Public road automation has been a phrase on everybody’s lips in the automotive world for more than a decade, but the challenges are misjudged, and the question is: Has public road automation only been a playground for technical nerds rather than addressing real-world pain points? Or have the real-world problems been a subterfuge for playing around with technology?

For sure, increased traffic safety is something that needs to be further addressed, but will automation really be the solution to a reduction in fatalities?

Robotaxi service provided by Motional and Uber in Las Vegas, NV. There are safety drivers still in place in the taxis, but the plan is to remove them during 2023.

In December 2015, Elon Musk said that Tesla cars will drive themselves within two years [1], and still there is no self-driving Tesla car. Since then, Elon has repeated this mantra every now and then. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature has been much debated lately because of safety flaws.

Full Article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 18, Number 1, January 2023

[1] K. Korosec, Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles will drive themselves in two years, Dec. 2015, [online]

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