Apple Confirms Acquisition of Self-Driving Vehicle Startup Drive.ai

[MacsRgr8]

Here's a crazy idea... build a world where you don't need cars much at all. This obsession with cars - autonomous or otherwise - is not healthy.

I'd rather catch a nice train, with a driver up front with skin in the game.

People like to be able to go to a precise location in one trip, and not "somewhere near" at the time they want. A train is brilliant if you simply need to move between locations which are close to a train-station, but not so great if you have to change trains, then get on a bus / taxi, etc.

Electrical cars are great, but the fuel-cell / battery is not. Limited miles, takes ages before they're full, and you have to plan where you can fill the battery... and of course the chemical waste in due time once the batteries need to be replaced.

Hydrogen seems to be closest to the answer. But, I also hear problems with the amount of electricity it needs to generate hydrogen in the first place.

Something tells me that this "issue" will always stay, one way or another. Energy will never come free. But it will be great to be less dependant on oil.

 

[johannnn]

Here's a crazy idea... build a world where you don't need cars much at all. This obsession with cars - autonomous or otherwise - is not healthy.

I'd rather catch a nice train, with a driver up front with skin in the game.

You know trains are CRAZY expensive to build? Laying tracks to each new area is not environmentally friendly at all. The advantage with car tracks is that they can adapt very cheaply to new areas. That’s why buses are the best.

 

[dirtylilhobo]

Autonomous cars —- Taking the fun out of driving..!!

 

[Trhodezy]

I'm curious to see whether Apple will integrate the most environmentally friendly and recource-friendly type of propulsion into its innovative fleet: A hydrogen combustion engine (not a fuel cell). Solar farms will generate the electricity needed to generate hydrogen in an environmentally friendly way. For large farms, this electricity is up to 10 x cheaper to produce than conventional electricity.
This technology is now likely to be developed/implemented in Europe. Many experts there regard the electric car with fuel cell as an environmentally harmful, transitional technology.

Interestingly enough, many years ago in europe a brilliant idea was killed by lobbying (i.e. politically motivated): You can google "desertec".
Now humankind may get the chance to generate environmentally friendly and very cheap solar electricity again, because the coal and nuclear lobbyists are no longer as strong as they used to be.

Fuelling with hydrogen only takes minutes, charging fuel cells with electricity takes hours...

If service providers then differ in the drive technologies, competition will arise. IMO in this case this is really good.

Electric cars are the way forward, hydrogen is dying. Much like nuclear, it’s becoming less and less needed and is far more hassle than it’s worth.

 

[Jsameds]

Here's a crazy idea... build a world where you don't need cars much at all. This obsession with cars - autonomous or otherwise - is not healthy.

I'd rather catch a nice train, with a driver up front with skin in the game.

So when you get to your destination station, how are you getting you, your luggage and family to the hotel 15 miles away?

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Here's a crazy idea... build a world where you don't need cars much at all. This obsession with cars - autonomous or otherwise - is not healthy.

I'd rather catch a nice train, with a driver up front with skin in the game.

And while we wait for a $2B rail line to the beach? The mountain? The gardens? The lake? Can we not drive cars until then? Like it or not, people use cars because they work. Battery power is attempting to make cars much greener, and driverless, safer. Both are good things. Trains are still excellent, but for now cars have far superior access. Netherlands has awesome idea for trains, though, wind turbines power them—the future of trains!

 

[Bonte]

my prediction for this enormous bottomless pit they've gotten themselves into is it will ultimately all amount to nothing.

Autonomous driving technology isn't like CarPlay where a car manufacturer can shoehorn it into the dash. It freaking controls everything about the car. I can't see any car manufacturer in the future giving up total control of their vehicle to Apple. And I really can't see Apple becoming a car manufacturer.
An Car?

Almost every modern car these days can be controlled by an external computer, it's standard. Then all it needs is a big box with sensors on top to make it self driving. It's not that hard anymore, even regular fuel cars have this.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Here's a crazy idea... build a world where you don't need cars much at all. This obsession with cars - autonomous or otherwise - is not healthy.

I'd rather catch a nice train, with a driver up front with skin in the game.

The United States is an enormous country. Many people don't live in giant urban centers. The idea of "rail everywhere" is not practical here.

 

[VaeVictis]

People like to be able to go to a precise location in one trip, and not "somewhere near" at the time they want. A train is brilliant if you simply need to move between locations which are close to a train-station, but not so great if you have to change trains, then get on a bus / taxi, etc.

Electrical cars are great, but the fuel-cell / battery is not. Limited miles, takes ages before they're full, and you have to plan where you can fill the battery... and of course the chemical waste in due time once the batteries need to be replaced.

Hydrogen seems to be closest to the answer. But, I also hear problems with the amount of electricity it needs to generate hydrogen in the first place.

Something tells me that this "issue" will always stay, one way or another. Energy will never come free. But it will be great to be less dependant on oil.

A very smart post, two thumbs up!

Especially the following part: "Electrical cars are great, but the fuel-cell / battery is not."

People always think that battery technology will improve with similar rate as microprocessors.

This just isn't and wont be the case.

Petroleum is a bad energy source in terms of pollution, but it is a great energy source in terms of energy storage.

Batteries are close to the limit of what can be done with todays technology, there wont be a "miraculous advancement" in a year or two that will magically solve all the problems with batteries.

Thunderf00t, despite all his faults, on Youtube has a great video explaining this.

 

[kaycrystal626]

I read this an hour ago: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/25/18758820/drive-ai-self-driving-startup-shutting-down-apple

The Verge updated their article state on the bottom "Correction, 9:05 PM ET: Apple has confirmed it has purchased Drive.ai. We’d previously reported that Drive.ai’s plans to shut its doors and lay off all employees suggested that a deal with Apple had fallen through, but that’s not the case."

 

[EdT]

Autonomous cars —- Taking the fun out of driving..!!

I have nieces and nephews, some of whom are approaching 30, who don’t like driving and would prefer not owning a car. And I don’t live in an urban area. The entire state has fewer people than most large cities.

 

[mi7chy]

I read this an hour ago: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/25/18758820/drive-ai-self-driving-startup-shutting-down-apple

It's much cheaper for Apple to first BK a company then acquire which is their MO anyhow. First leak news that it won't be acquired, let the value of the company drop next to nothing then acquire. The strategy of Apple and Chinese government towards Western tech.

 

[Since1987]

$120,000 for a self driving MiniVan Pro ( seats $10,000 option )

 

[philpalmiero]

I'm curious to see whether Apple will integrate the most environmentally friendly and recource-friendly type of propulsion into its innovative fleet: A hydrogen combustion engine (not a fuel cell). Solar farms will generate the electricity needed to generate hydrogen in an environmentally friendly way. For large farms, this electricity is up to 10 x cheaper to produce than conventional electricity.
This technology is now likely to be developed/implemented in Europe. Many experts there regard the electric car with fuel cell as an environmentally harmful, transitional technology.

Interestingly enough, many years ago in europe a brilliant idea was killed by lobbying (i.e. politically motivated): You can google "desertec".
Now humankind may get the chance to generate environmentally friendly and very cheap solar electricity again, because the coal and nuclear lobbyists are no longer as strong as they used to be.

Fuelling with hydrogen only takes minutes, charging fuel cells with electricity takes hours...

If service providers then differ in the drive technologies, competition will arise. IMO in this case this is really good.

This:
https://insideevs.com/news/354223/hydrogen-fueling-station-explodes/

 

[maxfromdenmark]

Fuelling with hydrogen only takes minutes, charging fuel cells with electricity takes hours.

Yep, but try to search the web for hydrogen gas station explosion somewhere in Norway just about month ago

 

[nitramluap]

The United States is an enormous country. Many people don't live in giant urban centers. The idea of "rail everywhere" is not practical here.

Europe is an enormous continent (same size as US) made up of many 'states' and you can travel all around there by train, but sure... the US is 'exceptional' (and Australia too, as we are just as bad, if not worse, than the US).

My point was the way in which your cities have been designed is the problem that needs solving... not the transport. I never said 'no cars' or even 'rail everywhere'... just that we need to design our world so we need personal transport (other than a bicycle) less.

I find it amusing the way so many people (especially in Silicon Valley) solve problems with solutions that produce even more problems in the long run. More cars isn't the solution - EV, self-driving or otherwise.