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It’s been a sad but important week for the Fowler family, as my 89-year-old father has decided to lock up his car keys forever. It was completely his choice, but he no longer felt as confident while driving as before. So, for the sake of other road users and themselves, they decided it was time to stop – and indeed you were called into action to dispose of their beloved, much-loved Lexus LBX.
Once the Lexus pulled out of the driveway, I drove to the airport for my annual trip to Los Angeles, where I was judging. cars Before heading to the LA Auto Show for the World Car Awards.
LA was filled with all-electric Jaguar I-Pace driven by autonomous cab firm waymoThe cars are covered in sensors and drive themselves, You book them on the app, are greeted by your name on the screen, and the car will even play the music of your choice – but there is no driver in the car, The system works well, with Waymo proving increasingly popular in LA and other cities across the US,
I’ve been staying with friends in Arizona for a few days now, getting driven around and – sometimes – a Tesla The Model Y is using what Tesla calls Full self driving,
We Full self-driving can’t be used in the UK yetHowever many cars have level two autonomous technology. This allows the car to stay in the lane on the motorway and accelerate and brake to keep up with traffic. I use it a lot to take the stress out of long, monotonous trips, but I still have to hold the wheel and be ready to take over at a moment’s notice.
Not with Tesla full self-driving. This remarkable technology – which I first experienced in a Tesla Cybertruck last year – took us from the fourth floor of the car park on a 40-mile journey to my friends’ house, without my host ever touching the wheel.
Legally, as in the UK, you are still in charge and should be ready to intervene if needed. But to operate the system, you just have to look at the road – you don’t even need to keep your hands on the steering wheel.
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I couldn’t resist heading over to a friendly Tesla retailer in Glendale to try out the latest Model Y for myself. I drove for about ten minutes, deliberately getting lost after several twists and turns, before pulling into a parking lot.
After setting the retailer as my destination on the large touchscreen and selecting self-driving, the car took over. It keeled out of space, passed itself out, and slowly merged onto the road.
It’s an eerie but extraordinary sensation as the car navigates junctions, stop signs, parked cars, red lights and crossing traffic. It also slowed down due to speed, was taken back to the dealership and parked neatly in an empty bay. I just had to sit there and look at the road ahead.
Full self-driving won’t be for everyone, and it will take some time for most people to get used to – it requires a leap of faith the first time you let the car take control.
I’m sure there will be bumps in the road with fully autonomous cars, where you won’t even need a steering wheel – but they will come.
And the benefits are clear. If we already had fully autonomous cars in the UK, my father would still be out and about in his vehicle. He may not be driving it anymore, but he can travel wherever and whenever he wants with complete freedom.
wemo is going to UK next yearHowever full autonomy for private cars may still be some way away. Still, I’m confident – and hopeful – that by the time I have to stop driving, technology will have advanced so much that I’ll never have to stop owning and enjoying my car.
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