Comment by massung

20 hours ago

I haven’t lived in NYC, but I have lived in Boston. Isn’t the real concern winter? Has Waymo (or any other self driving tech company) shown that it can handle the snow well: non-visible lanes, downshifting to avoid braking, etc.?

Definitely interested in how this turns out.

7 comments

massung

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tacticalturtle  19 hours ago

Even if they never actually solve winter driving, they could just… not drive during the winter?

If there’s a high probability of below freezing temperatures, cars can just make their way out of the city to some parking lot to hunker down.

Or move them elsewhere in the country during the winter months.

  • 1970-01-01  19 hours ago

    Having a seasonal service is not a bad idea. The big problem with that is cutoff times. Too early and people will complain when they can't get a ride when no snow is on the ground. Too late and you're liable for everything that happens when the road is covered in thin ice or sleet, including leaving someone stranded. You will need very accurate weather predictions for operating over the winter months.

conradkay  17 hours ago

Probably just don't have them drive during snowy conditions. Roads are fine almost all the time during normal hours