that it be installed on all cars.

He went on to say that other than maybe a very alert racing/rally driver, our ability to control a skid is less than stability control's ability.

What was most interesting was his comment that, if we elected to drive with stability control turned OFF, our insurance could be invalidated if we've switched it off and crashed.

 

sounds like a call to the insurance agent, if you're gonna do that.

 

Or line up an attorney in advance.

 

Here is my interest: Say that parking lot at work is full. If you get there so late in bad weather that you get the "leftover" spaces, then you need to walk through rain/mud/slush for 5-10 minutes to get to the door... and then same back to your car. A self-driving car would drop you off, go find a parking space that the organization allows w/the appropriate permit, and then come back to get you on command, thus saving you the hassle. I imagine that in Arizona the same would be true but with the car pre-cooled and parked part time in the shade, rather than pre-heated like here in the North Pole.

 

It'd drop you at the door for work, then your wife, then take the children to school, go to the supermarket warehouse and pick up the groceries pre-ordered by your pantry. I suspect it would then drop in and have a car-coffee, back home where the ROBOT would unload the groceries and pop them in the fridge/pantry.

It would then go over to GRANNY, who can't drive any more, and take her to her knitting club, drop her home, park in the cool under a tree till the children need picking up from school, drop them home for the ROBOT to supervise homework (HaHa), and then back to pick you up and your wife from work.

Meanwhile, you checked your emails/FaceBook and watched the evening news on the way home, so you have a free night at home.

 

can you picture hundreds of people at the mall entrance waiting for their car to come around? kinda like the luggage-go-round at the airport. too funny.

 

Or a horse?

 

Already there, Alan! Remember that other guy on here. Well I'll paraphrase his label:-
Hi ho Silver!

.. you know, Tonto's mate ( buddy ).

 

Hey!
Go visit this guy's page

 

I thought of this.

 

I'm looking forward for automated cars.

Getting too old to drive.
Too poor to retire.

Would be nice to have some time to drink a coffee and read the paper.

 

There are reasons companies and goverment are interested in pushing forward self-driving cars: car accidents and efficiency. When asked, spokespeople commonly say 90% of accidents are cuased by human error. Reducing the number of times people are hurt or killed and property is damaged by 90% is huge. Even if you're one of the "good drivers," more self-driving cars would mean that much less you have to worry about bad drivers. To increase efficiency, the automakers are planning to have several fleets of self-driving vehicles that work just like taxis - this could theoretically vastly reduce the number of needed vehicles on the road.

I've read 2021 is the target year for at least 3 different self-driving initiatives to have a finished product. Those initial self-driving cars will hit the secondary market a few years after that, becoming much more affordable. And in 20-30 years from then, they'll be everywhere. For a comparable example, look at hybrids. The Prius started in the US in 2001. It's now 16 years later and Toyota has sold over 3 million of them, not to mention other cars from other brands that are on the road or in planning or production.