Self driving car good or bad

Bernard Soriano, a DMV spokesman, told Ars that Tuesday also marked the first time those numbers had been disclosed outside of the agency. "There are a handful of different companies that are completing their application," he added, noting that the DMV expected to issue more permits soon. "They’re all large automakers." … [Read more...] about Watch out, California’s self-driving car permits take effect today

Three layers of redundancy The obvious question any engineer is going to ask about a system like this is, "What happens when something goes wrong?" Voyage says it has taken multiple precautions. The company bonds together five separate cellular connections, each with its own SIM card on a different wireless carrier, to achieve maximum redundancy and hence reliability. If one of the five networks fails, software automatically switches over to the other four. … [Read more...] about This self-driving startup built a “car without wheels” for remote driving

Google has taken a few steps toward that future with its self-designed electric vehicle, and while adding a steering wheel and pedals will dial the futurism back a notch, the cars are still beneficial in other ways. Google made the front and back of the car nearly flat, giving the roof-mounted LIDAR and other sensors a less-obstructed view of things around the car. The ground-up design also allowed Google to embed sensors in an optimal position without worrying about mounting them to an existing structure. The cars are even fully electric, allowing Google to test its cars while causing a minimal carbon footprint. … [Read more...] about California DMV says Google’s autonomous car tests need a steering wheel

The Polestar 2 takes everything that’s good about electric cars and presents it in a familiar package. It’s an approach that could probably win a lot of converts as electric cars go from being a curiosity to a commodity. It’s too bad Polestar doesn’t plan to chase Tesla’s sales volumes, at least not right away. For now, the brand is targeting annual numbers in the “tens of thousands,” rather than the hundreds of thousands of cars Tesla currently builds annually, U.S. boss Gregor Hembrough told Digital Trends. … [Read more...] about 2021 Polestar 2 first drive review: More than a Swedish Tesla

The Los Angeles Times reports safety concerns are the main motivation behind the delay. Possible regulations will now be discussed at a public workshop in Sacramento in late January, and the DMV will gather feedback from industry, academic, and consumer groups in the meantime. The LA Times notes "there are currently no federal safety standards or independent organizations that test the safety of these vehicles." So according to USA Today, that leaves the state's DMV essentially with three courses of action: follow the current US system (manufacturers self-certifying vehicles), opt for a European system (independent companies provide verification), or get into the Herculean task of providing its own testing. … [Read more...] about California DMV will miss its deadline for driverless car regulations