Uber launches autonomous fleet in Pittsburgh this month

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RegGuheert

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From Bloomberg: Uber's First Self-Driving Fleet Arrives in Pittsburgh This Month
Bloomberg said:
Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved.
Bloomberg said:
Uber’s Pittsburgh fleet, which will be supervised by humans in the driver’s seat for the time being, consists of specially modified Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicles outfitted with dozens of sensors that use cameras, lasers, radar, and GPS receivers. Volvo Cars has so far delivered a handful of vehicles out of a total of 100 due by the end of the year. The two companies signed a pact earlier this year to spend $300 million to develop a fully autonomous car that will be ready for the road by 2021.
 
As a past Uber Lyft Driver - make sure you don't give the babysitter driver a tip - he is already making only 5.00/hour!! if he bust his butt.
 
Here is another article on the Uber Pittsburgh trial: Driverless Uber arrives, and Pittsburgh hops aboard. This article puts a bit of focus on the business model that Uber is hoping to achieve more than the technology itself:
E & E News said:
"What is interesting and exciting is that we are seeing the product development and business model innovation at the same time," Ezell said. "Uber isn't trying to compete just to design the safest possible autonomous vehicle, but also to create a compelling transportation experience."

For years, experts have said the best way to incorporate autonomous vehicles into society would be for driverless cars to also be connected, electric and shared (Greenwire, Feb. 16).
 
Nightly Business Report had brief coverage on this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQNqx3NQjKs - skip to 15:00. The story's under 2.5 minutes long.
 
So many things that have to get answered:
1. How are they going to be able to recoup the cost of the car and the at best (lowest cost in full production) $20,000 on top which is more than they pay the "mule" drivers now?
2. When it gets low on gas who is going to fill it back up. This car would have to drive 24 hours a day to even get close to a break-even which means 600 miles per 24 hour period and thus 2-3 trips to the pump.
3. If it gets into an accident what is it going to do with the driver of the other car in the collision? If it hits a pedestrian or bicyclist?
4. What is the system going to do when its being summoned by a police officer to pull over?
5. Who is going to clean up the puke that it has no idea of before it picks up the next passenger?
6. How is it going to pick up the passenger when the rider do not have their GPS turned on in their phone and the pickup location becomes now 10-20 variable locations at a given general address like a coliseum ?
7. What is going to happen when the passenger lights up a smoke or open an illegal beverage in the car?
8. What is going to happen when a dog gets in the car and sheds over the seat and paints the window glass with its wet nose?
9. When it pulls up to a crowded bar at 2:00 am and there are 15 patrons outside who have hailed a Uber, how does the car know who to pickup?
 
I'm guessing a press tour happened either today or recently and a media embargo was just lifted.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/14/ride-along-with-us-in-ubers-self-driving-car/ also had some coverage and a brief video.
 
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