There has been a looming conversation around autonomous cars for some time now. Talk of the self-driving car has been in the works for years. The first real inkling of this came when we were introduced to cruise control, next came electric/hybrid cars, then the semi-autonomous vehicle. and now comes the fully autonomous vehicle. There have been a number of predictions that, in time, the number of personally owned vehicles will significantly decrease and be replaced by more communal options. With such predictions in place, major automotive makers are getting behind the wheel on this.
As more and more technology companies are entering the automotive business, car makers are feeling a greater sense of competition around innovation. It seems that almost every week there’s a new press release from either a tech company or car maker suggesting a potential date for their “fully autonomous” car. It’s a race to see who develops the first autonomous car available to the public.
Car makers have since been teaming up with both technology companies and ride sharing companies in the efforts to be at the forefront of this initiative. There has been speculation of a partnership between Google and Ford in the world of autonomous driving. Google has been testing a fleet of 53 vehicles in California and Texas since early 2015, that includes both their prototype and a modified version of a Lexus SUV. Ford now has a fleet of 30 vehicles being tested in Michigan, California, and Arizona. Although no official statement has been made as of yet, a partnership between one of the most influential tech companies and oldest car makers could make for quite a team.
Another trend in partnerships is that of car makers and ride sharing companies. It was recently announced that General Motors invested $500 million into ride-sharing company Lyft. While most car makers are focusing on their fully autonomous prototypes, GM is also looking at things in a broad manner. It is more likely for autonomous cars to first be used in ridesharing situations, as opposed to individual use. By utilizing these autonomous cars in conjunction with ride-sharing services, you’ll create an on-demand autonomous service that eliminates congested roadways and pollution.
There’s still a lot that remains to be seen with the future of fully autonomous cars. One can presume there is quite a bit of negotiating going on behind closed doors between tech companies, car makers, and ride sharing services. As we’re likely a number of years away from on-demand autonomous services, it’s interesting to see the partnerships that are beginning to form thus far.
from Mark Cohen http://ift.tt/1Kc4Qis
Mark Cohen NYC 