Getting the Facts about Self-Driving Technology
If you would’ve told someone a couple of years ago that self-driving technology will be a thing they would’ve called you crazy. But now it actually seems to be a reality. Companies like Google and Tesla are definitely making sure this new autonomous driving technology will be made available to the public in a couple of years.
Don’t forget that, last year, Google announced that they actually have a fleet of prototype self-driving cars ready to be tested. People have seen that self-driving vehicles fare well on the highway, but they have been specifically skeptical about how well they’d do in an urban environment. According to some of the people who tried out Google’s prototypes, these self-driving cars actually drive better than their own vehicles.
However, while you prepare for the arrival of the autonomous car, it’s also a good idea to get all the facts you can about self-driving technology:
Self-driving Technology is All About Saving Energy
Let’s face it: Most cars nowadays, hybrids or not, are not very energy-efficient. It’s only natural for both consumers and manufacturers to have access to vehicles that are not that wasteful. Well, autonomous cars are the answer.
Unlike their standard counterparts, self-driving vehicles do not have to carry around the burden of thousands of pounds of steel to keep themselves safe from potential collisions. This is because this new type of vehicle is designed and manufactured to drive at slower, more optimal speeds and programmed to avoid collisions.
This way, your car won’t waste its energy on just trying to keep itself from crumbling under all that pressure. Self-driving technology is by far the greenest option thus far.
People Still Doubt Whether Cars Should Be Connected
This whole idea basically revolves around the idea of vehicles being able to ‘communicate’ with each other. This might sound silly, but keep in mind it can significantly improve the way roads are being used nowadays.
It will also save lives since self-driving cars can share messages between them regarding road conditions, locations and proximity issues. It’s no secret that humans tend to make mistakes when it comes to driving on the road.
On the other hand, those who oppose this idea believe that it can do more harm than good, stating that self-driving vehicles should only rely on camera vision. Nobody knows for sure what the future has in store when it comes to vehicles being connected in such a way, but most experts agree people will adapt to it.
Self-driving Cars Are Facing Parking Issues
Last year, CBS released an article in which they revealed that Google’s engineers were having trouble with programming self-driving vehicles to properly park, since it’s a pretty difficult task. According to another, more recent article, self-driving cars are still facing this issue, along with heavy rains and snow. However, Google technicians and engineers are hard at work to get these issues fixed as soon as possible.
If you have any more insight to add on the subject of self-driving technology, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.