Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 31 Mar 2025 01:31

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - mcb100

I’m in California for a couple of weeks and today took a self driving taxi for the first time in San Francisco.

They’re called Waymo, use Jaguar I-Pace, and are part of Alphabet (Google’s parent company).

You download the app, create an account, then summon a car to your location. You know it’s yours as it displays your initials on a roof sign. As it arrives, you unlock the doors from a button in the app.
Once aboard and belted in, the front seat passenger taps a button on the centre screen and away you go.
And, I have to say, it’s very impressive. It stopped at pedestrian crossings when someone was waiting to cross, dealt with all manner of junctions - including 4-way stops.
And it neatly parks at your destination for disembarkation.
And then drives itself away again.
So far they're just in the city and not on the freeways, but its hoped that their range will soon extend.

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Mon 31 Mar 2025 07:10

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - paul 1963

Bet it feels odd not having a driver? I'd love to have a ride in one.

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Mon 31 Mar 2025 08:20

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - badbusdriver

Bet it feels odd not having a driver? I'd love to have a ride in one.

I'm not sure I would. Not because of any particular fear about self driving cars, but because of the car choice.

There was a thread not too long ago about the brakes failing on an I-Pace and, if memory serves, the OP discovered it wasn't an isolated incident.

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Mon 31 Mar 2025 09:15

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - bathtub tom

Seems they do the same as those Starship delivery robots (www.starship.xyz/). Had them around here for a while, but they weren't economically viable. They used to talk to you to request you pressed the button on crossings and politely ask you to move if you were blocking them.

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Mon 31 Mar 2025 12:40

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - mcb100

‘ Bet it feels odd not having a driver? I'd love to have a ride in one.’

I’m a sucker for all kinds of automotive technology, and well versed in lane centering, adaptive cruise control and self-parking, so it’s taking all those to the next level.
It’ll only work in areas that have been very accurately digitally mapped, but there are hundreds of them around, and it’s a bit odd to see an empty car drive past.

In-car video - 1drv.ms/v/c/17e69ccba74524e3/EV9axpH_IOdAnPb8sNnsF...A

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Mon 31 Mar 2025 14:24

Jaguar I-Pace - Self driving taxi - Terry W

Interesting write up contrasting Waymo with Tesla:

Tesla Robotaxi vs. Waymo vs. Cruise: Here's How They Stack Up

- the former have lots of sensors and rely upon very detailed digital mapping

- the latter rely principally upon cameras and AI scene analysis

Even with detailed mapping, Waymo must still be able to cope with the actual road layout, weather conditions, changes to signs etc etc. The actions of other cars, vans, cyclists and pedestrians etc are unpredictable and cannot be mapped anyway.

Tesla have a higher accident rate and Elon is prone to glossing over a lot of the technical detail so one can never be sure that it is the "truth and whole truth".

The Tesla approach if it can be made to work properly seems the better solution long term, and broadly replicates what we humans do - being equipped with sight and sound detectors, but few of us have radar and ultrasonic sensors!

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