THE FUTURE IS HERE

It’s easy to imagine hovering, flying, self-driving cars, no? It feels like an established futuristic vision, stemming from countless sci-fi movies and novels. It also seems just around the corner, but not quite here yet. Well, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, driverless, fully autonomous taxi services have arrived.

Seeing this for the first time during my recent trip to San Francisco, I experienced a mixture of sensations: “Oh, wow!”, “Uh, never!”, and “Hm, interesting” all at once. The sight is at first a bit eerie. The fancy Jaguar I-Pace cars are hard to miss, equipped with four cameras on each corner and a prominent LiDAR system (Light Detection and Ranging sensor) on the roof. Usually, you don’t see people inside, as the back windows are tinted. But once in a while, people sit up front in the passenger seat, or even in the driver’s seat.

After the short initial shock, my curiosity won, and the next day my friend ordered me a Waymo. I couldn’t download the German app without a US phone number, which I found a bit disappointing, as I can imagine many visitors would love to try it.

When the Waymo arrived, it parked a few feet from where I was waiting. The initials of my friend, “JB,” were blinking on top of the LiDAR sensor. In the app, you have to press “unlock.” Then you step in. What greets you is the nicest and calmest environment you can imagine. Ambient music is playing, and a voice greets me with “Hello James” (my friend’s name). Then you touch the screen between the front seats and press “Start Drive.” “Heading to 3874 Green Street. Please make sure your seat belt is fastened. For any questions, press the call support button to speak to a rider support agent.” I fasten my seat belt, and my Waymo sets off. All glimpses of nervousness and doubt are gone in a flash. I feel so secure. There is no human energy, no Uber or taxi driver in a grumpy mood, no smell of cigarettes or too much aftershave, no nerve-racking music or radio talk. I can adjust everything the way I like it by pushing buttons. I could even connect my phone and listen to my own music.

I guess it’s good that you can see the steering wheel turning by itself. After all, it’s something familiar. If I imagine it being just a box with a screen talking to you, that would be too much to process.

I’m truly fascinated. I make videos and send them to friends and family members in Germany, and five out of seven people completely freak out, saying they would never, ever set foot in a ghost car like that. That is fascinating, too. Around 1.4 million lives are lost to traffic crashes worldwide each year, with speeding being the most common cause. Speeding reduces a driver’s reaction time, increases the severity of collisions, and makes it harder to control a vehicle. I guess we haven’t quite caught up yet in understanding that computers are simply better, faster, and more accurate than we are.
But what else lies behind this deep and reactive skepticism?

Cars were not just a mode of transportation, but a symbol of individual mobility and opportunity. And certainly, in the beginning, it was all about men and their toys. Driving a car, owning a car, is to this day still a way for men to express their masculinity—and yes, maybe their machismo, too. (I always chuckle when a young man stops next to me at a traffic light in his red Porsche or black Maserati, pushes the gas pedal to make the car howl, and then takes off with a loud kaboom when the light turns green.) This is certainly nothing a Waymo will play with. Driving a Waymo is maybe not for macho drivers. There is no self-expression in it; it’s simply a matter of service, fulfilling a need or wish.

I ride. I truly enjoy it. I feel a bit tired because I’m so relaxed. I think, I wish my dad could see this.

Besides not having to mirror human energy—except my own—there is astonishing intelligence behind this technology. The territory was first mapped in utmost detail, including lane markers, stop signs, curbs, and crosswalks. Instead of navigating only with external data like GPS, whose signal can get lost, it uses these highly customized maps in combination with real-time sensors and artificial intelligence to determine its location every second. The car’s perception system gathers information in a 360° spectrum—from pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists to other cars, trucks, construction sites, and more. Waymo processes this multitude of objects in real time, each with its own behavior and often unpredictable intentions, and uses AI to learn what people are likely to do in hundreds of different situations—all in less than a second.

As of early 2024, Waymo operates approximately 250–300 autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. The company received a full commercial permit from the California Public Utilities Commission in August 2023, allowing it to expand its driverless taxi service across the entire city.

Yes, there have been a few minor accidents. But compared to human-driven vehicles, they represent only a fraction. The company argues that its autonomous vehicles are generally safer than human drivers, with fewer and less severe accidents. Each incident is thoroughly investigated to improve the vehicle’s AI and driving algorithms.

I’m trying to imagine Waymos in Berlin. Difficult. I see people freaking out. I can imagine acts of destruction and forms of rebellion—people trying to trick them or force them to stop.

But maybe all of this is unstoppable. Just as everything changed when Karl Benz created the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885, a three-wheeled vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.

Can you imagine a city with only driverless cars, used by everyone? There most likely wouldn’t be as many accidents or traffic jams. We wouldn’t really need parking spaces anymore. But I guess we would have to give up the symbol of freedom, of apparent control—and yes, guys, of showing your machismo.
Can you? The future is here. Just wait and see.