71rocket

So could getting rid of all cars and alcohol. The Amish get along fine with neither.

MDchanic

And they save on razors, too.

- Eric

Gary M

But they spend it all on feed for the horses. The more horses the more feed and it all goes to sh......... Look at the time, 🤐

MDchanic

I believe that horses are most finely tuned invention to date for turning dollar bills into shi... manure.

They've got cars, boats, and even bars beat by a long shot.

- Eric

Fun71

The bottom line for me is I do not want a car to drive for me. What would be the point of having a Maserati, Ferarri, 442, etc if it drove and you were just along for the ride?
It's not just about getting from point A to point B - the fun is in the actual DRIVING. When was the last time you had a FUN taxi, uber, lor lyft ride?

oldcutlass

The biggest threat on the road today is not my driving skills or condition of my vehicle, its the other guy. I maintain my vehicles to ensure safety and serviceability to myself or anyone who rides in it. I don't have the same confidence level with reference to others let alone something as complicated as a self driving vehicle. Who is going to maintain these things to ensure they are safe? What are the failure modes and consequences? I just don't think that the people pushing this crap have considered all the long term variables.

What about extreme adverse weather conditions, will it work or not work like my direct tv?

Tedd Thompson

Rule of thumb, don't ride on or in anything that can think for it's self. That includes horses or self thinking cars...... Tedd

MDchanic

I never put horses into the category of something that can think, whether for itself or anyone else.

Any animal that will willingly walk around all day with a 200 pound man on its back can't be thinking too much.

- Eric

Koda

Men support women their entire adult lives just for a once-a-month or so romp in the hay.

Fun71

That is a good question. I recently read about the laser systems that are used on these vehicles for "seeing" their surroundings, but there was no mention of what happens during rain, fog, dust storms, etc. I remember reading that the LIDAR speed guns used by police don't work in the rain as the water droplets disperse the laser beam, so are these self driving systems the same? Maybe that's the reason companies are testing them in areas like Phoenix where it rarely rains.

Olds64

I've read that self-driving cars also use radar to know their location. Radar is used in every weather condition to detect things from planes to birds.

What gets me is that no dealership tech, wether they work for Kia, Ford or Maserati will be able to troubleshoot a radar. The radar is undoubtedly a plug and play unit. How much will this add to the cost of a vehicle?

Fun71

Yeah, you are right, this article confirms LIDAR, RADAR, and camera usage:
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?se...doc_id=1330069

The tech articles I previously read were discussing LIDAR only , I guess since it's the newest up and coming technology.

Olds64

Well, any technology like that requires a completely different set of skills than those that even ASE certifiefd techs have.