This story was delivered to BI Intelligence IoT Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.Uber recently admitted that its self-driving cars have issues safely turning through bike lanes, reports Engadget.The ride-hailing company already has self-driving vehicles on the roads of Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and while no specific incidents have been reported in Pittsburgh, the head of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition said that he's seen the vehicles make unsafe turns on two occasions.This news indicates that autonomous vehicles still have programming issues they must confront, and as self-driving cars move closer to being deployed in a nontest capacity, they'll need to perfect the driving, mapping, and sensing systems that they're equipped with to prevent potential crashes with bicycles.This problem appears to be the result of an underlying issue with the programming of the vehicles, rather than driver error. Many of the safety issues thus far with autonomous vehicles are attributed to human error, such as the high-profile Tesla crash earlier this year, and the more recent incident where one of Ubers vehicles in San Francisco ran a red light.But this issue stems from human error of a different sort, based in the programming of the autonomous systems. The vehicles apparently perform what are known as hook right turns, turning directly from the driving lane, where California requires drivers to first move into the open bike lane before performing the turn. Those responsible for programming Ubers autonomous vehicles either failed to heed this requirement or were unable to properly implement this procedure.Self-driving cars may have issues with understanding complex roads more generally. Bike lanes are only one of the many obstacles that self-driving cars must confront on the roads. If Ubers vehicles are having issues with bike lanes, they could also face issues with more complex road formations, such as traffic circles or highway ramps, as well as unpredictable, pedestrian-heavy urban areas.Since the start of 2016, automakers, tech companies, and ride-hailing services have been racing to create a driverless taxi service. This service would mirror how an Uber works today, but there wouldnt be a driver.So far, the race has been brutal, as companies jockey for position by spending billions to acquire/invest in companies that will help make a driverless taxi service a reality. Uber recently took the pole position by announcing it would begin piloting its self-driving taxi service (with a driver still behind the wheel) in Pittsburgh later this month. But other companies, including almost every automaker, are quickly catching up as we reach the mid-way point in the driverless taxi race.For the past two years, BI Intelligence, Business Insiders premium research service, has been tracking the progress of the self-drivingcar space. As our reportshave shown, the evolution is happening much faster than many expected, but there are still many barriers that have to be overcome before driverless cars become a reality.BI Intelligence has compiled a detailed report on driverless taxis that analyzes the rapidly evolving driverless taxi model and examines the moves companies have made so far in creating a service. In particular, itdistills the service into three main players: the automakers who produce the cars, the components suppliers who outfit them to become driverless, and the shared mobility services that provide the platform for consumers to order them.Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:Fully autonomous taxis are already here, but to reach the point where companies can remove the driver will take a few years. Both Delphi and nuTonomy have been piloting fully autonomous taxi services in Singapore.Driverless taxi services would significantly benefit the companies creating them, but could have a massive ripple effect on the overall economy. They could cause lower traffic levels, less pollution, and safer roads. They could also put millions of people who rely on the taxi, as well as the automotive market, out of a job.We expect the first mass deployment of driverless taxis to happen by 2020. Some government officials have even more aggressive plans to deploy driverless taxis before that, but we believe they will be stymied by technology barriers, including mass infrastructure changes.But it will take 20-plus years for a driverless taxi service to make a significant dent in the way people travel. We believe the services will be launched in select pockets of the world, but will not reach a global level in the same time-frame that most technology proliferates.In full the report:Analyzes the moves 18-plus companies have made in creating a driverless taxi service.Discusses the corporate and societal benefits of a driverless taxi serviceExamines the regulators conundrum when deciding if they should or should not allow driverless taxis to operateDetermines the potential cost of a driverless taxi vs. owning a car, riding in a ride-hailing service, or riding in a taxiExplains the barriers including the technological and regulatory barriers these companies will faceTo get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:Subscribe to anAll-Accesspass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensureyou stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIPPurchase & download the full report fromour research store. >> BUY THE REPORTThe choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the future of driverless taxis.Join the conversation about this story
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