Lexus Driverless Cars

[Spacewagon52]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34423292

In partnership with Google.

[ColinBarber]

This really doesn't have anything to do with Toyota/Lexus other than Google chose to use the RX as their development vehicle.

Here is the real Toyota/Lexus driverless car, but sadly seems way behind the leaders in this field.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34464450

[Spacewagon52]

Interesting they chose a Lexus - would have thought they might have used an American car?

[ColinBarber]

I guess they needed something reliable and wanted low emissions. They were using Prius vehicles before the RX, but I think they wanted 4x4 for winter testing. Toyota/Lexus vehicles are very, very common in California.

[rayaans]

The Automated GS is pretty good - there are NO leaders in this field since fully automated vehicles are illegal at the moment.

The motorway only strategy seems a good bet - it even changes lanes by itself without needing any input from the driver. Im sure it'll work fine on our motorways.

Who needs an automated car in town anyway?! If you want one of them you've either got to be unable to drive or unworthy of driving in the first place.

[Spacewagon52]

I can see the benefits for older people who are no longer able to drive due to ill health.

[ColinBarber]

Many young people, especially in the US, specifically California, have no interest in driving and many in the cities don't own cars. Driverless cars have the potential to massively change social and economic conditions in cities. Vehicles are only used about 3%, the rest of the time they are just idle. You can massively reduce the number of vehicles produced, no one needs to know their own vehicle, no bus or taxi drivers etc. etc. I suspect heavy lobbying of the US government will delay progress.

To say there are no leaders is ridiculous. Google vehicles have driven over 1 million miles unaided in California and Texas performing complete journeys, interacting with traffic lights, cars merging, cyclists and pedestrians. Toyota have a vehicle that can change lanes on a motorway.

[rayaans]

There are no leaders though - that would imply you can buy one today - the leader would therefore have to be Tesla as the P90D can almost drive itself.

[ganzoom]

You don't need a 90D for autopilot. The hardware is every Tesla built since end of 2014. So even the £50K base model has it. The cost of the software activation is £2100 across the board, so pretty damn good value for money on a £50k car. The software is only a 1.0 release the car knows where junctions are, can 'read' speed limits. There is no reason Tesla cannot integrate the steering function into the sat nav so if makes turns for you. The next version of the software is going to allow fully automated parking....ie;you get out and the car parks it self!!!

Just rember these videos below aren't 'demo' videos of non-production machines. These cars are already driving around the streets....Freaky stuff!!

Still it's really just 'Beta', works great but this video shows what can happen if you try to force it to work in non-ideal situations....