Automated Cars Are Not Able To Use the Automated Car Wash (thetruthaboutcars.com)

schwit1 shares a report from The Truth About Cars: [T]he simple task of washing a self-driving car is far more complicated than one might expect, as anything other than meticulous hand washing a big no-no. Automated car washes could potentially dislodge expensive sensors, scratch them up, or leave behind soap residue or water spots that would affect a camera's ability to see. According to CNN, automakers and tech firms have come up with a myriad of solutions to this problem -- though a man with a rag and some water appears to be the most popular. Toyota, Aptiv, Drive.AI, May Mobility, and Uber have all said they use rubbing alcohol, water, or glass cleaner to manually wash the sensors, before carefully finishing the job with a microfiber cloth. While it's more than just a little ironic that these automated vehicles require gobs of attention and pampering from human hands just to function correctly, some companies are working on a way around it. General Motors' Cruise has said it will design and implement sensor-cleaning equipment in production vehicles.

Comments

Re:Of course we'll be careful with them.

[GrumpySteen]

IP67 is no match for even the mild pressure from a garden hose, let alone a pressure cleaner.

That's because IP67 is rated for immersion, not water jets. If you need to use a pressure cleaner, you should be buying sensors rated IP66 or IP69K. IPx7 (immersion) does not imply that it meets IPx6 (high pressure water jet) protection.