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Fully-Autonomous Cars Are Arriving
Courtesy of GM
Several automakers are set to release vehicles with “Level 3” driving autonomy — letting drivers take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road… until the car says otherwise.
The Full Throttle: Level 3 “eyes-off” self-driving tech is widely seen as messy by analysts and industry watchers — allowing drivers to be distracted in some situations but then requiring them to take control at a moment’s notice. That divided focus can lead to plenty of whiplash, both metaphorically and literally, when a person suddenly has to grab the wheel.
Under The Hood: According to The Verge, automakers soon want you to say, “Look, Ma! No eyes!”
GM plans to roll out its first Level 3 vehicle — the Cadillac Escalade IQ — by 2028, with plans to expand the technology across its other brands, including Chevy and Buick.
Mercedes-Benz already offers its Level 3 system, dubbed “Drive Pilot,” in Germany and on select highways in California and Nevada.
Honda received approval for its system in Japan, debuting it on the Legend Hybrid EX. The company is also developing a new line of vehicles featuring the technology, set to launch in 2026.
Last Stop: Regulators still haven’t figured out exactly how to handle “eyes-off” driving — which is why it’s limited to certain highways in certain states. The big question remains: who’s liable when a car crashes while the driver’s watching Netflix? Automakers like GM say they’ll take responsibility for an accident if the Level 3 system is active.
But that’s a slippery slope when Tesla’s Level 2 systems, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, have routinely deactivated “less than one second” before a crash. What’s promised and what’s real could still be miles apart. Even so, legal precedent is mixed — some rulings blame the driver, while others hold automakers partially accountable. In other words, the jury’s still out.
Next Trip: Soon, we’ll have freeways where some people are looking at their phones because they’re allowed to — and others because they’re irresponsible… and the rest of us may not be able to tell the difference.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.