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Alleged Tesla Model S crash shows self-driving cars still have plenty of work to do
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The latest public incident involving self-driving cars shows that these types of vehicles still have some work to do before we see them all over the roads.
Jared Overton, owner of a Tesla Model S, has claimed that the car autonomously crashed into a trailer in front of a vehicle while it was parked on the street, according to The Verge. Tesla responded by saying that data logs showed the man had activated the car's new Summon self-parking mode, which is still in beta.
Tesla has advised drivers to use Summon only on private property and to pay attention to their surroundings to avoid incidents. The driver can stop Summon by pushing a button on the key fob or in the Tesla mobile app, and Overton reportedly did not do this.
Tesla owners have shown that they sometimes ignore the company's warnings. For example, Tesla tells drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times, even during Autopilot mode, but several drivers have posted YouTube videos of themselves with their hands off the wheel. On some occasions, no one was even in the driver's seat.
This shows the dangers of placing beta technology into the hands of live consumers. Tesla's strategy for developing a fully autonomous car depends on testing software under real conditions, and it warns customers when software is in beta and tells them that they must be prepared to take control of cars at all times.
Overton's crash would be the first involving a Tesla vehicle that was driving autonomously, but regulators remain concerned about the potential for self-driving car accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said earlier this year that it was accelerating the development of regulations for these vehicles, as more of them appear on the road without proper testing.
This is just one of many problems that self-driving cars will have to overcome before they reach mass adoption, but there is also plenty of potential in this market.
John Greenough, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has compiled a detailed report on self-driving cars that examines the major strides automakers and tech companies have made to overcome the barriers currently preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the market. Further, the report examines global survey results showing where fully autonomous cars are highly desired.
(BI Intelligence)
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
Three barriers have been preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the road: (1) high technological component prices, (2) varying degrees of consumer trust in the technology, and (3) relatively nonexistent regulations. But in the past six months, there have been many advances in overcoming these barriers.
Technology has been improving as new market entrants find innovative ways to expand on existing fully autonomous car technology. As a result, the price of the components required for fully autonomous cars has been dropping.
Consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicle technology has increased in the past two years.
California became the first US state to propose regulations. They stipulate that a fully autonomous car must have a driver behind the wheel at all times, discouraging Google's and Uber's idea of a driverless taxi system.
In full, the report:
Examines consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicles
Identifies technological advancements that have been made in the industry
Analyzes the cost of fully autonomous technology and identifies how cost is being reduced
Explains the current regulations surrounding fully autonomous cars
To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
Subscribe to an All-Access Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT
The choice is yours, but however you decide to acquire this report, you've given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the emerging world of self-driving cars.
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