Advantages of Self-Driving Technology

Human drivers make mistakes.  Algorithms learn from them. Waymo is quietly rewriting the rules of road safety. Just read Waymo’s latest safety report—50 million self-driven miles across Phoenix and SF. And the numbers are surprisingly solid. → 88% fewer property damage claims compared to human-driven cars. → Only 13 airbag-triggering crashes (vs. 78 expected with humans) → Just 36 crashes with injuries (vs. 190 projected)—that’s an 81% reduction. Waymo also ran a model with Swiss Re. Humans would've triggered 26 insurance claims. Waymo triggered just 2. What's even more impressive is, most of the incidents weren’t even Waymo’s fault. — One got hit during a police chase.  — Another, rear-ended while waiting at a red light. Earlier this year, there was a software recall (it misinterpreted objects like gates and chains), but it was resolved quickly and caused no injuries. While we’re still debating whether we’d ever trust a driverless car, these vehicles are already logging millions of miles, learning as they go— and in many cases, outperforming us. It made me wonder: What if the safest “drivers” of the future don’t drive at all? Not saying we’re fully there yet. But 50 million miles in, it’s worth paying attention. Would you trust it with your commute?

This week, my team TechBlocks and I had the opportunity to visit a leading company in remote machine operations and autonomous vehicles. The future of mining isn’t just autonomous—it’s intelligent. -- The convergence of IT and OT is rewriting the playbook for mine operations, where safety, efficiency, and tonnage goals are no longer competing priorities but interconnected outcomes. Key Take Away For Me: ** Safety Enhancements: Autonomous technology is reducing human exposure to hazardous conditions, thereby decreasing the risk of accidents. For instance, Rio Tinto's autonomous haul trucks have operated with zero human injuries attributed to truck operations since their deployment. ** Productivity Gains: Autonomous systems enable continuous operation, leading to increased efficiency and higher output. Companies like BHP have reported a more than 20% improvement in productivity after implementing autonomous haulage systems. **Addressing Workforce Challenges: With an aging workforce and recruitment difficulties, automation helps maintain operational continuity. It also allows for the redeployment of employees to less hazardous roles, enhancing overall workforce safety and satisfaction. The integration of Information Technology (#IT) and Operational Technology (#OT) is crucial. By combining advanced analytics with operational processes, mining executives can make informed decisions to achieve and exceed their 2025 #tonnage goals. This convergence ensures that technological investments translate into tangible operational outcomes. Embracing these technologies not only propels the industry forward but also sets new standards for safety and efficiency.

The Waymo Driver now has over 55 million miles under its belt, and its safety results are crushing its human counterparts: 1. 96% fewer injury-involving intersection crashes, which, according to NHTSA, are a leading cause of severe road harm to human drivers. 2. 85% fewer crashes with suspected 'serious' injuries. Even outside of its reduction in ALL crashes, it's especially effective in life-threatening ones 3. A substantial reduction in crashes with vulnerable road users (VRUs). This includes reductions in crashes for pedestrians (92%), cyclists (82%), and motorcyclists (82%). The growing body of work is making it clear. This isn't a fluke. Autonomous vehicles are safer, and they are here to stay. There is a tangible future with zero car-related fatalities. We will be alive to experience it.

Remember those exuberant posts we all read (or wrote) in 2017 about the impact of self-driving cars on our cities? This future is finally here. Once again, it’s taken a new technology longer than expected to pan out (the first experiment with self-driving cars was in 1939!). But the impact on our cities is going to be bigger than we can imagine. Waymo has been the catalyst for this renaissance. Just look at its paid trips in California over the past year: 🗓️ August 2023: 12.6K trips 🗓️ May 2023: 143.6K trips 🗓️ August 2024: 400K trips* *Based on Tekedra N. Mawakana’s announcement of 100,000 paid trips per week New to Waymo? A typical first ride goes something like this:  “Wow, this thing actually works!” “It's smoother than a human driver!” “I don’t have to hold a conversation? This is my private space?” “The price isn’t much higher than an Uber or Lyft and I didn’t have to wait much longer, either. I’m sold.” Interestingly, it's already opened up new use cases that Uber wasn't great for: there are reports of folks using Waymo to send their kids to school alone, or as a quiet meeting room on wheels! Once Waymo gets below $40 per hour, it’ll be cheaper than owning a car altogether (before the value of saved time or improved experience). I can already imagine a world where all cars in cities become self-driving, and most of them are shared. The big question: how quickly can Google roll out the self-driving cars that Waymo uses — both technologically and operationally? At least, the financial element isn’t the roadblock. A recent research note estimates that each vehicle currently generates $112K of annualised run rate revenue, with $41K in running costs and $70K in depreciation costs, all numbers improving rapidly with scale. On Alphabet’s latest earnings call, CFO Ruth Porat said the company is investing an additional $5bn into Waymo to support its development. Uber, while coming from behind, has had to react by partnering with AVs. This competition will only accelerate the global rollout of self-driving cars. In cities, I see a revolution as big as the private automobile: 🚗 Noise and air pollution will drop 🚗 Traffic casualties will end. 1.5m lives to be saved every year and $100s of billions saved in associated costs 🚗 On- and off-street parking will almost entirely disappear from city centers (right now, NYC has 12 Central Parks worth of street parking) 🚗 Americans spend 300 hours driving a year (or 20 days). Now they'll be able to spend that time working, resting, communicating… 🚗 Cities will become “programmable”. Want to make an avenue pedestrian-only for the summer? Just push an update to the navigation software. But city governments need to make sure they prepare for it. Otherwise they risk being overrun by autonomous vehicles — not empowered by them. The future of tech is making commuting pleasant and productive, and transforming our cities into a utopia. It’s time to celebrate an innovation decades in the making!