Driverless cars: They sound like a cross between our wildest fantasy and a science fiction, but alas, they are reality – and they’re quickly coming to our streets. Are they truly the future of driving? Only time will tell, but early indications point to driverless vehicles being the true wave of the future.
What Are Self-Driving Cars?
The name “self-driving vehicle” seems pretty obvious, but in reality, there are several levels of driverless vehicle. A Level 0 car has no automation and is completely human-controlled, while a Level 5 ride is fully automated with no human intervention. Automation varies across the other four levels, with some levels already represented in today’s vehicles.
A New Generation of Non-Drivers
The millennial generation as a whole lacks an interest in driving, unlike previous generations, which is why ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have achieved so much success. Because they are not interested in driving, millennials will be an ideal market for driverless vehicles. Such vehicles offer owners the freedom on car ownership in that they can use the vehicle when and how they like without the worry of driving it.
Spreading the Nation
If you’ve traveled the nation, you know that drivers and road conditions differ everywhere you go. Fortunately, driverless car developers are testing these vehicles on a variety of road conditions beyond California’s Silicon Valley. You can find driverless cars on the streets of Washington, Michigan, Arizona, Texas, and even right here in Pennsylvania. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are working with driverless Uber taxis, trying to “confuse” the car with a variety of driving situations we might encounter while operating a vehicle.
Laying the Foundation
If you own or lease a late-model vehicle, chances are you have such features as lane-change assistance, collision avoidance, and hands-free parallel parking. These conveniences are all the forerunners of driverless vehicle technology as they use much of the same sensors and software one might find in a driverless vehicle.
Timeline to Driverless
With such technology already on the road, when can we expect driverless cars to dominate our roadways? Those already investing in the technology anticipate widespread use of driverless vehicles by 2021, barring any governmental or technological roadblocks. However, automotive insiders think the timeline will be much longer, perhaps toward the middle of the century, before most of us are cruising along in driverless cars. Humans have already set an impressive precedent in how safely they operate vehicles that it will take some time before a machine can reach that standard. Human-specific abilities, such as ethical decision making, also pose a challenge that machines have difficulty duplicating.
Toyota has already made a sizable investment in the future of driving. It was a pioneer in hybrid technology with the introduction of the Prius, and its recent investment in Uber offers formidable backing toward driverless vehicle technology. At Ardmore Toyota, we’re proud to be part of the Toyota family. Stop by our dealership today and see why.
Image via Pixabay
Connect with us
