Delphi and Mobileye Combine To Build Self-Driving Car System by 2019
A lot of companies chose August 2016 to make some big announcements regarding self-driving cars and now we have two more to add to that list. Delphi and Mobileye have announced a partnership that should see both the company’s pool in their resources and develop a ‘plug and play’ self-driving solution for car makers.
Delphi and Mobileye are two of the biggest names in the auto industries even though most people may have never heard of them. They work behind the scenes and provide vehicle components to the industry at large. They have well-established relationships with many of the world’s largest car makers and a hard-earned reputation for making quality products.
Delphi has been investing in Level 2 and Level 3 technologies for the past few years and even had a self-driving car drive equipped with its technology drive across the United States. According to the company, human drivers were required for only 34 miles across the entire stretch of the journey.
Mobileye makes affordable cameras that help the car ’see’ around different sides and help navigate the real world. It’s real expertise though lies in making advanced software that makes this mapping of surroundings possible.
Moving Up The Timeline
Ford and Uber announced that they would be aiming to bring self-driving cars into service by 2021 and if that seemed close then get ready to be further impressed by Delphi and Mobileye. These two have committed to having a self-driving system ready for car makers by 2019.
Building the necessary expertise to build such a system is very expensive and the Delphi-Mobileye partnership is expected to spend hundreds and millions of dollars to get their system market ready. This system could be a godsend for companies that have not invested into developing self-driving cars right now or do not have te resources to It gives them access to cutting edge technology, potentially even before some of the bigger companies get around to having their own cars on the road.
Delphi and Mobileye did not reveal if they had any potential customers lined up for their system but they expressed confidence that they would have no trouble finding customers for it.
The Regulators Need To Get Their Act Together
Time seems to be running out for regulators around the world even as the technology reaches a tipping point. Delphi and Mobileye can potentially turn any average car maker into one that sells self-driving cars and may even sell kits directly to the consumer for a retrofitting as well.
Once this technology is demonstrated to work well, it will set about an unstoppable chain of events in the market. Every automaker will want to reap the benefits of being first to market, while consumers will want the thrill of owning such cars.
Ride-sharing companies and freight companies will adopt them into their businesses at the earliest to gain an economic edge over their competitors.
It is only the lawmakers that seem to be unable to see this change coming and may well continue to ignore it until no other option is open to them.
