Self-Driving Cars Stir Conversations Among Car Buffs: But Are They Ready For Prime Time?

Dec 01, 2016 09:06 AM EST | Vinay Patel

Speculations among car buffs are rife about the imminent arrival of self-driving cars, indicating that future vehicles may get rid of steering wheels or even pedals for that matter. This theory has been fueled as automobile manufacturers continue bombasting the progress made as a result of their engineering ability and the mammoth amount of money they invest into these projects. 

In line with this, Britain's BMI Research recently organized a seminar where it sought to get the hype and bluster and shed more light on the possibility of computerized/self-driving cars, according to ForbesAside from spilling the beans about self-driving car prospects, the most important data unveiled at the meeting was that autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars are not likely to hit the retail showrooms for at least 15 to 20 years, BMI Research analyst Anna-Marie Baisden predicted.

The million-dollar question that emerged centered on the fate of highly priced sports cars like Ferrari with the rumored arrival of self-driving cars. Who would shell out a staggering $200,000 just to sit in a supercar driven by an electronic brain?

Another question that emerged bearing this possibility in mind is if computer-based technology has reached a level where it can drive cars without any sort of human assistance, why are train services not driver-less already? Especially, since the job of a train driver does not even include steering. Meanwhile, automobile manufacturers have confirmed that performance vehicles will mark the end of automation.

In other news, self-driving car startup Comma.ai has announced that it is currently working on its software platform and is gearing up to roll out an associated hardware module, which will be free for download on its GitHub site, Road Show reported. Under the MIT License, the hardware and software plans have been made public as open source. The idea behind this is to enable makers and hackers to modify self-driving cars.

However, it's also worth noting that Comma.ai's self-driving platform is currently capable of working only on Honda Civic and Acura ILX.

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