2016 was a major year of announcements from auto giants like Tesla, unveiling vehicles with hardware capable for full autonomy, and Ford, claiming to have its own fully-autonomous car ready by 2021. It was also a huge year for driverless partnerships, with many automakers racing to team up with tech innovators to develop vehicles that feature advanced cameras, sensing, and mapping. Here are some of the highlights.
In what the New York Times reported as the “single largest direct investment by an auto manufacturer into a ride-hailing company,” auto giant GM shelled out $500 million to one of the top players in the ride-sharing space in January.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
Google abandoned its self-driving project, putting its eggs into the technology basket with a new independent self-driving car company called Waymo. And Waymo just added 100 driverless Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to its fleet in December.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
In August, Uber and Volvo announced a major alliance, teaming up to develop driverless cars. TechRepublic has previously reported on Uber’s goal to have 100 self-driving Volvos on the streets of Pittsburgh, where its first driverless fleet is now available to the public, by the end of 2017.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
Ride-sharing giant Uber bought a self-driving trucking company, Otto, in August. The trucking world is likely to be one of the first areas we see autonomous vehicles on public roads.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
Tesla’s major announcement that every vehicle in production since October has the hardware to be fully-autonomous–with the software available in 2018–made it the first manufacturer to make this claim. This includes its Model 3, set to be unveiled in mid-2018.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
In August, Singapore, in collaboration with Cambridge-based startup nuTonomy, became the first country to offer driverless cars to the public. The data nuTonomy gathers from this trial will be used for a full-scale commercial launch in 2018.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
Following on the heels of nuTonomy, ride-sharing giant Uber debuted its own fleet of self-driving cars in Pittsburgh in September. Though the cars (like Singapore’s) still require a trained engineer as well as a person to take notes to accompany the vehicle, it’s clear that this move will have an impact on Uber drivers in Pittsburgh and, presumably, on other drivers throughout the country eventually.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
In mid-November, Uber launched its driverless fleet in San Francisco–its second, after Pittsburgh. The DMV called the move “illegal,” and threatened to pull registrations for the fleet. A week after launch, the ride-sharing giant pulled its cars off the road.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
This major announcement from one of America’s auto giants, stating that Ford will mass-produce fully-autonomous vehicles with no steering wheel and no brake pedal by 2021, is a huge deal in the driverless space.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
In November, tech company nuTonomy–responsible for the driverless taxis in Singapore–announced it would begin testing its driverless tech in South Boston.
Also see: Our autonomous future: How driverless cars will be the first robots we learn to trust
Hope Reese is a writer based in Louisville, Kentucky, currently living in Budapest. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic, the Boston Globe, Vox, Vice and other publications.
