After months of practice laps – and several collisions – Google's self-driving car can go on public roads without training wheels and a driver. At least, in Los Angeles. If you are going on holiday or are there for another reason: you will recognize the autonomous taxis by the word 'Waymo' on the sides. This is not a cool slogan to show that the cars way more do than drive a taxi, but the name of Google's subsidiary.
Since yesterday, LA residents can book a ride in a self-driving taxi. Some autonomous cars are also coming to Austin, Texas, later this year. For now, you can only order a taxi without a driver in the area between Santa Monica and Downtown LA. Seasoned GTA Vplayers know exactly where this is. The first customers to use the autonomous taxis do not have to pay. After a few weeks the taxi will become a paid service.
Will self-driving taxis also come to the Netherlands?
No, for the time being taxi drivers in the Netherlands still have to fear that their jobs will be taken over by robots. In the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, cars are not yet allowed to travel without a driver. Here, for each model, we look at how safe a car is in self-driving mode and what level it is assigned. The higher the level, the more the car can do on its own.
For example, the Ford Mustang Mach-e achieved a good score for Level 2+. This allows the electric Mustang to drive on the highway itself and the driver is allowed to take his hands off the steering wheel. Now that Apple's self-driving car is gone, there is one less player in the market, but there are still plenty of other companies investing in self-driving cars. Who knows where we'll be here in a few years.
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