Wake Me When We Get to Las Vegas

I have been looking at Tesla’s Cybercab, the vehicle with two seats, no steering wheel, and no pedals.

My first reaction was that somebody had removed quite a few things I generally expect to find in a car. My second was considerably more positive.

Could I get into something like it in Reno, take a nap, and wake up in Las Vegas?

That would be useful.

I am describing the trip I would like a future service to provide, rather than a ride I can book today. But it gives me a practical way to think about autonomous transportation.

The drive takes roughly seven or eight hours, depending on the route and stops. Reading, listening to music, looking at the scenery, and sleeping all sound like pleasant alternatives to driving.

Before settling into the seat, however, I have a few questions.

Hands-Free Is Not Nap-Ready

We already have vehicles that assist with steering, speed, and other parts of driving. That is progress.

But taking your hands off the wheel and taking yourself out of the driving assignment are different things. Tesla explicitly says its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) requires active driver supervision and does not make the vehicle autonomous.

If I’m responsible for taking over, the nap is off the itinerary.

Driverless services operate within particular areas and conditions. Successfully carrying passengers around a city doesn’t establish that a vehicle can take me across Nevada.

My proposed trip requires the system to handle the journey while I am genuinely off duty.

First, Where Are We Going?

Tesla’s Cybercab rider guide describes entering a destination within the service area through the Robotaxi app. Changing that destination also involves the app. The cabin touchscreen provides controls to request a pull-over or contact support.

Apparently, removing the steering wheel does not remove the need for my phone.

I would prefer to say, “Take me to this hotel in Las Vegas,” and answer whatever reasonable questions follow. I would also like to say, “I’ve changed my mind.”

People do that. Sometimes shortly after making the original decision.

For a long trip, I might want lunch, a particular route, or a visit along the way. The service needs to explain what it can accommodate before accepting the assignment.

“Las Vegas” is a destination. It is not quite a complete set of instructions.

The Car May Need a Drink

Cybercab is electric, so charging belongs in this discussion.

I would expect the vehicle to know how much energy it has, what the journey requires, and where it can obtain more. Some of that planning already exists in electric cars. Tesla’s Trip Planner, for example, can add charging stops to a route.

But planning a stop and completing it are different accomplishments.

At an ordinary plug-in charger, somebody still has to connect the cable. Automatic charging could address that where compatible equipment is installed. I would want to know what happens when the expected arrangement is unavailable.

Does the car find another station, summon assistance, or wake me up?

I am willing to be awakened for a reasonable purpose. I would prefer that it not be because the car has parked beside a charger and is waiting for inspiration.

A gasoline-powered autonomous vehicle would face a similar question about who operates the pump. Changing the fuel doesn’t eliminate the task.

The Passengers Have Their Own Operating Range

Energy calculations will not cover every reason to stop.

The car may determine that it can comfortably continue for another hundred miles. At my age, I may have information that changes that calculation.

I would like “Find a restroom” to be treated as a transportation instruction, rather than a conversational suggestion.

There is also lunch. A convenient charging station may be nowhere near a restaurant I want to visit. An algorithm’s preferred restaurant may be closed, awkward to reach, or serving something neither passenger wants.

The vehicle needs to reconcile its requirements with ours.

That includes confirming we have returned before continuing. I would hate to emerge from lunch and discover that the car had decided to make good time.

Has It Been Here Before?

I am particularly interested in how much preparation is required before an autonomous car can operate somewhere new.

An unfamiliar address inside an established service area is one thing. A new city, a different road environment, or a trip beyond that area is another.

Waymo has explained how detailed maps supplement information from its vehicles’ sensors. The map supplies context; the vehicle still has to respond to what is actually happening around it.

Mapping, driving capability, and permission to operate are separate issues. A system might recognize an unfamiliar road without its operator being ready or authorized to offer service there.

For my trip, I would want confidence in the whole route, including reasonable alternatives if a road closes.

The longer-term possibility is that vehicles become better at handling unfamiliar environments, reducing the preparation required for expansion. I like that prospect.

I would still prefer not to discover the remaining limitations somewhere between towns.

Who Helps When the Plan Changes?

Suppose weather makes continuing unwise, or the vehicle develops a problem.

It needs a response that doesn’t depend on transferring responsibility to a sleepy passenger with no steering wheel.

Contacting support is a start. For a long-distance service, I would want to know what support could arrange: roadside assistance, a replacement vehicle, or somewhere safe to wait.

These are ordinary travel questions. Removing the driver makes it more important to establish who handles them.

And Where Does It Leave Me?

Finally, we reach Las Vegas.

I want the correct hotel entrance, somewhere I can get out comfortably and retrieve my luggage. A pin on a map can be remarkably close to your destination while still being on the wrong side of a substantial building.

Then what happens to the car?

If I own it, can it park or charge itself? If I hired the ride, how does the operator account for finding another customer or returning the vehicle?

I don’t need to solve the fleet economics. I would like the quoted fare to reflect somebody having thought about them.

I Like the Destination

None of these questions reduces my interest.

Arriving rested would offer real value. I care more about that than whether the dashboard looks futuristic.

The challenge is completing the whole journey: arranging it, making the stops work, handling surprises, and delivering people where they actually need to be.

Give me an understandable price, sensible answers, and convincing evidence that I can safely stop supervising, and I would be interested.

Wake me when we get to Las Vegas.

Unless we’re stopping for lunch. I would like to be awake for that.

What would you want an autonomous car to handle before you would be comfortable falling asleep in it?