\n<\/p>\n
Over the past year or more, there has been a recalibration when it comes to autonomous driving, on which in excess of $100bn, external<\/span><\/a> (\u00a383bn) is estimated to have been spent. <\/p>\n Back in the 2010s some thought we would be doing most of our trips in autonomous vehicles by now.<\/p>\n Argo AI, the self-driving tech start-up backed by carmakers Ford and Volkswagen, announced it was shutting late last year.<\/p>\n Many traditional car companies are now saying private self-driving cars, unconstrained by where they can travel, are a long way off and have switched their attention to advanced driver assistance systems instead.<\/p>\n More limited use cases, like self-driving shuttle services, that would operate along short fixed routes are also getting more attention, including from the UK government, external<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n But Cruise and Waymo appear to be staying the course, ploughing resources in and incrementally making progress. Cruise is pursuing both ride-hail and last-mile driverless delivery, which it has been trialling in Phoenix. Additionally, Waymo is developing long-haul autonomous trucking.<\/p>\n Touted benefits of autonomous taxis range from being safer – though that is still being proved – to more reliable, to more relaxing as customers don’t have to worry about being sociable with a driver. <\/p>\n