Ralph Nader doesn't see autonomous cars for a generation.

[Ludus]

Nader: Technology not ready for fully autonomous cars

His main argument is they'd be vulnerable to hacking.

If he thinks it's too risky to build our society on technology that can be hacked he's a bit late with the warning.

This favors versions that are as closed and vertically integrated as possible, built using elements that are open source and secure. Pretty much, Tesla not Toyota-Google-Uber.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

“Pushing the driver out of any kind of control of the vehicle with software that is fallible — how many times has your computer failed? — and that is extremely vulnerable to hacking for which there’s no known solutions, is going impede any kind of substantial, quantifiable vehicle fleet that’s driverless,”

Yeah, because people are infallible? As to hacking...that isn't something that's going to go away.

 

[GoTslaGo]

What's this obsession with everyone using mass transit? Maybe it's the old Big Government is supreme and will take care of everything ethos, which is evident throughout his whole monologue (yes of course we need the regulation BEFORE the innovation, that's the ticket).

Sorry, not everyone can benefit from schlepping themselves to a bus stop to get from point A to B as Mr. Nader would want us all (or at least 99.99%). FWIW our local mass transit deemed my parents too unsteady and frail to walk to a bus stop and wait. Fortunately they offer a door to door option which trades time for convenience (time which they have very little of these days). This is the model which is essentially what Elon had proposed in one of his talks, except it would be autonomous and hopefully less time consuming.

Nader is really sounding like a Big Auto shill, paid for by Detroit. Wonder how he got to that wonderful tribute? Did he take the bus like he wants us all to do? Or did he drive himself? Or was he driven there? Somehow I doubt the bus was his means of transit.

Do as I say, not as I do.

 

[ecarfan]

Nader is clearly no "shill" for the old car companies, but I do not believe he has any special insight into the pros and cons of autonomous vehicles.

 

[Nikxice]

In reference to Elon Musk, Nader says in the video clip, "he's obviously over extended in terms of deep debt." What's up with that statement? Why doesn't Nader credit Tesla for already producing the safest vehicles available? Instead he takes the low road, taking a personal jab at Musk while trying to infer there will be issues with future quality control. Nader either has a credibility problem or he's just plain ignorant.

 

[andrerodpt]

I would love to see Mr. Nader put his (estimated) 4.2b$ net worth in someting he believes.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Most and least hackable cars: (older article).

Top 5 hackable, 3 out of 5 from Detroit:

2014 Jeep Cherokee, 2014 Infiniti Q50, 2015 Cadillac Escalade, 2010/2014 Toyota Prius, 2014 Ford Fusion.

Bottom hackable 1 out of 4 from Detroit (Dodge Viper made this list because it has no technology to speak of).

2014 Audi A8, 2014 Dodge Viper, 2014 Honda Accord, Tesla Model S.

Study names the five most hackable vehicles

IMHO Detroit doesn't like autonomy. German's have embraced it. I can't tell about Japan.

I agree Nader is not a shill, but he really sounds like it when he parrots Detroits weakness.

 

[Ludus]

I would love to see Mr. Nader put his (estimated) 4.2b$ net worth in someting he believes.

You got me googling. That's $4.2 Million, not Billion.

 

[andrerodpt]

You got me googling. That's $4.2 Million, not Billion.

My bad.

 

[CraZ8]

Old Ralph did a number on GM with the corvair by taking a few accidents with unusual circumstances and using a broad brush to tar one model of car and by extension to indict a whole corporation. (Sound familiar to using one death/data point to run scare headlines like the media is doing these last few weeks?)Did GM cut a few corners by using swing axles with no CV joints. They did. Still under most circumstances the corvair handled better then most Detroit contemporaries. Then as now the technology is rapidly evolving

 

[CraZ8]

Should have clarified no CV joints on the far end of the axle by the wheel. This was changed by a later redesign but the bad press had already crippled the corvair and led to its demise

 

[voyager]

Autonomous cars... Technology push as you've seldom witnessed one?

 

[mobe]

What? Ralph Nader is still alive?