VW is testing its robotaxis in snowy, icy Norway
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This is based on:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/report-cybertruck-safety-ford-pinto/
The report takes in consideration 5 >FIVE< person died on a number of aprox 34.000 Cybertrucks sold, including this one guy who blew himself up in front of Trump International Hotel and a car fire where 3 persons where killed in one and the same incident. So it would be fair to say that there where 2 deadly incidents with cybertrucks involved. This is hardly a sample size to draw any conclusions on.
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Albino_Boo
Ars Praefectus
I used to use the Swindon one, I'm not rich enough for Hemel Hempstead
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Another reason to avoid Oslo then.
Also, it’s not the snow that’s going to be a challenge, it’s the dismal state of the roads and infrastructure. Markings are worn out, signs are bent and missing, suddenly there’s a patch of cobblestone, driving directions are suddenly changed, roads are suddenly blocked off, and approximately 20% of the roads are temporary due to road works that never are never completed. Potholes are so bad that the cars won’t last a day unless they learn to drive around them. And THEN there’s the ice.
Also, it’s not the snow that’s going to be a challenge, it’s the dismal state of the roads and infrastructure. Markings are worn out, signs are bent and missing, suddenly there’s a patch of cobblestone, driving directions are suddenly changed, roads are suddenly blocked off, and approximately 20% of the roads are temporary due to road works that never are never completed. Potholes are so bad that the cars won’t last a day unless they learn to drive around them. And THEN there’s the ice.
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I love how some still only rate a vehicle's safety only by looking at the occupants.
I mean, it's not like doing that results in an arms race where everyone feels the need to drive 5,000 pound hate trucks that go through pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and regular cars like a cracked-out can opener, right?
I mean, it's not like doing that results in an arms race where everyone feels the need to drive 5,000 pound hate trucks that go through pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and regular cars like a cracked-out can opener, right?
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I don't know about where you live, but in civilised countries, there are laws that forbid discrimination on the basis of protected attributes such as requiring an assistance animal, or being female. The current problem is that they are poorly enforced against the minority of drivers who offend. I suggest that if discriminatory charges were coded in an app, it would easier, not harder to enforce the law.
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Let me be more clear...the question was:
I think the correct response would be: Americans are slower to learn new things than Europeans? Not just roundabouts.
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It's working out horribly for everyone. And we continue to see idiots saying idiotic things. And to be clear...worrying about trans people the "wrong" bathroom is fucking idiotic. Let me help enumerate the reasons. First of all, no one is complaining a trans-man (female to male) using the men's room. It is only the other way. Second, women's rooms have stalls, so everyone is isolated and therefore no worry about someone "seeing" something. Third, there is some concern for molestation...except it is FAR FAR bigger risk that it is a man in the men's room who would be doing the molesting. Fourth, the instance of a trans person using public restrooms is vanishingly small percentage. Estimates are maybe 1/2 of one percent. Assuming even split, that means a quarter percent of male-female trans. Then how fucking weird is it that you are worried about someone else's genitals in the bathroom? So yes, worrying about something that RARELY happens, isn't a problem when it does happen, and is way less of a 'danger' than molesters just using the men's room...yes it is fucking moronically idiotic. Full stop. I mean, go ahead a worry about it if you like...just realize just how fucking stupid you are for it.
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It would be "interesting" to see how well that robotaxi would be able to cope with our Scandinavian weather, such as when a layer of new snow has covered all road markings and edges.
Those conditions are difficult for even the most experienced human driver.
Those conditions are difficult for even the most experienced human driver.
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So, I checked with our government's statistics - TRA0307, for anyone interested, on the UK government website.
In the busiest 12 hour period (7a.m. to 7p.m.) Monday to Friday, the ratio of the highest traffic density hour to the lowest was 1.37:1.
The highest traffic density hour was 20% higher than the average.
These numbers fit within my top of the head calculation.
So your saying "making the ratio much smaller" needs to be defended with some better official statistics.
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There's a kind of funny dichotomy on Ars where you get downvoted into oblivion for being pro-Tesla on an EV article, or saying anything even remotely critical of SpaceX in a space article. Seems like you'd expect better alignment between the two. I'll admit that I have that same sort of cognitive dissonance internally - I find it much easier to associate SpaceX with the Gwynne Shotwells or John Innspruckers of the company (and therefore to root for their success) as opposed to Tesla, which these days is always associated with whatever nightmare game Musk is up to at any given point. Still feels weird to see the pattern across the entire Ars commentariat, though.
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Generally, all other things being equal, if there is a competitor in the market (that could be things that are substitutable, like regular taxis, ride share etc.) prices will go down. Especially for things that are manufactured and the costs are mainly capital. Other things may intrude to slow or stop this - monopoly, oligopoly, various forms of IP/patent protection etc. I expect once one of the big players here robustly answers the problem, the others will quickly follow with similar systems, that work just differently enough to not be excluded.
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Maybe for highways, but those are already handled quite well by AVs. I would much prefer the streets in cities be designed for the people who live there than for cars. I certainly would not want to live in a city designed around automated cars as a main mode of transportation.
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In Japan there's a chronic shortage of commercial drivers. We've had bus lines reduced not because of a lack of riders but a lack of drivers.
And while paying people better is good, it doesn't in this case increase the number of drivers. Taxis, buses and short-haul freight turns out to all largely share the same pool of commercial drivers, so when taxis increased their salaries it just reduced the number of delivery truck and bus drivers.
Turns out there's only so many people that enjoy driving ror a living, and increasing the salary level doesn't increase that group very much.
Self driving buses especially would go a long way to solve public transportation in rural and semi-rural areas especially.
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Of course Tesla does: just take a regular Tesla, put an Optimus Robot behind the wheel, and you have a FULLY autonomous car that can even put the passenger’s bags in the trunk and help disabled customers in and out. At end of the day, Optimus can also clean the car and do any needed servicing as well.
I can see no problem with this.
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whereas the one I would go through on the way to work is so badly constructed you can't see to your left from where I enter it--it's got some goddamn artsy fartsy rocks and signage in the middle that blocks the view. I've found an alternate route that's only a couple of minutes longer
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That is such a novel and independent viewpoint! Oh, wait, hang on, I'm sorry, just got a text from 2021, they would like their bullshit opinion back.
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There’s actually a purpose to putting crap in the middle of a roundabout. It’s so that idiots who aren’t paying attention don’t try and drive straight through. Also to keep people from stopping if there is only traffic approaching from the opposite direction.
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The Sheep Look Up
Ars Praetorian
Solution applied insufficiently. I guarantee there's a wage level that gets you a full staff of drivers.
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that's great, but I'm supposed to yield if anyones in the circle and I can't freaking see if they are until they're a car length away. Even at slow speeds it sucks. It's also only one lane and I think (but could be wrong) that they work best with more lanes
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Not one that would get you paying customers and a functional transport system.
Also, remember that the number of working age japanese is shrinking (something coming to more countries over time). Pay enough and you'll start taking people from other careers that go unfilled.
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Yeah, I hate that. They put a bunch of junk in the center and you can't see if there's anyone coming around that you should be waiting for.
The multi-lane ones make me nervous because of the need to change lanes in the middle of the circle if you're not taking the first exit. Someone entering from your right can sneak in.
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With how much value the Ketamine Nazi is able to bring to all his companies while also being the President of the United States, surely he can also personally remotely mechanical Turk every single Tesla, simultaneously. Right?
Right?
padmeanakin.jpg
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While I don't disagree, and I think robo-taxis are a long way away still, both those roundabouts have roundabout signposts, which will at least be a hint that a roundabout is coming up.
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That's just it though, nobody wants to pay bus drivers more than exactly enough that you get a sufficient number of people to sign up. Maybe there's some minute differences but I can't tell if a bus driver has been 2 years on the job or 20 years on the job, I get from A to B in the same time because you have to follow the flow of traffic and in any case there's a route and a time table so you can't really excel at it beyond regularly showing up alert and sober. I'm not surprised that in a short squeeze there's not a whole lot of people switching careers to become bus drivers over one pay bump.
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It's not that I don't believe robotaxis can navigate magic roundabouts like this. I worry about them being able to handle them too well, to the point that eventually more of them start popping up everywhere because it's just the few human drivers left who can't cope.
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Thats why it should be integrated to public transit system:https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/67f751b5e5b54db092ea7af3f1837699
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You call that a challenge?
Try driving in Tehran, or some other MENA cities:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrjqS5zd268
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Well, how is that different when the creep is in the car with you?
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Besides the basic labor cost, there is also the extreme variability of the need for taxis. From my experience a typical night would have a few hours with so many calls you cant handle them promptly, followed by several hours of so few calls you are waiting more than you are serving. Sometimes you may go hours without a call. An automatic cab wouldnt care if its idle.
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Why? Roundabouts (when properly built, so not the weird UK 2-lane roundabouts) really aren't all that complicated. They make intersections easier to understand and navigate which is precisely why they get built for human drivers too.
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Here you go, you can track them too:
View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ESnyJ4b7m96OCjs3GSQ6EGF7YOMuv0XV-ROXTYIazTs/edit#gid=26425775
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If you drank an alcoholic beverage then the answer is "No, you're not". The legal limit is just that (we have to draw a line somewhere) but that doesn't automatically mean you are fine to be driving if you're (currently) under it. I REALLY wish this became the normal view. Drinking ANY alcohol means not driving.
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EVER!?!? I kid, but there has to be a time after having a single drink that one is no longer under the influence. For instance, if one drinks 12 oz. of light beer at noon, when would a 215lb, 6ft person be good to drive? Would 1 PM be reasonable? 2 PM? "Personal decision by vibe" is obviously wrong.
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I'm suggesting roundabouts are very common in Europe and very rare in most of the US.
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It's pretty easy. Just get a breathalyser, that's what I do in countries with "zero" (below detection level) BAC tolerance laws whenever I've been drinking previously. The alternative is getting breathalysed by the cops, which means automatically losing your driving licence if positive. I add half an hour for good measure, the cheap models aren't that precise.
Or at the very least use a BAC calculator app – very roughly, one light beer (UK pint) at lunch could take around 2‑3.5 hours to eliminate, depending on your sex, metabolism and weight and other circumstances. Use a calculator with your own weight and add half an hour for good measure.
It's not really that hard...
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Thanks, I didn't need the condescension, though. It's a succinct comment without "It's pretty easy" and "It's not really that hard..."
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My apologies, it wasn't meant that way!!!
Back to the matter, even in the EU countries where the limit is "zero", that still means below normal detection levels (and without resorting to gas chromatography, even if that would be used in some cases).
That usually translates to something like 0.2‑0.3 ‰, which is around the same as a lot of other EU countries.
Can't think of any best online BAC calc, but you could look up your local traffic authority or car safety organisation for one, as the constants used might differ from country to country.
(edited to add the back to the matter stuff)
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