An aircraft carrier can't turn on a dime but once it turns you have a f-ing aircraft carrier.
When GM or some other BigCo throws its weight behind something that something gets done.
When GM or some other BigCo throws its weight behind something that something gets done.
With self-driving cars the tech is only phase one. The legal/regulatory/social issues come next and that is where a company like GM with all of its political connections can really press their advantage.
Even a company like Google is small time compared to GM when it comes to lobbying and political power with all of the unions, dealers, suppliers, trade associations, etc they have built up over a 100 years.
I'm fairly impressed. I'm sure like most BigCorps it's not a fun or terrible nimble place to work, but it seems like they've got at least some aspects of their engineering culture figured out.
Edit: 2018MY Focus Electric is a limited production model sold in select states (CA/CT/MA/MD/ME/NJ/NY/OR/RI/VT) at Ford EV Certified Dealers
https://www.ford.com/cars/focus/models/focus-electric/?intcm...
They're making noises about improving, but then they go and do the opposite.
Toyota Prius, a decade later.
> Bolt
A Prius with batteries. Oh my, I can't take all this innovation.
> relatively affordable
Because the billions in losses are paid for by other GM customers and taxpayers.
The self driving battle is going to be complex, unprecedented, unpredictable, rapid, and probably dirty given the stakes. These are not generally the sort of conditions where old behemoths tend to shine.