Tech Update: Self-Driving Cars Shift Into High Gear

CARS.COM — Each week, the world of self-driving cars advances, sometimes in little steps, sometimes in huge leaps. This was a “huge leap” week:

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Self-Driving Cabs Invade Pittsburgh’s Streets

The city that forged its reputation in the steel industry is busy positioning itself on the front line of tomorrow’s tech thanks in large part to a self-driving pilot program conducted by ride-hailing giant Uber. Uber set out a small army of self-driving cabs this month, albeit with the added security of a driver and engineer in each car for safety’s sake.

Should I care? Yes, because it means self-driving cabs, at least, are moving a lot closer to reality. Instead of just one or two cars running around the Nevada desert, Uber’s pilot program puts vehicles in real-world driving situations that will aide engineers in developing smarter self-driving technology for a wider audience in the future.

NHTSA Rolls Out Self-Driving Guidelines

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued its first-ever guidelines for the development, testing and introduction of self-driving vehicles.

Should I care? Yes. In one fell swoop, NHTSA helped disentangle questions concerning federal and state regulation of self-driving vehicles along with the oversight that will be enacted during the development and deployment of these cars. One potential stumbling block: NHTSA wants automakers and others in the self-driving business to get ready to do some serious cooperation.

Data collected from autonomous vehicles should be shared, according to NHTSA’s guidelines, to allow the fledgling industry to better learn from mistakes and help make the technology safer for consumers. It remains to be seen whether large auto companies and ride-hailing companies play nice, or if data sharing is akin to telling a group of rambunctious kindergarteners that everyone gets equal time petting the class guinea pig.

Obama Pushes Benefits of Self-Driving Cars

In an op-ed published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, President Barack Obama looked back on the rapid rise of technology during his seven-plus years in office. In that period, he noted, as phones and watches underwent a technological renaissance, “self-driving cars have gone from sci-fi fantasy to an emerging reality with the potential to transform the way we live.”

Should I care? Yes. In his editorial, Obama highlighted one of the key benefits to autonomous vehicles as reducing human error and minimizing the risk of accidents. Last year alone, more than 35,000 U.S. drivers were killed in car crashes.

Despite the environmental and safety benefits that could come via an autonomous-driving future, the president made it clear that this brave new world of self-driving cars and trucks will not be an unregulated playground. “If a self-driving car isn’t safe, we have the authority to pull it off the road,” he stated, matter-of-factly.

Millions of Jobs Lost?

Despite the potential environmental and safety benefits provided by autonomous vehicles, millions of jobs could be on the line. That’s according to author Steven Greenhouse, who warned in a Los Angeles Times op-ed that up to 5 million jobs could be lost as self-driving cars become a reality.

Greenhouse and Lyft President and Cofounder John Zimmer see car ownership becoming virtually obsolete, and in a much shorter timeframe then you’d imagine. Within only five years, Zimmer wrote in his own Medium editorial that he expects “the majority of Lyft rides” to be handled by self-driving vehicles. In cities, where parking is scarce and insurance is high, he predicts private car ownership will all but disappear by 2025. Ride-hailing is “just the first phase of the movement to end car ownership,” noted Zimmer, who referred to transportation as one day becoming “the ultimate subscription service.”

Does that mean hopping aboard a Ferrari for your daily commute could cost an iTunes-like $1.99? Don’t count on it.

Should I care? We’ll have to see. The figure, while stark, also happens to take the frightening tactic of suggesting all taxi drivers, truck drivers and even gasoline attendants will be out of work overnight. As a counter to its own doom and gloom, Greenhouse’s editorial suggested “it’s not all bad news … we can see what’s coming, and we have plenty of time to figure out a plan of action” when it comes to creating new jobs for a self-driving economy.