A ride in a Cruise AV

Update link straight to the video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tp6Ubf6mE4

Looks like decent driving in complex terrain. Got stuck behind some cars a human driver wouldn't have and I'm not sure it can turn right on red, but seemed impressively good at dealing with human and bike traffic.

Following distance seemed too far and start lag also seemed too high (large gaps would form before starting to move forward). It was able to creep close to stopped traffic but seemed to lag when starting.

One thing I do expect an autonomous driver with microsecond reflexes to do is get going through an intersection quickly and follow the car in front very closely at low speeds. I would want to see less than 1/4 car length at < 10 mph, which reduces congestion significantly. If the car lags 3 seconds before starting and leaves 3 car lengths at 20mph it is hogging the road and causing traffic.

The time lapse sure puts an emphasis on the zigzagging/wobbling. It looks like the car is frequently "bouncing" left and right between where the side lanes end.

Apparently this wobbling is a common issue during lane keeping for autonomous cars, and according to one review, something Teslas are relatively good at (over BMW / Mercedes / Infiniti implementations).

[1] http://www.caranddriver.com/features/semi-autonomous-cars-co...

Looks like it was still crossing Market headed south on Van Ness when the light changed from green to yellow and then red. Too much following distance?

https://youtu.be/1Tp6Ubf6mE4?t=1m20s