The Long Journey of the Driverless Car

There has been considerable hype about the expectations around driverless cars but tests and trials have shown that the concept is far more difficult to bring to fruition than expected. Since around 2010, there have been predictions of the imminent arrival of driverless cars. All these predictions have proved to be over optimistic and none of the goals have been achieved. Companies like Waymo, who are most advanced in the field, are beginning to admit that the task they faced is far more difficult than originally envidaged. This chapter will examine the obstacles to the achievement of the driverless car concept and assess whether the models of shared use driverless vehicle posited by the auto manufacturers and tech companies are realistic.