TECH TRENDS

The Evolution of Driving

From the Model T to self-driving cars, transportation in the United States continues to change.

By Lyndsay Fogarty

Early settlers in the United States navigated their cities on horseback and later traveled by horse and buggy. Then, in the late 1800s, European manufacturers created a modern automobile, but wealthy individuals were pretty much the only ones that could afford it. It was the same with the first successful American gasoline car that was built in 1893 because limited production of the vehicles kept prices high.

It wasn’t until Henry Ford built the practical and affordable Model T in 1908 that car ownership became a reality for average American workers. His development of mass production techniques in 1910, which were quickly adopted by other car manufacturers, made it even easier for Americans to purchase a car.

Since then, the transportation industry has seen the muscle car era of the ‘50s and ‘60s, which led into more practical vehicles dominating the market for several decades before another muscle car era of the ‘90s was introduced. Now, hybrid cars and electric vehicles are trending.

So what’s next in the evolution of driving? It appears to be self-driving vehicles.

Since 2009, Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving car project, has been developing autonomous driving technology for many different types of vehicles and experiences, such as ridesharing, trucking and local deliveries. Waymo Driver uses custom maps and real-time sensor data to determine its exact road location, and it can adjust to closed lanes, drive defensively to stay out of blind spots and detect other motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Not only has the Waymo Driver technology been driven along millions of miles on public roads, but it has also spent billions of miles in simulation to gather data and develop top safety features.

As the technology continues to develop, the question is: Is the public ready for it? A national AAA study that was conducted in mid-January found that only 14% of drivers would trust riding in a vehicle that drives itself. In fact, the majority of drivers (80%) say that manufacturers should focus on improving existing technology instead. This includes technology within the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), such as lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking and blind spot warning. Nearly 90% of 2020 vehicle models had at least one of these technologies.

Locally, self-driving vehicles are present in public transportation. In 2019, Beep launched an autonomous shuttle service in Lake Nona with two fully electric, driverless shuttles on one fixed route connecting Lake Nona Town Center with Laureate Park. Now, it’s the largest, longest autonomous vehicle network at one location in the United States, with eight shuttles and five routes that span multiple destinations, including the area’s medical facilities, model homes, entertainment options and more.

Imagine being able to catch up on emails during your workday commutes or entertain your children during road trips. In the near future, you may just be able to let the car handle the driving while you stay connected to the things that matter most.