![]() ![]() While I grabbed my bag as the robotaxi appeared to be pulling over to the curb, it suddenly sped up and inexplicably started driving away in the opposite direction.Īfter seeing the dashboard display screen indicating I was now somehow an estimated 20 minutes away from my destination, I grew frantic. My September ride with Peaches didn’t end well.Īs we approached my designated drop-off location near the Fairmont Hotel - where presidents have stayed and the late Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” - Peaches advised me to gather my belongings and prepare to get out of the car. Article contentĪfter postponing two previous votes on the proposed expansion in June and July amid the robotaxi backlash, the California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to tackle the thorny issue Thursday - unless information presented at a Monday status conference prompts another delay. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And the technology to pull it off is advancing steadily, just like other artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots that can write college-level essays and produce impressive pieces of art within seconds.īut when something goes awry, as it did near the end of my encounter with Peaches, that sense of astonishment and delight can evaporate very quickly.Īnd even though none of the Cruise and Waymo driverless vehicles have been involved in major accidents in San Francisco, the robotaxis have been malfunctioning frequently enough to have triggered an intense resistance to proposed expansion that would allow them to operate around-the-clock throughout the city. The theory fueling the ambition is that driverless cars will be safer than vehicles operated by frequently distracted and occasionally intoxicated humans - and, in the case of robotaxis, be less expensive and more convenient to ride in than automobiles that require a human behind the wheel. It was all going so smoothly that I was starting to buy into the vision of Cruise and Waymo, a self-driving car pioneer spun off from a Google project that is also trying launch a ride-hailing service in San Francisco. ![]() Activate your Online Access Now Article content If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |