Originally Posted by
bee utey
Google Maps isn't the only road dataset available, and even that will improve once there is a greater need for it. Specifying a latitude and longitude for the destination and using highly accurate photo maps will probably get you there. And a bit of manual data interpretation before the trip too. Once it's been done once (even just by logging a human driver) every following AV will be able to do it too by sharing data.
But when human drivers are no longer allowed? I am sure there will be some way, but it seems that it would become much more difficult to drive to out of the way places. And there is no guarantee that autonomous vehicles will be able to share data - there are vast areas of this country with no mobile coverage, and there is also the factor of increasing resistance to sharing data as more and more abuses come to light.
A more pressing problem for autonomous vehicles is this: how will they handle opening and closing cocky gates? Not too many automatic ones of those Out West just yet.