For over a year in the suburban Phoenix area, Waymo’s fleet of upfitted self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans has been offering free trips to the 400-plus members of its Early Rider program. When the service is made available to the general public, the company plans on offering fully autonomous rides with a Waymo employee in the car only as a chaperone.
Fleet management is one of the hidden challenges that will determine whether autonomous technology succeeds or fails. Driverless vehicles in such fleets will have to be on the road almost around the clock to offset the cost of the sensors, computer chips, software, and other systems that allow them to drive safely and reach their destinations without human operators.
Read the article at The Verge.
