Columnists give very different views of driverless futures
Two columns by motoring experts have painted very different views about the future of driverless vehicles, but both have questioned the concept of humans having control some of the time and the car the rest. The two are reacting to news that some level of driverless technology will be permitted by the end of the […]
GM aiming for personal driverless vehicles this decade
The American carmaker GM is aiming at offering customers self driving vehicles later in the 2020s. American broadcaster CNBC reports that while autonomous vehicles for deliveries and ride-hailing services are currently undergoing rigorous testing, manufacturing them for retail customers hasn’t been a priority for automakers because the technology needed for the systems is “prohibitively expensive”, […]
VW planning on-demand vehicle features
Carmaker Volkswagen is planning to include all features in all their cars, but use connected vehicle technology to charge drivers for the ones they use. Top Gear magazine has spoken to the German company which says it plans to have cars “crammed full of tech and features” which the user can turn on and off […]
Oxbotica and Navtech launch radar-based localisation system
Driverless vehicle developer Oxbotica and radar developer Navtech have launched what they say is the world’s first all-weather radar localisation solution for industrial autonomous vehicles, typically accurate to less than 10cm on any vehicle, in any environment. Combining Navtech’s patented FMCW radar sensor and Oxbotica’s autonomy software platform, Terran360 is an entirely new offering to […]
Driverless expert says vehicles must be designed with misuse in mind
One of the world’s leading experts in automated vehicles has told the latest Highways Voices podcast that developers must accept drivers may not use their vehicles correctly and put in the relevant safeguards to minimise risk. Listen here. Consultant Professor Nick Reed of Reed Mobility was referring to cases such as the driver who put […]
Driverless pod on show in Lake District
The Lake District National Park demonstrating a driverless pod to visitors in order to explore how Connected and Autonomous Vehicles could offer residents and visitors “accessible and sustainable” transport to reduce the need to drive and to cut carbon. The Pod is at the visitor centre at the Brockhole grounds until the end of the […]
British insurers give driverless capability warning
Insurance companies are warning carmakers and government regulators must spell out the current limitations of self-driving technology otherwise plans to make the UK a world leader could backfire. The news agency Reuters reports that insurers are concerned drivers might equate today’s lower levels of automation with fully self-driving vehicles, potentially causing more accidents in the […]
World’s longest indoor CAV test track opens in Sweden
The Swedish test track AstaZero is opening the world’s longest indoor facility for testing active safety systems and autonomous technologies for all types of vehicles. The facility is 700m long and 40m wide and enables testing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with reproducible light and surfaces. “AstaZero Dry Zone will play an […]
Two dead in “driverless” Tesla crash
Two men are dead after a Tesla crashed into a tree in Texas while nobody was in the driving seat. TV Station KPRC in Houston says that Police believe “no one was driving” the fully-electric 2019 Tesla when the accident happened. The report says there was a person in the passenger seat of the front […]
GM’s cruise launching driverless service in Dubai
The General Motors subsidiary Cruise has signed an agreement with the Dubai Government to operate a driverless ride-hailing service in the Emirate. The agreement will make Dubai the first non-US city in the world where Cruise will commercially operate these vehicles. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority says the deployment of these self-driving vehicles is expected […]