Even if a system that actually performed well in a 100% autonomous mode was available, how is having manual override for safety actions like braking a bad thing? Why would you ever remove that? Removing it provides zero benefit whatsoever.
this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2026
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I'm a sane world, removing the brake pedal (etc) would only occur after extended disuse. When the technology is mature enough and so reliable that it's a wasted feature that never gets used, and hasn't been used in a long time.
Not when the technology is brand new and this is something still needed on a regular basis.
Likely to still be used in a maintenance or emergency situation where the electronics are dead. If the vehicle has to be moved and a winch isn't available a brake is pretty much a necessity. Anyone who's had to push a car out of a lane of travel knows this.
Maybe autonomous vehicles don’t need a ‘brake pedal’ specifically, but I do think that for safety’s sake, they do need some kind of emergency kill switch accessible to passengers in the interior. Something that will bring the vehicle to a stop as soon as safely possible and then ensure that the doors can be opened from the inside. And maybe repeated presses of the emergency kill switch should disregard software entirely, using purely hardware pathways to immediately bring the vehicle to a halt and unlock the doors.
Tesla already has this now. The car bricks itself, the controls fail, lights on fire, people cant open the door and they burn so hot on top of the battery that it even turns their bones into powder.
So the feds are wasting their time with this.
Hm... I think that could be improved, though. Maybe by rethinking the 'can't open the door' and the fire? I feel like those parts, specifically, could use some workshopping. Maybe send it to a focus group for analysis?
I have a 2018 model 3 so I have mixed feelings on the matter. I do regret supporting musk in any way but in 2018 he seemed merely lame and nerdy. He hadnt even insulted the thai cave diver rescuer guy yet, or attacked the pandemic response, or turned twitter nazi.
Simpler times.
To be fair, it says brake pedal - there are other possible means of activating a brake such as an old school emergency brake lever.
The "benefit" is, of course, money saved for their own pockets.
Removes requirements for hand- or foot-operated brake controls for vehicles designed never to be operated by a human
No this would remove requirements even for emergency/hand brake.
The brake lever is a parking brake. It's usually (in older cars that don't have an electronic park brake) a cable actuation of the brake meant to keep your car from rolling away if the parking pawl fails. It's not the same as the hydraulic braking you'd do with a pedal (and what you'd want in the event of an emergency braking situation). Getting rid of it is beyond foolish.
I would call a working brake pedal the single most critical safety feature in cars today.
It saves like $20
If nobody is in the driver's seat, then it doesn't matter if the brake pedal exists. If someone does happen to be sitting there, but isn't paying attention to driving, they might accidentally hit it. And it would be in the way most (hopefully all) of the time.
Sounds like this doesn't include it, but I think it would be better to have some centrally accessible thing to manually activate the brakes. Then you could do it regardless of where you sat.
like the emergency stop cable on busses.
In every bus I've ever seen, the stop cable isn't an 'emergency stop' cable -- it doesn't actuate the bus's brakes or anything like that.
All it does is light up a little light in in the driver's view -- it tells them that you're requesting a stop, so they should stop at the next bus stop, even if nobody is waiting to board there. Otherwise, the driver might pass by your stop without stopping if nobody there is waiting to get on the bus.
There should be a mechanical override emergency brake. However it need not be a pedal. The typical use should be the mechanic verifying it works at the yearly inspection
‘These lifeboats are taking up too much deck space on the Titanic.”
OK, but it should be mandatory that all feds can only use these cars.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. How corrupt is the system? Do the Oceansgate engineers now work for the Fed?
Just fyi the Fed is most commonly used to refer to the Federal Reserve. I was very confused as to why the economist people needed submarines for a second.
Do the Oceansgate engineers now work for the Fed?
If not them, then their drinking buddies.
If you assume Level 5 autonomy exists, you don't really need ANY control surface inside the car. Those just become useless artifacts. Steering wheels, gear shifters, gas/brake pedals, turn-signals, or rear-view mirrors.
Really, even map apps. Those just convert to glorified ToDo apps, where you say where you need to be at what time and the AV figures out how to get you there. Showing your position on a map is just more of a curiosity, like the airplane in-flight scenes, giving you a rough sense of place and calmly reassuring you that you are on your way (instead of, say, plunging into the sea).
You don't really need car windows either. Could be replaced with screens that show idealized imagescapes to enhance the transportation experience, or a movie.
Not requiring brake pedals is just the first logical step, if you want to let a machine drive you.
For those who actually enjoy the driving experience, AVs are stupid wastes of effort and tech.
Everything you described sounds like a dystopian nightmare straight out of Upload.
Really, even map apps. Those just convert to glorified ToDo apps, where you say where you need to be at what time and the AV figures out how to get you there. Showing your position on a map is just more of a curiosity, like the airplane in-flight scenes
Eh... It can still be useful when setting a destination.
A) Sometimes you want to travel to a place that you're not familiar with the name of, but know the location of. If you can find it on a map, you can use the map to indicate where you want to go. As it's a non-verbal way of indicating destination, it could also be useful for some types of disability accommodation.
B) Sometimes you want to travel to a place that doesn't have a formal name or address. If, say, you're trying to get to a particular and rather obscure outdoor recreation site, your only choice besides pointing it out on a map would be to tell the car precise GPS coordinates, which could be very cumbersome to input. And since GPS coordinates are difficult to memorize, the user would probably have to consult a map to find out what the coordinates are in the first place.
C) Seeing the destination displayed on the map helps ensure there was no miscommunication between the passenger and the vehicle, confirming that it's actually headed to the correct destination. (No matter how much you optimize and perfect the car's communication software, it's still communicating with a fallible human, so miscommunication and misunderstanding remains possible. If an incorrect destination has been set, it's best to detect and correct that as soon as possible, and having a map available would help for that.)
All joking aside, though, maybe autonomous vehicles don't need a 'brake pedal' specifically, but I do think that for safety's sake, they do need some kind of emergency kill switch accessible to passengers in the interior. Something that will bring the vehicle to a stop as soon as safely possible and then ensure that the doors can be opened from the inside.
I assume we will still be able to subscribe to a brake pedal service for a reasonable monthly fee?
Since most braking systems are still mechanical, I am guessing they want to get rid of the mechanical part to more easily eliminate targets once they hack all the vehicles a la Upload
Most EVs and Hybrids don't have a direct hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and the wheel cylinders when everything is healthy.
There is an accumulator that gets pressurized when you press the brake pedal and then it blends between dynamic and hydraulic brakes as needed.
Then states need to ban autonomous cars from public roads.
Sounds like a way for a "glitch" to occur
Full send!
I guess it stops the feds having to do the dirty work of cutting people's brake cables.
it's so much easier to just send the command over the always-on cellular link.