Actually I think they're onto something, the company being required to get insurance [too] means they have more financial skin in the game. A crash when the car is being driven by the company's algorithm should be paid for by the company and not the driver. Same as if any other engineering defect causes an accident.
> Actually I think they're onto something, the company being required to get insurance [too] means they have more financial skin in the game.
No, a company that is liable has skin in the game, insurance mitigates rather than enhances that—its the whole point of insurance, swapping out risk for a fixed cost.
Owning one of these cars I can tell you it's not worth the money. Drops out of hands free mode every few minutes.
The only way I'm paying a goddamn subscription for something like this is when it gets me from A to B without me needing to pay any attention beyond setting the destination and watching a movie.
If it doesn't work, under the Consumer Rights Act you need to ask for your money back, paying for stuff that doesn't work encourages companies to half-arse things.
I live in the US but disagree entirely. Works solid where I’m driving, rarely dropping out. I bet I get an average of 55min hands free per hour of interstate driving and it is very smooth. Would definitely pay monthly for the convenience, but so far it’s still free from purchase for me.
Everyone would rather pay $0/month rather than $18/month, but those aren't the choices actually being offered. Realistically it's either $x/month or $y upfront. Seeing tesla's track record of selling "full self driving" as an upfront charge, I prefer the subscription model more because it allows me to stop paying if the feature ends up being a dud.
Adaptive cruise control is automatic speed adjustment, with you doing the steering. This adds automatic steering and removes the need to keep your hands on the wheel. Hands-free is the big differentiator from existing lane-keeping systems.
ACC with LKAS is not the same as "you don't need to keep your hands on the wheel". AFAIK, It's only GM (Super Cruise), Ford (Blue Cruise) and Mercedes Benz (Drive Pilot) who have ACC systems that are designed to be completely handsfree on select motor ways.
"Don't have to firmly grip the steering wheel" is a thing. You're supposed to keep your hands loosely on the wheel, following along while the car takes the lead on turning the wheel.
The Ford thing is "hands in your lap," and is publicly advertised that way. It's far rarer.
O_o I rented a hyundai a few weeks ago that had acc with steering, throttle, and braking. I tested the hands free mode on the interstate and it worked very well.
"To be clear, HDA 2 is not a hands-free driving system. If the driver takes their hand off the steering wheel for several seconds while HDA 2 is active, the system will warn the driver with a message in the instrument cluster that reads, "Keep hands on steering wheel." If the driver keeps their hands off the steering wheel, the message will reappear with an audible warning. After the second message, if the driver does not take hold of the wheel, a new warning message will appear, and the system will deactivate."
What else am I going to do with my hands while staring at the road? Even if I could get a hands-off upgrade in my existing car, and I wasn't opposed to car subscriptions, I wouldn't pay this price. Just give me normal level 2 driving.
The idea is that you can keep them in your lap, which tends to be a more relaxed position than actively gripping the wheel. It may not be your thing, which is fine. But I do a 10hr road trip a few times a year, and personally would see a benefit.
Personally I could care less about automating driving on surface streets. I'm a fan of just about anything that makes the long hauls easier.
The facts that they know who's used it and can charge a monthly subscription for it mean that the car isn't fit to be bought or used in the first place.
One thing I learned for "Design of Everyday things" is that when someone blame themselves for not correctly using a product, it is bad design of the product at fault instead.
In car which offers self driving restrictions people are going to look away. If looking away caused an accident will the be blaming the drivers? Will drivers be blaming themselves? These UXs are life threatening.
It's just another everyday machine that requires trained people to operate. Doesn't change the fact that machines designed for trained professionals also cause accidents just because they were poorly designed. The book mentions airplane accidents a lot and how that industry learned from them and improved designs as well procedures.
Driver monitoring system like that will just be adding another layer which can fail in so many unpredictable ways.
Yes indeed, but making electric the prestige item first has the advantage of all the trend-setting rich going for it, and then the middle class who want to emulate the rich buy the cheaper models when they're available, and hopefully by the time it reaches down to second-hand ones reaching working class people the transition has completed and not just been replaced with a counter-trend of rich people rolling coal.
Have any of the cheaper Chinese electric cars reached the UK yet? I've not been keeping track since I emigrated.
MG have been here for years, and BYD have entered the market this year.
In terms of adoption, Teslas (Teslae? Teslata?) are now displacing Audis as the car of choice for the arsehole driver, and other marques are becoming increasingly common amongst the middle class (in the British sense, not the American). As for 'rolling coal', has anyone outside of America ever done that?
Nowhere near as pricy as they were - I've heard tale you can get a new zoe for £16k if you look in the right places. Certainly secondhand values have dropped a lot in the last 18 months.
We need less reliance on cars: decent, cheap public transport, and shared cars for when that doesn't suffice can reduce dependence on imports and energy consumption. But it's not going to happen.
Has been available for a while in U.S./Canada [0]. Works on a limited pre-approved set of highways, disengages before sharp turns and in poor visibility, but yes, takes care of routine straight line driving very well.
Also, requires paid subscription after the initial 3 years (the rationale is that they need to "index" and update the compatible roads).
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 37.8 ms ] threadSo basically adaptive cruise control
Just makes sense for self driving to have a "combined" subscription that is or functions as insurance.
No, a company that is liable has skin in the game, insurance mitigates rather than enhances that—its the whole point of insurance, swapping out risk for a fixed cost.
OTOH, the insurer then has skin in the game.
Either way, the cost they pay will be directly related to how safe it is. They have almost all the skin in the game.
The only way I'm paying a goddamn subscription for something like this is when it gets me from A to B without me needing to pay any attention beyond setting the destination and watching a movie.
From the article: “…become the first to offer hands-free driving capabilities on roads in the UK – a first for the whole of Europe, as well.”
The Ford thing is "hands in your lap," and is publicly advertised that way. It's far rarer.
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-hyundai...
"To be clear, HDA 2 is not a hands-free driving system. If the driver takes their hand off the steering wheel for several seconds while HDA 2 is active, the system will warn the driver with a message in the instrument cluster that reads, "Keep hands on steering wheel." If the driver keeps their hands off the steering wheel, the message will reappear with an audible warning. After the second message, if the driver does not take hold of the wheel, a new warning message will appear, and the system will deactivate."
Personally I could care less about automating driving on surface streets. I'm a fan of just about anything that makes the long hauls easier.
In car which offers self driving restrictions people are going to look away. If looking away caused an accident will the be blaming the drivers? Will drivers be blaming themselves? These UXs are life threatening.
Secondly, this is why driver monitoring systems are so important. This system specifically talks about eye monitoring.
Driver monitoring system like that will just be adding another layer which can fail in so many unpredictable ways.
* https://www.vox.com/2016/2/26/11120236/bad-doors-human-cente...
We need electric options that are actually affordable.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/mustang-mach-e/360034/new...
The average annual household income in the UK is just £32k, putting this laughably out of reach for most.
Have any of the cheaper Chinese electric cars reached the UK yet? I've not been keeping track since I emigrated.
MG have been here for years, and BYD have entered the market this year.
In terms of adoption, Teslas (Teslae? Teslata?) are now displacing Audis as the car of choice for the arsehole driver, and other marques are becoming increasingly common amongst the middle class (in the British sense, not the American). As for 'rolling coal', has anyone outside of America ever done that?
At the low end you've got the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, both basically starting at 30K, and even used they're still pricey.
Not that I have any justification for a pick up, but it does look like a great EV.
Also, requires paid subscription after the initial 3 years (the rationale is that they need to "index" and update the compatible roads).
[0] https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-bluecruise-version-1...