With all of the media coverage of coronavirus filling up our airwaves and timelines, we at Drover Rideshare, would like to help you get your mind off things. If you follow our blog closely, you know that there’s nothing more we like talking about than ridesharing. One of the latest ridesharing options everyone seems to be talking about is autonomous rideshare.
Why is the Internet Talking About Autonomous Vehicles?
While the concept is nothing new – as a matter of fact, it’s been around since the 1930s – in the last couple of weeks, the Internet has been talking about driverless cars more than usual. And just what caused all of this commotion online?
That’s because earlier this week, the Origin, a driverless, electric car built by Cruise, has made its way into the Internet. Cruise aims to launch the Origin in San Francisco, help the city lower its pollution levels, and help people save money on ridesharing. According to some estimates, an average family could save more than $5,000 on a yearly level, with the help of the Origin.
So when will this wondrous vehicle hit the road? No one knows actually. The company didn’t even give a rough timeline of when they plan on launching the Origin. For people who’ve been excited about self-driving vehicles before, this probably won’t come as a huge surprise.
Weren’t We Supposed to Have Driverless Cars by Now?
We’re sure that some of you are asking themselves, weren’t we supposed to have self-driving cars on the road by now? If you fall into this category, you probably remember one of these headlines:
“Self-driving cars: from 2020 you will become a permanent backseat driver” – The Observer, 2016
“10 million self-driving cars will be on the road by 2020” – Business Insider, 2016
“Elon Musk Promises a Really Truly Self-Driving Tesla in 2020” - Wired, 2019
As you may have noticed, none of these predictions came true. Here’s the thing, the possibility of having fleets of self-driving vehicles was slim at best even before the coronavirus outbreak. After the entire world went into shut-down mode, the chances got even slimmer.
In the months leading to 2020, most experts were agreeing that self-driving technology has hit a plateau. While some people – like Mr. Musk – hoped that we would have fully-autonomous cars by the beginning of this decade, in reality, our chances of having Level-5 autonomy soon don’t look great.
We have to wonder, with so many rideshare options out there, are people yearning for driverless cars?
Are the People Ready for Driverless Rideshare?
When it comes to self-driving cars, researchers can’t agree on whether people do want them or don’t. A recent survey of more than 400 active car shoppers showed that almost a third of consumers are excited about having the option of buying self-driving cars. While the idea of self-driving cars is still novel and exciting to some, others have worries about it.
No matter how much you know or don’t know about the technology, one has to wonder, is rideshare safe without a driver behind the wheel? While we still can’t answer this question for certain, we do know that a lot of people share these concerns. As it turns out, Joe Average doesn’t seem to have too much trust in autonomous vehicles at all. Just check out this recent poll by PAVE:
More than 70% of people in the US don’t believe autonomous tech is ready
Almost 50% said that they’d never use a driverless rideshare car
About 20% of people believe that driverless cars will never be really safe
Despite those numbers, some people are still sold on driverless cars. So much so that they are willing to invest hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars into the technology.
5 Companies Working on Autonomous Vehicles
Despite many people being less-than-enthusiastic about technology, many successful companies are still betting on driverless cars. Let’s look at five companies and startups working on autonomous rideshare vehicles, right now.
1. Uber’s Self-Driving Project
Uber has a full division – the Advanced Technologies Group – for developing new technologies. At the moment, their main concern is designing and building a driverless car that will be able to function in places where weather, demand, and other conditions are too favorable.
2. The RideFlux Startup
The Korean startup was originally started by some of the country’s best engineers in an effort to create the first driverless ridesharing company in Asia. So far, their autonomous cars have driven more than 10,000 kilometers. They plan on having a vehicle on the road in less than four years.
3. Amazon Autonomous Ride Services
This year, the eCommerce giant has purchased Zoox, an autonomous vehicle startup, reportedly for $1.2 billion. Furthermore, Amazon is planning to invest up to $2 billion more into autonomous technology, in an effort to enter the rideshare market.
4. Lyft Preparing an Autonomous Fleet
Not to be completely overshadowed by its biggest competitor, Lyft is also investing a good chunk of its profits into autonomous technology. For the last couple of years, Lyft drivers have been using small digital cameras to collect footage that will help the company perfect the self-driving technology.
5. The NEVS Autonomous Ridesharing Network
NEVS, a Swedish company, is currently developing a full-on network of autonomous vehicles. Their main goal is to reduce emissions in cities around the world. Their shuttle prototype, Sango will hopefully diminish the need for public transportation and reduce pollution by a large margin.
How do You Feel About Autonomous Cars?
How do you feel about electric rideshare? Are you satisfied with the rideshare options we already have or do you want more? Since you and your friends can’t catch a self-driving ride, that means, you still have to split rideshare. And if you’re ever in need of rideshare in Nashville, Tennessee, feel free to download the Drover Rideshare app, and catch a ride instantly.
