
GM and Cruise announce first mass-production self-driving car - kbyatnal
https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/11/gm-and-cruise-announce-first-mass-production-self-driving-car
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TYPE_FASTER
> "when the software’s ready"

Ummmmmm...

So, what I really got out of the article, is GM and Cruise are now where Tesla
has been for a little while, in that 1. They can install sensors on the
assembly line that they think will enable level 5 autonomy and 2. They have a
way to remotely update autonomy software on the cars.

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sjbase
The key statement being "sensors [...] that they think will enable level 5
autonomy." One or both of GM and Tesla could easily be wrong about that.

But you're completely right... it's like saying my Macbook is the world's
first strong/general AI, once the software's ready.

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bkeroack
"when the software is ready" \- every failed project ever.

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gervase
This was discussed here [0] in more detail (and from the original source)
earlier today.

[0]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15220760](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15220760)

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ljoshua
One of the more interesting parts to me:

 _> "...but [Vogt] added that these are destined for deployment in fleets,
rather than as individually owned consumer vehicles."_

I think this really clarifies the direction that GM (and I believe other auto
manufacturers) see as the way forward: moving from an individual-ownership
model to an on-demand rent model.

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sulam
Strategically this gets really obvious when you look at the financial model. A
rapidly depreciating asset that has utilization of <10% is kind of insane, but
Americans have managed to pull it off. Many families even have 2 of them! You
need wide open spaces, no public transit, and cheap power for them to even be
financially feasible/desirable, and the automotive industry has had to work
really hard to kill public transit, the country has had to go to war several
times for cheap power, and as people migrate from rural to urban settings the
wide open spaces have been replaced with commutes from hell.

Cars are probably going the way of planes in the future -- hobbyists will
operate them, wealthy people will have luxury models, and most people will
just buy time in one. Self-driving technology is the nail in the coffin but
it's probably happening without that.

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bkeroack
Insane for whom? Regardless of rate of depreciation it's still an asset. The
relentless drive to push everything to rental transfers value from individuals
(as equity) to industry/corporations in the form of operating profit. There's
a reason why much of the economy is moving this way and it isn't beneficial to
the vast majority of us.

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legohead
I'd go buy a Bolt right now if it had the autopilot a Tesla has. They are
readily available, relatively inexpensive, and can travel nearly 300 miles on
a charge. Try and find a Model3 right now!

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imglorp
East coast checking in. The Chevy dealers here are stuck in their rut: they
try to avoid the B word, talk you out of it if you ask for one, and basically
stonewall. It's hard to get a test drive despite them sitting on MT car of the
year.

I'm not sure what's their motivation.

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dpflan
Let me see: the regulatory environment is in flux and not quite ready for
autonomous vehicles; GM can claim an early lead for being to mass produce
these vehicles - so who are the first customers - ride sharing companies and
cities - and when is the first shipment / big contract expected? (I haven't
done more research _yet!_ ; so I'm curious what other HNers know or think.)

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JumpCrisscross
Almost certainly not (American) cities. With Uber de-fanged, I'm not sure
which competitor has the capital and sense of urgency to go to battle for
self-driving cars. My guess is a foreign city-state, _e.g._ Singapore or
Luxembourg.

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blackguardx
One minor point: Luxembourg the country has a city called Luxembourg inside
it. Luxembourg the country isn't a city state, though. It has other
cities/towns/villages.

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joshdance
What is the definition of mass-production?

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rglover
"Lots"

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rglover
Things to not put your body into.

