GM Plans Fleets of Autonomous Robo-Taxis by 2019

By and | December 1, 2017

  • December 1, 2017 at 8:41 am
    GroPoLaeur Bear says:
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    Like any other technology; it will likely have many ‘bugs’ soon after it is introduced. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean a demolition derby will result in any large urban areas…. until the bugs are corrected.

    I await many replies by proponents of automated cars to state how their new Windows or Mac OS’s over the years were bug/ flaw free, and thus, automated cars will be trustworthy. I also await replies that answer the tough, ethical question: “which occupant(s) will the autonomous vehicle protect; its own occupant or occupants of other vehicles which it is about to crash?”.

    • December 1, 2017 at 8:42 am
      GroPoLaeur Bear says:
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      ‘vehicle with which’, not ‘vehicles which’. bear culpa.

    • December 1, 2017 at 9:26 am
      Rosenblatt says:
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      Whatever you’re calling yourself today … I think it bears reminding what Ammann said (which was written in the article)

      “Safety, Ammann said, will ultimately be the deciding factor on when to take the driver out of the car.”

      This statement implies that the ‘bugs’ you referenced as well as the computer logic on how to “best” avoid an accident will be a major focus of theirs before the roll-out occurs.

      False equivalency on Windows/Mac comparison – even though they’re both computers at their core. A more relevant comparison/statement would be:

      I await many replies by opponents of automated cars to state how the automated systems in planes over the years have not been hacked, and thus, how automated cars will not be similarly tested and deemed trustworthy.

      • December 1, 2017 at 11:05 am
        AlJohn FranKonyers Hypocrite Groapologists says:
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        I’m glad their focus is on safety first.

        I recall Windows purveyors said similar stuff about flawed OS’s they wanted to rush out for hyuuuuuge profits.

        Everyone will be watching if the automated escape pod mongers will actually follow their word/ promise, or lie like politicians or … used … car… er, pre-owned… car… salesm… marketing agents.

        What will you do, Roseneblatt, if they don’t put safety first; e.g. Volkswagen? Will you return to this comment page and admit your error in judgement of their sincerity?

        • December 1, 2017 at 11:47 am
          Rosenblatt says:
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          Again – false equivalency on Windows/Mac comparison. You didn’t respond to my airplane comment, so let’s try another comparison

          How many trains with Automatic Train Operation Systems have been hacked or were released with bugs that impacted passenger safety?

          I’m not asking about vulnerabilities – hacks that actually occurred or bugs that caused personal property or injury … how many? That’s an equivalent comparison to driver less vehicles.

          • December 1, 2017 at 2:26 pm
            Agent says:
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            Rosenblatt, you are into your word parsing mode again which is an unattractive trait to have. You must have been sitting around for some time ignoring all the hacks going on in the world of very sophisticated operating systems. How are you going to guarantee hackers won’t hack autos, trucks or airplanes when this technology is implemented? Please supply everyone with your guarantee of safety. Ready, set, go.

          • December 6, 2017 at 2:16 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            Safety isn’t guaranteed. One of the reasons we transfer risk.

        • December 6, 2017 at 4:58 pm
          Jameson says:
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          Let’s just ignore the fact that there will be months, if not years, of beta testing. 2019 is very ambitious and would be pushed back if the product is not ready. It’s not like these will roll off the line and just be put out for public consumption. Do drug companies just throw drugs out on the market without testing?

      • December 2, 2017 at 1:12 am
        UW says:
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        I don’t think the safety aspect is going to be the difficult part to get right. They can make them not hit things pretty easily once they are the predominant vehicle. The problem is making them at all usable in places with any population. The Waymo vehicle is driving with 2 engineers in it, but it takes 20 minutes to go 3 miles on fairly empty streets because it stops, drives slowly, and cannot predict what pedestrians, bikers, and other cars are going to do. Once you add in trucks backing into streets, double-parked cars, etc., they are a mess. Doing highways or trucking should be relatively easy, but for everyday use they are a long ways away, and wont’ ever work as hyped without massive public spending to totally change the infrastructure, when that money would be better spent on public infrastructure most places.

        I would probably bet everything I have that GM does not have a fully autonomous taxi service on the road in 2019, and if they do it will be tiny, and garbage.

  • December 1, 2017 at 5:46 pm
    GroPoLaeur Bear says:
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    Something.

    • December 1, 2017 at 7:37 pm
      Rosenblatt says:
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      Definitely was not my intent. Please help me learn and be a better person – how did I insult you?

    • December 2, 2017 at 7:11 pm
      GroPoLaeur Bear says:
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      You didn’t say anything that significanlty annoys me… I posted ‘something’ for comedic effect.

      I still see hacking and failure / bugs in OSs’ of automated escape pods (cars). Perhaps my analogy needed work, or needs to be replaced. The intent stands as a valid concern. Much more time and testing is needed before automation takes effect on highways.

      • December 3, 2017 at 3:28 pm
        Rosenblatt says:
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        I agree with everything you said.



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