I rode in one of Zoox's self-driving cars in San Francisco - and it was more comfortable than the Uber and Lyft I took to and from the airport
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Oct 26, 2019, 20:21 IST
The ride began outside one of Zoox's offices in San Francisco.
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The ride took about 30 minutes.
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While the vehicle was moving, I was trying to pay attention to its performance and the safety driver's hands to see if he took control, while also taking notes, so I was only able to take photos when the vehicle was stopped.
With a few exceptions, the vehicle drove as well as the average human driver.
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If I hadn't known I was in an autonomous vehicle, I would never have thought that I was being driven by a computer.
And it was able to complete an unprotected left turn at a six-way intersection.
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There were a few hiccups, though.
In an interview after my ride, Zoox CTO and cofounder Jesse Levinson told me that the company's vehicles are better than human drivers at following the rules of the road, but worse at handling unusual events.
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So while Zoox vehicles are better than humans at stopping at stop signs and following speed limits, Levinson said, they're worse at predicting the behavior of vehicles being driven erratically, because humans, of course, can be unpredictable.
My ride in Zoox's vehicle was more comfortable than those I took through Uber and Lyft on my way to and from the airport during my trip to San Francisco.
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It's important to note that the route used for my Zoox ride has likely been tested extensively, which means it's difficult to draw many conclusions about Zoox's autonomous-driving technology beyond my specific and relatively brief experience.