Nissan to sell multiple affordable self-driving cars by 2020

[BurnItDwn]

I want self driving car, then, I can have a drink and relax on my way home from the office rather than get frustrated with some asshole who is not paying attention as the light turns green and only 2 or 3 of the 100+ cars in front of me make it through the intersection.

 

[smackababy]

I want self driving car, then, I can have a drink and relax on my way home from the office rather than get frustrated with some asshole who is not paying attention as the light turns green and only 2 or 3 of the 100+ cars in front of me make it through the intersection.

That isn't really a problem with paying attention as much is it a problem that people are stupid and wait for the person in front of them to move before they start. If we all started at the same time and speed, it would take half as long. But, people are stupid and can't drive.

 

[Kaido]

I think if that happens, taxis will get phased out. A service where an electric car picks you up and takes you somewhere for a fraction of the price of a taxi driver would destroy them. Plus, that would eliminate them refusing to drive you outside of the city for less than like triple the cost it should be.

Truck drivers, train drivers, taxi cabs, pizza delivery services, etc. Although some of the heavier/more sensitive cargo ones might need babysitters in the cab.

 

[JMapleton]

This is all a marketing ploy. There is absolutely, positively 100 percent no way self driving cars will be the norm in just 7 years. It will take years of debate, testing, public feedback, and legislation just to get the first one on the road.

This is all nonsense to get people to talk about Nissan.

 

[natto fire]

This is all a marketing ploy. There is absolutely, positively 100 percent no way self driving cars will be the norm in just 7 years. It will take years of debate, testing, public feedback, and legislation just to get the first one on the road.

This is all nonsense to get people to talk about Nissan.

Your cynical outlook is unfortunately probably correct, although maybe 7 years is a bit over the top. If nothing is done about inattentive drivers in 7 years then I think we will be staring down some pretty scary crash numbers. Yeah cars will be so safe that fatalities will be lower, but insurance companies are not going to sit on their hands and pay for everyone to run into each other while they are texting. If they do, I hope there is an insurance company that automatically drops someone for crashing while texting. Hopefully it will be Progressive, as I already saved $150 a year when I went to Snapshot and proved to them I don't drive like a dumbass.

I think the biggest problem will be integration, because anyone that doesn't see the advantage of autonomous driving is definitely touched, but there are such a wide variety of autos that even one not programmed for synchronous driving will screw everything up.

I love car culture as much as the next gearhead, but it is time to face facts that many people do not take it seriously and are a liability on the road. Even if you do, it is hard to predict what these terrible drivers will do next and puts you on guard possibly to the point that you are interpreted as a bad driver yourself which falls into a domino effect.

 

[JCH13]

This is all a marketing ploy. There is absolutely, positively 100 percent no way self driving cars will be the norm in just 7 years. It will take years of debate, testing, public feedback, and legislation just to get the first one on the road.

This is all nonsense to get people to talk about Nissan.

Nissan Nissan Nissan Nissan Nissan

Shit! It worked...

 

[LTC8K6]

Your cynical outlook is unfortunately probably correct, although maybe 7 years is a bit over the top. If nothing is done about inattentive drivers in 7 years then I think we will be staring down some pretty scary crash numbers. Yeah cars will be so safe that fatalities will be lower, but insurance companies are not going to sit on their hands and pay for everyone to run into each other while they are texting. If they do, I hope there is an insurance company that automatically drops someone for crashing while texting. Hopefully it will be Progressive, as I already saved $150 a year when I went to Snapshot and proved to them I don't drive like a dumbass.

I think the biggest problem will be integration, because anyone that doesn't see the advantage of autonomous driving is definitely touched, but there are such a wide variety of autos that even one not programmed for synchronous driving will screw everything up.

I love car culture as much as the next gearhead, but it is time to face facts that many people do not take it seriously and are a liability on the road. Even if you do, it is hard to predict what these terrible drivers will do next and puts you on guard possibly to the point that you are interpreted as a bad driver yourself which falls into a domino effect.

We now have cars that won't crash into things, going forwards or backwards...that warn you of lane drift...that recognize signs...that park themselves, etc.

The problem with autonomous cars will be liability when they crash or run over a pedestrian...

I can't see how we would get past the liability problem. No one is going to want to hold that bag.

 

[smackababy]

We now have cars that won't crash into things, going forwards or backwards...that warn you of lane drift...that recognize signs...that park themselves, etc.

The problem with autonomous cars will be liability when they crash or run over a pedestrian...

I can't see how we would get past the liability problem. No one is going to want to hold that bag.

How is a car driving itself going to be more of a liability concern in a crash than a person? A single law could easily fix that. A licensed driver would be required to have the legal ability to operate a self driving car at all times, remain in the driver seat, and comply with all laws a driver of a non self driving car is subject to. Boom! That person accepts all responsibility of the car.

The real thing is computers react faster than humans, think faster than humans, and (with the proper sensors) are more aware of their surroundings than humans. They also don't get distracted (unless Windows is updating while you're driving!).

The real setback I see is outfitting traffic control devices (stop signs, traffic lights, etc) with the proper technology to give all these self driving cars the signals so they aren't just reactionary. They can know the light is turning red in 4 seconds, and begin to slow down prior to that happening.

Now, of course, there will still be some accidents. But, I'd imagine the amount would decrease, as like 95% of them are caused by one or both drivers.

 

[SparkyJJO]

How is a car driving itself going to be more of a liability concern in a crash than a person? A single law could easily fix that. A licensed driver would be required to have the legal ability to operate a self driving car at all times, remain in the driver seat, and comply with all laws a driver of a non self driving car is subject to. Boom! That person accepts all responsibility of the car.

I'm sorry, I'm NOT taking responsibility for a mistake that the computer made that was programmed by somebody else. Heck no.

 

[Midwayman]

This is all a marketing ploy. There is absolutely, positively 100 percent no way self driving cars will be the norm in just 7 years. It will take years of debate, testing, public feedback, and legislation just to get the first one on the road.

This is all nonsense to get people to talk about Nissan.

They won't be the norm in 7 year. They will be coming out for the first time. Several states already have laws allowing autonomous car. The legal and liability issues will be worked out. The safety and efficiency benefits are just too large to ignore.

 

[Midwayman]

I'm sorry, I'm NOT taking responsibility for a mistake that the computer made that was programmed by somebody else. Heck no.

I don't think liability is ultimately going to change that much. Design defects tend to land back at the manufacturer's feet through lawsuits already. User error will cease to exist. That mostly leaves mechanical failure. That's probably still on you, just as it is today. Nice bit it much more extensive data logging will exist to prove who's fault it is.

I don't really expect to 'own' any of these cars the first few years anyways. They'll probably all be on lease like many of the electric/hybrid vehicles were at first. That way they can recall everything if there are issues.

 

[JMapleton]

They won't be the norm in 7 year. They will be coming out for the first time. Several states already have laws allowing autonomous car. The legal and liability issues will be worked out. The safety and efficiency benefits are just too large to ignore.

At the end of the day you'll have to get people to buy them. That won't happen.

I would never buy one, ever.

 

[Zorba]

At the end of the day you'll have to get people to buy them. That won't happen.

I would never buy one, ever.

I don't think it would be hard to get people to buy them. Pilots for commercial aircraft turn on the autopilot with a minute of taking off and generally turn it off just a few minutes before landing. Private aircraft owners spend thousands upon thousands to put autopilot features in their aircraft. And pilots became pilots because they love to fly, most adults drive because they have to, not because they just love doing it.

I imagine the liability will be handled similar to aircraft. There will be different levels of automation that must meet different criteria. The systems will be certified to that criteria and if an accident does occur it will be checked to see if the system worked per spec, if yes it would all be on the operator. In aircraft even when the automated systems fail, it is almost always still pinned on the pilot for failure to deal with the situation.

I do think it'll be a while before you'll be able to buy a car with no over ride controls.

 

[disappoint]

I think GM or some university did a demo of about six Buick Regals driving really close at 70mph. They pretty much proved traffic will greatly improve because they can cram more cars in since the cars synchronize with each other.

The issue is, the Google and Nissan self driving cars don't seem to benefit from this directly.

What if something happens to one of those cars in the front? The rest would smash 10/10?

 

[ProchargeMe]

I would hate to have to fix one of these cars in a crash. My best bet would be they total the car during any instance of a serious crash. Who's going to WANT to fix a car that's this complicated?

 

[Kaido]

The problem with autonomous cars will be liability when they crash or run over a pedestrian...

Speaking of liability:

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/11/14/mazda-cx-5-auto-brake-test-drive-accident-japan/

Mazda CX-5 in auto-brake accident on Japanese test drive

As we slowly march towards a world where our cars will drive for us, there will be mishaps. Systems will act up, not behave has intended or we'll simply forget to turn them on. We all remember when Volvo tested the S60's City Safety system. Now Mazda has had an issue of its own.

During a test of a Mazda CX-5's Smart City Brake Support on a dealership lot in Japan, a prospective customer and a dealership employee were injured when they hit a urethane barrier used for testing the system. According to Bloomberg, which spoke with the Saitama Prefectural Police, the impact with the barrier left the customer with an injured neck while the dealership employee suffered a fractured arm. Considering the injuries, we imagine this wasn't a small barrier.

"For any safety function, it's impossible to be 100-percent free of accidents. These technical functions aren't always the easiest to understand," IHS Automotive auto parts analyst, Hiroshi Ataka told Bloomberg.

Mazda's Smart City Brake Support is available as standard equipment on the Mazda6 Grand Touring and as an optional extra on the CX-5 and Mazda3, in the US market. A Mazda spokesperson in Japan told Bloomberg that it will be cooperating with the local authorities and that the company will not comment on any other issues involving Smart City Brake Support at this time.

 

[Kaido]

I would hate to have to fix one of these cars in a crash. My best bet would be they total the car during any instance of a serious crash. Who's going to WANT to fix a car that's this complicated?

I don't think it'd be any different from any other car - the computer is the brains that handles the sensors, so it'd just be a matter of reinstalling the right parts. A lot of cars already have actuators on the steering wheel & gas/brake pedals for automatic braking & automatic parallel parking, but the computer is the piece that controls those devices, so I would think it would mostly be plug & play...

 

[nerp]

That isn't really a problem with paying attention as much is it a problem that people are stupid and wait for the person in front of them to move before they start. If we all started at the same time and speed, it would take half as long. But, people are stupid and can't drive.

Sounds great until the guy behind you rear ends you because you couldn't go because the guy in front of you is stopped.

 

[sontakke]

I will repeat myself. Unless Google/Nissan field tests their vehicles in a 3rd world congested city, it will not be as good as a human driver.

 

[smackababy]

Sounds great until the guy behind you rear ends you because you couldn't go because the guy in front of you is stopped.

They should be paying attention. If anyone rear ends you after a full stop, they are morons.

 

[waggy]

IF i can afford it i will look at the. i think that would be a great idea.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

can't wait.

sad how many people are scared - they will be our next generations 'dumbass old people'

 

[LTC8K6]

How is a car driving itself going to be more of a liability concern in a crash than a person? A single law could easily fix that. A licensed driver would be required to have the legal ability to operate a self driving car at all times, remain in the driver seat, and comply with all laws a driver of a non self driving car is subject to. Boom! That person accepts all responsibility of the car.

The real thing is computers react faster than humans, think faster than humans, and (with the proper sensors) are more aware of their surroundings than humans. They also don't get distracted (unless Windows is updating while you're driving!).

The real setback I see is outfitting traffic control devices (stop signs, traffic lights, etc) with the proper technology to give all these self driving cars the signals so they aren't just reactionary. They can know the light is turning red in 4 seconds, and begin to slow down prior to that happening.

Now, of course, there will still be some accidents. But, I'd imagine the amount would decrease, as like 95% of them are caused by one or both drivers.

Are you going to sign the paper that says you are responsible for the autonomous cars actions? 😉

That's what you will be signing when you buy one.

I'd think about that for a long time...

 

[Midwayman]

At the end of the day you'll have to get people to buy them. That won't happen.

I would never buy one, ever.

I'm sure people felt that way about automatic transmissions too when they first came out. Or the first cars for that matter. Now look where we are. The masses will be reluctant at first, but the tide will quickly turn. I'm sure there will be holdouts, but as time passes I'm sure legislation will make manual car use more and more difficult to use. After all you can't ride a horse on a public street anymore.

 

[JMapleton]

I'm sure people felt that way about automatic transmissions too when they first came out. Or the first cars for that matter. Now look where we are. The masses will be reluctant at first, but the tide will quickly turn. I'm sure there will be holdouts, but as time passes I'm sure legislation will make manual car use more and more difficult to use. After all you can't ride a horse on a public street anymore.

I think this is quite a bit different than automatic transmissions. That's a huge stretch, seriously.

I didn't say it's not going to happen, but it's not going to happen in our working lifetimes. I give it 50 years and I can see them being the norm. But not long after that personal transportation will likely be a thing of the past when efficient mass transit systems take over and cities are rebuilt to accommodate them.