ROBOT UNDERLORDS
Broken Dreams
A few years ago, death was knocking on our driver’s-
side doors. Driving was over. Done. Kaput. We
would become passengers in our own vehicles as the
autonomous revolution took over our roadways and
garages. The message wasn’t coming just from Silicon
Valley disrupters. In 2016, Mark Fields, then the CEO of
Ford, told assembled press in Palo Alto, California, that
his company intended to have robotaxis on the road in
- Everything was changing. But then it didn’t.
The advent of the autonomous vehicle has been
delayed more than a few times by more than a few com-
panies. Humans take the ability to manage the cognitive
load of driving for granted, but building a computer sys-
Automakers and suppliers are being increasingly honest
about the challenges of autonomous driving.
tem that can match our abilities is extremely
QV¦PbYa 6aμ` NY`\ V[P_RQVOYf Re]R[`VcR
Years of research and development are still
needed before Level 4 autonomy—in which
the car can safely perform all driving tasks
but only in limited areas—is accessible to
consumers. Rushing the technolog y could
have catastrophic consequences.
6[ %V[dUNa[\dY\\X`YVXRN[V[½RPaV\[]\V[aV[
the development of autonomous vehicles, a self-driving
Uber test vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe,
Arizona. In the wake of that tragedy and with the realization
that no amount of hype would solve the technical challenges
of autonomy, companies have adjusted their self-driving
timelines. After almost two years of collaboration, automo-
aVcR`b]]YVR_:NT[N_RPR[aYfO_\XR\ßVa`]N_a[R_`UV]dVaU
Lyft to co-develop an autonomous vehicle. The company will
focus instead on Level 2 driver-assistance systems like the
ones already found in many new vehicles (in which the vehi-
cle can steer, accelerate, and brake with human oversight).CAR AND DRIVER ~ APRIL 2020 ~ ILLUSTRATION BY DIEGO PATIÑO 13