Earlier quoted context omitted.
yes, but no. Yes, they'll do it for now. No, once they're as normal as humans, they'll definitely be tweaked to maximize profit. And that will include as much speeding as risk/reward dictates. So yeah, they'll do the same thing as humans eventually.
A company that systematically speeds is a nice fat piggybank for governments wanting a little extra money in their budget or a political win. These vehicles are logging their current locations and speeds constantly against a map of known speed limits. It's much easier for a government to request those records and assess a fine than go after individual motorists with politically unpopular measures like speed traps and…
Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
211–220 of 235 posts
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#212Earlier quoted context omitted.
He means that robotaxi companies will make more money if they can fit more 'rides' into a given period. It won't be long before some mba big brain figures out lobbying for increased speed limits will do just that.
> lobbying for increased speed limits So we're describing a hypothetical problem a decade or more out in respect of a technology evolving so quickly a significant fraction of people still don't even believe it's real.
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#213Earlier quoted context omitted.
We can called it a "Beneficial Usage Service" or BUS, for short.
This meme about self-driving cabs being glorified busses reminds me of the infamous Dropbox comment. It’s technically correct. But it misses the social context so entirely that it, when you realise it’s being seriously said, becomes farce.
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#214Earlier quoted context omitted.
Turns out, we have an answer to this: Self driving is easier. By a lot. It's not even close. No entrenched interests trying to block your infrastructure plans by claiming that your rail line passes through the territory of some flightless owl, no need to be called racist for cutting through the cheapeast land in the city to build out rails, no need to dig tunnels for subways. No need to overcome class prejudices wher…
Fair enough. I will ask, how many billions have been spent in not only FSD but the car infrastructure that makes room for FSD investment? I'm being slightly fanatical, but if our priorities were not car-centric in the 50's, do you think we would have spent more, or less money over the last 70 years on the transportation economy?
The global AV industry has taken roughly as much funding as California HSR has on its own, and less than what HSR will need to finish.
I've been doing public transit advocacy for my entire adult life. I've worked in the AV industry somewhat less than that. My advocacy has produced a couple of bike lanes and bus stops, contrasted against 3 AV launches.
I'd love to build more public transit, but experience tells me that the most effective thing I can do to support my community is AVs.
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#215Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
The main issue in this case is that LV strictly dictates rideshare pickup/dropoff locations on the strip.
A lot of the more interesting things in Vegas are off the Strip, like Omega Mart or downtown. I was just there this year and after less than a day I saw no reason to be on the Strip.
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#217Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#218Why does it need a moronic design? We’ve already spent 100 years perfecting car design for crash resistance. Why are there no crumple zones?
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#219What's interesting is that about 80% Tesla's entire valuation is FSD and Optimus, and the underlying assumption with FSD is that it'll magically turn on for all Tesla's in a day and they'll have a monopoly and extract all the profit needed for that valuation. Apart from any comparisons with Waymo, I suspect self-driving will broadly follow other AI tech, where we'll see a proliferation of competitive self-driving tec…
I would bet against the imminent commodification of autonomous vehicle technology. Way too early. No consensus on the technology approach. Here's a speculative but plausible take: Zoox and Waymo are both products of cloud computing and data gathering giants. Maybe that's the important factor.
Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas
#220Where is a comprehensive test demonstration and rating by an insurance and federal agency? Utterly disturbing announcements and rollouts like this aren't prominently linked with comprehensive testing videos. "We're a tech company, just trust us" The only thing I like about this is the potential to make Tesla look bad.