Powered by Aptiv and Lyft.
Do you experience a sense of trepidation at the thought of putting your life and the lives of others in the hands of a programmed, non-human thing? The idea of handing over the control you exert over a motor vehicle to something that doesn’t think, process, and respond the way you do can be an uncomfortable experience for many (this writer included). But with the wave of vehicular autonomy upon us, it’s only a matter of time before we’re demanded to trust these systems implicitly. And if you are like many millennials out there who are far too afraid of the commitment that comes with actually owning a car and prefer to just ‘borrow’ one when needed, you may have to do that sooner than you think.
At this years’ Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Lyft will be partnering up with vehicular-autonomy company Aptiv to offer rides in roboticised taxis throughout the exhibition. These cars will be, for all intents and purposes, fully-autonomous, and will be expected to handle the myriad of driving situations that human beings have had to do over the last hundred years or so. These cars will pick up passengers at the Gold Lot outside the Las Vegas Convention Centre, and send them off to one of twenty pre-programmed locations.
Of course, these cars will not be simply roving around without supervision. A totally-human driver will be behind the wheel to step in if needed, though hopefully it won’t be. Passengers will also share their automated BMW 5-Series with an “in-car host” who will talk them through the features of the autonomous ride, as well as provide a lecture on the advantages of autonomous driving and how the demonstration “showcases the positive impact automated cars will have on individual lives and communities.”
Aptiv has spent several years mapping the streets of Las Vegas for various other projects, which is likely why it isn’t their subsidiary NuTonomy isn’t the one taking the opportunity to work with Lyft. Last month, NuTonomy’s self-driving cars were a part of Lyft’s initiative to offer autonomous rides to members of the public in Boston, where Lyft is based.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
