It is now clear that autonomous driving – level 5 – does not exist. We find examples of advanced semi-autonomous technology in brands such as Tesla, General Motors with Cruise, Google with Waymo, Ford, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. But all of them, to a greater or lesser extent, still require human supervision at some point.
That’s why Polestar believes that there is nothing more perfect than human driving -when precisely the human being is imperfect and unpredictable- and its CEO assures that they are not in the race yet because they believe that autonomous driving does not yet improve safety.
Buyers want semi-autonomous cars… but they’ll have to improve safety
Polestar, sister company to Volvo, Lynk & Co and Lotus and owned by Chinese giant Geely, has yet to take the plunge into autonomous driving beyond the Precept concept car – which will be the Polestar 5 – presented in 2020, which was equipped with long- and medium-range radar units, ultrasonic sensors and a high-definition wide-angle camera, as well as a LIDAR on the roof.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath has defended this ‘delay’ in recent statements to Jalopnik He said that this was intentional: “We would do it in the Volvo style,” said Ingenlath, referring to the timid steps that the Swedish brand has been taking. “We would not do it by force if we were not 100% sure that it really improves safety. Others do it first and take advantage of a certain advantage, but, of course, that is something that we would not do,” he said.
Chart: Mckinsey.
The head of the sports division also believes that autonomous technology is “a luxury” to take a break from driving from time to time, which we should not give up.
The truth is that human driving is imperfect and negligent on many occasions, and it is precisely the misuse of technology that has led to its deployment being delayed. Of course, machines also have their flaws, many of them fatal, which has led to extensive investigations, recalls and a poor perception of this ‘luxury chauffeur’. One of the most obvious is the case of Tesla, which after a massive recall at the end of 2023, the US authorities considered that the Autopilot has caused “foreseeable misuse and avoidable accidents”.
Even so, manufacturers are called to invest in it, or so reflects a recent Study by the consulting firm McKinsey which shows that 21% of buyers consider the functionality offered by autonomous driving as a key factor in their next purchase, especially in China (the largest electric car market in the world) and Japan.
But there are many barriers, and this study suggests that improved security is the biggest, followed by improved infrastructure, increased regulation and lack of experience on the part of potential buyers.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
