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That they are dogfooding a private beta makes me think that this has leapfrogged what Google had been shooting for previously, and where Uber is now. I don't kn

That they are dogfooding a private beta makes me think that this has leapfrogged what Google had been shooting for previously, and where Uber is now. I don't know what other options there are on the ground as I'm not based there. It does seem though that there's a real opportunity for GM to sneak past Uber and Google into a first-mover advantage with this. I'd no idea they were anywhere near this close to a working AV fleet.

Fricken 9y ago
Waymo had no business plan, like up until they hired Krafcik they had put no serious thought into how they would commercialize their technology. Through what appears to be arrogance they bungled a promising partnership with Ford that seriously compromised both Ford's and Waymo's chances in this race and ultimately led to the firing of Ford CEO Mark Fields. http://www.autonews.com/article/20170529/OEM/170529795/google-ford-deal-mark-fields?X-IgnoreUserAgent=1 http://www.autonews.com/article/20170529/OEM/170529795/googl... General Motors on the other hand has played their cards brilliantly, and I'm baffled as to how Cruise has managed to make such steady and thorough progress in such a short amount of time. GM is the most futuristic car company out there, and at some point in the not too distant future they won't be so easy to dismiss. It doesn't fit the narrative. Shared, electric, autonomous: there's only one company that has all 3 of these on lockdown and it isn't the company everyone talks about.
nostrademons 9y ago
Google had a private dogfood beta in 2014; I remember being intrigued by it but I wasn't eligible because I'd just moved farther away and my commute now included highway. (It was for surface streets within 5 miles of the Googleplex only.) Not sure why it's taken so long since...my guess is that they're being super cautious on the regulatory front and also might not have an idea on go-to market strategy.
a9a 9y ago
Waymo is doing this with real, public customers (albeit hand-selected ones) in Phoenix[0]. Uber has been doing this for months with customers in Pittsburgh[1]. This is certainly a sign that Cruise is making good progress, but I wouldn't say it means they've leapfrogged the competition by any means. [0] https://waymo.com/apply/ https://waymo.com/apply/ [1] https://www.uber.com/blog/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-self-driving-uber/ https://www.uber.com/blog/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-self-driving...
- graphitezepp 9y ago
  The Uber car's are absolutely everywhere in Pittsburgh. See probably an average of two one way on my daily commute.
  - akgerber 9y ago
    And Pittsburgh is a far more challenging driving environment than either San Francisco or Phoenix, with far more diversity of weather and a lot messier infrastructure due to terrain and freeze-thaw cycles and reduced maintenance after population decline— think 20% grade on cobbles after a snowstorm. e.g. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4763879,-80.0106331,3a,75y,224.22h,86.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srBg7L8iAtThUewPqsuCMGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4763879,-80.0106331,3a,75y,2...
    - skywhopper 9y ago
      Does Uber's autonomous service go to such locations?
      - akgerber 9y ago
        Good question— their office is at the end of a crumbling backstreet, at least: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4627591,-79.9701442,3a,75y,300.16h,86.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5UDRoCRGl2n7UhEWI3wqvA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4627591,-79.9701442,3a,75y,3...
Animats 9y ago
Volvo has a hundred self-driving cars in test in Gothenburg, Sweden. They're driven by selected Volvo customers. They're only self driving on a few freeways, but they don't have a "safety driver", and the customers are not required or expected to pay attention while in automatic mode.

Fricken 9y ago

Waymo had no business plan, like up until they hired Krafcik they had put no serious thought into how they would commercialize their technology. Through what appears to be arrogance they bungled a promising partnership with Ford that seriously compromised both Ford's and Waymo's chances in this race and ultimately led to the firing of Ford CEO Mark Fields. http://www.autonews.com/article/20170529/OEM/170529795/google-ford-deal-mark-fields?X-IgnoreUserAgent=1 http://www.autonews.com/article/20170529/OEM/170529795/googl... General Motors on the other hand has played their cards brilliantly, and I'm baffled as to how Cruise has managed to make such steady and thorough progress in such a short amount of time. GM is the most futuristic car company out there, and at some point in the not too distant future they won't be so easy to dismiss. It doesn't fit the narrative. Shared, electric, autonomous: there's only one company that has all 3 of these on lockdown and it isn't the company everyone talks about.

nostrademons 9y ago

Google had a private dogfood beta in 2014; I remember being intrigued by it but I wasn't eligible because I'd just moved farther away and my commute now included highway. (It was for surface streets within 5 miles of the Googleplex only.) Not sure why it's taken so long since...my guess is that they're being super cautious on the regulatory front and also might not have an idea on go-to market strategy.

a9a 9y ago

Waymo is doing this with real, public customers (albeit hand-selected ones) in Phoenix[0]. Uber has been doing this for months with customers in Pittsburgh[1]. This is certainly a sign that Cruise is making good progress, but I wouldn't say it means they've leapfrogged the competition by any means. [0] https://waymo.com/apply/ https://waymo.com/apply/ [1] https://www.uber.com/blog/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-self-driving-uber/ https://www.uber.com/blog/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-self-driving...

graphitezepp 9y ago
The Uber car's are absolutely everywhere in Pittsburgh. See probably an average of two one way on my daily commute.
- akgerber 9y ago
  And Pittsburgh is a far more challenging driving environment than either San Francisco or Phoenix, with far more diversity of weather and a lot messier infrastructure due to terrain and freeze-thaw cycles and reduced maintenance after population decline— think 20% grade on cobbles after a snowstorm. e.g. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4763879,-80.0106331,3a,75y,224.22h,86.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srBg7L8iAtThUewPqsuCMGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4763879,-80.0106331,3a,75y,2...
  - skywhopper 9y ago
    Does Uber's autonomous service go to such locations?
    - akgerber 9y ago
      Good question— their office is at the end of a crumbling backstreet, at least: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4627591,-79.9701442,3a,75y,300.16h,86.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5UDRoCRGl2n7UhEWI3wqvA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4627591,-79.9701442,3a,75y,3...

Animats 9y ago

Volvo has a hundred self-driving cars in test in Gothenburg, Sweden. They're driven by selected Volvo customers. They're only self driving on a few freeways, but they don't have a "safety driver", and the customers are not required or expected to pay attention while in automatic mode.