Will the new Scout have autonomous driving
- Thread starter J Alynn
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Hmm, this a an interesting question. I guess I'm right in the middle at 38 years young, and personally, I have no interest in any autonomous driving features, but I have to admit, I've never experienced them either (I dont think that the gental lane correction in my Bolt counts). So if Scout includes it, it will be cool, but I also won't be too upset if they don't. At least not yet. I think for a new automaker, the top priority will be making a reliable and desirable vehicle first, then they can work on adding bells and whistles in following generations.
Driver assist is a huge spectrum of features. While I would be shocked if a certain level were not available (at least as options), I would be equally surprised if it comes with full autonomous driving from the initial production. Right now, autonomous driving is generally only present to a limited degree on fairly luxury vehicles. That said, trickle down happens and it will be a few years before we actually see many of these vehicles on the highway - perhaps more of the tech will have trickled down by then.
At the various base of driver assist was cruise control. It has been fairly common for the last 40 years, but 20 years ago it was still not all that uncommon to see it absent on entry level vehicles. 10 years later, it is fairly rare to see it missing, but adaptive cruise control was still only present on a few vehicles. Now it is practically uncommon for adaptive cruise control to at least be a fairly easy option to find. 5 years ago, lane and traffic monitoring was fairly rare option due to price - now active lane assist is becoming increasingly more common. I think currently there is talk about making automatic emergency braking manditory on all light vehicles.
It will be interesting to see how level III autonimus driving progresses. While the tech is becoming more and more within reach, trends in the industry have me fairly worried. I can easily see a time, when we will be forced to pay for the hardware, then forced to buy a monthly or annual subscription to keep it working. While I understand the ecomics that are driving this trend, it still leaves a rather bitter taste.
At the various base of driver assist was cruise control. It has been fairly common for the last 40 years, but 20 years ago it was still not all that uncommon to see it absent on entry level vehicles. 10 years later, it is fairly rare to see it missing, but adaptive cruise control was still only present on a few vehicles. Now it is practically uncommon for adaptive cruise control to at least be a fairly easy option to find. 5 years ago, lane and traffic monitoring was fairly rare option due to price - now active lane assist is becoming increasingly more common. I think currently there is talk about making automatic emergency braking manditory on all light vehicles.
It will be interesting to see how level III autonimus driving progresses. While the tech is becoming more and more within reach, trends in the industry have me fairly worried. I can easily see a time, when we will be forced to pay for the hardware, then forced to buy a monthly or annual subscription to keep it working. While I understand the ecomics that are driving this trend, it still leaves a rather bitter taste.
We’ve certainly voiced our opinions on this forum that we do t want subscription based options but time will tell. You are spot on with technology trickle down which does make me that much more curious. As a spirited driving enthusiast I don’t see nor do I desire full autonomous driving but for daily commuters I almost prefer it so I don’t have to guess if they are texting or putting on make up while risking numerous lives. For those off roading it surely has no place for the joy of driving but imagine the technology advancements that could possibly use camera and geo data to autonomously navigate the Rubicon trail. Cool from a tech standpoint but again-terrible for the joy of getting out and driving.
Future of tech will be very interesting
I would expect at least some level of hands-free ADAS, at least on the higher trims, when it debuts in a few years.
I have a 2022 Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise. I have to admit, despite its limitations, it is extremely nice to have on road trips. It is essentially hands-free, lane centering adaptive cruise, so it handles all the work of keeping you in your lane and a safe distance from the car in front of you. It is easy to take over whenever you want to.
It has two consequences, intended or otherwise:
1. I arrive at my destination with more energy.
2. I have less stress when driving; I don't feel the need to go faster and faster to "keep up" with traffic. I set my cruise around the speed limit, and it does the rest.
I also semi-regularly ride in fully autonomous Waymo robo-taxies. They are amazing pieces of technology and are VERY safe (much safer than any Uber or Lyft driver I've been with), but they are not the most efficient as they are cautious and take longer routes. This is because they prioritize the safety of the passengers, not the efficiency or speed of the trip. Any true self-driving capability in a consumer car would likely make the same priority calls, and I just don't think that will ever be popular. However, I do see more and more users skipping purchasing a vehicle and doing their transportation in robo-taxies in the future.
I have a 2022 Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise. I have to admit, despite its limitations, it is extremely nice to have on road trips. It is essentially hands-free, lane centering adaptive cruise, so it handles all the work of keeping you in your lane and a safe distance from the car in front of you. It is easy to take over whenever you want to.
It has two consequences, intended or otherwise:
1. I arrive at my destination with more energy.
2. I have less stress when driving; I don't feel the need to go faster and faster to "keep up" with traffic. I set my cruise around the speed limit, and it does the rest.
I also semi-regularly ride in fully autonomous Waymo robo-taxies. They are amazing pieces of technology and are VERY safe (much safer than any Uber or Lyft driver I've been with), but they are not the most efficient as they are cautious and take longer routes. This is because they prioritize the safety of the passengers, not the efficiency or speed of the trip. Any true self-driving capability in a consumer car would likely make the same priority calls, and I just don't think that will ever be popular. However, I do see more and more users skipping purchasing a vehicle and doing their transportation in robo-taxies in the future.
Honestly, I see their place even in vehicles used for off road. I go to the coast a bit - probably more than a dozen times a year. But, depending on where I go, it is often a 3.5hr drive (which honestly I generally budget 5hrs for - for last minute shopping, gas, food, etc...). When I go, I virtually always do the mental calculations about how much more tiring it will be to drive my Jeep. It is getting better (I have worked on the stearing, suspention, noise, heat)- virtually everything I can do to it to make driving less tiring has been done - but it is still MUCH more tiring than my other vehicles. If it drove itself, it would get more beach time. (If it did not take 3 tanks of gas, it would also get more beach time).
No vehicles being sold to customers currently have autonomous driving. They all have some level of driver assist technology. Since Scout’s careers are looking for ADAS engineers (advanced driver assist systems) then yes I am betting they will have some features. It can go from simple lane keeping to hands-free on divided highways similar to SuperCruise / BlueCruise.
