An automotive vibe check from the floor of CES.

From American public media,

this is Marketplace Tech, I'm Lily Dramale. The Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas is many things.

It is perhaps best known as a gadget fest, a glimpse into the kind of technology we might be

using a month from now or even a decade from now.

That applies to vehicles too. Here at CES you will find

one of the biggest auto shows on the planet, which is why it's worth noting that the

big three US automakers aren't here this year.

The United Auto Workers Strike ended just a few months ago.

GM specifically is still regrouping after the implosion of its robot taxi startup crews.

Meanwhile, Tesla's autopilot driver assistance is under pressure from regulators.

The idea of reaching fully autonomous driving, what's known as level five in tech, is starting

to feel out of reach, and maybe that's okay?

I ask that of Trevor Kerwin, director of strategic partnerships at Shiva. AI, an automotive

payments company.

Where we are now, when we say level 5 autonomy, that you can go to sleep in the back seat and

you don't have to worry about the car getting

somewhere.

Where we are right now, depending on who you ask, we're either somewhere between level zero

and level two, depending on the car.

So miles away from level one. We have a long way to go and I think the question that

needs to be asked about that is how much autonomy is enough for us here

...