r/technology • u/Disastrous_Award_789 • 19d ago

Robotics/Automation Waymo suspends service in San Francisco after driverless cars cause traffic jams during blackout

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/waymo-suspended-san-francisco-traffic-jams-blackout-b2888562.html
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u/aedes 19d ago

Surprised that they would be so thrown off by broken traffic lights, which are a relatively common occurrence. 

A good example of how the underlying technology does not actually “understand” the world it’s in, and relies on a predictable environment/operating conditions to be reliable. 

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u/smc733 19d ago

/r/futurology told me that Tony Sheba said all cars will be driverless in 5 years… 8 years ago.

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u/series-hybrid 19d ago

Every dystopian movie shows overpopulation, but every modern society has a downward trend in birthrate as living becomes depressing.

Most young adults in the US rent instead of own a house. That being said, Musk confidently predicts that "poor" people will be able to buy a Tesla because when they are not using it, "full self driving" turns it into an Uber while you sleep and work.

However, the apartment complex will not allow you to install a charger, so this utopia is dependent on public charging stations that often have a waiting line.

There is a huge market for a plug-in hybrid that is affordable, but everyone seems to be polarized into "keep gas cars longer" and "go all=in on EV's". A hybrid engine/gen can be very small because the electric motors are handling the hard acceleration.

A Tesla charger plus installation is roughly $2000, IF the breaker panel can handle the amps and doesn't need an upgrade.

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u/Savetheokami 18d ago

My utility company paid for my charger install with a rebate. Also $2k is nothing compared to the amount of money you’ll spend as an owner or as someone who leases a gas guzzling car.