Ars Technica:
I toggled on the auto-cruise and auto-steer, dialed the target speed up to 90mph and the desired follow distance to four cars, parked myself in the right lane, and pulled my hands slowly away from the wheel.
It takes a while to get used to this feeling. Instead of serving as the primary means of direction for a car, you’re now a meat-based backup and failsafe system. Instincts and impulses formed by more than two decades behind the wheel scream out a warning—”GRAB THE WHEEL NOW OR YOU’LL DIE”—while the rational forebrain fights back. Eventually, the voices quiet as the car starts to prove itself. When the road curves, the car follows. If the car is ever going too fast to negotiate the curve, it slows down and then accelerates smoothly back out of the turn.
This is a really interesting read. I still won’t give up my motorcycle for a (semi) autonomous car but this description of a long trip while letting the Tesla take care of a lot of the driving shows you what the future will hold.
I often drive long distances (4+ hours) on rural highways, so I look forward to selective use of a feature like this when it makes its way to cars that mortals can afford.
What I really look forward to is the day when we all take this and even better self-driving for granted. Imagine the ability to do other things on a long commute – work, nap, read. NO, NOT THAT. Jeez, people.
Oh “THAT” happens now. You can be guaranteed it will happen more in self-driving cars…
We could even hook some of those automobile together. Perhaps place them on steel guideways to increase friction and space efficiency. Provide a professional operator-of-the-group to oversee the whole assembly. If only we had a word for that…
Yesterday I saw someone run a red light from because the roads to either side of him had a left turn signal, and the road to the right of him had run out of cars turning.
So he ran the right from the light turn lane, moving over to the centre lane as he went through, and missing the cars turning into the left lane. Luckily, none of them moved over to the gas station, which they often do here.
My point? @#$%, people. Self driving cars cannot come quickly enough. Drivers are getting more brazen, acting more entitled, and just being all around more stupid with each passing week.
Science fiction.
And the levels of The Stupid are even higher when you ride a motorcycle. 🙁