Got it. I admittedly know nothing about what the pricing will be here - and comparing to Tesla may be apples to oranges, but per The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13346512/tesla-self-driv...) the hardware for a Tesla is under $10k.

Additionally maximizing profit (and this may read as condescending but I do not intend for it to be so) does not necessarily mean maximizing price. Obviously if you are not selling at a loss you can potentially make more money with a cheaper price point on volume.

I do agree, however, that first adopters will likely pay a premium.

Eventually I imagine insurance companies will help subsidize these things too - if the price does not become trivial.

You seem to be arguing against technological progress in order to protect people. Most of us 'self-driving car' skeptics are just pointing out that the timelines presented in much of the press are wildly optimistic.