Back
When Will You Have Your Self-Driving Company Car Fleet?
01 March 2016
We’ve seen them in the movies, from ‘KITT’ the star of Knight Rider to the unfortunate ‘Johnny cabs’ in Total Recall, but when will we see them on our streets? And more specifically, when will they be a reality for everyday use in our companies?
It’s believed that self-driving cars offer a wealth of benefits to road users—including cyclists and pedestrians. As human error is the single biggest risk in driving, they’re expected to bring a dramatic increase in safety and a significant reduction in accidents. In one study in the UK by KPMG, the arrival of self-driving cars is forecast to lead to 2,500 fewer deaths between 2014 and 2030.
The technology isn't as far away as you’d think, with Mercedes, BMW, and Tesla already having released, or being soon to release, self-driving features that give their cars some ability to drive themselves. Semi autonomous vehicles like these are one step on the self-driving spectrum, and as we’ll see there are a few more steps and hurdles to overcome before we reach the other end—fully autonomous.
Setbacks
The Department of Motor Vehicles has been overseeing prototype testing on California’s roads for well over a year now.
California has become a leader in self-driving car testing and regulation, with companies like Google taking to the roads and testing their latest developments under the watchful eye of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
With stringent regulations on self-driving vehicles, the Department of Motor Vehicles has been accused of delaying their release to the public. But the technology is still far from perfect, as Google have demonstrated with a series of scattered collisions. However Google do say they’ve only been minor, and each one has been caused by other drivers.
Nevertheless, with Google’s strong desire to remove the steering wheel and pedals from cars, giving people minimal ability to take over, the agency are left in a sticky situation in how they best keep the public safe, while at the same time, not hinder any progress.
They state that cars must have steering wheels incase of onboard computer or sensor failure. In this event, a driver could then sit in the drivers seat and seize control of the vehicle.
Going Forward
With such setbacks not being uncommon, federal officers have recently announced an aggressive plan to get the technology into the hands of the public - sooner rather than later. They believe, "Fully automated vehicles are nearing the point at which widespread deployment is feasible.” According to Business Insider, there’s a good three years before we’ll see them on our roads.
This is still great news, particularly for advocates for the blind who believe the technology will change many lives. Even from the perspective of the CEO or executive, adding just one self driving car to their fleet could do wonders for business.
I think it’s fair to make the comparison with having your own private chauffeur. You could take important calls or prep for a meeting with a client, catch up on some well needed rest, some even believe they’ll be conducting meetings in the back of cars themselves, and don't forget the inbuilt voice-actived GPS which will take you wherever you ask it to.
Drivers would need a special certification on their licences, so not everyone could just drive one, but it could just be one of the best investments you ever make!
Sadly there’s no self-driving cars yet, but If you’d like to find out more about our other leasing options, leave us a comment, send us an email at info@marshall-leasing.co.uk, or call us 01480 414541.
Back