Audi's Progress in Self-Driving Cars

Greetings readers! I hope you guys are having a great holiday season! Let's get right into it: Audi is one of many car makers developing their self-driving technology.

Audi has had some success already. In 2010, they partnered with Stanford to make a fully autonomous Audi TT. This made Audi a pioneer in the industry since it could shoot around the switch-back infested Pikes Peak Raceway without any issues. It even went up to 130 MPH which is crazy for a car that didn't require human input.

More recently, Audi has focused on making that technology more advanced. In August, a consortium of German car makers (one of them being Audi) purchased a mapping unit of Nokia. On top of ultrasonic waves, advanced lasers, and multiple radar systems, Audi's autonomous cars are now really smart.

The cars that Audi applies this technology to can now take on long distance trips and even race tracks without crashing into a ditch! For example, Audi used a self-driving A7 on a trip from Silicon Valley all the way to Las Vegas. That 550-mile trip was picture perfect as there were no technology issues!

What is even more remarkable is that Audi RS7s that have the technology are as lighting quick as the regular production models. Audi is still working on the weight factor of all those computers in the trunk, but the car hit 149 MPH at the German F1 track-Hockenheimring.

Self-driving cars are interesting because they have great potential. Drivers start traffic when they press on the brakes for no reason. Autonomous cars will get rid of that common issue by letting the systems do all of the work, cutting out user error. Long distance road trips will be a breeze and accidents due to drunken drivers will be a thing of the past. Audi is opening people up to having interesting, fast piloted cars. Of course, the big elephant in the room is, "will I die if I use one?"

Let me know what you think about Audi and their autonomous driving program. I'll see you guys soon!