With the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently granting GM's Cruise a permit to start collecting fares, Waymo now has competition for commercial AV rideshare service.
Both companies are required to have a safety driver present at all times, but the implication is clear. As CPUC Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma stated, "Issuing these permits allowing for fare collection and shared rides is an important and measured step toward the commercialization and expansion of the service."
This news shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone and we are still decades away from full AV adoption, but there are countless industries that need to adapt to survive and for whom the shift has already begun.
Logistics and Professional Drivers
AVs are already in use in the farming, mining and construction industries. And with the Government of Ontario's Cooperative Truck Platooning Pilot Program underway with the aim of moving goods and traffic more efficiently with less fuel consumption, big changes are on the horizon for trucking companies and their drivers as they are for taxi companies and their drivers in San Francisco.
And vehicles don't need to be fully automated to impact other industries either. With automated valet technology already deployed by major car manufacturers, parking structures and valet services are also forced to become early adapters.
Gatsby Valet parking services in Toronto, for example, have already integrated auto valet technology into their vehicle monitoring, mobile vehicle recall, tracking and cashless driver tipping services.
Auto Manufacturers
Car manufacturers have been competing with each other to purchase AV and AI tech for years, but they arrived late to the party - well after companies like Google, Tesla and Uber. The auto industry also has to be concerned with increasing competition from tech companies who decide to begin manufacturing as AVs are becoming more car than computer. There is also the very real possibility that demand for personal vehicles will eventually diminish with the availability of on-demand, ride share options.
Insurance Companies
Canadian insurance companies make the bulk of their revenues from auto insurance - 40% or $24 billion/year. One of the biggest selling features of driverless cars is the reduction of accidents due to driver error. Also, insurance companies base their rates, and therefore their profits, on a driver's perceived risk because of previous accidents or driving infractions like speeding and impaired driving. Moving forward, insurance companies will have to find another revenue stream to replace that model.
Energy
The energy sector has also been rapidly evolving due to government regulation and increasing consumer demand for renewable energy. But the current iteration of electric vehicles is pushing demand for better battery technology - batteries that are self-sustaining and can even give power back to the grid by operating as mini power plants. The rising popularity of EVs is causing concerns about our current infrastructure's ability to handle the growing electricity demand.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
