Tesla's Self-Driving Trucks: Will Automation Affect Jobs & Road Safety? - Research Paper

Introduction

Tesla's entry into the transportation industry has been greatly anticipated as it forms part of the future of driverless transportation. There has been immense progress in robotics in many aspects of industrial life where automation has taken over human work. The argument then was that many people would lose their jobs to machines. It is still a concern for many that truck drivers will lose their jobs to self-driving vehicles. There is an additional worry about safety on the roads when it comes to automation. Nonetheless, there are many benefits that come with self-driving cars. One of the benefits is that it would reduce carbon emissions. Reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the reasons why Tesla was founded (Boudette, 2019). The new developments in transportation go in line with Tesla's vision. Other benefits include cost saving and fewer accidents that occur due to human error. Legislation on driverless vehicles may not favor the swift transition and so it may take some time before the future of transportation arrives.

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How Companies Will Introduce Autonomous Transportation

Autonomous driving is described as the ability of a car to move on its own. The car has a computerized system that senses the environment and uses GPS and radar to detect the surroundings and navigate. Many companies including Tesla are working on autonomous vehicles to improve reliability, flexibility, and productivity of transport (Boudette, 2019). The technology is available that can transform transportation to autonomous vehicles. Companies like Tesla, Audi and Ford are leading these new developments, but they still have to wait on legislation. Indeed, there are many questions that have to be answered before moving forward with the automation plan. One of the questions involves the issue of ethics such that whether or not autonomous vehicles will make correct choices in maneuvering situations (Pettigrew, Fritschi, & Norman, 2018). In addition, there will be a need for changes in parking and city planning. The many truck drivers would also need their plight to be addressed in the passing of legislation to allow autonomous vehicles. Technology cannot help solve the emerging problems on its own, and perhaps a business model may help abate the anticipated conflicts. Businesses can determine how far the vehicles can move, which can address concerns of taxes based on miles traveled.

Autonomous vehicles are expected to have operating systems similar to those used by companies such as Apple and Microsoft. These computer companies use the operating system to charge anyone that wants to access the end users. Automated vehicles companies want to follow the same business models as computer companies (Baloee & Tavana, 2016). Computer companies use their software sales to help balance hardware capital expenses. The companies involved in driverless vehicles will also an operating system that will control the system's hardware. Tesla is taking lessons from Apple where their hardware will integrate with their software. Udacity and Baidu will use open-source software that they will sell complementary products to self-driving cars. Uber and Mobileeye will have partnerships with software providers and manufacturers of automobiles. It is expected that the operating systems and hardware will determine the pricing of the autonomous car models (Boudette, 2019). Tesla is likely to produce high-end vehicles while open-source models from companies such as Baidu will provide affordable automobiles from different manufacturers.

The consequences of having different operating systems and hardware are that some companies will not want to share their data. It will make it difficult to come up with a system of legislation as a result. Concerns of equity and safety would arise and delay the law implementation process (Taeihagh & Lim, 2018). If a company such as Tesla take the lead in the autonomous transportation industry, they would not share their algorithms, and hence laws will be developed in their favor shutting out other competing companies. Autonomous transportation companies may operate differently hence shaping regulation, or alternatively, regulation will determine how the companies operate.

Government Regulations in Place

Regulations on automobiles were made with human drivers in mind, and as such there are minimal regulations on driverless vehicles. The law in the United States demands that one needs to be in control of the vehicle at all times (Taeihagh & Lim, 2018). However, many states are acting independently in changing some of the rules such as the definition of terms like vehicle operator. The law states that there has to be an accountable person operating the vehicle, which can be interpreted as the person that causes the driverless vehicle to engage (Bagloee and Tavana, 2016). There is an acceptable distance for vehicles that follow each other to accommodate sudden stops and traffic changes.

The state of California is one of the few that have enacted laws governing the use of self-driving cars., The law in the state requires companies to provide data of the distance traveled and the number of disengagements while testing the cars (Taeihagh & Lim, 2018). Vehicle testing is the only procedure allowed where the testing environment is required to be similar to real life. The companies would then provide data on vehicle usage, system safety, testing protocols, and the performance 1qof the driverless vehicles.

Government Regulations Holding It Back

Current regulations do not allow the usage of autonomous vehicles other than for the purpose of testing. Congress is supposed to pass a bill allowing the use of driverless vehicles but they are hesitant because they consider the technology underdeveloped. (Milakis, 2019). Therefore, regulations holding back the implementation of autonomous vehicles is on the basis of safety. Europe also allows the testing of autonomous vehicles in its legislation. They prioritize safety compared to America where the emphasis is on innovation and progress. Americans allow vehicle testing on public roads while Europeans confine testing to predetermined routes and private streets (Taeihagh & Lim, 2018). Current law under the Vienna Convention requires a driver on standby to take over an automated vehicle which goes against the purpose of a self-driving car.

The issue of liability is also holding back legislation for autonomous vehicles. A car driver is ordinarily held accountable in the case of an accident. However, there are no clear guidelines for autonomous vehicles such that it would be difficult to blame the manufacturer, the software provider, or the user (Balgoee & Tavana, 2016). Privacy is also a concern in the reason for delayed implementation of driverless vehicles on the roads. The vehicles will require data to know the destinations while also transferring back the data to the vehicle's operating. Many are worried that there will be no privacy that would go against the law protecting it. Cybersecurity is also another reason for legislation that denies the use of autonomous vehicles on the roads. It may be possible to control a vehicle remotely and cause damage as a terrorist act (Taeihagh & Lim, 2018). Finally, the threat to employment is also making legislators hesitate as it would affect the people who elected them.

Pros and Cons of Driverless Delivery

Uber and Tesla have both had fatal accidents in their driverless vehicle testing. The situation bears on the efficiency of autonomous vehicles (Boudette, 2019). There is the issue of malfunction and also autonomous vehicle ethics. A disadvantage of the vehicles is that the system might stop working for a number of reasons and cause fatalities as in the case of the two companies. Furthermore, the vehicles that drive themselves might find a tricky maneuver where they would have to make choices such as to stop, swerve, hit another car, or go off-road. Humans can make life or death choices based on what would cause the least harm, but robots may falter unpredictably. Cybersecurity is another disadvantage posed by autonomous vehicles (Milakis, 2019). It is a fact that there have been several data breaches that have significant repercussion. It is disadvantageous that the vehicles can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks

Human error has been cited as a major cause of road accidents. The ability of machines not to tire while performing repetitive tasks has always been praised (Baloee & Tavana, 2016). Thus, an advantage of self-driving cars is that they would cause fewer road accidents and improve safety on the roads. Autonomous trucks will also save on costs such that there will be fewer expenses on drivers (Pettigrew, Fritschi, & Norman, 2018). Finally, the introduction of Tesla in the transportation industry has the potential to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, self-driving cars are the future of transportation, and they are soon to be on the roads. There will be a need for changes not only in the laws but also in the infrastructure that the vehicles will use. The transportation sector and the government will have to work together for a successful transition that will not discard the current workforce. With the great anticipation of the many benefits that would come with autonomous vehicles, manufacturers will need to address cybersecurity, safety, liability, and privacy.

References

Bagloee, S. A., & Tavana, M. (2016). Autonomous vehicles: challenges, opportunities, and future implications for transportation policies. Journal of Modern Transportation, 24 (4), pp 284-303.

Boudette, N. E. (2019). Tesla, Facing Setbacks and Skeptics, Tries to Get Back on Course. The New York Times. Retrieved on 10 July 2019 from <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/business/tesla-elon-musk-outlook.html>

Milakis, D. (2019) Long-term implications of automated vehicles: an introduction. Transport Review, 39 (1), pp. 1-8.

Pettigrew, S., Fritschi, L., & Norman, R. (2018) The Potential Implications of Autonomous Vehicles in and around the Workplace. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15 (9) 1876.

Taeihagh, A., & Lim, H. M. (2018). Governing autonomous vehicles: emerging responses for safety, liability, privacy, cybersecurity, and industry risks. Transport Reviews., 39(1).