Ford commits to fully autonomous vehicles within five years

[RichardJensen]

Ah. Geo fenced area. Well that certainly hedges their bets. They can claim success if they've got a vehicle that can navigate six blocks in the vicinity of Washington Square.

 

And I still don't think they're going to make it--and those 'TaaS' cost per mile figures are straight out of the same bucket of wishful thinking that FCA uses.

[silvrsvt]

Just had another thought....how are driverless cars supposed to react in a situation with a catastrophic failure of the vehicle itself? For example, my car's engine dies, I lose all power assist, but I can still stop the car or steer it manually. Say there is a catastrophic battery failure somehow (run over a piece of metal that cuts power lines, etc)...how is the computer going to stop the car safely? The chances are pretty small of this happening, but it will happen.

 

Only reason this came up is my SHO didn't want to start yesterday...the Fuel Pump Control Module failed...Ford put a recall out (which I didn't get...yet) on August 22nd. Oh well at least its a good time get the Transmission and PTU flushed while its getting that recall and the other done

[Biker16]

Just had another thought....how are driverless cars supposed to react in a situation with a catastrophic failure of the vehicle itself? For example, my car's engine dies, I lose all power assist, but I can still stop the car or steer it manually. Say there is a catastrophic battery failure somehow (run over a piece of metal that cuts power lines, etc)...how is the computer going to stop the car safely? The chances are pretty small of this happening, but it will happen.

 

Only reason this came up is my SHO didn't want to start yesterday...the Fuel Pump Control Module failed...Ford put a recall out (which I didn't get...yet) on August 22nd. Oh well at least its a good time get the Transmission and PTU flushed while its getting that recall and the other done

 

The solution for AVs is that any fault with sensors, any safety feature, or maintenance issues would stop the vehicle from functioning.

 

AVs wouldn't allow driving on a flat tire, or above the Rate speed on a temporary spare, for example. it would not drive unless it could see where it was going.

[akirby]

 

The solution for AVs is that any fault with sensors, any safety feature, or maintenance issues would stop the vehicle from functioning.

 

AVs wouldn't allow driving on a flat tire, or above the Rate speed on a temporary spare, for example. it would not drive unless it could see where it was going.

 

So if the sensor goes out does it just stop in the middle of the highway?

[Anthony]

Ralph Gilles put it very nicely in this article: http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/23/12991140/fiat-chrysler-design-ralph-gilles-interview-future-autonomous-cars

What’s happening right now is a lot of talk. I’m fascinated by how easily the word "autonomous" rolls off the media’s mouth and the optimism of autonomy. Every company has a version of it and feels like they have to make a statement, even [it it’s] prematurely, before they understand the commitment, what it means to society, and what’s the benefit. What’s consistent is that there’s a claim that safety is the outcome: if cars are truly autonomous, then we won’t have accidents anymore. If the future is 100 percent autonomy and the only way you get around is autonomous, then okay, you could argue that cars could be interlinked, kind of like airplanes are. They talk to each other, they’re aware of where they are — and that’s a very regulated world. Is that what people want, sharing cars with strangers in programmed ways and scheduling their lives?

The freedom of the automobile is personal. I don’t think it’s a story of ecology in terms of autonomous driving. It’s almost said in the same sentence — electric cars are autonomous, but they are not related to me.

In the meantime, what I find is that the industry is chasing [autonomy] with such vigor that a lot of great technologies are spilling off of the adventure — incredible gains in safety technology, affordable radar technology, LIDAR. A lot of great systems are being developed, [that are] launching in our everyday cars and are already reducing crashes. The benefits are just going to keep coming. I think that’s great. I know one day, my mom, who is in her 70s, will not fear driving at night. I see the autonomous thing in our near future as being kind of a hyper assist, like the car is your friend and really looks out for you.

Full autonomy is more complicated. It’s like cloning the human mind. We sense things in emotional ways [and] in physical ways. We communicate things with other drivers through eye contact, blinking, motion in high beams. There’s so many things we’re doing that we’re not aware we’re doing

[akirby]

Ralph nailed it exactly. Hyper assist is very feasible and brings the majority of the safety improvements. Full autonomy is too complicated to fully implement and the incremental benefit over hyper assist isn't worth the additional effort or expense. Although I'm sure full autonomy will work in limited situations.

[Biker16]

 

So if the sensor goes out does it just stop in the middle of the highway?

yes.

 

Ralph Gilles put it very nicely in this article: http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/23/12991140/fiat-chrysler-design-ralph-gilles-interview-future-autonomous-cars

 

 

If all cars are robotic is does that become untrue?

[silvrsvt]

 

If all cars are robotic is does that become untrue?

 

That isn't going to happen anytime soon. Even if it does, how are you going to ban "classic" cars from the road?

[jpd80]

yes.

 

 

If all cars are robotic is does that become untrue?

Only if all +150 million human drivers are forever banned from driving their vehicles...

 

You're throwing away the the existing and continuing reality just to prove a point.

 

The real issue has to be how can self drive vehicle coexist with human driven vehicles

and if they need driver free zones to operate effectively, who pays for that to happen?

Edited September 24, 2016 by jpd80

[tbone]

I love technology and the new safety features but if the vehicles simply become appliances, I feel the personal connection to vehicles will diminish greatly, if not disappear. It also doesn't seem like there will be a need for as many automobile manufacturers, as there won't be a significant need for differentiation in performance, with the exception of the shape of the vehicle shape and interiors.

[silvrsvt]

I love technology and the new safety features but if the vehicles simply become appliances, I feel the personal connection to vehicles will diminish greatly, if not disappear. It also doesn't seem like there will be a need for as many automobile manufacturers, as there won't be a significant need for differentiation in performance, with the exception of the shape of the vehicle shape and interiors.

That's already happening to a point...more people view cars as appliances and add in distracted driving...