• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • What do Americans Think of EV Ownership Today?
  • Challenger Fain Edges Closer to UAW Presidency
  • Week Ahead: All About the Cars — Except for the UAW Part
  • The Rearview Mirror: Birth of a Sports Car Legend
  • Federal Infrastructure Law Funds Safe Streets 4 All
  • Hagerty Takes Expensive Hit from Hurricane, But Posts Profit
  • New Headaches for VinFast as Three Senior Sales Execs Leave EV Startup
  • Mazda Appoints Moro New CEO
  • Motor Vehicle Deaths Dropped 2% in 2022
  • EV Owner Satisfaction with Home Charging Declining
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    • A Week With: 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo XC40 AWD Ultimate
    • First Drive: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
    • First Drive: 2023 Lexus RZ 450e
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual
    • First Impression: 2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Blazer RS AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Sienna XSE AWD
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Technology > Self-Driving Vehicles Not Ready for Prime Time, Toyota Says

        Self-Driving Vehicles Not Ready for Prime Time, Toyota Says

        Automaker’s engineers and scientists says humans still best drivers.

        Joseph Szczesny
        Joseph Szczesny , Executive Editor
        Aug. 25, 2022

        Elon Musk loves to brag about how good Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system will be and how it will transform the industry as soon as Tesla owners finish their beta test of the product — perhaps as soon as the end of the year.

        Toyota Gill Pratt
        Gill Pratt, chief scientist, Toyota Motor Corp. and CEO, Toyota Research Institute, noted, “No one really knows” when fully automated vehicles will reach production.

        One of Tesla’s key competitors, Toyota is not as optimistic about when self-driving vehicles are ready for the American road. 

        During a day of presentations at the Toyota Motor North America Research and Development Center outside Ann Arbor, Michigan and the nearby American Center for Mobility, engineers and scientists from the Japanese automaker said they are skeptical any fully automated vehicles capable of navigating on its own will be ready for the road for several years.

        Skepticism runs deep on AVs

        Ryan Eustice, senior vice president of Human Centric AI & Technology Adoption, Toyota Research Institute, noted Toyota does currently employ a Level 2 System on the 2022 Lexus LS and Toyota Mirai fuel-cell vehicle. 

        The driver of the LS can let go of the wheel and the car will changes lanes and steer through a freeway interchange. But the system, like those offered by General Motors and Ford, keeps an eye on the driver to ensure they are paying attention to the road ahead, he said.

        Vehicles with Level Five or fully autonomous driving beyond a geo-fenced area are not ready yet despite the extensive research on artificial intelligence and machine learning required to make automated driving, Toyota officials contend.

        2022 Lexus LS 500h Teammate display
        Toyota offers a Level 2 autonomous technology on its Lexus LS and Toyota Mirai fuel-cell vehicle.

        Woven Planet, the Toyota subsidiary focused on automated driving, now has 1,800 employees, up from 700 a year ago. 

        “There’s a lot of hype in this space,” Eustice said. “We don’t think we are close to where we have to be for Level Five,” Eustice added, noting it could take a decade to build an autonomous system. “We have a fundamentally different philosophy than Tesla,” he added.

        Gill Pratt, chief scientist, Toyota Motor Corp. and CEO, Toyota Research Institute, noted, “No one really knows” when fully automated vehicles will reach production. 

        Humans are really good working through complex situations while operating a motor vehicle, he said. It is about making predictions, Pratt added. “It turns out humans are pretty good at that,” added Pratt. Autonomous vehicles are still learning.

        2023 Tundra tows an Airstream
        Researchers demonstrated a two-vehicle system where a “towed” vehicle autonomously followed a human-driven lead vehicle at a safe distance.

        “Autonomous vehicles systems are very complex,” noted Derek Caveney, senior executive engineer in the Integrated Vehicle Systems division at TMNA R&D. Toyota’s philosophy is to ensure it is offering high-quality products, which are safe and reliable and thoroughly tested releasing anything to the public, he said.

        Toyota’s research covers broad area

        The automaker’s engineers also showed off some of the new technology now reaching customers.

        The 2022 Toyota Tundra, for example, is equipped with a Trailer Pre-Collision System. When equipped with compatible trailer brakes, it can detect that a trailer is being towed and adjust for that during an emergency stop. When activated during towing, the Trailer PCS system is calibrated to leverage both the vehicle’s and trailer’s braking systems to help provide a smoother and more comfortable braking response.

        TMNA R&D, using a suggestion from an employee, is exploring whether a vehicle could be towed without a physical hitch. Researchers demonstrated a two-vehicle system where a “towed” vehicle autonomously followed a human-driven lead vehicle at a safe distance.

        Toyota also is continuing to experiment with fuel cells. Fuel cells built by Toyota now power 10 Class 8 heavy-duty trucks operating around the Port of Los Angeles. Toyota also developed a fuel cell as a stationary power source, replacing a diesel generator. Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology could power an EV charger.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2023 Lexus RZ 450e - charging REL

        What do Americans Think of EV Ownership Today?

        Today
        Shawn Fain UAW president 2023

        Challenger Fain Edges Closer to UAW Presidency

        Today
        2023 Nissan Ariya

        Week Ahead: All About the Cars — Except for the UAW Part

        Today

        One response to “Self-Driving Vehicles Not Ready for Prime Time, Toyota Says”

        1. Gary says:
          September 1, 2022 at 4:01 am

          Makes me like Toyota much better! Ford and GM baffle me on this. And Elon……..sometimes……sometimes he seems like a genuine genius, and sometimes……the opposite.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: