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SmartDrivingCar.com/11.47-Picking_Up_The_Pieces -11/29/23

47^thedition of the 11th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter

[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="12" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_8">Cruise is taking a bruising

M. Sena, Nov.26, “IT HAS BEEN a rough couple of months for CRUISE LLC after it reached a high point in August this year. That was when CRUISE, along with WAYMO LLC, received approval from the CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES to operate round-the-clock paid ride-supplying services in the state with their driverless vehicles, that is, with no human primary or back-up driver in the vehicle. CRUISE’s license was for 300 vehicles. Then the wheels began to come off the cart, figuratively speaking. On Sunday evening, the 19th of November, CRUISE founder and CEO, Kyle Vogt, announced that he was throwing in the towel. Is this the beginning of the end for CRUISE? Or is this just the end of the beginning, as most of the Pollyannaish opinion pieces on the subject have opined?

Spoiler: It’s not the end for CRUISE, but it should be the end for GM’s skunkworks project with CRUISE, and the start of a more serious approach toward driverless vehicles by the automobile industry and investors. How it began to unravel.…” Read More Hmmmm…. Read on and watch ZoomCast 347 and let’s start picking up the pieces. Alain

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[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="6" alt="A book cover of a book Description automatically generated" title="" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_7">SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 347 / PodCast 347 w/ Michael Sena, Editor, The Dispatcher

F. Fishkin, Nov. 29, “With GM Cruise "substantially" cutting spending on Cruise autonomous mobility, should GM turn the keys over to someone else? What is Google's real business with Waymo? The Dispatcher Publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus...Tesla's big truck week and troubles in Sweden, the upcoming book, The Real Case for Driverless Mobility...and more!

0:00 open

1:13 GM cutting Cruise spending

7:09 What is Google's Waymo business really about?

30:00 Tesla's big truck event and troubles in Sweden

42:24 The Real Case for Driverless Mobility book coming soon

[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="12" alt="A black text on a white background Description automatically generated" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_5"> Elon Musk on Power, Influence and the “Wild Storm” in His Mind | DealBook Summit 2023

R. Sorkin, Nov. 29, “ The tech billionaire Elon Musk has come to define innovation, but he can also be a lightning rod for controversy; he recently endorsed antisemitic remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, which prompted companies to pull their advertising. In his interview, Musk discusses his emotional state and why he has “no problem being hated.” This interview was with Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times at the annual DealBook Summit and recorded live in front of an audience at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Read more highlights from the day at…” Read More Hmmmm…. Please don’t read the click-bait highlights and or watch the tabloid video clips. Watch the whole interview! J Alain

[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="12" alt="A black text on a white background Description automatically generated" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_11">Cardinals LB Jesse Luketa got a flat tire before Sunday’s game — a family was there to help

D. Haller, Nov. 28, “ …“You guys going to the stadium?” Luketa asked the man.

J.W. Phillips, 31, had been running late when he had pulled over for gas. His family was excited. At halftime of the Cardinals game, son Brody was scheduled to play flag football on the stadium field. He looked at Luketa and noticed the bad tire.

“Yeah,” Phillips said.

“I’m a player,” Luketa said. “I got a flat tire. Can you guys help me out? I need a ride to the stadium.”…” Read More Hmmmm…. Everybody needs a ride sometimes. Easy to get if you are football star. Would be just as easy to get if we could all focus on MOVES-style deployment of autonomousTaxis.. J Alain

[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="12" alt="A black text on a white background Description automatically generated" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_4"> GM to cut spending on Cruise after accident - FT

Reuters, Nov. 28, “General Motors (GM.N) is to scale back spending on its self-driving unit Cruise after a pedestrian accident last month, Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

GM and Cruise did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

In October, one of Cruise's driverless cabs was not able to stop in time from hitting a pedestrian who had been struck by a hit-and-run driver, raising safety concerns around the use of robotaxis….” Read More Hmmmm…. Really?? Cruise does essentially everything right with its automation in dealing with a situation that is as rare as rare can get and because its public relations department failed to be completely forthright, it is “cutting spending”. I hope the cut is limited to closing its public relations department. You would have thought that GM would have learned that the coverup is worse than the crime 10 years ago with their “Ignition Switch cover up”. So sad! Alain

[log in to unmask]"> How self-driving cars can gain the public's trust

J. Muller, Nov. 27, “Better transparency and tighter rules could improve public trust in self-driving cars amid safety concerns involving Cruise robotaxis, experts tell Axios.

Why it matters: The big promise of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is that they could make transportation safer and more accessible for everyone.

….” Read More Hmmmm…. Even more… we need complete transparency (but is that even possible given all the smoke and mirrors by the many wannabes?). With complete transparency, we don’t need tighter rules. We don’t even know what to tighten if we don’t have the transparency.

Most importantly: “Why it Matters” is NOT to “make transportation safer.” Roads are unsafe because HUMAN drivers misbehave. If we really wanted to make transportation safer, we wouldn’t tolerate driver misbehavior. We wouldn’t let HUMAN DRIVERS speed, text, or operate their vehicles while under the influence. We wouldn’t allow car companies to install allow huge entertainment screens that distract drivers and make automated emergency braking systems that had essentially zero false positives. That’s what “Safe-driving Cars” ae all about. Driverless cars are about giving high quality affordable rides to people who can’t drive themselves, thus giving them the same access to opportunities as those who can drive themselves. Mass transit is able to give high-quality rides at affordable prices for only a very few that live in a very few places in the US. For them the public cost in the form of public subsidies is non-trivial. Driverless cars can substantially outperform even the best public transit in a vast majority of places people live and deliver it at an affordable cost that can return a sustainable profit to the driverless service provider without public subsidy all the while being as, if not more, environmentally responsible, equitable and safe those who drive themselves.

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‘Lost Time for No Reason’: How Driverless Taxis Are Stressing Cities

Y. Lu, “Around 2 a.m. on March 19, Adam Wood, a San Francisco firefighter on duty, received a 911 call and raced to the city’s Mission neighborhood to help a male who was having a medical emergency. After loading the patient into an ambulance, a black-and-white car pulled up and blocked the path….” Read More Hmmmm…. And so starts a really bad tabloid article. C’mon NYT! Alain

[log in to unmask]" align="left" hspace="12" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_6">STARSHIP'S SECOND FLIGHT TEST

Staff, Nov 29, “Starship returned to integrated flight testing with its second launch from Starbase in Texas. While it didn’t happen in a lab or on a test stand, it was absolutely a test. What we did with this second flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship.

On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas and achieved a number of major milestones:…” Read More Hmmmm…. Very impressive. Can’t wait for StarShip IFT3. Hope to be there. J Alain

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6^th SmartDrivingCar

Summit

May 29 (evening) -> May 31, 2024

Princeton, NJ

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Previous SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast/PodCasts

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 346 / PodCast 346 w/ Cyrus Farivar Forbes senior staff writer

F. Fishkin, Nov. 21, “With the two co-founders having resigned, where does GM's Cruise go from here? GM CEO Mary Barra spoke to employees Monday. Forbes Senior Staff Writer Cyrus Farivar has had a listen and written about it. He joins Alain and Fred on episode 346 of Smart Driving Cars. Plus we add thoughts from The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena. Tune in and subscribe.

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 34 5 The second launch of Starship

Fishkin, Nov. 18, “With a group of his students on hand from the South Padre Island vantage point, Princeton's Alain Kornhauser joins Fred Fishkin to witness the second launch of Starship by SpaceX. Tune in and subscribe!”

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 344 from StarShip#2 Launch Site

Fishkin, Nov. 17, “It's a special edition of Smart Driving Cars. A preview of the planned weekend launch of Starship. Princeton's Alain Kornhauser chats with co-host Fred Fishkin from Starbase in Boca Chica. Compared with autonomous vehicles... he says this is easy!

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 343 / PodCast 343 w/ Cyrus Farivar Forbes senior staff writer

F. Fishkin, Nov. 9, “So much Cruise news and not much of it good. Where do robotaxi's go from here? Forbes senior staff writer Cyrus Farivar joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus Waymo, Britain's Automated Vehicles Bill, Geely's Zeekr and more. Tune in and subscribe.

0:00 open

0:30 so much Cruise news with Forbes Sr. Staff Writer Cyrus Farivar

22:36 Where does Cruise go from here

40:36 Waymo to bring AVs for testing to Buffalo

41:40 Britain's new Automated Vehicles Bill.. liability issue discussion

47:35 Geely's Zeekr public paperwork for IPO

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 342 / PodCast 342 w/Michael Sena, Editor of The Dispatcher

F. Fishkin, Nov. 3, “With "The Dispatcher" publisher Michael Sena looking at The Business of Transport Systems and whether Tesla or Toyota will be first to twenty million, episode 342 of Smart Driving Cars offers in depth insights. Michael joins Alain and Fred for that plus Geely, Waymo, Uber and more.

0:00 open

0:35 The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena on transport options on his way to go fishing in Labrador

2:44 The Business of Transport Systems… Tesla and everyone else

22:40 Getting to twenty million first… Tesla or Toyota?

32:00 Thoughts on the China Export Boom

32:38 Zeeker wants to be provider of Waymo autonomous vehicles…Alain says no.

44:00 Uber and Lyft agree to pay combined 328 million dollars in NY State case for withholding money from drivers.

1:01:45 Tesla won first U.S. autopilot trial involving fatal crash

1:07:50 CivicPlus report on U.S. drivers killing 20 pedestrians per day

1:11:25 AVs and “The Real Case for Driverless Mobility”(book from Michael and Alain coming soon)

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 341 / PodCast 341 w/Russ Mitchell, Correspondent LA Times

F. Fishkin, Oct. 30, “In the wake of an early October incident and action by the state of California, GM's Cruise has suspended robotaxi services. Where does it go from here? LA Times reporter Russ Mitchell joins Alain and Fred to discuss. Plus, Waymo cracking down on misbehaving riders and partners with Uber in Phoenix...and more. Tune in and subscribe. 0:00 open

0:42 Discussion with Russ Mitchell of LA Times of Cruise suspension of autonomous robotaxi services

8:36 What is needed to ensure similar incident isn’t repeated and where industry goes from here

19:20 Forbes online piece from Steven Acquino on Ableism issue not being taken into account

29:30 Teamsters and Rideshare Drivers United working together to put guardrails on autonomous vehicles

31:30 Waymo advises riders of cleaning fees if real messes are left behind

37:28 Waymo autonomous vehicles now available to Uber customers in

Phoenix

39:30 Alain on how financial model can work for autonomous mobility

49:35 NY Times piece on interactive map of NYC neighborhoods

52:10 Reminder that new book from Alain and Michael Sena is on the way.. The Real Case for Driverless Mobility

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 340 / PodCast 340 w/ Michael Sena, Dispatch Central – November 2023.. Critical Materials as Competitive Weapons

F. Fishkin, Oct. 19, “What has China done to Swedish EV battery maker Northvolt AB? "The Dispatcher" publisher Michael Sena joins Alain and Fred for episode 340 of Smart Driving Cars. Plus...robotaxi travails in San Francisco, Honda plans robotaxis in Tokyo with GM and Cruise, Amazon delivering drugs by drone, Xpeng, Tesla and more.

0:00 open

1:15 upcoming book The Real Case for Driverless Mobility

3:10 Critical materials as competitive weapons

7:24 Sweden cuts power to first electric road

21:48 Back on the elevator

24:09 Funding public transport isn’t working

32:00 Michael looks at robotaxi travails in San Francisco

46:25 Honda will start 2026 robotaxi service with GM Cruise and Origin vehicle

54:30 Amazon announces first drone deliveries of prescription drugs

1:02:49 Tesla earnings disappoint investors

1:14:20 Will Xpeng beat out Waymo and Cruise in robotaxis?

1:17:58 Smart Driving Cars Summit returns in 2024

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 339 / PodCast 339 driverless communication, Gates invests, Tesla battery production

F. Fishkin, Oct. 15, “Driverless car communication with pedestrians? On episode 339 of Smart Driving Cars, Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin chat about a report in The Verge on how Waymo is doing it. Plus Bill Gates invests in Glydways, Tesla battery production breakthrough, Model Y ridesharing in Tampa & more. Tune in and subscribe!

0:00 open

0:34 Princeton Scholars discussion on Israel and Gaza link in newsletter

1:56 The Verge report on How Will Driverless Cars Talk to Pedestrians-Waymo Has a Few Ideas.

4:42 Glydways gets investment from Bill Gates for electric robotaxis using dedicated lanes

13:09 Tesla officially releases API documentation for third party apps

15:15 Tesla Model Y vehicles being used by DASH in Tampa for affordable ridesharing service

19:55 Tesla breakthrough in battery cell production at Gigafactory Texas

26:27 Upcoming Podcar City Conference in San Jose

27:56 Publication coming soon for new book: The Real Case for Driverless Mobility by Alain Kornhauser and Michael Sena…and planning underway for 2024 Princeton Smart Driving Cars Summit

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 338 / PodCast 338 Waymo, Costs of Car Ownership, Tesla, Lyft and more

F. Fishkin, Oct. 10, “What was Waymo thinking with a post about Waymo One and first dates? Princeton's Alain Kornhauser on that plus the costs of car ownership, Tesla, Lyft, Zeeker and more. Join Alain and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 338 of Smart Driving Cars.

0:00 open

0:30 Middle East and Princeton Professor and former ambassador Daniel Kurtzer's comments.

3:16 Waymo post on Waymo One-Ideal for first dates

5:46 How the costs of car ownership add up

8:28 Tesla Cybertruck tows SpaceX Raptor

10:05 Why Electric Cars failed 100 years ago

12:20 Elektrek tests Waymo in SF

16:50 Lyft CEO-Big tech made America lonely

19:43 Vault Robotics van to door delivery

23:05 Waymo Zeeker

25:30 Tesla autopilot fatal crash in Florida

36:10 Waymo expands service in SF

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 337 / PodCast 337 Driveless Cars a Tough Sell?

F. Fishkin, Oct. 2, “Driverless cars a tough sell? Not to people who need mobility. That's Alain's response to a piece in The Atlantic. Plus Mercedes Drive Pilot, Uber plays nice with taxi industry, Teamsters oppose Cruise Origin, Tesla, Microsoft and May Mobility. And Alain shares his IATR presentation- Modernizing the Giving of Rides.

0:00 open

0:41 The Atlantic headline.. Why Driverless Cars are a Tough Sell

8:03 Forbes report.. Mercedes Benz Drive Pilot: The Self Driving Car Has (sort of) Arrived 9:40 The Verge report: How Uber learned to Stop Fighting and Play Nice With Taxis

13:45 Teamster Union opposing exemption for building of Cruise Origin

18:50 Tesla missed third quarter delivery estimates..but…

20:50 Microsoft announces new AI companion called CoPilot…umm…

23:13 May Mobility announces software release focused on rider only operations

30:13 Alain talks about his presentation at the IATR Conference in Arizona

41:34 Alain’s IATR presentation slides and more

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 336 / PodCast 336 w Prof. Dan Sperling, UC Davis

F. Fishkin, Sept. 26, “With the swirling controversies surrounding robotaxis in San Francisco and beyond, some words of caution from Daniel Sperling. The University of California, Davis, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies joins us for episode 336 of Smart Driving Cars. Plus Cruise, Waymo, Governor Newsome's climate lawsuit against oil, Tesla's Optimus robot and more.

0:00 open

0:45 Daniel Sperling , UC Davis, on his opinion piece for The Hill. “ Don’t Fall Prey to the Current Panic Over Automated Vehicles.

6:30 Alain’s viewpoint along similar lines

13:33 A business model focused on giving rides is needed

20:00 Sperling says support for public transit is an obstacle

22:47 Policy makers have an opportunity that they aren’t moving on

28:45 Ride sharing has fallen by the wayside

32:45 The Drive reports on robotaxi opposition in Austin while NPR piece is headlined Horseless Carriages Were Once a Lot Like Driverless Cars. What Can History Teach Us?

38:37 Tesla has data not only on their crashes, but their near misses as well

44:00 Gov. Newsome’s suit against oil companies 47:45 Newsome has also vetoed bill that would have required safety drivers in automated trucks for at least five years.

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 335 / PodCast 335 w Ariel Wolf, Venable Autonomous & Connected Mobility

F. Fishkin, Sept. 20, “How long will NHTSA take to approve the Cruise Origin exemption to build without a steering wheel or pedals? Fred Fishkin chats with the acting NHTSA administrator and co-host Alain Kornhauser and guest Ariel Wolf, who heads Venable's Autonomous and Connected Mobility practice offer insights. Plus Cathie Wood, Tesla, SpaceX and more. 0:00 open

0:42 Ariel Wolf on Venable’s autonomous and mobility practice

2:37 Techstination interview excerpts with NHTSA acting administrator on Cruise Origin

4:02 discussion of the approval practice with Alain, Ariel and Fred

16:16 Cruise has announced wheel chair accessible version as well

27:17 SF Fire Chief statement that Cruise autonomous vehicle was not directly responsible for the death of a pedestrian

35:00 Cruise CEO says backlash has been sensationalized

41:36 Allegations against companies making mobility safer are concerning

49:40 Cathie Wood says when it comes to self driving taxis ..it’s a winner take most market for Tesla

51:42 A go ahead for Cruise Origin could always be corrected if need be.

53:10 Legal changes needed and are being worked on

54:16 Rob Mauer at Tesla Daily had interview with Musk biographer Walter Isaacson”

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 334 / PodCast 334 Waymo autonomous vehicles safer than humans

F. Fishkin, Sept. 12, “Waymo and big re-insurer Swiss Re say Waymo's autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers. Tesla's Dojo supercomputer sends shares higher. Cruise Origin on verge of getting okay. No steering wheels or pedals. Episode 334 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin.

0:00 open

0:30 Waymo Swiss Re research shows Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers

10:47 Tesla shares jump after Morga Stanley analysts see Dojo supercomputer value

13:15 James Douma explanation of FSD included in newsletter

23:00 And Tesla Daily Rob Mauer highlights as well

23:30 GM Cruise near approval from NHTSA for Origin vehicle without steering wheel or pedals.

28:00 California bill requiring drivers in driverless trucks sent to governor 31:00 SpaceX Starbase readies Starship 25

35:20 Just back from Florida AV conference

36:50 Alain impressed with EVTOL tech at Florida conference

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 333 / PodCast 333 The Dispatcher w/Michael Sena & Tampa-Moves Simulation w/Bryce Rasmussen’25
F. Fishkin, Aug. 30, “The Need for Driverless Vehicle Standards is the lead as The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins us from Sweden for the latest Smart Driving Cars. More highlights from episode 333.. NHTSA, E-Fuels, China, Elon Musk demos the latest FSD and Bryce Rasmussen, Princeton '25, shows the results demo of the Interactive Person Trip Visualization tool from Princeton. Join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin...and subscribe!

0:00 open

1:17 The Dispatcher..Standards for Driverless Vehicles

10:39 Recommendations for Standards

21:50 The Dispatcher.. Rudderless at NHTSA

28:45 The Dispatcher… Electrofuels or E-Fuels

32:00 The Dispatcher.. China and Coal

36:08 Elon Musk live streams latest FSD Beta

46:15 Bryce Rasmussen, Princeton ’25, demos animation of Interactive person trip visualization

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 332 / PodCast 332 Right Market w/ Bryce Rasmussen’24
F. Fishkin, Aug. 24, “How can communities plan for autonomous mobility systems? There's a new Interactive Person Trip Visualization developed at Princeton University and Bryce Rasmussen, class of '25, shows us how it works. Episode 332 of Smart Driving Cars with Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin. Plus..Cruise, Waymo, San Francisco, Tesla and more.

0:00 open

0:41 Creation of Interactive Person Trip Visualization in Tampa with Bryce Rasmussen, Princeton class of ‘25

11:20 NY Times has three reporters ride in Waymo robotaxis

16:42 Politico reports Gavin Newsom sides with the robots in autonomous vehicle debate

20:43 Cruise bringing robotaxis to Raleigh

22:40 Beginning October 1 Pinellas’ SunRunner will no longer be free to ride. Why?

27:50 Results and demo of Interactive Person Trip Visualization in Tampa with Bryce Rasmussen

56:00 Visualization tool will be demonstrated at upcoming Florida AV conference and will become available to all

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 331 / PodCast 331 Wrong Market
F. Fishkin, Aug. 21, Following a crash with an emergency vehicle and a request from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, GM Cruise cuts San Francisco robotaxi fleet in half. What Princeton's Alain Kornhauser suggests they should do next, plus Cruise losses, automated vehicle legal issues, Tesla and more. Tune in to Alain and co-host Fred Fishkin for the latest.

0:00 open

0:24 Next Big Future piece on apparent 2 billion dollar GM Cruise loss this year

9:20 Cruise agrees to cut robotaxi fleet in half in San Francisco. Alain says should end service there to focus elsewhere

17:00 Alain’s response to those who point to the robotaxi collision with an emergency vehicle

20:00 The Verge has a report headlined Robotaxis are Driving on Thin Ice

22:00 GM Authority says Cruise is now testing in Charlotte

28:00 A diversion onto The Dinky

33:11 Juris report spotlighting potential criminal liability for operation of automated vehicles

36:27 Tip of the hat once again to Tesla Daily

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 330 / PodCast 3 30 CPUC decision
F. Fishkin, Aug. 12, “Robotaxi service in San Francisco gets the green light from the California PUC. Princeton's Alain Kornhauser outlines his testimony, where services go from here and more on episode 330 of Smart Driving Cars with co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus...the big UPS contract, Tesla and the continuing efforts develop automatic emergency braking that works.

0:00 open

0:22 California PUC okays around the clock robotaxi service in San Francisco

14:50 Alain hearing statement to California PUC in support of the deployment

20:23 More on the benefits of safe, affordable, driverless mobility and thoughts on how best to deploy

29:00 Robotaxi operators should be able to deny service to riders who misbehave

34:24 Coverage of the robotaxi issues needs to change. Too much clickbait.

41:00 Ride hailing model not the right focus

45:07 New UPS contract has created lots of demand for jobs there….but…

48:30 Reports and video of Tesla vehicles on autopilot crashing into police and the automatic emergency braking issue

1:02:27 How can automatic emergency braking be improved?

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 329 / PodCast 329 w/FL Senator Jeff Brandes & DASH’s Shuan Drinkard
F. Fishkin, Aug. 7, “Tampa Downtown Partnership head Shaun Drinkard and Florida Policy Project Founder Jeff Brandes join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a look at the new Tampa DASH service that will provide affordable mobility with a Tesla fleet of vehicles. Plus a preview of the Florida AV Summit, the latest headlines on Cruise, Waymo, Tesla, Luminar, NuView and more. Smart Driving Cars 329!

0:00 open

0:25 Tampa to use Tesla Model Ys for new mobility service. Shaun Drinkard Tampa Downtown Partnership.

15:06 former Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes on the Tampa DASH project

18:41 Cathie Wood speaking at up Florida Automated Vehicles Summit

30:00 WSJ headline: America’s Most Tech Forward City Has Doubts About Self Driving Cars

32:47 Slate headline: As Cruise Expands to Los Angeles, Self Driving’s Breakout Moment Has Arrived

33:29 Brandes on what AV activities are going on now in Florida

36:40 Cruise reaches union agreement with electrical and janitorial workers in San Francisco

37:25 Luminar AI push

40:02 NuView plans space based LiDAR to map earth in 3D

40:35 On the Tesla Front.. Highland production, Pepsi Tesla Semis and Texas Tesla customers are being offered unlimited overnight charging for 25 dollars a mon”

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 328 / PodCast 328 w/ Wm. Cariss, Holman Growth Ventures +

Fishkin, Aug. 3, “On episode 328 of Smart Driving Cars, we're at the Holman Emerge conference in NJ focused on start-ups and the future of driving, dealerships and mobility. Guests include Holman CEO Carl Ortell, President Chris Conroy, Homan Growth Ventures CEO Bill Cariss and Spiffy founder Scott Wingo.

0:00 open

0:50 Overview of Holman

1:50 Fleet business expanding in robots, etc.

3:00 role of autonomy and investment in autonomous trucking firm, Gatik

5:44 future of cars, driving, dealerships

9:00 Types of start-ups that are of interest

10:20 Decision to go outside company to find worthwhile technology

11:30 upcoming book from Alain and Michael Sena focused on new mobility

14:00 Continuing reinvention necessary

15:30 Scott Wingo, CEO of Spiffy, app-based mobile auto repair and washing

17:00 What is Spiffy doing that competitors aren’t

19:50 Growth of service area and franchising

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 327 / PodCast 327 Han’s the Best!
F. Fishkin, July 29, “A SF Taxi Alliance Board member takes a Waymo ride and says he felt extra safe! That's on top on episode 327 of Smart Driving Cars. That plus the latest from Cruise, Tesla, Uber, SpaceX and more. Join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for the latest in autonomous mobility.

0:00 open

0:37 SF Standard takes Taxi Worker’s Alliance Board member for Waymo ride and he says he felt “extra safe”

09:40 Waymo focusing efforts on ride hailing

20:00 Cruise expanding to Nashville and more

21:10 Wired report on legal saga of Uber fatal crash coming to end

28:45 TorqueNews report on Musk confirming Tesla FSD v12 Alpha using new single AI model

33:15 SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch 36:25 GM launching Hands Free Eyes On education program

39:56 The Verge reports driverless car legislation still stuck in neutral

49:03 Alain adds one more pitch for new mobility in NJ”

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 326 / PodCast 326 San Francisco robotaxis gain support from disability advocates
F. Fishkin, July 24, “Some disability advocates are voicing support for expanded robotaxis in San Francisco, a SF paper pits Uber against Waymo in a race, Cruise begins testing in Miami, Tesla begins production of DOJO supercomputer and talks to a major automaker about licensing Full Self Driving. That and more on episode 326 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin.

0:00 open

0:28 Disability advocates push for robotaxi expansion in San Francisco

8:08 San Francisco Standard pits Uber against Waymo in race. Clickbait.

12:40 Cruise begins initial testing for robotaxis in Miami

18:49 NY Times reports .. Watching for the Bus Stop Gallery

21:19 IATR Annual Conference in fall will have Waymo as an official sponsor

24:30 John Deere Moves Further in the Field of Autonomy

25:36 DOT accepting applications for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program

28:00 Tesla begins production of DOJO Supercomputer

31:10 Tesla in discussion to license full self driving to another major automaker

36:20 Washington Post piece on Tesla owners using steering wheel weights

Link to previous 301 -> 325 SDC PodCasts & ZoomCasts

Link to previous 276 -> 300 SDC PodCasts & ZoomCasts
Link to 275 previous SDC PodCasts & ZoomCasts

Recent Highlights of:

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Friday, Nov. 10, 2023

SmartDrivingCar.com/11.44-Training_Set-11/10/23

44^thedition of the 11th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter

[log in to unmask]"> Under Fire Over Robotaxi Safety, GM Halts Production Of Cruise Driverless Van

C. Farivar, Nov. 6, “Reeling from a month in which the California DMV yanked Cruise’s permits for its self-driving robotaxis and the company paused all operations, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt held an all hands meeting Monday to explain how the company was planning to address concerns that its autonomous vehicles are not yet safe enough to operate. One of the very first announcements: pausing production of a fully autonomous van called the Origin, which Cruise parent company GM was planning to ramp up in the imminent future.

According to audio of the address obtained by Forbes, Vogt remarked on the company’s recent decision to halt driverless operations across its entire autonomous vehicle fleet, telling staff that “because a lot of this is in flux, we did make the decision with GM to pause production of the Origin.”? …” Read More Hmmmm…. Pausing is fine and likely a good decision; although, pauses necessarily incur additional cost; else, we would all pause all of the time. What is fundamentally troubling here is that one incident that could easily be characterized as a situation in which “the good actors”, while doing everything right, unfortunately tried to do even a little more good, which unpredictably set off a chaotic effect, well-known in the mathematics of non-linear dynamical systems as Chaos theory.

What just happened? What have we learned? The ironies abound.

San Francisco is turning into THE “Training Set” of both what to do and what not to do for those building AI models for “The Real Case for Driverless Mobility” and for those struggling to do good for society.

The biggest lesson that is staring us in the face is that it is really important for all in this business to be able to collaborate and share as much as possible and safety related information including safety scenarios and approaches to being able to safely address those scenarios. These companies should NOT be competing on safety, because safety is a necessary condition. Unsafeness of one reflects poorly on all. The first legislation that Congress should pass of this technology should focus on anti-trust immunity to this industry related to safety. Safet is everyone’s responsibility. We’ve benefited enormously by cooperating on safety in the airline industry. Alain

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SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 343 / PodCast 343 w/ Cyrus Farivar Forbes senior staff writer

0:00 open

0:30 so much Cruise news with Forbes Sr. Staff Writer Cyrus Farivar

22:36 Where does Cruise go from here

40:36 Waymo to bring AVs for testing to Buffalo

41:40 Britain's new Automated Vehicles Bill.. liability issue discussion

47:35 Geely's Zeekr public paperwork for IPO

What shouldn’t be forgotten from the past….

[log in to unmask]"> Tesla – the Dark Horse MaaS Provider? #SmartDrivingCarSummit

K. Pyle, June 7, 3019, “Could the robotaxi model that Tesla’s Elon Musk has been touting be a successful approach for a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) model? After some recent first-hand experience with the Tesla driving experience, MaaS champion, Princeton’s Dr. Alain Kornhauser states why he believes Musk be on the right path. In the above video, Kornhauser provides an overview of some of the innovative human-machine research initiated at the 2019 SmartDrivingCar Summit, the importance of community acceptance of autonomous vehicles and, at approximately 03:55, the discussion of Tesla as a MaaS provider….” Read more Hmmmm…. Possibly truer today. J Alain

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[log in to unmask]">SFO rebuffs Waymo — SF ‘guerilla warfare’ vs. robotaxis heats up

J. Eskenazi, Nov 6, “… Most people won’t either, which explains why private transit to and from SFO is such a potential gold mine. When app-based ride-hail companies like Uber won the right to pick up and drop off San Francisco airport passengers it was a big, big deal. If and when autonomous vehicles can do the same — as they already can with Waymo in Phoenix, Arizona — that, too, would be huge.

Via public records requests, Mission Local obtained months of back-and-forths between SFO officials and Waymo employees hoping to get In California, driverless cars are regulated by both the state Public Utilities Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles, and it will require a number of steps on the statewide level to even get things to the point where SFO can give Waymo, Cruise, et al. the ability to do what Waymo is already doing in Phoenix. But, in the end, SFO is operated by the city — and this will loom large.

While SFO officials noted within the email exchanges that they were not yet on-board with the “phases” and timelines proposed by Waymo, they were okay with the company “mapping” the airport. This would entail a Waymo vehicle, operated by a human being, scanning the airport’s roadways in advance of driverless vehicles rolling through autonomously in the future. …” Read more Hmmmm…. Read on. There is more. Is Waymo working this hard to offer rides to people in the 7x7 that need affordable rides? or is this all about the enormous margin that’s available from airport ride-hailers that today pay a human drive?. More “earning human revenue while incurring robo costs”.

The end of this article has 6 links to former articles that I haven’t covered with many useful lessons to be learned and training data for creating that AI model for deployment of driverless mobility. Alain

[log in to unmask]"> Cruise confirms robotaxis rely on human assistance every four to five miles

A. L. Kolodny, Nov 6, “Cruise CEO and founder Kyle Vogt posted comments on Hacker News on Sunday responding to allegations that his company’s robotaxis aren’t really self-driving, but instead require frequent help from humans working in a remote operations center.

B. First, Vogt confirmed that the General Motors-owned company does have a remote assistance team, in response to a discussion under the header, “GM’s Cruise alleged to rely on human operators to achieve ‘autonomous’ driving.”

C. The CEO wrote, “Cruise AVs are being remotely assisted (RA) 2-4% of the time on average, in complex urban environments. This is low enough already that there isn’t a huge cost benefit to optimizing much further, especially given how useful it is to have humans review things in certain situations.” …” Read more Hmmmm…. The CaDMV requires that a central command center where human assistance can be given remotely to help ensure safe, efficient operation. Everyone testing driverless operation has one. I don’t believe that there is any automated operation anywhere in the world that doesn’t have human oversight and human override functionalities. Literally, there is no autonomous operation of anything human-made anywhere, if autonomous means zero human intervention. The ‘2-4% of the time’ quote seems OK on the surface but one really needs to understand the details of how time is measured as well as the types and duration of the remote assistance. Details matter here. More importantly, CA DMV should require substantive public reporting of each remote assistance action for all driverless testing that is testing the efficacy of the command center operation and the testing of driverless operation (although testing of driverless operation should never be done without an attendant on-board). Alain

[log in to unmask]"> Road trip! How our cross-country testing helps advance the Waymo Driver

D. The Waymo Team, Nov 6, “Experience is the best teacher, no matter if you're learning to drive a car or getting to know a new city. The Waymo Driver — our core set of technology comprised of hardware and software that enables autonomous driving — has multiple lifetimes of experience navigating the real world and helping people and things get where they're going safely. To bring the benefits of our technology to more people in more places and deliver on our mission to improve road safety, we take the Waymo Driver on road trips to regions where the driving culture and conditions differ from the areas we regularly operate.. …” Read more Hmmmm…. Apparently Waymo is coming to Buffalo. Fantastic! Congratulations, Steve! You beat us in Jersey again. When they show up, please take them to the neighborhoods and have them learn what their needs for rides and don’t even show them where the airport is located. Also, remind them that it snows more than 1 inch less than 29 days a year. That leaves at least 330 days a year that they could give safe, affordable rides to many in Buffalo. Plus you are really good at snow removal, so there is an upside to the 330. Alain

[log in to unmask]"> China's Zeekr reveals wider loss in US IPO paperwork, Geely shares fall

F. N. Nishant, Nov 9, “ China's Zeekr Intelligent revealed wider losses for the first half of the year on Thursday, as the electric car brand made its paperwork public for a stock market listing in New York and said it hoped to use funds raised to expand its product line.

G. Zeekr, owned by Chinese automaker Geely Auto (0175.HK), had confidentially filed for its initial public offering (IPO) in December last year.

H. The filing confirms a report from Reuters on Thursday, which said Zeekr was looking to make its IPO prospectus public this week. Shares in Geely (0175.HK), Zeekr's parent, fell by more than 2.5% in morning trading on the news of the listing… “. Read more Hmmmm…. Whoa! Buyers Beware. Partners Beware. Alain

[log in to unmask]"> Waymo executive: 'Safety case alone is sufficient' for self-driving cars

J. Fujita, Nov 9, “A top executive for Alphabet-owned (GOOG, GOOGL) Waymo doubled down on the safety of self-driving cars, even as rival Cruise, the autonomous vehicle venture owned by General Motors (GM), faces increased scrutiny over its technology in the face of recent incidents.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, chief product officer Saswat Panigrahi pointed to Waymo's track record, saying that its first million miles of rides have shown no injuries and no contact with pedestrians and cyclists, proving autonomous driving’s value.

“The safety case alone is sufficient because I don't think we should be accepting something that kills 40,000 people a year in a developed market,” said Panigrahi, pointing to the number of car accidents caused by human drivers. “I think that alone is a sufficient case to be going all in [on autonomous vehicles].”…

Panigrahi explained that the company has virtually simulated driving billions of miles using software prior to launch and continues to have the equivalent of 25,000 Waymo cars testing a myriad of scenarios to ensure safety. …” Read more Hmmmm…. Safety has been at the absolute core of Waymo’s involvement in driverless mobility, and they have achieved a “proof-of-technology” which has safety at its core. They deserve enormous praise. No one has done it better!

I do have one line of questions:

I suspect that they’ve simulated “the Oct 9 GM/Cruise crash”. Did Waymo simulate a similar crash prior to Oct 9? Has Waymo made changes to the Waymo Driver as a result of those simulations. What sensors are used to determine if an object is under the Waymo car or just in front of any of the four wheels?

Unfortunately, their real “save-the-world” opportunity can may only come from the giving of rides to people who really need rides, gaining the praise and appreciation from those folks and eventually converting those that “kill 40,000” to embrace them to give them rides isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

Alain

[log in to unmask]">Red Cross, Waymo to conduct blood drive in Bay Area

Alex Baker, Nov 6, ” he American Red Cross will be partnering with Waymo to conduct a blood drive in the Bay Area next week, the organization announced Monday. The week-long blood drive will be held in response to a national blood shortage, the Red Cross said…

Waymo will be offering free rides to and from the Red Cross 1663 Market Street donation center in San Francisco for registered users, the Red Cross said. The initiative is part of a new partnership between the Red Cross and Waymo.”…” Read more Hmmmm… Very nice. Hopefully Waymo is making a big effort to get an equitable cross section of registered users. Alain

[log in to unmask]"> When NYC Put a Celebrity in Every Taxi — ft. Al Franken

D. Friedman, Nov 7, ”If you got in a taxi in New York City between 1997 and 2003, you were greeted with the recorded voice of a celebrity reminding you to buckle up. When you left, the same celebrity reminded you to make sure you don’t forget anything, and get a receipt.

I wanted to hear these again recently, just out of nostalgia. But I couldn’t find them archived anywhere online. So I did a little digging in old articles to find someone who worked on the project back then at Taxi and Limousine Commission and might still have them. I found a name and managed to contact him, but he didn’t have the recordings. He was thrilled to be remembered for this old project, though, and said, “You know who you should really talk to?”…” Read more Hmmmm…. Enjoy the read! Also enjoy the video. J Alain

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Britain says makers, not car owners liable for self-driving crashes

Ali Smout, Nov. 7, “- Britain will make the makers rather than the owners of self-driving cars legally liable for any crashes under a framework for developing autonomous vehicles (AV), the government said on Tuesday, in a move welcomed by insurers and AV startups.

King Charles said the government would bring forward an Automated Vehicles Bill as he set out the government's legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session, after one promised last year did not materialise.… “. Read more Hmmmm…. Seems like a no-brainer. If by “self-driving” cars they mean cars that are giving me a ride as opposed to cars that I am responsible for, at least the real-time oversight of their operation for me to give myself a ride, then this is an absolute no-brainer. I can’t think of an entity that is doing something for me, that I am somehow responsible for that entity to do that for me. The whole aspect of have someone or something doing something for me is that that someone or something is responsible for doing it. Being a non -lawyer, I apologize for equating liability with responsibility. So it may not be as much of a no-brainer as first thought. But yes… I’m all for it! J Alain

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Unions urge US regulators to probe Waymo, Zoox after GM's Cruise driverless crashes
D. Shepardson, Nov 9, ” More than two dozen unions urged U.S. auto safety regulators on Thursday to open an industry-wide probe into driverless vehicles including Alphabet's Waymo (GOOGL.O) and Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) Zoox.

The unions, including the Transportation Trades Department, Transport Workers Union of America, International Brotherhood of Teamsters and United Auto Workers, cited the recent investigation into General Motors' (GM.N) self-driving Cruise unit and California's decision to suspend Cruise testing.

Driverless vehicles "are unsafe and untenable in their current form. This industry is in dire need of federal regulation and leadership to restore a modicum of safety and establish a realistic path for these vehicles to operate without threatening other road users," they said in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Ann Carlson, acting administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The letter also said workers are facing safety issues from robotaxis.”…” Read more Hmmmm…. So unfortunate that Waymo and Cruise have not recognized that union members and their families are, I suspect, among the largest groups of individuals who could benefit most from safe, affordable, high-quality mobility that they could offer. What a mistake it has been for Waymo and Cruise to focus their “proof-of-market” strategy on high-income professionals who already have more than enough really good mobility options, instead of giving safe, affordable, high-quality, demand responsive rides to improve the lives of Union and blue collar families. This lesson learned must be part of any training set of the next AI “proof-of-market” deployment model. Alain

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UPCOMING LAUNCH: STARSHIP'S SECOND FLIGHT TEST

Website post:, Nov 7, “The second flight test of a fully integrated Starship could launch as soon as mid-November, pending regulatory approval.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our X account for updates….” .”…” Read more Hmmmm…. Waiting for FAA approval with bated breath. J Alain

[log in to unmask]"> Virgin Galactic to ground its VSS Unity space plane next year: report

M. Wall, Nov 7. “ The impressive flight cadence of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity space plane won't last much longer.

Unity flew for the sixth time in as many months last week, carrying two research scientists and another private passenger to and from suborbital space on a mission called Galactic 05.

Unity will now get a bit of a break, staying out of the skies until January 2024, Virgin Galactic representatives have said. The spacecraft will then make an even bigger transition, flying just once or twice more before being grounded in mid-2024, according to SpaceNews, which cited an earnings call the company held on Wednesday (Nov. 8)….

As a result, every Delta space plane will be able to generate 12 times more revenue per month than Unity can, Colglazier said, according to SpaceNews. (Virgin Galactic is currently charging $450,000 for each seat on its suborbital missions.) So speeding the transition to the new line of vehicles makes financial sense….” Read more Hmmmm…. Everyone now needs to start making “financial sense” out of their technological aspirations. J Alain

[log in to unmask]"> Tesla Rated Sell by New Analyst, Presidential UAW Support, Highland Production

R. Mauer, Nov. 9, " ➤ TSLA stock falls after analyst initiates coverage ➤ President Biden supports efforts to unionize Tesla ➤ Highland Model 3 production for October ➤ Tesla reportedly establishes entity in Chile ➤ Elon Musk interviewed by Lex Fridman: https://youtu.be/JN3KPFbWCy8 ➤ Tesla recalls some Model S/X vehicles ➤ Tesla reportedly plans Chicago service center ➤ Polestar updates 2025 guidance ➤ VW pauses EV production again ➤ SpaceX appears to begin equipping Starship FTS; Read more Hmmmm…. Launch might be soon. Essentially the last thing to be done prior to starting the countdown is the installation of the Flight Termination System. Alain

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6^th SmartDrivingCar

Summit

May 29 (evening) -> May 31, 2024

Princeton, NJ

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Previous SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast/PodCasts

SmartDrivingCars Cars ZoomCast 346 / PodCast 346 w/ Cyrus Farivar Forbes senior staff writer