Lexus says its new luxury barge will drive itself by 2020

The Verge ^ | October 25, 2017 | Andrew J. Hawkins

[2ndDivisionVet]

Lexus is the latest automaker to leap into the fray of highly automated driving, announcing that its “Highway Teammate” advanced driver assist system (ADAS) will be available in 2020. The system, which offers “automated driving from entrance ramp to exit ramp on motor-vehicle-only roadways,” is featured as part of the sleek, glowing LS+ concept that Lexus is showing off at the Tokyo auto show this week.

Highway Teammate will “enable automated merging, lane changes and diverging, as well as keep a vehicle in its lane and maintain vehicle-to-vehicle distance,” the Toyota-owned brand states. But as far as the types of sensors and cameras that it will be using to power its system, Lexus won’t say....

[King Moonracer]

The mega grill looks like a cheesy mustache. Toyota had it too, so now I drive a Honda.

[libertylover]

I hate the grills that are in vogue today.

[SamAdams76]

Yes, that is where we are heading. I used to read science fiction where all the vehicles were automated and centrally controlled. I remember one in particular - probably "Stranger In A Strange Land" by Heinlein, in which one or more of the characters were arrested by getting into one of these vehicles. Instead of being transported to the intended destination, the doors were locked so they couldn't escape and they were transported directly to the police station.

I don't support this by the way but I see it as an inevitability. If you could go back in time 100 years, most Americans at the time would be horrified if they learned that they would all be assigned a number by the government (Social Security Number) before they could get a job and that nearly 50% of their income would be seized by the government before they were even able to touch the money they earned.

Yet here we are today. It all happened in dribs and drabs. Kind of like the frogs put into a pot of cold water that was slowly being boiled.

[Vision]

And if it fails?

[DoodleBob]

I don't doubt much of what you say, especially the slow-warming-to-frog-boiling approach. Indeed, EZ-Pass is now common in the US, along with its tracking mechanism potential. But, again, that is a drudgery-reducing thing.

Where I part ways is in the general American LOVE of driving. In contrast, in Europe statists have successfully recast driving as an anti-environment thing, making driverless cars an easier concept to hoist upon their citizenry.

In America, driving is a freedom thing, and I believe attempts to remove that "drudgery" may wind up being as successful as the metric system and soccer.

I'll bet you a bottle of ouzo on this front. We'll meet again in five years.

[KevinB]

And if it fails?

Well, it you don't like it you don't have to buy a car that has it. By the way, do you have any idea how many instruments, indicators and automated systems pilots on modern airplanes rely on? It pales in comparison to what we're talking about here.

[SamAdams76]

I appreciate the friendly wager but I think we will need more than five years for this all to play out. For those of us currently living, I believe we will always have the option to drive our own cars. I see this transition happening over several generations. The Federal Income Tax became permanent in 1913 and it was a gradual process (frogs boiling in water) to where we are today.

With regard to EZ-Pass, I remember when that first started. At the time, it was pitched as a way to bypass the lines at the tollbooths. Remember when there were only one or two "fast lanes" at the tollbooths? Slowly it became three or four and then suddenly all lanes were taking EZ-Pass. Now the tollbooths are coming down completely and guess what, EZ-Pass is still here!

So it's no longer about a "fast lane" at the tollbooth. Now it's about revenue collection. Mark my words, not only will the tolls now start increasing but they will be collected more and more frequently on our nation's highways. The next step will now be issuing speeding tickets as well as collecting tolls. So if you go from Point A to Point B at 67 mph, not only will the toll be assessed but you will have a $100+ speeding ticket as well. And your insurance company will be copied in!

[adorno]

Whatever happened to the “fully autonomous” vehicles which a lot of automakers and Google and others have been talking about, that would be on the roads between 2018 and 2025? Highly automated is not the same as “self-driven” with no “human input” required.

[Albion Wilde]

Bring back window cranks and hand signals.

I miss the little triangular windows near the front on the driver's and passengers' sides. You could do without air conditioning if you had them directed on your face.

But sadly they were easy to break into.

[cornfedcowboy]

The assisted driving car will be one of the best technologies is many many years. Everyone who drives on the freeway will demand it. Liberating to seniors
as well.

[central_va]

All in the plan to make driving more affordable for the masses.

[central_va]

Airplanes are separated by miles of air and their are minutes to get manual control of an aircraft. No comparison, with a car you might have as little as a second to take control.

[outofsalt]

"When I am napping drinking heavily on the freeway going 100+"

We know what you mean;)

[outofsalt]

"I have never used an ATM and have never been with anyone who has."

Rushing headlong into the 19th century?!

[ridesthemiles]

Can anyone—someone-—explain to me how these driver less vehicles will be insured???

I cannot imagine the judicial nightmare that is being created when a bad driver isn’t having to pay more than a good driver like now.

When-—NOT IF-—one of these driver less cars is in an accident——who does the injured party sue??? Who testifies in court???

[EVO X]

Liberating to seniors as well.

At this point assisted driving won't do anything to help seniors or anybody else. They still have to be able to take over the car if something unexpected happens. If one can't pass a driving test, they shouldn't be allowed to drive until true level 5 autonomous is a reality.

[Chuckster]

By 2020 I’ll still be driving a 2+decades-old F150 4X4 with a 4 speed stick and manual transfer case.

[DoodleBob]

Ouzo doesn't go bad over time. We'll make it a tontine.

To be clear, I am all for voluntary movements and choices. If elderly people want self-driven cars, then by all means have at it. Of course, as a member of the Milton Friedman school of regulation, I recognize the State's involvement in "fostering" choice with the attendant disruptive and murderous results, i.e., fuel-efficient death boxes vs life-saving SUVs.

I also do not doubt it'll take time for self-driving cars to rise in popularity...I don't see people giving in easily. After decades of mainstreaming soccer in America, there are scores of little kids signing up for this curse on American hegemony. It's worth noting, however, there are still more children playing baseball, football, and basketball: the globalists haven't conquered America with soccer (yet).

My point is that innovations and ostensible surrendering of freedom for safety usually work in areas enhancing efficiency and daily lives. However, when it comes to hard-fought and dearly-held central/core beliefs, I vote against the statists. Maybe I'm Pollyanna about it, but the automobile represents one of the last bastions of freedom in mechanized America. For example, over several generations gun control has undoubtedly won over several people who may not have been collectivized otherwise. That said, here in 2017 there remains a hard-core group of bitter-clingers that won't give an inch.

It is my hope that the future of the automobile in America remains like Highway Star, and not Red Barchetta.