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Alphabet's Self-Driving Cars To Get Their First Real Riders (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the they-are-here dept.

After almost a decade of research, Google's autonomous car project is close to becoming a real service. From a report on Bloomberg: Now known as Waymo, the Alphabet self-driving car unit is letting residents of Phoenix sign up to use its vehicles, a major step toward commercializing a technology that could one day upend transportation. For the service, Waymo is adding 500 customized Chrysler Pacifica minivans to its fleet. Waymo has already tested these vehicles, plus other makes and models, on public roads, but only with its employees and contractors as testers. By opening the doors to the general public with a larger fleet, the company will get data on how people experience and use self-driving cars -- and clues on ways to generate revenue from the technology.

6 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Beta testing self-driving vehicles... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    What could possibly go wrong?

    1. Re:Beta testing self-driving vehicles... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      [...] worst case scenario we all die, the universe is destroyed.

      That's a common misconception among people. Humanity can die off just like the dinosaurs and the planet will continue on for another four billion years until the sun becomes a red giant. Neither the planet nor the universe cares about humanity.

    2. Re:Beta testing self-driving vehicles... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      They really don't rush it, which is good.

      Last year, 1.3M people died worldwide in accidents involving human driven cars. Another 20 million were seriously injured. Costs exceeded $1T. So why is it "good" to delay SDC technology?

  2. Ads. Listening devices. Streamed bloopers. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    >> clues on ways to generate revenue from the technology

    Step 1: Plaster everything with ads. Include annoying TV screens with loud advertisements.

    Step 2: Install listening devices to tailor ads to match anything the people in the car say.

    Step 3: Install cameras and live-stream babies throwing up, brothers beating on each other and other mundane events to YouTube. Include more ads.

    1. Re:Ads. Listening devices. Streamed bloopers. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

      >> Step 3 might be not be a good idea if customers are making babies while the self-driving car goes around the block 30 times.

      No, they save that stuff for YouTube's Red channel. Maybe they could call it "Fake Taxi"...

  3. Still waiting for my Google Fiber by Drewdad · · Score: 2

    Now I have to wait for my Google self-driving car.....