Autonomous vehicles что это
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Self Driving Car: Technology Overview, Current Trends and the Future
The last few years were critical for the development of autonomous vehicles. We have seen many key achievements happening across the mobility industry, such as further connectivity, electrification, shared mobility, or autonomous driving.
In 2019, the sales volume of electric vehicles set a new sales record. Automotive manufacturers all over the world are facing problems such as higher expenses required to address stricter regulations, staggering sales, and global trade tensions. As a result, the key risks for the industry have been elevated for traditional manufacturers — in combination with their digitally native mobility competitors.
The Covid-19 pandemic slowed down the speed of innovation in this area as well. Still, 2021 is projected to be a good year for autonomous vehicles.
In this article, we zoom in on the problem of technological advancement in autonomous vehicles to bring you up to date with everything you need to know about this exciting area.
What is an autonomous vehicle?
To put it simply, an autonomous vehicle (AV) is equipped with technology that can sense and interpret its environment, thereby allowing for the vehicle’s operation without any human involvement.
The first semi-autonomous vehicle was developed in 1977 by the Japan-based company Tsukuba Mechanical. The first autonomous driverless car could achieve the speed of almost 20 miles per hour by tracing white street markers with the help of two vehicle-mounted cameras.
While in an autonomous vehicle, a human passenger doesn’t have to take control of the vehicle at any time — or even be present in the vehicle in the first place! An autonomous car can go anywhere a traditional vehicle can and do practically everything that an experienced human driver does.
By removing humans from the equation, autonomous vehicles bring a host of benefits to both businesses and individual consumers. But before we move on to discuss them, we need to clarify the serious question of naming in this new industry.
Just to give you an idea, there are over 1400 self-driving cars on the roads in the US tested by over 80 companies (with 62 of them registered in California). Actually, California was one of the first states to test AVs on public roads 62 companies are registered in California thus far.
Self-driving vs. autonomous vehicles — what’s the difference?
We often see the term «self-driving vehicles» being used interchangeably with «autonomous vehicles.» However, these are two different things.
In a self-driving scenario, a car can drive itself in some or even all possible situations. But it always needs a human passenger to be present inside of it and ready to take control whenever necessary. Self-driving vehicles are subject to geofencing — unlike fully autonomous cars that can go anywhere. That’s why self-driving cars fall under Level 3 of driving automation, whereas autonomous vehicles are considered to represent Level 5 of automation.
What levels are we talking about? Here is everything you need to know about the levels of autonomy in the automotive industry.
Levels of autonomy
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defined five levels of driving automation, ranging from level 0, which is fully manual, to level 5, fully autonomous. These levels have already been adopted by the US Department of Transportation and set the standard across the entire industry.
When talking about autonomous vehicles, it’s essential to remember that every vehicle can come with a range of autonomous capabilities. That’s why the standard levels described below are so useful to designating the increase in autonomous capabilities.
This is a key technical challenge we need to achieve to bring autonomous vehicles to this level.
Humans can perceive a large amount of sense information and blend all of this data together to make decisions using both their imagination and experience. They can do that in milliseconds.
Autonomous vehicles need to match and even outperform humans in these capabilities. Otherwise, the technology will never leave labs and experimental projects. We need this kind of capability from self-driving car technology for it to become safe and widespread.
At the same time, legislators need to work out the mode of assessing the safety of such systems on the road. Lack of proper legislation is one of the biggest problems in the industry today and touches many areas of the tech industry. Without legislative frameworks governing autonomous vehicles, we will never see this amazing technology flourish on the streets.
Key self-driving car technology trends
1. Self-driving
Self-driving cars are becoming more popular every year. Already in 2019, New York City launched a self-driving shuttle service ran by Optimus Ride, a leader in the autonomous vehicle industry. Brand-new implementations of self-driving vehicles are underway and are already present in some environments — for example, as shuttle trains between airport terminals.
That’s why the public is bound to become more aware and accustomed to them, paving the way to even more autonomy. Although the current examples are limited in their size and scope, the work is clearly on the way to bringing the autonomous vehicle industry into the future.
2. Industry collaborations and partnerships
There’s no denying that autonomous vehicles require substantial funding. Designing, testing, and manufacturing an autonomous vehicle is very expensive. Not every automotive giant out there has the required funds to develop such a technology.
Working closely with cutting-edge research companies and startups is one way traditional automotive manufacturers are revamping their offer and answering disruptive trends such as autonomous driving.
3. Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data
Processing such a massive volume of data while maintaining the lightning-fast response time required by vehicles means that autonomous cars are nothing else than supercomputers on the go. They need the infrastructure that allows storing, sorting, and processing the data fast.
This is where the widespread Internet of Things integration comes in. IoT systems will help autonomous vehicles to communicate with each other on the road. Cars equipped with different levels of audiovisual abilities will be able to navigate congested roadways and reduce accidents originating in driver behaviors.
Moreover, the applications of car data are basically endless. Such data can be incredibly valuable to companies that have vehicle fleets and need to have full visibility into where each car is and how it’s being operated. That’s why the Internet of Things and Big Data solutions are going to shape the future of autonomous vehicles.
4. Decentralized computing models
Processing the massive volume of data generated by autonomous vehicles presents a problem. However, by combining onboard data storage with cloud-based computing, automotive companies can create decentralized computing models that pave the way to success.
It’s not only about processing the vast amount of data but also computing it quickly or providing secure storage for highly sensitive information. Automotive leaders are investing billions of dollars into the research and development of cloud-based and hybrid computing models where vehicle data is decentralized. The goal is to improve the accuracy and response time, all the while managing to process data accurately.
This translates to superior experience and greater safety for customers, so it’s essential that automotive companies come up with new models of data storage and computing that are in line with these requirements.
5. In-car applications
Mapping apps, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Spotify, and Google Music are just a few examples of the many applications out there built to improve the user experience and keep drivers connected while they’re driving.
In-car applications offer automotive companies the opportunity to add value to the driving experience that goes way beyond entertainment. Such apps provide an important path for capturing and processing data such as traffic congestion, weather conditions, road conditions, POIs, and more. Ultimately, in-car applications can also be used to display ads that are tailored to the user’s environment, interactions, and preferences.
6. Artificial intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence brings together data processing, the Internet of Things, and Big Data. AI has become critical to automotive manufacturing, be it in the form of ADAS systems or autonomous driving.
It’s thanks to sophisticated machine learning algorithms that autonomous vehicles can handle complex situations and navigate traffic easily. They can read traffic signals, offer emergency vehicle control, and monitor the surrounding environment. AI can make erroneous human reactions no longer relevant for driving as it relies on sensors and cameras rather than human emotions to deliver an optimal driving and safe driving experience.
7. Digital factories
The sector of automotive manufacturing has changed dramatically during the last few decades. Specifically, it has become more automated than ever before. The evidence of this is visible in the overall higher product quality consumers see today.
But this is just the beginning. The digital factory of the future takes this to the next level.
A digital factory takes advantage of digital technologies to make the manufacturing process more informed, efficient, and faster.
What does it mean for the automotive industry?
Companies will be able to model the manufacturing process in a way to understand areas for improvement, and all the while ensuring high quality and efficiency. Information will be instantly shared between people, machines, and the supply chain. The digital factory will also leverage robotics and artificial intelligence to reduce the rate of human error and continue production even after the human work shift is over.
The future of self-driving car technology
How fast will autonomous vehicles spread across our societies and economies? The diffusion of advanced technologies like autonomous vehicles relies not only on technological advancements but also on regulatory frameworks.
While electrified vehicles are becoming more competitive and accessible, the speed of their adoption varies strongly at the local level. Regulations and consumer acceptance represent key hurdles for autonomous vehicles to become mainstream. Once these challenges are addressed, however, autonomous vehicles offer significant value to consumers — for example, the ability to work while commuting, rest while traveling, or use social media while on the road.
Fully autonomous cars representing the fifth level of autonomy are now undergoing testing in several locations around the world, but none of them are available to the general public yet. According to experts, we are still years away from that.
Here are a few key factors shaping the future of autonomous vehicles:
Some of the most common challenges include lidar and radar. The lidar technology is expensive and still doesn’t strike a balance between resolution and range. Moreover, we still don’t know what multiple autonomous cars driving on one road would mean for the lidar signals.
Individual personal transportation doesn’t cover the entire breadth of autonomous vehicles. Other areas include public transportation, cargo delivery, and specialty vehicles used in mining or farming. All of these vehicles come with their unique challenges, environments, and specific use cases.
Conclusion
We hope this article helps you in understanding the current situation of autonomous vehicles as well as the future of this exciting sector. If you would like to learn more about the technological breakthroughs in the automotive industry, keep a close eye on our blog.
Беспилотные автомобили для начинающих
Про беспилотные автомобили постоянно мелькают новости, но что же на самом деле происходит в этой сфере? Как беспилотные автомобили ездят? Кто их производит? Почему они до сих пор не ездят массово по улицам? Попробуем разложить все по полочкам.
Ранняя версия беспилотника Lyft
Что такое беспилотный автомобиль
Это автомобиль, оборудованный системой автоматического управления, способный передвигаться из точки А в точку Б без участия человека.
Как работают беспилотные автомобили
Чтобы приехать в пункт назначения, беспилотный автомобиль должен знать маршрут, понимать окружающую обстановку, соблюдать ПДД и корректно взаимодействовать с пешеходами и другими участниками дорожного движения. Чтобы соответствовать этим требованиям, беспилотник использует следующие технологии:
Уровни автономности
Организация под названием SAE International сделала доброе дело и стандартизировала 5 уровней автономности, которых придерживаются все игроки на рынке:
Ключевые игроки рынка
Большинство автопроизводителей осознали что будущее за беспилотным транспортом и ринулись открывать новые отделы и покупать стартапы. Кроме автопроизводителей в гонке участвует не только множество стартапов, но также и IT-гиганты вроде Google, Яндекс и Apple. Вот самые основные.
General Motors
Waymo (лидер по технологичности)
Самый старый стартап, был основан еще в 2009 году. На данный момент считается самым совершенным беспилотным автомобилем. Оцениваясь в $175 миллиардов (!), Waymo уже проехал суммарно 10 миллионов миль автомобилями Chrysler, Honda и Jaguar. Совсем недавно, Waymo озвучил свои планы докупить еще 62,000 Fiat Chrysler для будущего платного беспилотного такси.
Lyft (сервис такси, конкурент Uber)
В сравнении с агрессивным расширением и маркетингом Uber, подход Lyft более фокусирован. Lyft запартнерился с Aptiv, бывшим когда-то на грани банкротства. Вместе они совершили более 5000 платных поездок на беспилотниках (всего с 20 автомобилями) в Лас-Вегасе. При заказе такси Lyft, пассажир может выбрать беспилотное такси.
Tesla
У Tesla совсем другой взгляд на беспилотное будущее. Илон Маск считает что беспилотник может работать только на одних камерах (ведь человек управляет автомобилем с помощью всего пары глаз), без лидаров. Несмотря на то, что автомобили Tesla обладают функциями автопилота, они все равно топчутся на 3-ем уровне автономности, да и аварий из-за автопилота тоже хватает.
Baidu
Baidu раскачивает локальную китайскую лодку беспилотников с 2014 года. В 2017-ом, анонсировала Apollo, open-source (открытую) платформу для беспилотных автомобилей. Baidu нацелился на массовый выпуск беспилотных автомобилей с 2019 до 2020, но ее шансы пошатнулись после того как ряд AI-специалистов покинули компанию (включая Lu Qi).
Почему так долго?
Waymo был основан в 2009-ом и только сейчас они более-менее готовы для коммерческих поездок (и то в пределах солнечной Калифорнии). То есть спустя почти 10 лет. Почему так долго? Хоть и гонка беспилотных технологий и ускорилась за последние 5 лет, все компании испытывают общие проблемы:
Лидар
Лидар это по сути лазерная установка, которая постоянно крутится и “стреляет” лазером 360 градусов, выдавая расстояние до каждой точки, которую удалось измерить. Вот видео для большей наглядности:
К сожалению, лидар стоит кучу денег (от 500 000р за 1 штуку), а их в беспилотном автомобиле надо много (2–5 штук). Так еще и от него никак не избавиться, ведь только радара и камер не хватит чтобы четко ориентироваться на местности.
Различные компании ведут работы по снижению стоимости лидара и выпуску нового, дешевого твердотельного лидара (без крутящихся элементов), но такие пока продукты еще в разработке.
AI (искусственный интеллект)
Как было сказано выше AI это сердце автомобиля. AI определяет объекты с камер, пытается угадать кто это (собака, человек, автомобиль, дорожный знак и пр.), как поведут себя пешеходы и другие машины. Чтобы такой искусственный интеллект работал, инженеры “скармливают” ему огромные массивы данных, чтобы специальные алгоритмы могли обучаться на этих данных. Чем больше качественных данных на входе, тем лучше алгоритмы будут работать.
Хоть алгоритмы и продвинулись далеко, они все еще глупы как 2-летний ребенок. Яркий пример — инцидент с беспилотником Uber (из-за которого погиб человек), алгоритм не смог распознать человека на дороге (в прочем, как не успел его заметить и водитель). А ведь помимо человека надо “видеть” еще и много других объектов — каждую машину, дорожный знак, светофор, уметь определять полосы движения и много других вещей.
Погодные условия
Будем честны, почти ни один беспилотный автомобиль не умеет нормально ездить в условиях снегопада или сильного дождя. Исключение — университет MIT. Ребята научились ориентироваться по слепкам дорожного полотна под машиной.
Картография
Беспилотникам не подходят простые карты и простая точность GPS (погрешность 3–10 метров), автомобилю нужно понимать где он находится с сантиметровой точностью. Несмотря на то что у беспилотника куча сенсоров, необходимо иметь точную информацию об окружающей местности (геометрию дорожной разметки, границы дороги, ближайшие дорожные знаки и пр). Вся эта информация есть в так называемых HD-картах.
Один из автомобилей Google Street View
Чтобы поддерживать картографию в актуальном состоянии специальные картографические автомобили (спец. автомобиль с камерами и лидарами) должны ездить по улицам и “оцифровывать” их. Таким образом, с появлением гонки беспилотных автомобилей началась и гонка картографии среди таких компаний как Here, TomTom, DeepMap, lvl5, Carmera, Google и прочих. В 21-ом веке данные — это новое золото.
Инфраструктура
Беспилотным автомобилям требуется новая дорожная инфраструктура. И не просто инфраструктура, а умная инфраструктура в которой автомобили могли бы общаться не только с самой инфраструктурой (знаки, светофоры и пр.), но и с другими автомобилями. Вот немного основных терминов:
Например, автомобиль едет по шоссе, а дорожный знак за 300м впереди сам сообщает “я знак такой-то, нахожусь там-то”. Беспилотный автомобиль сможет заранее понимать что впереди и планировать свои действия в соответствии с этой информацией.
Доверие человека
Люди все еще не особо доверяют беспилотным автомобилям. Согласно исследованию Reuters и Ipsos только лишь 38% мужчин и 17% женщин сказали что чувствовали бы себя комфортно в беспилотном автомобиле. Вообщем-то и не удивительно, технология беспилотных автомобилей довольно молодая, люди не успели привыкнуть. Автопроизводителям и стартапам еще предстоит завоевать доверие людей.
Ford Autonomous Vehicles
Содержание
Персоны (1)
Конечные собственники
История
2018: Создание компании
24 июля 2018 года Ford объявила о создании отдельной компании, которая сосредоточится на разработке беспилотных автомобилей. Новая дочерняя структура американского автогиганта получила название Ford Autonomous Vehicles.
Она займется такими вопросами, как интеграция систем самоуправляемого движения, разработка самоходных транспортных средств и передовых технологий, развитие сети «самоуправляемый транспорт как сервис», а также выработка бизнес-стратегии.
Благодаря Ford Autonomous Vehicles автопроизводитель намерен «ускорить развитие бизнеса автономных средств передвижения с целью капитализации за счет рыночных возможностей», говорится в пресс-релизе Ford. В частности, в компании ожидают, что более тесное сотрудничество между командами разработки автономных транспортных средств и решений в сфере мобильности позволит быстрее разрабатывать сервисы и бизнес-модели, которые окажутся полезными как в нынешних условиях, так и в эпоху становления автономного транспорта.
Новое предприятие, структурно позволяющее привлекать сторонние инвестиции, будет базироваться в кампусе Корктайн в Детройте и будет контролировать долю Ford в стартапе Argo AI, занимающемся развитием технологий для беспилотных авто.
Генеральным директором Ford Autonomous Vehicles станет Шериф Маракби (Sherif Marakby), который до этого назначения был вице-президентом Ford и управлял отделом автономных транспортных средств и электрификации. В этом качестве он будет подотчетен совету директоров под председательством Марси Клеворн (Marcy Klevorn), исполнительного вице-президента Ford и президента подразделения «Мобильность».
После перехода Маракби на пост гендиректора Ford Autonomous Vehicles, Тед Каннис (Ted Cannis), глобальный директор по электрификации, возглавит команду Ford Team Edison, ответственную за разработку и выведение на рынок электромобилей следующего поколения. Team Edison при этом по-прежнему будет подотчетна Джиму Фарли (Jim Farley), исполнительному вице-президенту и президенту по глобальным рынкам.
Скорее всего, создавая Ford Autonomous Vehicles, компания преследует подобные инвестиционные цели. Агентство Reuters со ссылкой на свои источники сообщает, что Ford вела переговоры с потенциальными инвесторами, однако характер и то, как далеко зашли эти обсуждения, неизвестны. [1]
Driverless Vehicles: How unmanned cars are conquering the world
articles | Jan 28, 2021 | Tech & Security | 
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Automation is taking over the world. The era of traditional manned vehicles is approaching its end. We need to recognize the fact that the world in the 21st century is changing at a much faster pace than in previous decades.
Universal automation is increasingly prevalent in many industries and factories, and now, the automotive industry is also moving to adopt this new trend. Undoubtedly, you have already heard about autonomous cars on the roads of the future — or in other words, cars without drivers.
However, the relationship with robotic solutions is not an easy one, and not everyone understands what this new technology is and what risks it poses. Read our material to keep up with technological progress and gain an understanding of what to expect in the near future and how innovative technologies will benefit the automotive industry.
The era of unmanned vehicles
Autonomous machines are slowly but steadily becoming the current reality. We must first understand a simple definition: i.e. a car that drives itself with the help of modern hardware and software. We will soon be amazed by the number of different cars on the roads which will have automated driving systems. Numerous forecasts indicate different dates, but there is no doubt that 30-50% of the cars in the world will be equipped with autopilot systems in a decade or two. Pretty soon you will be able to relax in your car and spend time reading, working, and watching the news or movies. You will be able to conveniently sit in the backseat, choose a route, and not waste time getting nervous in another traffic jam.
Autonomous vehicles: The current reality
If you still think that all this is impossible today and that this technological development is still far away, you should know that the U.S. Department of Transportation has decided that, by law, an onboard artificial intelligence computer can already be recognized as a driver. In fact, unmanned vehicle technology has already become a global industry.
Why are these systems often called semi-autonomous? Despite all the autonomous autopilot functions, current cars still cannot travel without a driver. For example, when overtaking another vehicle, a driver must control the speed and steer the vehicle because modern vehicle radar systems are not perfected enough to allow the electronics to accurately assess the speed of nearby cars.
In addition, as of now, the implementation of these systems is still banned worldwide due to their lack of efficiency. The fact is that there are some serious problems with all autopilot electronic systems.
The main problem is the correct choice of the car’s actions in case of an emergency. For example — where will the autonomous car turn if a child runs out onto the road? What if the electronics decide to make a maneuver in the direction of a sidewalk to prevent the death of the child — however, it could be possible that other children are walking on the sidewalk at that same moment. How, and on what basis, should the autonomous system make a decision? In addition, there are many ambiguous situations that could be possible. Prior to the implementation of these systems, these scenarios must be registered in the unmanned vehicle’s autopilot algorithms. Much needs to be done at the legislative level to determine who will be responsible in case of car accidents or injuries to people. As you can see, the list goes on and on.
When was the idea of an autonomous car born?
Until now, many people who were familiar with driverless cars have mistakenly believed that autonomous vehicles were only the result of technology advances in the 21st century. However, this is not true. In 1994 for example, Mercedes, along with the University of Munich, developed the «VaMP» autonomous car based on the S-Class E500 sedan. However, due to software errors and defects in the sensors, the car could only travel autonomously for a little over 150 km without having an emergency situation.
The power of self-drive cars
However, things are not so depressing. Currently, the developed and implemented systems might already impress you — since experimental on-board test systems allow you to drive quite quickly. For example, the new generation of the Mercedes-Benz E-class can guarantee that your trip will not resemble riding a turtle when using the onboard autopilot system. The autonomous system can operate at speeds of up to 120 km/h and can even drive the car in semi-automatic mode without you participating in the race!
In addition, the brand new system is designed to leave a significant gap between cars and reduce speed smoothly to avoid the possibility of an accident. However, if someone reacts quickly in front of you the automatic system could act with a delay or slow down too much. That is why the driver still has to be in control on the road, even when the autopilot mode is on.
What is the role of the driver in an autonomous car? One may wonder, but from the very beginning of the development of the automotive industry it was assumed at the legislative level that the driver should be in the front seat and keep his hands on the wheel. However, with the advent of autonomous cars, everything will soon change — now the driver can become just a passenger in the back seat. If the driver prefers the classic style and chooses to sit in the front seat, he can simply not use the steering wheel and read while driving and not pay attention to the road.
How driverless cars operate
Autonomous cars are equipped with various sensors and high-speed cameras — in particular, they use ultrasound systems, infrared, or laser sensors.
When using these systems, the car simply scans the environment every few milliseconds using all of this technology. These special scanning systems can determine the environment and other vehicles around them not only on the highway, but also in a large metropolis.
Unfortunately, for the time being it is impossible to ensure complete safety since autonomous vehicles cannot surpass vehicles which still require driver participation. Nevertheless, the technology is gradually evolving and adapting, and most projections show that this innovation will be an ideal tool in the next few years.
Also, how about driving at night? Here it is still more complicated. Unfortunately, modern technology does not allow an autonomous car to travel on the road at any time that is convenient for you. Even the presence of high-quality video cameras can not be completely effective because of the low quality of video after sunset. What can we say, if even in daylight, the camera cannot determine the color of a traffic light with 100 percent accuracy?
Thus, the existing industry has a significant problem of creating a fully autonomous car, since modern optical systems cannot deal with the brightness of some objects — almost the same problem exists in the human eye. For example, at dusk, the camera may incorrectly determine the color of a traffic light. And in very bright light, the system may not fully see a traffic light at all.
Moreover, what about harsh weather conditions? It is disappointing because there are currently no technologies that allow you to use an autonomous car when it snows. To date, sensors that have been developed for autonomous vehicles recognize snow as an obstacle. As a result — when it snows, the car simply does not move!
A separate question — will the number of accidents really decrease if there are more autonomous cars on the road? It can be noted that there will definitely be fewer kinds of situations. The autonomous system is able to perform emergency braking, if necessary, more effectively than a person. On the other hand, autonomous systems at the moment can only work effectively if the distance to another car is insignificant. As a result, it may affect the formation of traffic jams due to a sharp decrease in speed on the highway.
The fact is that the automatic braking system works only when the vehicle in front of it is in range of the sensors, which are still far from perfect in their scanning abilities. That is why autonomous cars still cannot reduce speed as smoothly as ordinary drivers can.
Another thing — about the question of heavy traffic on the road. For a fairly common problem such as a traffic jam, an autonomous car is indispensable because it reacts faster to the flow of traffic, which consequently contributes to the car moving faster and a solution to the problem of traffic.
Thus, the multiple drawbacks of the systems must be taken into account before autopilot systems enter into mass production and become widely available.
Another important question — are such cars safe? Such vehicles have been tested many times, but still the results of these initial tests do not meet the standards for guaranteed safety. Therefore, it is too early to talk about them being completely safe.
Types of a new generation of cars and the technology leaders
So when will it happen? At the moment, no country in the world has officially authorized the use of fully autonomous cars on public roads.
The only exceptions are the U.S. states of California and Nevada where the authorities have allowed the use of Google’s experimental autonomous cars on some roads.
Audi is currently developing an autonomous car, the A9, which will debut after 2018 — this car is equipped with unique autonomous technologies that bring the automotive industry closer to a fantastic future. This experimental autonomous model has equipment with a high degree of independent automation control, without the participation of the driver.
In addition, the German authorities are also currently preparing legislation that will officially allow the use of autonomous cars on the country’s roads beginning in 2020.
Mercedes has also invested millions of dollars in developing an innovative car of the future that will have a fully autonomous autopilot. The model is based on a futuristic concept car which was presented at several car dealerships in 2015. The concept was called the Mercedes-Benz F015, and it is almost a real self-service vehicle.
Volkswagen has also fully developed their VW Golf VII, which is equipped with a full-fledged autonomous control system. This model is planned to enter the market next year — at the end of 2019.
So, the technology of a full-fledged autopilot for the automotive industry has already been fully developed. For example, the VW Golf VII with autopilot can automatically drive a car at a speed of up to 130 km/h.
However, German car companies are not only preparing for the great era of autonomous cars. Most cars that are in development are also equipped with electric motors that are battery powered. For example, Audi is working on an autonomous car under the working title A9.
Tesla models could also be winners in this race. The renowned electric car company already has some of the most complex plans for developing semi-autonomous cars on the market. And the company’s latest plans state that it could launch its own passenger rental service and even allow individuals to rent them out. Well, that should be taken into account by other industry players!
In the near future, companies such as Apple and Google, which have become successful in the phone and electronic technology market, may enter the new business as automakers. Many of you have probably already heard of the autonomous Google Car. Numerous Uber-like services will be more convenient and will not be subject to the effects of the human factor.
When will this happen? What is the release date of these cars?
Starting from 2020, the automotive market will begin to mass produce autonomous cars of various brands. Conquering the whole world in the near future is more marketing noise, but most analysts believe that by the 2030’s, 20-30% of new cars sold around the world will be completely autonomous and that the technology will become ubiquitous in general closer to 2050.
What will these cars cost?
The thought must have crept into the reader’s mind — can I buy a self-driving car already? In any case, the price will determine the impact of autonomous vehicles on the world market.
Speaking of estimates of cost per mile for future autonomous vehicles, we will provide you with the most credible estimates:
$1.00 per mile
50 cents per mile (2030)
Morgan Stanley estimates that autonomous vehicles will cost about 50 cents per mile by 2030, compared with about 74 cents per mile for standard private cars.
29 cents per mile (2040)
As history teaches us, technological progress cannot be stopped. Humanity needs to understand that current and future developments will undoubtedly make life more convenient, but people are still mandatory in many professions and fields. In the end, human intelligence is still the best option for many tasks.
