Autonomous vehicles are driverless cars implementing numerous sensors like radar, sonar, GPS, LiDAR, and odometry to perceive the surroundings. This type of automobiles is also known as robotic cars. Scientists are optimistic that autonomous vehicles would enhance road safety as sophisticated software in these cars rarely make errors. So, check out the leading-edge autonomous vehicle brands who are working relentlessly to improve the riding dynamics of travelers.
Waymo
Waymo is one of the leading-edge autonomous vehicle brands thanks to the lowest disengagement rate in their automobiles. The company is a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Until today, their operated vehicles have driven 32 million kilometers on real roads and 16 billion kilometers in simulation. Waymo also conducts Waymo One fleet- a Level 4 robo-taxi in Phoenix, Arizona. These vehicles have a back-up driver to take charge in case of technical glitches. They are also testing the prototype of a Level 5 autonomous vehicle, where the car’s ADS (advanced driving system) performs all the tasks without human intervention.
GM Cruise
You cannot complete a discussion about leading-edge autonomous vehicle brands without mentioning GM Cruise. They operate the second-largest self-driven car fleet comprising of 180 vehicles. The brand has successfully completed test-driving their models for more than 1 million miles. The engineers in GM Cruise have modified 40 percent of the functioning of the engine of the Chevrolet Bolt hatchbacks so that they can operate as robotic cars. In June 2015, Cruise acquired permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test-drive their automobiles.
Tesla
Elon Musk’s Tesla has always been a forerunner when it comes to the implementation of futuristic technologies in automobiles. No wonder that they also a strong contender among the robotic car brands. Since 2016, the company has implemented several autonomous technologies in their production vehicles, including highly sensitive radars that can process data in heavy rain, dense fog, and dust, 360-degree visibility surround cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. However, they do not use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) despite used by other autonomous vehicle manufacturers.
Argo AI
Argo AI is also a promising candidate among self-driven vehicle manufacturers. However, unlike Waymo or GM Cruise, Argo AI does not manufacture autonomous cars. On the contrary, they develop the software, hardware, and cloud support infrastructure, which you can conveniently integrate into the fleet of robo-taxis. Ford Motors and Volkswagen group are the largest stakeholders of this brand. Currently, they are test-driving approximately 100 autonomous vehicles across six cities in the country.
Baidu
China’s Baidu, with approximately 300 self-driven testing vehicles, also claims a position among the leading-edge autonomous vehicle brands. They have test driven their automobiles on Chinese roads for about 1.8 million miles. The brand has also teamed up with automaker FAW Group for enhanced exposure in the robotic car’s domain.
So, now you know about the leading-edge autonomous vehicle brands. These automobiles will improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents in the future.
