The History of the Automobile
In the 19th century, the automobile was a revolutionary invention that took the world by storm. It was first invented by an English engineer named George Stephenson in 1769 and soon became a popular method of transportation at the time. It wasn’t until 1885 when Karl Benz developed the first gasoline powered car which paved the way for an explosion in production. By 1908, Henry Ford made his first production model of cars and named it “The Model T,” which revolutionized the industry forever! Today we have many different types of cars to choose from—hot rods, trucks, hybrids and electric vehicles—each of them has its own benefits. Whether you’re buying your next car or planning on getting one with self-driving capabilities down the road, there are options out there for you!
The History of the Partnership between Automobiles and Computing
How did the automobile industry get to where it is today? In order to understand this and how we fit into the modern era, let’s take a brief look at the history of computing in cars.
The first use of a computer in a car was in 1968 with the Buick Skylark. A computer controlled the temperature, ventilation and climate control functions for the car. Throughout the 1970s, more companies started implementing computers into their automobiles to improve safety, such as using an electronic anti-lock braking system (ABS). Soon after that, Chrysler introduced their “AutoPilot” computer system that could adjust fuel mixture and spark timing. By 1980, all cars in America had some form of microprocessor controlling something on their vehicle. On top of that, more complex parts like automatic transmission controllers were being controlled by computers as well.
By 1990, there was another major advancement when GPS came into play for automobiles. The first GPS navigation systems were available that year only as an optional feature and were far too expensive for average families. Nowadays though we see them as standard features on almost all new vehicles sold!
Surveying the Field
When you survey the field, it’s clear that there are several players striving to become leaders in self-driving car technology. The most familiar is probably Google, which has been hard at work on self-driving cars since 2009. Though it has come a long way since its first, relatively primitive efforts, Google still faces many challenges as it works to bring fully autonomous vehicles to the consumer market.
The second company is Tesla Motors—they have made bold strides within the industry, thanks to their cutting-edge Model S and upcoming Model 3 sedans outfitted with autopilot capabilities like lane assist and adaptive cruise control. Still, Tesla’s rapidly growing consumer base can only look forward to semi-autonomous cars for now.
Our third example is Volvo, which has positioned itself as the safety leader of self-driving technology and currently offers an advanced driver assistance system called Pilot Assist in some newer models (including a limited test run in Sweden). Pilot Assist includes functions such as automatic braking and lane departure warnings that are useful but not yet fully autonomous driving capabilities.
Regulations in this Market
Before we get into the meat of how our vehicle works, a few words on regulation are probably in order.
As you may be aware, automobile regulations vary by state and also by country, and are subject to constant updates and changes as various agencies adjust or revise policies in response to new technologies. As a company, we take compliance seriously: not only is it imperative that we comply with all federal, state, and international regulations for road safety; but also it’s just good business sense from an insurance perspective. That’s exactly why we’ve partnered with several other companies to collaborate on this project: when you consider the myriad aspects of a self-driving vehicle’s operation (from computing systems to chassis design), having multiple partners ensures that they’ll be able to comply with the most up-to-date regulations across the board.
The Future is Now
When we first started in the field of self-driving cars, we were a little out of our element. We knew that we had a lot to learn, but luckily for us, many other companies have begun to get into the field. We are grateful to have partnerships with companies like [partner one] and [partner two]. Their knowledge has been invaluable and their drive inspires us every day. The field is constantly evolving and our vehicles are too!
We are so excited about the future of driving!
Self-driving cars are not a utopia, they could be here within a year.
When most people think of a self-driving car, they might imagine the Jetsons and the flying cars that George takes to work everyday. The good news is that autonomous vehicle technology is here now, but before we get there I’d like to set some expectations. Many people believe that self-driving cars will solve our traffic and parking woes and are the automotive utopia that we have been searching for. While these are certainly benefits, there are other factors involved such as infrastructure and human behavior.The History of the Automobile
In the 19th century, the automobile was a revolutionary invention that took the world by storm. It was first invented by an English engineer named George Stephenson in 1769 and soon became a popular method of transportation at the time. It wasn’t until 1885 when Karl Benz developed the first gasoline powered car which paved the way for an explosion in production. By 1908, Henry Ford made his first production model of cars and named it “The Model T,” which revolutionized the industry forever! Today we have many different types of cars to choose from—hot rods, trucks, hybrids and electric vehicles—each of them has its own benefits. Whether you’re buying your next car or planning on getting one with self-driving capabilities down the road, there are options out there for you!
The History of the Partnership between Automobiles and Computing
How did the automobile industry get to where it is today? In order to understand this and how we fit into the modern era, let’s take a brief look at the history of computing in cars.
The first use of a computer in a car was in 1968 with the Buick Skylark. A computer controlled the temperature, ventilation and climate control functions for the car. Throughout the 1970s, more companies started implementing computers into their automobiles to improve safety, such as using an electronic anti-lock braking system (ABS). Soon after that, Chrysler introduced their “AutoPilot” computer system that could adjust fuel mixture and spark timing. By 1980, all cars in America had some form of microprocessor controlling something on their vehicle. On top of that, more complex parts like automatic transmission controllers were being controlled by computers as well.
By 1990, there was another major advancement when GPS came into play for automobiles. The first GPS navigation systems were available that year only as an optional feature and were far too expensive for average families. Nowadays though we see them as standard features on almost all new vehicles sold!
Surveying the Field
When you survey the field, it’s clear that there are several players striving to become leaders in self-driving car technology. The most familiar is probably Google, which has been hard at work on self-driving cars since 2009. Though it has come a long way since its first, relatively primitive efforts, Google still faces many challenges as it works to bring fully autonomous vehicles to the consumer market.
The second company is Tesla Motors—they have made bold strides within the industry, thanks to their cutting-edge Model S and upcoming Model 3 sedans outfitted with autopilot capabilities like lane assist and adaptive cruise control. Still, Tesla’s rapidly growing consumer base can only look forward to semi-autonomous cars for now.
Our third example is Volvo, which has positioned itself as the safety leader of self-driving technology and currently offers an advanced driver assistance system called Pilot Assist in some newer models (including a limited test run in Sweden). Pilot Assist includes functions such as automatic braking and lane departure warnings that are useful but not yet fully autonomous driving capabilities.
Regulations in this Market
Before we get into the meat of how our vehicle works, a few words on regulation are probably in order.
As you may be aware, automobile regulations vary by state and also by country, and are subject to constant updates and changes as various agencies adjust or revise policies in response to new technologies. As a company, we take compliance seriously: not only is it imperative that we comply with all federal, state, and international regulations for road safety; but also it’s just good business sense from an insurance perspective. That’s exactly why we’ve partnered with several other companies to collaborate on this project: when you consider the myriad aspects of a self-driving vehicle’s operation (from computing systems to chassis design), having multiple partners ensures that they’ll be able to comply with the most up-to-date regulations across the board.
The Future is Now
When we first started in the field of self-driving cars, we were a little out of our element. We knew that we had a lot to learn, but luckily for us, many other companies have begun to get into the field. We are grateful to have partnerships with companies like [partner one] and [partner two]. Their knowledge has been invaluable and their drive inspires us every day. The field is constantly evolving and our vehicles are too!
We are so excited about the future of driving!
Self-driving cars are not a utopia, they could be here within a year.
When most people think of a self-driving car, they might imagine the Jetsons and the flying cars that George takes to work everyday. The good news is that autonomous vehicle technology is here now, but before we get there I’d like to set some expectations. Many people believe that self-driving cars will solve our traffic and parking woes and are the automotive utopia that we have been searching for. While these are certainly benefits, there are other factors involved such as infrastructure and human behavior.