How Close are Self-Driving Cars?

Was recently asked this question.   10 years, 5 years, one year, Years end?  Interesting that Waymo which I was an early tester of, is a major component.   Fleets will be a major component.

Waymo’s Maintenance Deal Hints that Commercially Available Self-Driving Cars May Be Close   Technology Review: Blogs: Mims's Bits

Building a car that drives itself is one thing, but making sure an entire fleet of them continues to run seems to be quite another.

Now, it’s emerged that Waymo's fleet of autonomous cars will be repaired and serviced by AutoNation. The New York Times reports that the auto retailer is already looking after vehicles in California and Arizona—though it doesn’t expect it to be an easy gig.

“These vehicles need to be in service for hundreds of thousands of miles, much more than personal-use vehicles, to make them economically viable,” said Michael J. Jackson, AutoNation’s CEO, to the newspaper, referring to the cost of sensors and R&D channeled into driverless cars. “To do that, you have to do much more proactive, preventative maintenance than what a normal person would do on a car.” .... '