Naming self driving cars

Names set expectations and liability. In 2017 I scribbled a note to myself: “the name for self driving cars: autos.” Eight years later we mostly say AVs, ADS, and robotaxis. Auto did not stick. The interesting part is why, and what good names actually do. 🚗👇

Found this dated Apr 11, 2017 while combing my old notes folder. Context then: peak autonomy optimism, self driving in headlines, Tesla Autopilot pitched as the future, “Full Self Driving” sold as an option, Waymo early riders in Phoenix. The lexicon was still fluid.

Why “autos” did not land: it already meant cars. Auto = self was cute but ambiguous. Standards pinned language. SAE J3016 set levels and ODD. NHTSA’s 2017 “Vision for Safety 2.0” leaned into ADS. ADAS covered L2. “Autonomous” suggests agency. “Automated” centers design duty. That split shows up in safety cases and driver monitoring.

The market split the difference. Press and marketing kept “self driving.” Policy folks used AV. “Robotaxi” named a concrete thing, driverless ride hail. That clarity helped people see capability limits. Calling L2 “self driving” skewed mental models and risk taking. ADS and ODD talk forced the where and when.

What still holds from 2017. Pick precise names. What changed. Terms must encode responsibility and scope, beyond ambition.

Open questions I still have: Which labels best signal residual risk? Should regulators standardize consumer terms? How do we name systems as ODDs shift?

I still think the name autos could be cool!

Here’s the original note from 2017: https://github.com/AnandChowdhary/notes/blob/main/notes/2017/the-name-for.md