Why are the giants still flocking to autonomous driving despite frequent accidents?

The birth of every cutting-edge technology is inseparable from the participation of technology giants, VR is like this, and autonomous driving will certainly be the same. But since 2016, autonomous driving stories have continued to happen, first the autonomous driving death incident, then the crash into the guardrail and the spontaneous combustion for no reason. This series of car accidents has caused many people to question the safety of autonomous driving technology, but even so, the development of autonomous driving technology has still become the primary goal of the business giants.

Among these giants are not only the most prestigious Google Auto and Baidu Auto, but also traditional auto giants such as Volvo's driverless project, BBA, Ford, Toyota and other car companies have also launched their own driverless technologies. For a time, it seemed that all companies related to driverless technology were involved.

Why do these business giants rush to develop autonomous driving when the technology is not yet mature? This is because although some accidents have occurred in the current research process of autonomous driving, causing certain casualties and property losses, the original intention of studying autonomous driving is to reduce the probability of vehicle accidents.

The purpose of driverless driving: reducing social operating costs and saving human lives

The first important factor that has led the giants to rush to deploy is that the cost of technology is falling rapidly. In 2014, driverless technology will account for $70,000 to $100,000 in the price of a car. In 2025, it will be reduced to $7,000 to $10,000. And by 2035, the technology will only account for $3,000 in the price of a car. The price of semi-autonomous driving technology is also falling rapidly. Today, a Honda Civic that can drive automatically on the highway costs only $20,000.

And in fact, the biggest cost of running a car is actually people. In fact, it is easy to come to this conclusion with a little reasoning. Imagine a taxi that is always in operation. The driver does not need to eat, drink water, or support his family. Repairs are almost free. The energy comes from wireless transmission and is almost unlimited. How much does it cost to take a taxi? The answer will be pitifully little. In this way, the total cost of transportation in society will be saved by 99%.

In addition, driverless technology will save countless lives. This technology can save about 33,000 lives each year in the United States alone. After the application of this technology, the number of deaths in traffic accidents is expected to be reduced by 90%, and in ten years, it will save about 10 million lives worldwide.

The commercial value of driverless technology is huge

Morgan Stanley analyst Katie Huberty once said that autonomous driving technology will create a market of up to $2.6 trillion in the next 14 years. The automotive industry of this era has evolved continuously and has become an absolutely capital-intensive industry. This logic will become more thorough in the face of autonomous driving. Companies that truly master practical autonomous driving technology will gain huge benefits in the future.

Whether it is the current pioneer Google, or the Apple that has already taken shape, or the emerging Tesla, or even the traditional Volkswagen and Ford, they will end the huge industry of human travel. Windows' monopoly on PCs gave rise to Microsoft, and iPhone's leading position in mobile phones created Apple. Computers can be installed with Linux, and mobile phones can use Android, but you can't stay at home forever, right? If the basic demand for travel is monopolized by a certain company, the first trillion-dollar company in human history is likely to appear.

Despite national policy support, there are still many difficulties

On June 7, China's first "National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Pilot Demonstration Zone" closed test area was officially opened in Jiading, Shanghai. Shanghai thus became China's first intelligent connected and driverless pilot city. It also marks that China's intelligent connected and driverless vehicles have officially entered the practical stage, and will also become the main body of China's intelligent connected vehicle standards and specifications, promoting the maturity of related products and technical standards. More and more investors have poured into the field of driverless driving, whether it is Internet companies, technology giants or traditional car companies, they have all started their own layouts. It is gratifying that my country, from the central to the local governments, has shown a positive attitude and action to provide various support for the development of driverless driving.

But even with the support of the country, autonomous driving still faces many difficulties such as insufficient technological maturity and insufficient urban intelligence. Autonomous driving is based on complex sensor systems. At present, the biggest challenge in this field is how to continuously break through the standards of software technology and hardware conditions so that cars can react quickly and correctly to the surrounding environment through deep learning like humans, and take flexible and safe measures. This is a relatively complicated process.

Therefore, although driverless cars are developing rapidly around the world, and major manufacturers are producing a large number of research results and related displays, the current driverless cars still have a long way to go before they can be truly applied, both in terms of technological maturity and practical complexity. They are not as simple as some Internet companies have "hyped".

Therefore, in the face of the current popularity of driverless technology, both practitioners and people who are full of hope for driverless technology should calm down from the enthusiasm and reflect carefully to make driverless technology truly usable and practical.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.