Re:Lyft speeds ahead with its autonomous initiatives
by abathur on Tuesday October 23, 2018 @06:46PM
(#18288169)
This seems mostly right.
That said, worth noting that the fleet management/maintenance expertise will be of unknown/unproven value for managing self-driving cars. No domain experience; just spitballing...
- Unmanned SDC might have significantly different refuel/recharge/cleaning/roadside assistance/accident-response needs.
- Unmanned SDC availability/hours/mileage patterns are likely to differ significantly over time when they aren't tethered to bodily functions.
- The size and location of fixed fleet-management infrastructure may be suboptimal for different patterns; they might start off as an advantage but become a drag as players with less inertia optimize.
- SDC sensor maintenance is going to be a big unknown to these companies.
- Their liquidity and vehicle retirement/acquisition processes may not be compatible with rapid fleet replacement without outside help.
- Even if they do manage a rapid replacement cycle, the throughput of their fleet management processes may be closely tied to their normal acquisition cycles.
- Unless they're going to choose that moment to transition to an app-only-ride-request model, they may have to overcome significant design/software/hardware dev challenges of their own to handle non-app customers (i.e., being hailed on the street, taking verbal directions from people who may be drunk or not know where they're going, stop requests, destination changes...).
That said, worth noting that the fleet management/maintenance expertise will be of unknown/unproven value for managing self-driving cars. No domain experience; just spitballing...
- Unmanned SDC might have significantly different refuel/recharge/cleaning/roadside assistance/accident-response needs. - Unmanned SDC availability/hours/mileage patterns are likely to differ significantly over time when they aren't tethered to bodily functions. - The size and location of fixed fleet-management infrastructure may be suboptimal for different patterns; they might start off as an advantage but become a drag as players with less inertia optimize. - SDC sensor maintenance is going to be a big unknown to these companies. - Their liquidity and vehicle retirement/acquisition processes may not be compatible with rapid fleet replacement without outside help. - Even if they do manage a rapid replacement cycle, the throughput of their fleet management processes may be closely tied to their normal acquisition cycles. - Unless they're going to choose that moment to transition to an app-only-ride-request model, they may have to overcome significant design/software/hardware dev challenges of their own to handle non-app customers (i.e., being hailed on the street, taking verbal directions from people who may be drunk or not know where they're going, stop requests, destination changes...).