Self driving cars??? A boom or a bust???

[Principal Skinr]

Bust. Self driving cars take away freedom and the perception of control. They will only take off with a certain crowd, mainly liberals who want everything done for them, or who live in fear. My 2c.

 

[Frosty]

Heads up INGO truckers. People that thought your jobs would be the first to 'benefit' from automation are on the mark

A fleet of trucks just drove themselves across Europe ? Quartz

Does this mean I can retire??? Oh, somebody probably still needs to be there to operate the boom... Damnit!

 

[Plague421]

something to consider is your smart car will make decisions based on the best choice for a bad situation. Example: a tree falls over into the street. If the car decides to veer right, you go over a cliff and die. If the car veers left, it drives through a daycare. Your car will do the math and choose to kill you ala Maximum Overdrive. I prefer to make my own decisions. I'll park my car on an infants face.

They are working on it, it's called a "moral algorithm" and it hasn't been perfected yet.
See here: Should A Self-Driving Car Kill Its Passengers In A “Greater Good” Scenario?

I don't think FULLY autonomous vehicles could ever entirely take over human controlled vehicles.
What about construction and utility vehicles that need to navigate off-road at times and motorcycles?
I think the only realistic application for FULLY autonomous vehicles would be a taxi service.

Privately owned cars should come with the option of switching between both modes.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Top off, doors off, tunes in the background, rowing through the gears. The sun on my girl's face, and the wind in her hair as she sings along to the latest crazy song.

Driving is a great escape from the tedium of daily life. If you don't enjoy it, you aren't doing it right.[/QUOTE]
Does your girl like the wind in her face the entire time of a 30 hr cross-country road-trip? Night-time means bugs; does she like bugs in her teeth?

Personally, I'd love to have one. Get in the car, go to sleep, wake up in Florida? Heh, suck it budget airlines.

This ^^^^

Yes, I like to drive, and I do want there to still be the option of manually driving the car. But my wife & I live 3 hours away from all our family, it would be really nice to jump on the highway, put it in auto-pilot, and go to sleep, play with the kids, etc. Even if they only operated on interstates to start with I would be happy. I can hit I69 15 minutes out of m driveway and stay on it (except for 465 loop in Indy) all the way except the last 2 miles (once I69 is completed to Indy).

Road-trips? Go sight-seeing etc during the day, have the car drive you from one place to the other while your whole family sleeps in the car overnight.

And IMHO, as long as the system is built with the proper protocols and safeguards (redundancy) it would be much safer than a human driver, especially a heavily fatigued human driver, driving at night.

 

[eldirector]

https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/
No, I don't think I want a self-driving car.

Apple Maps Is So Bad It Will Tell You To Drive Across An Airport Runway
Do you really trust the on-board map?

In the end, it really doesn't matter what YOU choose to drive. Just PLEASE don't force me to drive it, and for God's sake, don't make me pay for it (any more than I already am, and even that can stop, please).

 

[eldirector]

Does your girl like the wind in her face the entire time of a 30 hr cross-country road-trip? Night-time means bugs; does she like bugs in her teeth?

People pay tens of thousands of dollars for exactly that experience. Called a "motorcycle".

 

[BehindBlueI's]

People pay tens of thousands of dollars for exactly that experience. Called a "motorcycle".

And then trailer them long distances to ride them for short distances. Real iron butt bikers are few.

 

[cosermann]

...I just get the half feeling that they'll eventually be a requirement knowing how our government works.

Then freedom of movement will end and the .gov will control everyone's movement.

Let's not forget that this opens up a whole new area of risk from the hacking of such vehicles.

https://www.wired.com/2016/03/fbi-warns-car-hacking-real-risk/

 

[Route 45]

Nice try. 0-100 kph. Which is only 0-60 in 'Murica. And there's plenty of bubba buggy's that can do that.

No. There are not. The only American production cars that can even come close are the Dodge Charger Hellcat and the Corvette Z-06. Other production cars that can do it are labeled Bugatti, Porsche, Nissan GTR, McLaren, Ferrari, etc. I'd hardly call those Bubba buggies. Even most aftermarket hot rodded Mustangs and Camaros are not pulling 0-60 in less than 3 seconds, and the ones that might come close aren't exactly "plenty."

 

[eldirector]

No. There are not. The only American production cars that can even come close are the Dodge Charger Hellcat and the Corvette Z-06. Other production cars that can do it are labeled Bugatti, Porsche, Nissan GTR, McLaren, Ferrari, etc. I'd hardly call those Bubba buggies. Even most aftermarket hot rodded Mustangs and Camaros are not pulling 0-60 in less than 3 seconds, and the ones that might come close aren't exactly "plenty."

Just saw this part of the thread.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fastest_production_cars_by_acceleration

The only sub-3 second 0-60 car under $100,000 on that list is the Corvette. And even then, not by much. I suppose we need to add the Hellcat at 2.9 sec.

3 Second 0-60 times are just brutal in a street car. Heck, lots of street/strip cars don't quite get there. That equates to a low-12-second 1/4 mile (give or take). The vast majority of production "sports" cars are more in the 14 or 15 second 1/4 mile range, and 5 or 6 second 0-60. And that is till darned fast.

Back to the topic:
I wonder if you can program the Tesla with "track mode", and let the computer take it down the strip for you? Millisecond reaction time, perfect launch control, etc.... Even better if it can "self drive" around a road course flat out. I'll call my computer "The Stig".

 

[Ericpwp]

The new corvettes have a launch control.

 

[JollyMon]

I think self driving cars would be awesome. Think about it, no more need for taxis or uber if you had a few too many (of course they would probably still find a way to give you a dui even if you were not driving.... too much money lost for the government). Going back and forth to work or long distance drives would be a breeze. Being able to interact with your children or other adults in the car. I think there are lots of benefits.

 

[jamil]

Just saw this part of the thread.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fastest_production_cars_by_acceleration

The only sub-3 second 0-60 car under $100,000 on that list is the Corvette. And even then, not by much. I suppose we need to add the Hellcat at 2.9 sec.

3 Second 0-60 times are just brutal in a street car. Heck, lots of street/strip cars don't quite get there. That equates to a low-12-second 1/4 mile (give or take). The vast majority of production "sports" cars are more in the 14 or 15 second 1/4 mile range, and 5 or 6 second 0-60. And that is till darned fast.

Back to the topic:
I wonder if you can program the Tesla with "track mode", and let the computer take it down the strip for you? Millisecond reaction time, perfect launch control, etc.... Even better if it can "self drive" around a road course flat out. I'll call my computer "The Stig".

What? No Koenigsegg on that list? Sure, the One:1 isn't as "production" as the Porsche, but 0-60 in 2.5 and 0-300 in under 12 should get some mention.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Lets say you're sleeping while the auto car is driving, and a cop tries to pull you over for a blown out tail light?
Who gets the ticket? The sleeper? or the car?
Cuz I could technically outrun the cops without outrunning the cops if I had a self driving car!
Also... how do they do with potholes?

 

[jd4320t]

The auto drive cop car and robocop will be communicating with the passenger autondrive car. They will pull over and punish you accordingly without even waking you up.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

The auto drive cop car and robocop will be communicating with the passenger autondrive car. They will pull over and punish you accordingly without even waking you up.

Damn ok... so, potholes?

 

[jd4320t]

If all vehicles are autodrive and won't make mistakes then surely all road construction can also be automated and worry free. Potholes will be fixed promptly.

 

[Sarge470]

I doubt I will live to see this come to fruition.

I'm with you, churchmouse...it seems to be another instance of surrendering control of our lives to technology subject to control by someone else. No thanks!

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Damn ok... so, potholes?

Ford has a feature out that I've seen advertised that they say will make your car sense and "jump over" a pot hole.

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/02/fords-new-fusion-sport-can-jump-over.html

12 sensors, y'all!

 

[eldirector]

I think Google's car will steer around potholes and other unexpected road obstructions. Unfortunately, it will then crash you into a bus.
A Google self-driving car caused a crash for the first time | The Verge

Could you imagine trying to program all of the nuanced little traffic laws and location-based behaviors into a car? Hard enough for a human to keep them straight, and we only have to memorize enough to get around locally and for an OCCASIONAL trip. The car would have to know EVERYTHING. Is it OK to turn on a flashing yellow? How about solid? When can you make a u-turn? Will that motorcycle behind you try to lane-split? Is this intersection a left or a Michigan Left? There is a PROPER way to use a roundabout, and a Hoosier way. On and on....