Mercedes becomes the first automaker to sell autonomous cars in the U.S. that don't come with a requirement that drivers watch the road - eviltoast
  • jballs@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    33
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    7 months ago

    I’ve seen this headline a few times and the details are laughably bad. The only reason this can be getting any press is because the headline is good clickbait. But 40 mph top speed on approved roads in 2 states only if a car is in front of you in the daytime is entirely useless. I guess it’s a good first step maybe? But trying to write headlines like this is big news is sad.

    • lemmyvore@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      37
      ·
      7 months ago

      40 mph top speed on approved roads in 2 states only if a car is in front of you in the daytime is entirely useless.

      It’s specifically designed to navigate traffic congestion, which happens under 30 mph. It can keep up with the lane, deal with lane changes, honk if someone backs into you, let ambulances through, things like that. Not sure why the article presents it as generic driving.

    • Turun@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      7 months ago

      The reason this gets attention is because it’s the first level 3 sold to consumers.

      The tech is hard, of course it’s gonna start out with laughingly limited capabilities. But it’s the first step towards more automation.

    • conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      It’s starting in California where there are a meaningful number of high earners who are spending hours per day in 4 lane bumper to bumper traffic.

      Having actual autonomy during those hours is still shit. But it’s a hell of a lot less shit than the tedium of the high attention requirements of sitting in traffic at a crawl.