Mercedes-Benz Will Launch Its Self-Driving Rideshare Service in 2020 – Futurism

In Brief Luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is teaming up with Bosch to begin a self-driving car service in as little as three years. Autonomous cars have the potential of making personal transportation safer and cleaner. Joining the Fray

The number of potential movers and shakers in the field of autonomous taxiing seems to be ever growing. But the stiff competition may benefit the consumer and force the competitors to create the best product possible. Not only will they be competing among themselves, but also with traditional taxis and personally owned vehicles. The latest company to join in on the fun is also one of the biggest and fanciest in the world.

Image Credit: Daimler

Mercedes-Benz is teaming up with vehicle component manufacturer Bosch to fast-track a self-driving taxi service. The company is expecting to launch the service as soon as 2020, a year earlier than other companies plans. Ford, BMW, General Motors, and Googles Waymoall plan to launch their services in or around 2021. Uber has already deployed self-driving cars in Pittsburgh to test their service. The vehicles are monitored by a live person and they have the ability to take over control if the need arises. The other offerings will likely roll out the same way initially.

Studies have shown that between 90 and 93 percent of all vehicular accidents are caused by human error. By removing the human from the equation, we could significantly reduce these incidents theoretically, at least. There is always a lot of press surrounding any collisions or other incidents involving self-driving tech, whether they involve Teslas offerings or Ubers taxis. So it is clear that self-driving vehicles will not end all accidents, but they could still potentially save thousands of lives.

Reducing driving-related deathswould be a fantastic attribute of self-driving vehicles, but thats not the only potential benefit. These vehicles are all run on electric power, so they are much cleaner than fossil fuel-burning, traditional vehicles. With one-third of all air pollution coming from operating gasoline-powered vehicles, mitigating theirrole in daily transportation will help keep us from further damaging the environment.

Follow this link:
Mercedes-Benz Will Launch Its Self-Driving Rideshare Service in 2020 - Futurism