Driverless Technology

Why self-driving cars will not be on our roads in 2021.

In those heady optimistic days, way back at the start of 2020, there was much hype and excitement at the possibility of self-driving cars. We could sit back and be transported across the country as we filed our nails, texted and let the car do the driving. It is 2021 and life is more realistic on all fronts. The technology of robo cars has advanced, but it may still be some time before we, the general driving public, will be sitting pretty in fully automated self-driving cars. 

The car industry calls autonomous vehicle driving ‘level 5 autonomy’. Some of the innovations that make up Level 5 of autonomous vehicles is already being used in current new car technology. Cars now have capabilities involving sensors that make parallel parking a dream for example. Sensors in modern vehicles can detect and warn the driver of danger around the car. Autonomous cars need a lot more sensors in order to accurately detect speed, objects and distance in all weathers and conditions. Heavy rain, graffiti on road signs and other unexpected interruptions may negate the accuracy of these sensors.  Full level 5 has not been achieved using sensors. Tesla cars employ Radar in their driverless cars, which seem to be more reliable as it is not affected by outside variables. Elon Musk reports that engineers have small problems to solve in the advancement of robo cars, but that the main technology has been conquered. Technological tweaking continues but it has to be said that one of the biggest barriers to fully driverless cars is consumer suspicion and lack of confidence.

While over 90% of car accidents are attributed to human error and a driverless car dismisses the worry of texting drivers, drink drivers and distracted drivers, the driver-less vehicle has not been fully embraced by the driving public. Self-driving cars offer the promise of a safer, more efficient drive. Even better, most self-driving cars are electric so they will not generate harmful emissions. Nevertheless, it seems both potential robo car owners and those who might share the road with them are not totally convinced. Uber, the large taxi company, have already shelved plans to move to driverless technology, stating that the self-driving car challenge is bigger than anticipated. A much-publicised fatal crash involving a driverless Uber taxi and a cyclist in Arizona has gone a long way to bursting the bubble of hype and optimism surrounding the driver less car. Trust in the car to do the right thing always needs to be reinforced.

There are also other issues in that current regulations for the autonomous car system simply do not exist. The question of automated lane keeping is yet to be regularised for he as and while there is an international standard for the minimum requirements of an autonomous car, it does not solve the problems of sensors, machine learning and operational learning introduced above - although it may in time. The question of whether the human operative will need a driver’s licence has to be answered too. There is an assumption that the driverless cars will have a human driver, licensed or not, in the driving seat in case of emergencies. All of this, I am afraid is still very much in the future. So, if you were entertaining visions of sending the car to school with the kids, while you clear up the cornflake debris and drink an undisturbed coffee, well think again. The patience we have all learned in recent time will come into play yet again.

With the exception of Tesla, which continues to promise the imminent arrival of self-driving technology, a slower timeline has been widely accepted by other manufacturers. Zoox, Cruise and Waymo are just three of the companies working hard in the race to be the first company to introduce a self -driving car. Cruise and Zoox models reportedly have no pedals or steering wheels, which is a little disconcerting. When we finally have these clever driverless vehicles, the smart technology or AI will mean that autonomous cars continue to learn once it is driving. Its software will detect new hazards, log new objects and continue to get software updates. 

All the car makers acknowledge that the move toward autonomous cars is not as easy as the hype once predicted. But eve n as they iron out the engineering and hone on the original designs, they also acknowledge that there is a hard road ahead to finding acceptance of a robo car from the Irish motorist.It is generally accepted though, that many of the younger up and coming generations will never have to take a driving lesson or screech their way on a n unsuspecting gear box, roaring for miles in second gear or driving round for ages to find an ‘easy ‘parking spot. For them, a driver less car will be the norm. As for the rest of us, if we ever get back to the pub, we may well appreciate a car that can find its own way home. But then, that too, seems a long way off.