Most years (with some exceptions) I forecast predictions in January about what the approaching twelve months will deliver for self-driving automobiles. On the finish of the 12 months, I consider these predictions.
My predictions from January 2020 held up very properly at excessive confidence ranges, after which fell aside at low confidence ranges. Particularly, I wildly overestimated progress on driverless supply and on worldwide autonomy.
✔ No Degree 5 self-driving automobiles will likely be deployed anyplace on this planet.
✔ Degree 4 driverless automobiles, with no security operator, will stay publicly obtainable, someplace on this planet.
✔ No “self-driving-only” public highway will exist within the U.S.
✔ Tesla will stay the business chief in Superior Driver Help Methods. [DS — I don’t have a good objective source of truth for this. Arguably GM Super Cruise or Comma AI have surpassed Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta. But Telsa FSD Beta still seems to me like the standard again which everyone else compares themselves.]
✔ An autonomy firm will likely be acquired for at the least $100 million. [ DS — A whole bunch of lidar companies were “acquired” by SPACs in 2021. That is not what I had in mind when I made this prediction, but I guess it counts.]
✔ Degree 4 autonomous automobiles, with or with no security operator, will stay publicly obtainable in China.
✔ C++ will stay the dominant programming language for autonomous automobiles.
✔ A lidar-equipped automobile will likely be obtainable on the market to most people. [DS — Some have been announced, but I don’t think any are actually for sale yet. Maybe outside the US?] [Update: Audi A8]
✔ My mother and father won’t trip in an autonomous automobile (besides at Voyage or anyplace else I would work).
✔ Tesla won’t launch a robotaxi service.
✘ Absolutely driverless low-speed automobiles will transport prospects (not essentially most people).
✔ Waymo will broaden its public driverless transportation service past Phoenix. [DS — I count Waymo’s free transportation of pre-screened beta customers in San Francisco. Although this is not what I envisioned when I made the prediction.]
✘ A Chinese language firm will provide self-driving service, with or with no security operator, to the general public, outdoors of China.
✔ A self-driving Class 8 truck will make a totally driverless journey on a public freeway. [DS — TuSimple just barely slid under the wire!]
✔ Aerial drone supply will likely be obtainable to most people someplace. [DS — I think the Zipline-Walmart partnership counts.]
✔ Tesla will stay the world’s most dear automaker.
✘ Absolutely driverless grocery supply will likely be obtainable someplace within the US.
✘ Tesla Full-Self Driving will provide Degree 3 (driver consideration not vital till requested by the automobile) performance someplace on this planet.
✘ A member of the general public will die in a collision involving a Degree 4 autonomous automobile (together with if the autonomous automobile just isn’t at-fault).
✘ An organization in addition to Waymo will provide driverless service to most people, someplace within the US.
✘ An organization will deploy driverless automobiles for last-mile supply.
✘ Degree 4 self-driving, with or with no security operator, will likely be obtainable to the general public someplace in Europe.
✘ A Degree 3 automobile will likely be provided on the market to the general public, by an organization aside from Tesla.
✘ The US requires driver-monitoring techniques in new automobiles.
✘ The business coalesces round a security normal for driverless automobiles.
✘ Self-driving service will likely be obtainable to most people, with or with no security operator, in India.
