[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.2&filename=hejedgabmgkdglfj.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="169" height="100" border="0">

Friday, October 2, 2020

SmartDrivingCar.com/8.41-NCAP-100220
41st edition of the 8th year of SmartDrivingCars

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> ASSISTED DRIVING GRADINGS

Staff, Oct. 2020 "On this page you will find the gradings of cars tested by Euro NCAP on automated driving technologies.

For its 2020 assessment of Highway Assist systems, Euro NCAP has developed dedicated test and assessment protocols, divided into two main areas: Assistance Competence, based on the balance between Driver Engagement and Vehicle Assistance, and Safety Backup...." Read more Hmmmm....Look carefully at each component of the rating system. NCAP has chosen one algorithmic way of "adding apples and oranges" to get their rating. Unfortunately they don't divulge the secret formula. To me, it doesn't seem to be sufficiently iweighted on what I consider to be the most important element... "Collision Avoidance". If the system doesn't do that well, then why bother being good at Consumer Information (unless that information says clearly that the system doesn't work well".

If NCAP itself did a good job of Consumer Information then it would divulge its algorithm and allow the consumer to edit its weights to trade-off what the consumer believes is more or less important.

In all fairness, NCAP does divulge the individual performance values. With work, this is really valuable information. This is a must read! Alain

[log in to unmask]" class=""> SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 177

F. Fishkin, Oct. 2, "New grades for assisted driving systems from Euro NCAP. But Princeton Professor Alain Kornhauser says the devil is in the details in this edition with co-host Fred Fishkin. And there's Amazon's success against Covid plusTesla, Uber, GM, Nikola and more. Subscribe! ." Alexa, play the Smart Driving Cars podcast!". Ditto with Siri, and GooglePlay ... Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 177

Video version of SmartDrivingCars PodCast 177... Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="44" height="44" border="0"> The SmartDrivingCars eLetter, Pod-Casts, Zoom-Casts and Zoom-inars are made possible in part by support from the Smart Transportation and Technology ETF, symbol MOTO. For more information: www.motoetf.com. Most funding is supplied by Princeton University's Department of Operations Research & Financial Engineering and Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE) research laboratory as part of its research dissemination initiatives.

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Tesla Autopilot gets ‘moderate’ grade from European vehicle safety authority while Audi, BMW and Mercedes get top marks

L. Kolodny, Oct 3, "A European vehicle safety authority gave “very good” marks to Audi, BMW and Mercedes for their driver assistance systems, and gave Tesla’s system, known as Autopilot, a “moderate” grade in a new report out Thursday.

The ratings from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) — a counterpart to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The ratings can influence consumer car-buying decisions and insurance premiums for different make and model vehicles.

In general, vehicle safety ratings from the likes of NHTSA and Euro NCAP show how well a car is designed to protect the driver, passengers and pedestrians in a crash...." Read more Hmmmm.... See my comments above. More importantly, it is a real shame that, except for Teslas, it is virtually impossible to find a car on the road where the driver is using these driver assistance capabilities. Some companies like Subaru have them as standard equipment but this equipment is not highlighted in the sales process. Cup holders, stereo systems and "soft Corinthian Leather" are touted. No wonder no one uses them.

In other makes such as Mercedes. very good systems have been available for more than 5 years, but try to find a used Mercedes with such systems. They don't exist. Now it may be that these systems are so good that owners don't sell them ..., but I doubt it. Car dealers didn't/don't order them for their own inventory. OMs don't push Dealers to order them (Takes to long to sell them because consumer needs to be educate. Need more sales personnel to sell the same number of cars.) . No one advertises or promotes them. Mad Men would never suggest: "you could use a Driver Assistance System" or "You need a Collision Avoidance System". That's Ysuggesting/implying I'm a poopy driver! Not much of a complement!. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> China's robot taxis: Would you ride in one?

E. Lawrence, Oct 2, "Driverless taxis are now available to the public in China’s biggest city. A firm AutoX, backed by the online tech and retail giant Alibaba, has started offering a free taxi service – using a fleet of autonomous driving cars – in a small area of Shanghai. It’s one of numerous trials, of various vehicles, across the world. Robin Brant took a ride. Watch Video Hmmmm....Hmmmm, indeed. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Uber Can Continue Operating in London, Judge Rules

A. Satarino, Sept 28, "Uber scored an important victory on Monday when a judge restored the company’s transportation license in London, one of its most important global markets, where regulators had threatened to ban its cars from the road over safety concerns.

A deputy chief magistrate, Tan Ikram, said Uber had met a “fit and proper” standard to receive a license for 18 months. Mr. Ikram said Uber had taken the necessary steps to address regulators’ concerns, including new safety measures to keep unauthorized and uninsured drivers from using its platform to carry passengers....." Read more Hmmmm.... This is a big win for Uber. Maybe it is better to Lawyer-up and "Just Do It" . They would have never gotten permission. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Amazon says more than 19,000 workers got Covid-19

A. Palmer, Oct. 1, "Amazon on Thursday released comprehensive data on the spread of the coronavirus among its employees, disclosing for the first time that more than 19,000 workers, or 1.44% of the total, contracted the virus this year....

Amazon said the rate of infection among employees was 42% lower than expected, compared with the “general population rate” in the U.S. If Amazon’s infection rates were in line with the community, the total number of cases would have reached 33,952, the company said. ...

Thousands of tests are being conducted daily, Amazon said, and it expects that to grow to 50,000 tests a day across 650 facilities by November.

CNBC previously reported Amazon’s goal is to test the bulk of its front-line workers every two weeks, with employees testing themselves with nasal swabs. The company previously said it would invest its expected Q2 profit of $4 billion into its Covid-19 response and will spend $1 billion on testing throughout the year.

Amazon has built a dedicated team of research scientists, program managers, procurement specialists and software engineers in order to quickly scale up its testing capabilities, it said. It has built its own lab to develop coronavirus testing capacity, with teams focused on these efforts in Sunnyvale, California, and Hebron, Kentucky." Read more Hmmmm....Very impressive! Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Gas Tax Spikes in N.J. Because of Pandemic’s Impact

T. Tully, Oct 1, "Motorists in New Jersey began reaching deeper into their wallets on Thursday to fill their gas tanks as the state’s fuel tax rose by more than 9 cents a gallon to the nation’s fourth-highest rate — a spike linked to a steep decline in traffic during the pandemic.

Drivers in New Jersey purchased nearly 40 percent less gas between March and May as businesses and schools closed and more people began working from home.

That led to a drop in tax revenue that chewed into funds the state was required by law to set aside to pay for improvements to rails, roads and bridges and, in turn, mandated a 9.3-cent tax increase, state officials say. The new rate took effect on Thursday. ... " Read more Hmmmm.... We like paying higher taxes in New Jersey. We'd better, because we have no other choice (except to buy an EV). Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Seattle Passes Minimum Pay Rate for Uber and Lyft Drivers

N. Scheiber, Sept 29, "The Seattle City Council approved a minimum pay standard for Uber and Lyft drivers on Tuesday, becoming the second city in the country to do so.

Under the law, effective in January, ride-hailing companies must pay a sum roughly equivalent, after expenses, to the city’s $16 minimum hourly wage for businesses with more than 500 employees.

“The pandemic has exposed the fault lines in our systems of worker protections, leaving many frontline workers like gig workers without a safety net,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement.

Seattle’s law, passed in a 9-to-0 vote, is part of a wave of attempts by cities and states to regulate gig-economy transportation services. ....." Read more Hmmmm.... There goes affordability. The rich will be able to benefit from on-demand chauffeuring, the poor will need to wait for Driverless. An elevator operator still exists (existed) in Tiffany's on 5th Avenue. In a Bronx tenement it needs to be automated; else, the steps. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> The former head of Audi is on trial in Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal.

J. Ewing, Sept 29, "On Wednesday, prosecutors in Munich will begin presenting evidence the first trial in Germany stemming from Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal, in which the company was caught using illegal software to conceal the fact that its “clean diesels” were actually rolling pollution machines.

On trial is Rupert Stadler, the former chief executive of Volkswagen’s Audi luxury car division, who belonged to the top echelon of its leadership. The case will test whether prosecutors can overcome the difficulties inherent in trying to convict top managers protected by layers of underlings. That is a problem that has also frustrated investigators in the United States when prosecuting corporate crime.

Mr. Stadler faces charges of fraud and false advertising stemming from accusations that Audi continued to sell diesel cars with illegal software even after United States authorities uncovered the cheating in 2015.

Read more Hmmmm.... Lying, cheating and stealing is no way to run any company, especially one that going to have AI Black Boxes driving their cars. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Nikola chairman, VectoIQ CEO Steve Girsky eyes his next transportation investment

K. Korosec, Sept. 25, "Steve Girsky, the former GM vice chairman, consultant and investor whose special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merged with hydrogen electric startup Nikola this summer, is in talks to back self-driving trucks startup TuSimple, according to four people familiar with the deal.

The capital would come from Girsky’s VectoIQ LLC, a consulting and investment company he runs with managing partner Mary Chan, and would be part of a consortium of investors, according to one unnamed source who requested anonymity because the deal had yet to be finalized. The deal could close as early as mid-October.

TuSimple as well as Girsky declined to comment. ..." Read more Hmmmm... Hopefully TuSimple doesn't have Nikola's baggage. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Nikola’s deal with GM was supposed to close today—it didn’t

T. Lee, Sept 30, "When Nikola and GM announced a partnership on September 8, GM said it expected the deal to close by September 30. Now September 30 has arrived, and the deal hasn't closed. Media reports indicate that the deal is unlikely to close today.

A GM spokesman confirmed the delay in an email to Ars. "Our transaction with Nikola has not closed. We are continuing our discussions with Nikola and will provide further updates when appropriate." ..." Read more Hmmmm.... Whew! Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="73" height="27"> Who will rule the Teslaverse?

Staff, Sept. 17, "A recent video of Elon Musk taking a spin in a new all-electric Volkswagen with Herbert Diess, the German carmaker’s boss, set tongues wagging. vw was forced to deny that a deal with Tesla was in the offing. A deeper bromance between Mr Musk’s firm and his main rival in the market for electric vehicles (evs) looks unlikely. But the meeting highlights how the car industry is at last taking the impending ev revolution seriously.

Giant new businesses are gearing up to support the switch from petrol to electricity. Besides changing the way cars are propelled, this requires batteries, software to ensure these work in harmony with motors, and data harvested from cars that may one day allow them to drive themselves. Over 250 firms are manufacturing electric motors. Forty-seven battery factories are under construction. Anjan Kumar of Frost & Sullivan, a consultancy, expects total new ev-battery capacity to go from 88 gigawatt-hours in 2019, enough to power Texas for less than two hours if plugged into the grid, to 1,400 gigawatt-hours in 2025. Established carmakers are pondering how to loosen the grip of big tech on software. ..." Read more Hmmmm.... The best way to "see" the implication of a major shift to EVs is to ponder Lawrence Livermore's Energy Flow Charts. Energy is one of those wonderful entities that is conserved... If you need need some amount, you have to produce exactly that amount. When I look at the chart for the US in 2019, I clearly see that the energy needed to power the transportation sector of our economy was about 28% (28.2/100.2) of all energy produced (most of which cames from petroleum).

Considering all the various sources (solar, nuclear, ...) electricity produced only 13% (12.7/100.2) of the energy consumed by all sectors, essentially none of which (0.03%) was used to power transportation (subways, Amtrak, LIRR, ..., and a very few electric cars.) and essentially none of which (0.19%) came from petroleum.

Consequently, the electric generation system need to triple in size for it to completely power the transportation sector. Since of which 82% is used by the highway sector is "only" consumes about 82% of the transportation's sector thirst for energy, one needs to be prepared to double our electricity generation potential to support a 50% conversion to EVs.

If we now look at where that energy can come from, that's when things get scary. To get to 10% EV penetration one would need to grow today's total solar by 10x. Or today's Wind by 4x, and put aside any demisgshing of Nuclear, gas or coal production. . Yipes! We have a lot of work ahead of us. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="156" height="24"> Tesla sets sales record, but still lags growth expectations

Russ Mitchell, Oct 2, "Tesla said it delivered a record 139,300 cars in the third quarter. For Tesla investors, that’s the good news. The bad news is that the company finds itself saddled with factory overcapacity.

The delivery numbers top the previous record by 24%. That record had been set last December, when 112,000 deliveries were reported, with all cars made at Tesla’s only factory at the time, in Fremont, Calif.

Then it opened a plant in Shanghai, dramatically increasing capacity.

But sales in China have been flat all year, and sales in Europe are down. Given that the Shanghai plant increased Tesla’s annual production capacity by 40%, “selling another 27,000 cars isn’t stellar,” said Matthias Schmidt, publisher of the European Electric Car Report in Berlin.

Tesla’s total annual capacity now is 690,000, yet analysts say it will sell well under 500,000 cars this year.

To hit the half-million mark, which Musk has identified as his deliveries target, Tesla must now deliver 180,000 cars in the upcoming fourth quarter.

That might not be an issue if growth were faster or the stock price were lower. But with a tiny fraction of worldwide sales, the stock market pegs Tesla as the world’s most valuable car company. Its market value of about $400 billion is bigger than Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen and Honda — combined. The company is under tremendous pressure to show how it can grow into those expectations...." Read more Hmmmm.... Yup! Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="110" height="23"> 60% of new cars are electric in new milestone for Norway thanks to VW ID.3

F. Lambert, Oct. 1, "Electric cars got another win in Norway where they accounted for over 60% of new cars sold in the market last month — thanks to the VW ID.3.

Norway has long been the world’s leading market when it comes to electric vehicles. They have the most aggressive electrification goal of any market with the aim to have every new car on the road being electric by 2025. Considering the world’s average market share for EVs currently stand at around 3%, this is a really ambitious goal, but the nation is tracking well. Last year, 56% of Norway’s new cars were electric (full electric or plug-in hybrids).

In 2020, things have been harder to judge since overall cars sales have plunged due to the pandemic. However, sales have rebounded and in September, car sales were up 40% versus the same period last year. In September, over 60% of cars registered in Norway were electric ..." Read more Hmmmm.... Only one country, but it IS in one country. Very impressive. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="110" height="23"> GM tests its Ultium battery system for Cruise Origin autonomous electric vehicle

F. Lambert, Sept 29, "GM has started testing its Ultium battery system, which is going to power its next generation of electric vehicles, for the Cruise Origin autonomous electric vehicle.

Earlier this year, GM Cruise, General Motors’ autonomous driving subsidiary, unveiled its self-driving electric car designed for ridesharing. The vehicle was technically the first vehicle to get GM’s new Ultium battery system.

This week, Ken Morris, General Motors’ VP of AV and EV programs, sent an update to GM employees about the program: “Despite the pandemic, we haven’t missed a beat. Our EV and AV programs remain on track. In fact, from 2020 until 2025, we will allocate more than $20 billion of resources to our EV/AV programs, which equates to more than $3 billion annually.”. ..." Read more Hmmmm.... Of course. Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="78" height="23"> Tire Blowouts Could Cause Self-Driving Cars To Go Astray

L. Elliot, Oct 3, "Sometimes, a tire can seemingly obliterate and become a tangled mess of rubber and threads.

If this happens, a driver is likely to be taken by utter surprise, oftentimes reacting instinctively by doing the wrong things. For example, jamming on the brakes is not necessarily the wisest course of action in such a situation. Usually, taking firm control of the car and gradually bringing the vehicle to a stop is the more prudent approach. There is also the question of directional movement, such that you normally would remain in a straight-ahead driving motion overall, and slowly angle over to get out of the way of other cars. Sudden moves such as a radical turn are not apt to provide the desired results...." Read more Hmmmm.... Larry is good to bring this out, but this isn't the Achilles of Driverless cars. Run-flat tires exist, as he points out. More important, Driverless cars won't "react instinctively' but the code will make the right decisions for the conditions existing in its Operational Design Domain'. That code will have been tested and demonstrated to make the right decisions. PJust part of the reason why driverless mobility will be safer than us all reacting instinctively as we do today. Alain

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> Draft Program 4th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit Postponed until Evening Dec. 8 through Dec. 10, 2020 (But will likely need to be completely Virtual, possibly in "Second life")

A. Kornhauser, Feb 6, "The focus of the Summit this year will be moving beyond the AI and the Sensors to addressing the challenges of Commercialization and the delivery of tangible value to communities. We've made enormous progress with the technology. We're doing the investment; however, this investment delivers value only if is commercialized: made available and is used by consumers in large numbers. Demos and one-offs are "great", but to deliver value that is anywhere near commensurate with the magnitude of the investment made to date, initial deployments need to scale. We can't just have "Morgantown PRT Systems" whose initial deployment has been nothing but enormously successful for 45 years (an essentially perfect safety record, an excellent availability record and customer valued mobility). Unfortunately, the system was never expanded or duplicated anywhere. It didn't scale. It is a one-off.

Tests, demos and one-offs are nice niche deployments; however, what one really needs are initial deployments that have the opportunity to grow, be replicated and scale. In 1888, Frank Sprague, successfully deployed a small electric street railway system in Richmond, Va. which became the reference for many other cites. "... By 1889 110 electric railways incorporating Sprague's equipment had been begun or planned on several continents..." Substantial scaled societal benefits emerged virally from this technology. It was eventually supplanted by the conventional automobile but for more than 30 years it delivered substantial improvements to the quality-of-life for many.

In part, the 4th Summit will focus on defining the "Richmond" of Affordable Shared-ride On-demand Mobility-as-a-Service. The initial Operational Design Domain (ODD) that safely accommodates Driverless Mobility Machines that people actually choose to use and becomes the envy of communities throughout the country. " Read more Hmmmm... Draft Program is in flux. Consider all named individuals as "Invited yet to be confirmed". Alain

C'mon Man! (These folks didn't get/read the memo)

Sunday Supplement

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> New Hyundai Team Targets Development of “Ultimate Mobility Vehicles”

P. Eisenstein, Sept 29, "Hyundai’s latest mobility effort sounds like it was inspired by Star Trek. It’s newly created New Horizons Studio has the task of developing a line-up of products capable of going “places where vehicles have never roamed before.”

The South Korean carmaker offered a hint of what it had in mind at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2019 when it introduced the Elevate Ultimate Mobility Vehicle...." Read more Hmmmm...Crazy stuff. Whatever! Alain

Half-Baked

Click-Bait

Calendar of Upcoming Events:s

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="46" height="52" border="0">

Postponed, to be Virtual, Evening Dec. 8 -> Dec.10.

4th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

On the More Technical Side

http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/

[log in to unmask]" class="">

These editions are sponsored by the SmartETFs Smart Transportation and Technology ETF, symbol MOTO. For more information…head to www.motoetf.com

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 176 Zoom-Cast Episode 176 w/Marc Scribner

F. Fishkin, Sept. 25, "A new government entity to oversee autonomous vehicles? Marc Scribner, Sr. Transportation Policy Analyst at the Reason Foundation on regulation and more with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus...Tesla, Nikola, GM and the California move to ban new gasoline vehicles."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 175 Zoom-Cast Episode 175 w/Michael Sena

F. Fishkin, Sept. 18, "Automobility and the future of car dealers... "The Dispatcher" publisher Michael Sena offers a different take on how car dealers may battle automakers pushing for direct to consumer subscriptions. That and more in this edition of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 174 Zoom-Cast Episode 174 w/Kelly Funkhouser, Consumer Reports

F. Fishkin, Sept. 4, "Moving forward with autonomous vehicle testing, the head of safety at Uber's Advanced Technology Group is pledging safety data transparency. Nat Beuse joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co host Fred Fishkin for that and more on the latest mobility headlines."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 173 Zoom-Cast Episode 173 w/Nathanial Beuse

F. Fishkin, Sept. 4, "Moving forward with autonomous vehicle testing, the head of safety at Uber's Advanced Technology Group is pledging safety data transparency. Nat Beuse joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co host Fred Fishkin for that and more on the latest mobility headlines."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 172 Zoom-Cast Episode 172 Special Edition w/Danny Shapiro

F. Fishkin ,Sept. 2, "Mercedes unveils the latest S Class with more computing power than 60 average cars...with NVIDIA playing a big role. NVIDIA's Director of Automotive Danny Shapiro joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 171 Zoom-Cast Episode 171 w/Henry Greenidge

F. Fishkin, Aug. 30, "What should autonomous mobility companies be doing to win support from black communities? Why is it important? Henry Greenidge…Fellow in residence at the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU joins Princeton's Alain Kornhausere and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus...Uber, Voyage, Tesla and more...."

SmartDrivingCars PodCast 170 ZoomCast Episode170 w/Michael Sena

F. Fishkin, Aug 20, "Tesla grows while other automakers flounder. And creating standards in an era of mistrust. The Dispatcher publisher joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin in a thought provoking episode. Plus...transportation planning during and after the pandemic...NVIDIA...and more."

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 169 ZoomCast Episode 169 w/Anthony Townsend

F. Fishkin Aug 13, "Ghost Road.. Beyond the Driverless Car author Anthony Townsend brings a unique viewpoint to the debate on the future of mobility...and the impact of the pandemic on ride sharing. Townsend joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and the latest developments from Uber, Lyft, Tesla and more."

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 168 ZoomCast Episode 168 w/Olaf Sakkers

F. Fishkin Aug 8, "Is Tesla a tech stock? Or a fashion product? Maniv Mobility's Olaf Sakkers authored a piece on Medium with that title and he joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus... GM's would be Tesla challenger Cadillac Lyriq, TuSimple, Uber, Ford and more."

SmartDrivingCars PodCast 167 ZoomCast Episode167 w/Robin Chase, Carlos Pardo & Daniel Sperling

F. Fishkin July 29, "In the midst of a pandemic, what is the future of ride sharing and mobility? Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin are joined by Robin Chase and Carlos Pardo of the New Urban Mobility Alliance and the director of the Institute for Transportation Studies at U C Davis, Daniel Sperling to dig into the challenges ahead."

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 166 ZoomCast Episode 166 w/Jay Rodgers'95, CEO Local Motors

F. Fishkin 16, "Local Motors announces a partnership with Beep to broadly deploy autonomous electric shuttles. CEO Jay Rogers joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a wide ranging chat. Plus the Waymo-Fiat Chrysler deal, Tesla, AutoX, Ford, Mobileye and more."

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> SmartDrivingCar Zoom-inar Episode 005 AmaZooks

F. Fishkin, July 20, "Is Driverless home delivery the fastest route to Affordable Mobility for the Mobility Disadvantaged? ... "

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 165, ZoomCast Episode165 w/Michael Sena

F. Fishkin 16, "Is the option to buy a car at a dealership going to vanish? The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena has a provocative perspective in this edition with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus..an update on the Amazon Zoox deal, autonomous vehicles and how they can help battle discrimination in transportation, TuSimple, Mobileye, Uber, Tesla and more." ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast 164 Episode 164, Zoom-Cast Episode 163 w/Robbie Diamond

F. Fishkin, July 9, "Fostering economic opportunity through autonomous technology is the focus of an upcoming report from Security America's Future Energy. Founder and CEO Robbie Diamond shares details and more in this edition with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus ..are armed police officers really needed for traffic enforcement? And the latest from Tesla, Waymo and more. ..." ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 163, Zoom-Cast Episode 16 3 w/Henry Greenidge

F. Fishkin, July 2, "Transportation, racial injustices and changing the thinking around the future of mobility. NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy & Research fellow Henry Greenidge joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin in an eye and mind opening episode of Smart Driving Cars. Plus Amazon, Zoox, Waymo, Tesla & more. ." ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 162, Zoom-Cast Episode 162 w/Cliff Winston

F. Fishkin, June 25, "From the Brookings Institution, Cliff Winston, co-author of Autonomous Vehicles...The Road to Economic Growth? joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus..why are fatal crash rates rising in the midst of a pandemic...plus NVIDIA, Didi, Tesla and more." ... Alain

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 004 Insurance: For or Against SmartDrivingCars?

F. Fishkin, June 23, "But the debate is not really about technology nor is it about who delivers the best value for the money or the most privacy. It is about ..."

Listen/Watch more Hmmm... We only scratched the surface. Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 161, Zoom-Cast Episode 161 w/Alberto Stochino

F. Fishkin, June 17, "Is less data sometimes more when it comes to driverless vehicle technology? Perceptive Founder and CEO Alberto Stochino joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus the DOT's new plan for sharing autonomous safety information, the latest from Tesla, EVs from China and more." ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 160, Zoom-Cast Episode 160 w/Jessica Cicchino

F. Fishkin, June 12, "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Research VP Jessica Cicchino co-authored a new study saying self driving vehicles could struggle to eliminate most crashes. She joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to discuss the study. Plus the latest on Tesla, Ford & VW, Covid-19 and more. " "Alexa, play the Smart Driving Cars podcast!". Ditto with Siri, and GooglePlay ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 159, Zoom-Cast Episode 159 w/Kara Kockelman

F. Fishkin, June 4, "Prof. Kara Kockelman's focus on smart transportation to save lives, money and the environment has made her a sought after global expert. The U. of Texas Transportation Engineering Professor joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin on the impact of Covid-19 and much more. Plus Tesla, Uber, Argo AI and the top smart driving headlines. For more on Dr. Kockelman's work....please visit... http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman."

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 003 Everyone's for Connectivity; but...

F. Fishkin, June 2, "But the debate is not really about technology nor is it about who delivers the best value for the money or the most privacy. It is about ..."

Listen/Watch more Hmmm... We only scratched the surface. Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 158, Zoom-Cast Episode 158 w/Chunka Mui

F. Fishkin, May 28, "In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, what are the smartest ways to re-build and plan for the future? Futurist and author Chunka Mui joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus Amazon, Zoox, Intel Mobileye, Tesla, Uber and more."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 157, Zoom-Cast Episode 157 w/Grayson Brulte

F. Fishkin, May 21, "Global auto makers must completely re-think their autonomous mobility strategy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. So says innovation strategist Grayson Brulte of Brulte & Company....who joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus...Waymo, Tesla, Uber and more."

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 002 The Future of Public Roadway Transit

F. Fishkin, May 14, "Will the Bus be Thrown Under the Bus?...

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 156, Cars Zoom-Cast Episode 156 w/Danny Shapiro2

F. Fishkin, May 14, "With new hardware and software capabilities NVIDIA is expanding into new areas of driver assistance technology. Sr. Director of Automotive Danny Shapiro joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that...plus the latest on Waymo, Voyage, Ford and more. listen and subscribe!" "Alexa, play the Smart Driving Cars podcast!". Ditto with Siri, and GooglePlay ... Alain

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 155, Zoom-Cast Episode 155 w/Alex Roy2

F. Fishkin, April 29, "The continuing impact of Covid-19 on autonomous vehicle progress. But it may not be all bad news. Alex Roy...host of the No Parking Podcast and Director of Special Operations at Argo AI joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus Tesla, Intel, Lyft, Uber and more. Listen and subscribe!"

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 154, Zoom-Cast Episode 154 w/Dan Sperling

F. Fishkin, April 29, "Can ride sharing rebound after the pandemic? Daniel Sperling, founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus Tesla, Waymo, Ford and more."

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 001 The Driverless "New Normal" Debate

F. Fishkin, April 27,

Zoom Video
SmartDrivingCar PodCast (Audio Only) Smart Driving Cars: The Driverless New Normal Debate
Zoom Audience Questions (Only a few were addressed in Zoom-inar)
Zoom Audience Comments
YouTube Video

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 153, Zoom-Cast Episode 15 3 w/Dick Mudge2

F. Fishkin, April 17, "The plummeting price of oil and what it may mean for mobility, ride sharing and the economy.. Dick Mudge, founder and president of Compass Transportation & Technology joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus GM, Uber and more on the Coronavirus impact."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 152, Zoom-Cast Episode 15 2 w/Brad Templeton

F. Fishkin, April 17, "Can robotaxis survive a pandemic? Internet pioneer, self driving car consultant and author Brad Templeton joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin in a wide ranging chat on the impact today and the future. Plus...Uber, Zoox, Waymo, Tesla and more." "

SmartDrivingCars Podcast Episode 148 - Richard Bishop

F. Fishkin, March 26, "The Smart Driving Cars podcast with automated driving strategy consultant Richard Bishop joining Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Is automated trucking dead? Also...Covid-19 puts Waymo in park, the latest on Tesla and more. listen and subscribe!" ... Alain

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="77" height="18"> SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 148 - Richard Bishop

Video version... Watch our first attempt.... Alain

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 147 - Michael Sena

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 142 - J. Hughes

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 141- A. Roy

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 139- Randal O'Toole

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 138-Nick Zart

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 136

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 135 - with Jim Atkinson

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 130 with Dick Mudge & Michael Sena

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 112 - J. Hardiman NJM

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 110 - Lance Elliot

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 108 3rd Summit Wrapup

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 107 3rd Summit Leilei Shinohara & Staff Sergeant Terence McDonnell

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 106 3rd Summit David Kidd & Cecillia Feeley

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 104 3rd Summit Anil Lewis & Katherine Freund

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 97 - Michael Sena'69

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 71-Nader'55

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 69 - Chunka Mui

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 65 - Bernard Soriano, CA DMV

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 58-Keith Code, Motorcycles

Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 55-Larry Burns, Autonomy

Recent Highlights of:

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.2&filename=hejedgabmgkdglfj.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="115" height="69" border="0">

Friday, September 25, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="56" height="43"> Proposal for a new UN Regulation on uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regards to Automated Lane Keeping System

UN Economic & Social Council, April 6, "The intention of the Regulation is to establish uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS).
        ALKS controls the lateral and longitudinal movement of the vehicle for extended periods without further driver command. ALKS is a system whereby the activated system is in primary control of the vehicle.
        This Regulation is the first regulatory step for an automated driving system (as defined in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1140) in traffic and it therefore provides innovative provisions aimed at addressing the complexity related to the evaluation of the system safety. It contains administrative provisions suitable for type approval, technical requirements, audit and reporting provisions and testing provisions.
        ALKS can be activated under certain conditions on roads where pedestrians and cyclists are prohibited and which, by design, are equipped with a physical separation that divides the traffic moving in opposite directions and prevent traffic from cutting across the path of the vehicle. In a first step, the original text of this Regulation limits the operational speed to 60 km/h maximum and passenger cars (M1 vehicles).
    This Regulation includes general requirements regarding the system safety and the failsafe response. When the ALKS is activated, it shall perform the driving task instead of the driver, i.e. manage all situations including failures, and shall not endanger the safety of the vehicle occupants or any other road users. There is however always the possibility for the driver to override the system, at any time.
The Regulation also lays down requirements on how the driving task shall be safely handed over from the ALKS to the driver including the capability for the system to come to a stop in case the driver does not reply appropriately.
Finally, the Regulation includes requirements on the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) to prevent misunderstanding or misuse by the driver. The Regulation for instance requires that on-board displays used by the driver for other activities than driving when the ALKS is activated, shall be automatically suspended as soon as the system issues a transition demand. These measures are without prejudice to driver behaviour rules on how to use these systems in the Contracting Parties as currently being discussed by the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) at the time of drafting this document (See e.g. Informal Document 4 Revision 1 of the seventy-eight session of WP.1)...." Read more Hmmmm.... A very important read with many very important details and this is just for Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) which is just the 2nd (baby) step, after adaptive cruise control on the way of "finishing" Level 2 and tip toeing into Level 3 and beyond. Thank you Russ for bringing this to my attention. Alain

Friday, September 18, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="137" height="28"> FINAL COMMITTEE REPORT: THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION OF THE BOEING 737 MAX

Staff, Sept. 2020, "...This report concludes the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s 18- month long investigation of the design, development, and certification of the 737 MAX aircraft, and related matters. The Committee’s investigation has revealed multiple missed opportunities that could have turned the trajectory of the MAX’s design and development toward a safer course due to flawed technical design criteria, faulty assumptions about pilot response times, and production pressures. The FAA also missed its own opportunities to change the direction of the 737 MAX based on its aviation safety mission. Boeing failed in its design and development of the MAX, and the FAA failed in its oversight of Boeing and its certification of the aircraft. ..." Read more Hmmmm.... Ouch! See also... House Report Condemns Boeing and FAA in 737 Max Crashes , Boeing 737 MAX Investigation Alain

Friday, September 11, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="76" height="18"> Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving Capability' Falls Short of Its Name

M. Monticello. Sept. 8, The features might be cutting edge, even cool, but we think buyers should be wary of shelling out $8,000 for what electric car company Tesla calls its Full Self-Driving Capability option. Tesla claims every new vehicle it builds includes all the hardware necessary to be fully autonomous, and the company says that through future over-the-air software updates, its cars should eventually be capable of driving themselves. .... Anytime anyone uses words such as "Full" the one thing that you know that they are "Full" of is .... "Full" is about a perception, not a fact. Even the definition of "autonomous" has caveats (or should I say Full of caveats?). What I interpret Elon to be selling is: sufficient hardware (sensors, memory, compute power and communications bandwidth) that, with more elegant software, may be able to do a way better job in safely driving a car. What he has never said is that this hardware plus future software is going to be good enough for him to be held responsible if something bad happens when the car is being driven by that hardware and software combination. That said, lets move on...

But for now, Full Self-Driving Capability, which includes features that can assist the driver with parking, changing lanes on the highway, and even coming to a complete halt at traffic lights and stop signs, remains a misnomer ...Yes!... Below, we explain each feature in the suite, its intended use, and how each performed in our tests.... " Read more Hmmmm.... See Video, Watch Zoom-Cast. Help with parking.... no one parks a good car into a tight parking place; else, that car's life as a god car rapidly disappears. Stupid Summon is just stupid... your car is not your dog and certainly not in the WalMart parking lot. (or should I have said WholePaycheck parking lot) Here puppy, here puppy!

I really like what Consumer Reports has been doing on this front. Trying to help consumers understant what is what. Alain

Friday, September 11, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Autonomous vehicles could improve policing, public safety, and much more

Cliff Winston, Aug. 25, "In a world of autonomous vehicles, much of the nation’s policing that is devoted to enforcing traffic safety laws, and the sometimes fatal altercations that result, would not exist. Policymakers should be motivated by this benefit, among many others, to expedite adoption of these vehicles.

The United States has more than 800,000 state and local law enforcement officers. A large fraction of their work during a given year is spent pulling over some 20 million motorists who appear to be breaking a traffic law, controlling the flow of traffic following many of the 6 million accidents, and filling out endless forms. In addition, more than one officer per week is killed in a highway accident, accounting for nearly one-third of all police officer deaths in the line of duty.

Autonomous vehicles could virtually eliminate the need to use police resources to enforce traffic safety laws and more officers could concentrate on reducing the most serious criminal activity. The reason is that autonomous vehicles obey the speed limit, do not drive erratically, reach a valid final destination, and prevent their occupants from jeopardizing highway safety even if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs...." Read more Hmmmm.... Certainly "Autonomous" (aka Driverless) will obey all traffic regulations, but also Safe-driving (aka "Level 2") vehicles can obey most, if not "all", traffic regulations. Many cars today can "read" speed limit signs (Tesla, Mercedes, Volvo, ...). The problem is that these manufacturers don't help their customers obey this information. They prefer to remain neutral,and often implicitly promote the violation of Speed Limits. ( Google is no better with its Waze app that explicitly encourages its users to share information about the location of traffic enforcement individuals.) Maybe NHTSA should mandate their use, offer "cash for clunker (aka... the cars that don't have technology)" and impose high registration fees on the the non-conforming clunkers that remain in use. Alain

Saturday, August 29, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="123" height="22"> Uber Expands Self-Driving Safety Report After NTSB Slams Culture

K. Laing, Aug 28, "Uber Technologies Inc. vowed to make public more safety information regarding its self-driving cars after the National Transportation Safety Board placed partial blame for a fatal 2018 crash on the company’s policies.

The company made the pledge in an update to its voluntary safety assessment, filed Aug. 28 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It marked the first major attempt by Uber to allay criticism of its autonomous driving program since the NTSB board reached its conclusions regarding a Tempe, Ariz., crash in 2018 believed to be the first fatal pedestrian accident involving a self-driving vehicle.

“We support the idea of transparency and making the public understand what we do,” Nat Beuse, head of safety at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, said in an interview. The new filing is a “complete update” from Uber’s initial offering to regulators in 2018, he said.

In the document, Uber touts “enhancements,” including the public release of a “Safety Case Framework” that it pledges to make open-sourced for peer review. The company also details new internal safety management procedures and the establishment of an independent Safety and Responsibility Advisory Board...." Read more Hmmmm....This is really good news coming out of Uber. Thank you Nat!! Alain

T hursday, August 20, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="133" height="21"> Creating Standards in an Environment of Mistrust

M. Sena, Sept, 2020, "Will ITS standards work fall prey to geopolitical conflicts and meddling? How many exclusive partners can Waymo manage? Will Geely Auto and Volvo Cars merge or not? Is the StarLink satellite broadband initiative going to be another win for Elon Musk? What effects are COVID-19 having on the car industry? We are not out of the woods yet with this current plague, and governments seem to be taking very different tacks as they navigate their boats through these troubled waters. ...." Read more Hmmmm.... Another Excellent Dispatcher. Be sure to listen/watch Corresponding PodCast 170 w/Michael Sena. Alain

Thursday, August 13, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Hyundai’s autonomous vehicle project with Aptiv will now be called Motional

A. Hawkins, Aug. 11, "Hyundai’s autonomous vehicle joint venture with Aptiv has a new name: Motional. The company, which plans to test fully driverless vehicles for ride-hailing services later this year, said the new name is meant to evoke the “motion” of transportation as well as the “emotion” of the decision to get somewhere safely.

The joint venture was first announced in March 2020, when Hyundai said it would spend $1.6 billion to catch up to its rivals in the autonomous vehicle space. Aptiv, a self-driving technology company that is an offshoot of global auto parts supplier Delphi, owns 50 percent of the venture.

Karl Iagnemma, the former CEO of self-driving startup NuTonomy that was acquired by Delphi in 2017, is now president and CEO of Motional. In an interview, he said the company’s fleet of vehicles that are operating in Las Vegas, Singapore, and Seoul will soon be rebranded with the “Motional” brand.

“Whether we like it or not these days transportation decisions are emotional decisions,” Iagnemma said. “Choosing how to get from A to B safely, that’s an emotional decision. So Motional will keep that insight central to every product we develop.”..." Read more Hmmmm.... Notional should start testing in Trenton's Operational Design Domain where there exists real need for affordable high-quality mobility between many As and Bs at any time serving anyone. Alain

Saturday, August 8, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> The Biggest Self-Driving Truck Startup Stumbles in Hitting High Goals

A. Efrati, July 22, "In just five years, TuSimple has become the biggest and most visible developer of self-driving trucks, raising more cash and putting more robotic big rigs on the road than any rival. High-profile customers including UPS have contracted to let TuSimple haul their cargo on the highway. Executives have forecast heady revenue and predicted that fully automated, driverless trucks are in sight.

Instead, TuSimple has fallen short of expectations, hampered by the same technological challenges that have afflicted other developers of self-driving vehicles. It had predicted several hundred million dollars of revenue by this year, but instead acknowledges revenue is minimal, according to the company’s financial projections reviewed by The Information. And it has fallen short of its timeline for removing human backup drivers, repeatedly..," Read more Hmmm.... I simply don't understand why they have to be focusing on Driverless right from the beginning. There is substantial RoI for Safe-driving Trucks... reduced expected liability (~$10/truck/year); improved comfort, quality of work place, reduced anxiety, ... of drivers yielding improved driver recruiting and retention; improved on-time deliveries; ... continue to yield very attractive RoIs for just for Safe-driving truck technology, aka "Level 1/2". Why isn't tuSimple starting with this technology to build its advanced distribution network???? Alain

Thursday, July 30, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> CES 2021 IS ALL-DIGITAL

Press release, July 28, "For more than 50 years, CES® has been the global stage for innovation. And the all-digital CES 2021 will continue to be a platform to launch products, engage with global brands and define the future of the tech industry.

An all-digital CES 2021 will allow the entire tech community to safely share ideas and introduce the products that will shape our future. You’ll be able to participate in all the awe-inspiring moments of CES wherever you are in the world. We are designing a unique experience for the tech industry...." Read more Hmmm.... Wow! Thank you CES this is exceedingly responsible of you. Hope to be back in Las Vegas in 2022. Fred and I will help however we can to make 2021 very successful. Alain

Thursday, July 16, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="133" height="21"> Car OEMs Driving Toward Relevance or Perdition

M. Sena, August 2020, "Are we ready to be online carscribers? Online new car sales and car subscription programs, now being pursued simultaneously by car OEMs, will either lead the OEMs to endless highways paved with gold or two large dead ends. Each of these approaches to putting customers behind the wheel of a car are aimed at different pain points—real or perceived—in the purchase process. With online sales, the customer is in theory spared the visit to car dealers except. Car subscription programs go one step further. The customer is also decoupled from the dealer and in addition is, in theory, shielded from having to care about most of the responsibilities related to car ownership. Who benefits, who thinks they benefit and who loses, either in the short term or in the long term. Continue reading

Dispatch Central: Battery Electric Vehicle News Continue reading

Musings of a Dispatcher: The Way Forward: We Continue to Wander in the Desert Continue reading

Postscript on the China Series: In The disciples of liberal democracy can be forgiven for believing that China would become one of them if it was invited into the World Trade Organization. It was their belief—hope—that more trade with liberal democracies would would make China a libral democracy that drove the decision to open up to China. Although Continue reading..." Read more Hmmm.... Listen to PodCast 165 or watch ZoomCast 165. Alain

Thursday, July 9, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="125" height="35"> Fostering Economic Opportunity through Autonomous Vehicle Technology

July 8, "SAFE invites you to join us for the release of “Fostering Economic Opportunity through Autonomous Vehicle Technology”, our new paper that addresses how autonomous vehicles (AVs) and autonomous transit can redress imbalances for low-income communities, whose options are limited by inadequacies in today’s transportation.

To mark the launch of the paper, SAFE is holding a panel event on July 16 at 2:00pm ET. Alisyn Malek, SAFE, will be moderating a conversation between:

- Courtney Ehrlichman, CEO, Ehrlichman Group
- Dr. Richard Ezike, Senior Policy Associate, The Urban Institute
- Dr. Alain Kornhauser, Director of the Program in Transportation, Princeton University

SAFE would appreciate you joining us for what we expect will be an illuminating discussing on transportation’s role in limiting economic opportunities for millions of Americans, and how AVs and autonomous transit can be part of the solutio..." Read more Hmmm.... Watch today's PodCast and join in on July 16. Alain

Thursday, July 2, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Announcing 2020-2021 Fellow-in-Residence Henry L. Greenidge, Esq.

Press release, June 24, "The McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University has announced transportation policy expert Henry L. Greenidge, Esq. as a 2020-2021 Fellow-in-Residence. ...

“As New York City and cities around the nation reopen amid COVID-19, there is an important conversation to be had about the intersection of transportation policy with poverty, race and class. In a field where there are too few thought leaders of color, Henry Greenidge’s industry expertise and distinguished track record of public service make him an invaluable addition to the NYU McSilver team,” says Michael A. Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, Executive Director of the institute.

“Race and transportation have been inextricably linked since the first slave ship crossed the Americas,” says Henry Greenidge. “As our nation continues to grapple with institutional racism, which serves as the fabric for every facet of the United States, the inequities of transportation policies must be at the center. I am humbled and excited to be working with the McSilver Institute to unpack how transportation, race, and poverty intersect.." Read more Hmmm.... In no uncertain terms, we must make sure that inequities and racism are not explicitly nor even implicitly baked into the SmartDrivingCar r/evolution. We are still at the very beginning, so it shouldn't be hard nor expensive but so far it doesn't look good. The emphasis has been on giving those that already have fantastic ways to get around one more way. The focus hasn't been on the mobility disadvantaged and certainly not on the Black community. Just look where the testing has been taking place and the folks that take part in the focus groups and those that are given rides. Look at who designs and writes the software and the investors. Sure, one can and should serve them, but if public policy is going to play a role, then it can't bake in more inequities. Moreover, the private sector can also step up and realize that these systems can readily serve everyone. The technology that makes SmartDrivingCars possible is not inherently racists. It can respect and serve everyone. Henry and others can help make sure that the designers and deployers of SmartDrivingCars don't explicitly nor implicitly bake in racism and bias. Alain

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Motor Vehicle Fatality Rates Jump 36.6% in April Despite Quarantines, Says National Safety Council

Thursday, June 18, 2020

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces First Participants in New Automated Vehicle Initiative to Improve Safety, Testing, and Public Engagement

Friday, June 12, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Society of Actuaries Research Brief Impact of COVID-19, June 12, 2020

R. Dale Hall, June 12, "...By June 10, 2020, 7.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, and the count continues to climb with general agreement that the number is actually higher due to delays in full testing and reporting in many countries. Approximately 188 countries have reported at least one confirmed case and about 416,000 deaths from COVID-19.6 It is important to recognize that the number of reported confirmed cases for any disease typically lags the number of actual confirmed cases. As a result, the number of reported confirmed cases typically continues to rise after the actual number of new confirmed cases declines...." Read more Hmmm... Excellent! An enormous amount here. See especially FIg 11 and 17. These are trully non-uniform distributions. Also Table 1, Figures 21, 22, 24, 25, Table 3, ... An enormous amount to digest here. Excellent. Alain

Thursday, June 4, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="134" height="21"> Two-way Vehicle Connectivity is a Three-sided Coin That Everyone Wants to Own

M. Sena, May 26, "Two-way vehicle connectivity has three facets. Two of them are mainly of interest to vehicle OEMs and their suppliers. They are vehicle-centric and customer-centric. Vehicle-centric connectivity includes functions such emergency notification, logistics tracking and over-the-air updating. Customer centric connectivity includes many services that are also provided by mobile apps outside of the vehicle, such as music streaming, workshop service booking, traffic notifications and car sharing applications. Two-way vehicle connectivity today is a major competitive factor for the OEMs.

The third vehicle connectivity facet is principally of interest to public sector traffic management authorities. It is focused on communicating warnings to vehicles and providing guidance on which roads to use in case of traffic congestion or emergencies. The public authorities view these roadway-centric functions as their domain, and vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication as the tools to accomplish the job. They are grouped together under the term V2X. This third facet is not a competitive factor for the OEMs. If it is legislated, V2X will not distinguish one OEM from another since every OEM will have to include it....

But the debate is not really about technology nor is it about who delivers the best value for the money or the most privacy. It is about..." R ead more Hmmmm... The provacateur's lead at the beginning of our 3rd Shark-Tank Zoom-inar (Video, Audio) Alain

Thursday, April 30, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="78" height="23"> Luminaries Battle In Lincoln-Douglas Style Debate About The Future Of Self-Driving Cars

Lance Eliot, April 28, "Several self-driving car luminaries assembled online via a Zoom-casted battleground this week to undertake a Lincoln-Douglas style debate about the future of the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) self-driving car industry and the advent of AI-driven mobility.

Originally scheduled for one hour, the dialogue and fielding of audience questions prompted the superstars to keep going, tackling many of the most vexing and unsolved matters that underlie the potential success of self-driving vehicles, encompassing both autonomous cars and autonomous trucks.

The lively discussion was civil and polite, fortunately so in these times of seemingly stark polarization and guttural attacks during our contemporary public discourse. Yet, even in the realm of eloquent argumentation, at times the gloves came off and there were some fierce zingers and moments of rather piercing cut-the-air-with-a-knife verbal sparring..." Read more Hmmmm... Lance, Thank you for the kind and thorough synopsis of our 1st Zoom-inar. We were all pleased by the turnout, interaction and substance. Alain

Friday, April 24, 2020

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="50" height="39"> What Negative Oil Prices Mean and How the Impact Could Last

V. Bajaj, April 22,"A main benchmark for the price of oil fell negative for the first time ever this week. The decline — more than 300 percent in daily trading — raised fresh questions about the damage the coronavirus is having on the global economy.

What does it mean for oil prices to be negative?
A benchmark price for a barrel of oil to be delivered next month fell to -$37.63 on Monday, which means that sellers would have to pay someone that much to take it off their hands.

But that historic plunge was exacerbated by a quirk in how the oil markets work.
The negative price concerned only contracts for delivery of barrels in May that are traded on so-called futures markets. At the same time trading happens for May deliveries, people trade on contracts ending in June, in July and so on." Read more Hmmmm... What??? I realize that I'm often "out of it", but... In all my life I have NEVER... thought of, let alone mentioned, nor have heard anyone else mention the concept of negative oil! Often, talked about $150/B oil, $250/B, S20/B even $7/B oil. NEVER $0/B oil, negative Oil... NEVER,NEVER, NEVER!!!! and look where we are. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Implications:... no one's models extrapolate to that regime. (it requires extrapolation because no data exists in this unimaginable region. Listen to Pod-Cast; Watch Zoom-Cast Alain

Friday, March 27, 2020

Starsky Robotics Failed. Does That Mean Automated Trucking Is Dead?

R. Bishop, Mar 24, "I met Stefan Seltz-Axmacher for the first time in November 2015 at the Florida Automated Vehicles Summit. Not long after, we met at the Blue Danube coffee shop in Alameda, CA so he could tell me about his vision for Starsky Robotics. When he energetically described his remote-driving-for-trucks approach, I was skeptical. “Remote driving is hard,” I said. “The military has struggled with this for years. Its harder than it looks.” On the technical side, latency for secure communications is challenging. On the operational side, re-creating enough on-road reality (situational awareness) for a remote driver is difficult when going for the high levels of safety needed. Seltz-Axmacher remained bullish on the approach and at that time went on to found Starsky Robotics as one of the earliest truck AV startups, later closing a $16.5M Series A funding round in March 2018, and then hauling freight while developing both remote and automated driving ability. Initially, Starsky’s concept was all about remote driving for first/last mile. They later expanded their offering to include fully automated highway driving on limited freight corridors.

Now, Starsky has become the first casualty within a crowded truck automation space, and Seltz-Axmacher has provided us with an intriguing post-mortem in a recent Medium post. Most of the media coverage I’ve seen has acted as echo chambers for Seltz-Axmacher’s perspective. Here I offer a counterpoint based on my longtime involvement in truck automation plus discussions with many others in the truck Automated Driving Systems (ADS) startup space, many of them irate at what they see as unfounded assertions made in the original post. My sources tell me that because Seltz-Axmacher hasn't experienced their technology nor been briefed on their technical/safety approach, he has no basis to make sweeping claims about the entire industry...." Read more Hmmmm... Listen to PodCast 148. or/and Watch us on YouTube. Alain

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Waymo suspends robotaxi service except for its truly driverless vehicles

K. Korosec, Mar. 17, "Waymo said Tuesday it is pausing operations of Waymo One, a service in the Phoenix area that allows the public to hail rides in self-driving vehicles with trained human safety operators behind the wheel, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Waymo is also halting testing on public roads in California.

However, Waymo will keep some operations up and running, notably its truly driverless vehicles, which don’t require a human safety driver, according to an announcement on its website Tuesday. These driverless vehicles are used in the Phoenix area as part of Waymo’s early rider program that lets vetted members of the public hail a ride..." Read more Yippie!!! Unfortunately, the latest is not so good... Waymo has suspended all services, including the driverless. Poopie!!! Alain

Saturday, February 15, 2020

“Urbs,” “Burbs,” and the Immigration Locomotive

J. Hughes, Feb 2020, "Even more so than the nation, the broad fourstate, 35-county metropolitan region centered on New York City (figure 1) is becoming afflicted by a condition of demographic stagnation. While the United States has been experiencing the lowest population growth rates since the Great Depression, the region has only recently (2016–2018) slipped into absolute population decline, spawned by domestic outmigration. The major counterforce forestalling a demographic catastrophe has been positive international migration. Immigration has become the primary source of population growth—the demographic locomotive. Without it, the region would have to bear fully the economic consequences of what has become a virtual domestic population hemorrhage—a vast exodus of regional residents moving to the rest of the country. This is just one dimension of endemic demographic change that has swept the post–Great Recession world....

The second new reset is a turnaround of the pattern evidenced in the 2010–2016 period, when population growth in the “urbs” surpassed that of the “burbs.” After dominating growth early in the decade (2010–2016), the core—the urban heart of the metropolitan region encompassing New York City and three adjacent counties in New Jersey—suddenly slipped into decline post-2016, causing the region as a whole to lose population. This is the latest transformation in what has become a transmillennial demographic roller coaster ride... " Read more Hmmmm... Most interesting Demographic Dynamic. A must read. Alain

Friday, January 31, 2020

2020 Hyundai Sonata stars in Super Bowl ad all about 'Smaht Pah k'

S. Szymkowski, Jan 27, "Hyundai is going all in on Boston accents and the 2020 Sonata for its Super Bowl advertisement. As is often the trend these days, the ad made its debut on Monday less than a week before the big game, but it's quite a clever spot...." Read more Hmmmm... This is as irresponsible of Hyundai as StupidSummon is for Tesla. It may even be more irresponsible because Hyundai hasn't included the over-the-air-information system that allows them to monitor its use. Having the car do stuff without an alert and attentive driver in the driver's seat implies liability on them (their system) if something bad happens. Plus, squeezing a car into a parking place when the people can't get into the adjacent cars is not the smartest move unless you've also made the Hyundai key proof. There will be retaliation. Alain

Friday, January 24, 2020

The Disengagement Myth

Kyle Vogt, Jan 17, "In a few weeks the California DMV will release disengagements data from Cruise and other companies who test AVs on public roads. This data is really great for giving the public a sense of what’s happening on the roads. Unfortunately, it has also been used by the media and others to compare technology from different AV companies or as a proxy for commercial readiness. Since it’s the only publicly available metric, I don’t really blame them for using it. But it’s woefully inadequate for most uses beyond those of the DMV. The idea that disengagements give a meaningful signal about whether an AV is ready for commercial deployment is a myth. ..." Read more Hmmmm... Amen! This is a MUST read. As with everything, details matter. It is true that figures don't lie, but but it is easy to game systems such that figures, without the underlying details, do lie. As Kyle points out, there are important details associated with disengagements. These need to be well understood for disengagements to be a proxy for safety and market readiness. The when, where and associated details of each disengagement is critically important if the objective is safety and market readiness.

What is also most important here is the underlying objective of the companies doing the tests and reporting the data. As has happened in our secondary education where students are taught what is in and how to take the SATs rather than just learn. The objective is not learning , but getting 800s on the SATs so that they can get into 'Princeton'. This is perpetuated by the 'Princetons' of this world that don't look into the details of the student's academic qualities and capabilities. In the academic world, we know these students as 'box checkers', gamers of the college admission process. The gaming is continued by the 'banks and med schools' that use simplistic GPA (Grade Point Average, aka 'disengagements') cutoffs. The 'box checkers' then take 'underwater basket weaving' courses and become grade grubbers. It is lazy and irresponsible to use simplistic measures as proxies to very complex concepts such as intelligence, creativity, compatibility, and all the other details that make a good student, a good employee, a good citizen, a good mobility system.

In our case, testing is assumed to be about safety and market readiness; however, for some, it may be about trying to "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" or "putting lipstick on the pig". It is easy to game the metric 'Disengagements' by simply testing in easy places, under easy conditions, instead of really trying to find the corner/edge cases that you don't know in places and conditions of the Operational Design Domain that you are actually going to serve and make a business out of all of this technology; rather than just trying to get good press, or flipping it to someone else or putting it on an academic self. The details would readily divulge the real objective of the company doing the testing.

I hope that Kyle, in his next post, will divulge what he, GM's lawyers and GM's board are requiring of his system for each of them to sign off and begin to operate an economically viable mobility service to the general public in some ODD. Each will demand that it be safe. The board will also demand that it be profitable. What details are they requesting that will make each comfortable signing on the bottom line? Alain

Sunday, January 12, 2020

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="30" height="33"> Hmmmm... Reflections

A. Kornhauser, Jan 12, Hmmmm... Self-driving cars are hot and the OEMs are responding. I'm about to buy a new Subaru Outback and EyeSight is standard. It is no longer just AutoPilot or expensive options that car salesmen don't sell. Car companies, as reflected in what is in showrooms and what was promoted at CES, have realized the comfort and convenience of Self-driving technology (cars that have a lot of the Safe-driving car features but also enable you to take your feet off the pedals and hands off the wheel at least for short periods of time. These technologies are really becoming the 'chrome and fins' that sell cars to individuals in the 2020s. The momentum is all behind that happening and there is little Washington or Trenton or Princeton Council can do about it. Hopefully part of that momentum will be to make these systems actually work well, especially the Automated Emergency Braking Systems (MUST quit assuming that all stationary objects in the lane ahead can be passed under and consequently each is disregarded. As Tesla is finding out, sometimes those objects are parked firetrucks.) and begin to put hard limits on over-speeding, tailgating and use while driver is impaired. Self-driving cars are unfortunately going to lead to substantial urban sprawl, increased VMT, increased congestion and do nothing to help the energy and pollution challenges of our addiction to the personal automobile. Only 'Waymo-style Driverless' (autonomousTaxis, (aTaxis)) tuned to entice ride-sharing can potentially stem the tide of ever more personal car ownership and ever expanding urban sprawl. Alain

Monday, January 6, 2020

Hmmmm...I'm Back

A. Kornhauser, Jan. 6, Hmmmm... I'm in rehab and hope to go home on Wednesday morning. Thank you to so many of you for all the good wishes and prayers. They each helped. I'm looking to making a full recovery. Remember, if you don't feel well, get evaluated by a doctor. I was totally clueless about what hit me from out of nowhere. Alain

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Chandler unveils drop-off, pick-up zone for self-driving cars

G. Zetino, Nov. 25, ""It’s about to get easier for self-driving cars to drop off and pick up passengers in Chandler. The city of Chandler, in partnership with Waymo, on Friday unveiled the nation’s first drop-off and pick-up zone for autonomous ride-hailing cars.
Read more Hmmmm... The iconic image:

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="79" height="131">

autonomousTaxi (aTaxi) stop facilitating true ride-sharing to any destination within the autonomous transit system's Operational Design Domain. The first of what may well become a half million or so others. Each strategically located to be less that a 5 minute walk from essentially any of the billion or so person trip ends that are made on any typical day in the USA (outside of Manhattan (whose subway stations provide the comparable accessibility). Twenty million or so aTaxi vehicles could readily provide on-demand, share-ride mobility from these ~0.5M aTaxi stops. Provided would be essentially the same 24/7 on-demand level-of-service as we do for ourselves with our own conventional automobiles; however, this mobility would be affordably achieved using half the energy, creating half the pollution, eliminating essentially all the congestion, doubling conventional transit ridership and making such improved mobility available to those who today can't or wish not to drive a conventional automobile. This is a MAJOR 1st. Alain

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Self-driving car capital? One senator thinks it can be Florida

R. Wile, Nov 22, "Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) had just finished serving in the Army, and was looking to make a name for himself in Tallahassee as a junior representative. He came across a talk given by the founder of Google’s driverless car project.

He quickly realized the potential of self-driving cars to transform many aspects of daily life. Ever since, he has made it his mission to turn Florida into what he calls “an angel investor” in automation policy. “We want to have policies in place for this technology to flourish,” Brandes said in an interview at the 7th Annual Florida Automated Vehicles conference in Miami, which concluded Friday.

Brandes has drawn headlines in the tech community for filing legislation allowing virtually any automated vehicle on Florida’s roads; this summer, he helped make Florida one of the first states to make AVs without a human back-up safety driver street legal.

Among the state’s advantages Brandes points to that he believes makes it ideal for AV companies: no snow, which makes lane markings more visible. That also means less road construction in general...." Read more Hmmmm... Congratulations Jeff!!! It was a great AV Summit and congratulations on creating such a Welcoming environment and intelligently shaping the birth of this technology. What you've done is enable Florida to begin to enhance mobility and the quality of life for all in Florida and especially those who can most benefit from these mobility machines. It was most impressive to witness the enthusiasm for nurturing the many aspects of this technology from Florida's Governor, Miami's Mayor, Fl DoT's Commissioner, the heads of the toll road authorities, planning agencies and educational institutions. Most impressive was Ford's comment that their autonomousTaxi efforts are focused on developing driverless technology and intend to operate it to deliver Mobility-as-a-Service in Florida, rather than sell the technology to individual consumers. I applaud that approach and hope that Ford will look to also bringing some of those vehicles to New Jersey so that we can begin to reap the benefits of this technology. What you've accomplished in Florida is THE "best practice" for us to emulate in New Jersey. Congratulations. Alain

Saturday, November 16, 2019

PyTorch at Tesla

Friday, November 1, 2019

An Update on the Outlook for Automated Vehicle Systems

Saturday, September 28, 2019

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="116" height="32">Public forum will explore possibility of transit on demand in Princeton

K. Knapp, Sept 22, "What would it take to make Princeton an accessible community for all, even those who cannot or choose not to own or drive a car? Princeton Future will explore the question at a public forum from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 28 in the community room at the Princeton Public Library.

Princeton Future is a non-profit community group that studies issues related to planning, development, and affordability. Speakers will discuss the capabilities of a transit-on-demand system where small, driverless shuttles could be summoned by a smart phone app to a location within walking distance of a resident’s home...." Read more Hmmmm.... Listen to a summary of the event in Episode 126 of the SmartDrivingCars PodCasts. See below for other info. Alain

Saturday, August 17, 2019

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="107" height="19">Autonomous Vehicles: A View from Seniors

Friday, March 29, 2019

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="116" height="32">Automated vehicles could provide mobility to the ‘mobility disadvantaged’

Thursday, November 22, 2018

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="94" height="29"> Market Framework and Outlook for Automated Vehicle Systems

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

New Jersey Pending Legislation re: Autonomous Vehicles

Oct 16, Establishes fully autonomous vehicle pilot program A4573 Sponsors: Zwicker (D16); Benson (D14)

Oct 16, Establishes New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force AJR164 Sponsors: Benson (D14); Zwicker (D16); Lampitt (D6)

Oct 16, Directs MVC to establish driver's license endorsement for autonomous vehicles A4541 Sponsors: Zwicker (D16); Benson (D14); Lampitt (D6)..." Read more Hmmmm.... Things are beginning to move in New Jersey. Alain

[log in to unmask]" class="" width="39" height="43"> Testimony of Alain Kornhauser, Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology - Monday, October 22, 2018 - 10:00:00 AM

A udio Recording of Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology - Monday, October 22, 2018 - 10:00:00 AM

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

CPUC AUTHORIZES PASSENGER CARRIERS TO PROVIDE FREE TEST RIDES IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WITH VALID CPUC AND DMV PERMITS

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Waymo’s fleet of self-driving minivans is about to get 100 times bigger

Friday, May 25, 2018

PRELIMINARY REPORT: HIGHWAY: HWY18MH010 (Uber/Herzberg Crash)

May 24, "About 9:58 p.m., on Sunday, March 18, 2018, an Uber Technologies, Inc. test vehicle, based on a modified 2017 Volvo XC90 and operating with a self-driving system in computer control mode, struck a pedestrian on northbound Mill Avenue, in Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona.

...The vehicle was factory equipped with several advanced driver assistance functions by Volvo Cars, the original manufacturer. The systems included a collision avoidance function with automatic emergency
braking, known as City Safety, as well as functions for detecting driver alertness and road sign information. All these Volvo functions are disabled when the test vehicle is operated in computer control..." Read more Hmmmm.... Uber must believe that its systems are better at avoiding Collisions and Automated Emergency Braking than Volvo's. At least this gets Volvo "off the hook".

"...According to data obtained from the self-driving system, the system first registered radar and LIDAR observations of the pedestrian about 6 seconds before impact, when the vehicle was traveling at 43 mph..." (= 63 feet/second) So the system started "seeing an obstacle when it was 63 x 6 = 378 feet away... more than a football field, including end zones!

"...As the vehicle and pedestrian paths converged, the self-driving system software classified the pedestrian as an unknown object, as a vehicle, and then as a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path..." (NTSB: Please tell us precisely when it classified this "object' as a vehicle and be explicit about the expected "future travel paths." Forget the path, please just tell us the precise velocity vector that Uber's system attached to the "object", then the "vehicle". Why didn't the the Uber system instruct the Volvo to begin to slow down (or speed up) to avoid a collision? If these paths (or velocity vectors) were not accurate, then why weren't they accurate? Why was the object classified as a "Vehicle" ?? When did it finally classify the object as a "bicycle"? Why did it change classifications? How often was the classification of this object done. Please divulge the time and the outcome of each classification of this object. In the tests that Uber has done, how often has the system mis-classified an object as a "pedestrian"when the object was actually an overpass, or an overhead sign or overhead branches/leaves that the car could safely pass under, or was nothing at all?? (Basically, what are the false alarm characteristics of Uber's Self-driving sensor/software system as a function of vehicle speed and time-of-day?)

"...At 1.3 seconds before impact, (impact speed was 39mph = 57.2 ft/sec) the self-driving system determined that an emergency braking maneuver was needed to mitigate a collision" (1.3 x 57.2 = 74.4 ft. which is about equal to the braking distance. So it still could have stopped short.

"...According to Uber, emergency braking maneuvers are not enabled while the vehicle is under computer control, to reduce (eradicate??) the potential for erratic vehicle behavior. ..." NTSB: Please describe/define potential and erratic vehicle behavior Also please uncover and divulge the design & decision process that Uber went through to decide that this risk (disabling the AEB) was worth the reward of eradicating " "erratic vehicle behavior". This is fundamentally BAD design. If the Uber system's false alarm rate is so large that the best way to deal with false alarms is to turn off the AEB, then the system should never have been permitted on public roadways.

"...The vehicle operator is relied on to intervene and take action. " Wow! If Uber's system fundamentally relies on a human to intervene, then Uber is nowhere near creating a Driverless vehicle. Without its own Driverless vehicle Uber is past "Peak valuation".

"...The system is not designed to alert the operator. " That may be the only good part of Uber's design. In a Driverless vehicle, there is no one to warn, so don't waste your time. If it is important enough to warn, then it is important enough for the automated system to start initiating things to do something about it. Plus, the Driver may not know what to do anyway. This is pretty much as I stated in PodCast 30 and the March 24 edition of SmartDrivingCar, See below.Thursday, May 10, 2018

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Experts say video of Uber's self-driving car killing a pedestrian suggests its technology may have fail

Tuesday, April 17, 2017

Don't Worry, Driverless Cars Are Learning From Grand Theft Auto

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.36&filename=ajafjpkfaclhelpc.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="44" height="50" border="0">Extracting Cognition out of Images for the Purpose of Autonomous Driving

announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles

Sunday, December 19, 2015

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.38&filename=ccalfjfhllohpdpa.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="68" height="44" border="0">Adam Jonas' View on Autonomous Cars

Video similar to part of Adam's Luncheon talk @ 2015 Florida Automated Vehicle Symposium on Dec 1. Hmmm ... Watch Video especially at the 13:12 mark. Compelling; especially after the 60 Minutes segment above! Also see his TipRanks. Alain

This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University

Leave |Re-enter

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="66" height="90">

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.40&filename=lglcejopfgfnajaj.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="238" height="92" border="0">[log in to unmask]">Mailto:[log in to unmask]

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> ASSISTED DRIVING GRADINGS

[log in to unmask]" class=""> SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 177

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 177

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Tesla Autopilot gets ‘moderate’ grade from European vehicle safety authority while Audi, BMW and Mercedes get top marks

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> China's robot taxis: Would you ride in one?

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Uber Can Continue Operating in London, Judge Rules

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Amazon says more than 19,000 workers got Covid-19

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Gas Tax Spikes in N.J. Because of Pandemic’s Impact

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Seattle Passes Minimum Pay Rate for Uber and Lyft Drivers

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> The former head of Audi is on trial in Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal.

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Nikola chairman, VectoIQ CEO Steve Girsky eyes his next transportation investment

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Nikola’s deal with GM was supposed to close today—it didn’t

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="73" height="27"> Who will rule the Teslaverse?

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="156" height="24"> Tesla sets sales record, but still lags growth expectations

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="110" height="23"> 60% of new cars are electric in new milestone for Norway thanks to VW ID.3

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="110" height="23"> GM tests its Ultium battery system for Cruise Origin autonomous electric vehicle

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="78" height="23"> Tire Blowouts Could Cause Self-Driving Cars To Go Astray

C'mon Man! (These folks didn't get/read the memo)

Sunday Supplement

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> New Hyundai Team Targets Development of “Ultimate Mobility Vehicles”

Half-Baked

Click-Bait

Calendar of Upcoming Events:s

[log in to unmask]" class="">

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 176 Zoom-Cast Episode 176 w/Marc Scribner

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 175 Zoom-Cast Episode 175 w/Michael Sena

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 174 Zoom-Cast Episode 174 w/Kelly Funkhouser, Consumer Reports

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 173 Zoom-Cast Episode 173 w/Nathanial Beuse

F. Fishkin, Sept. 4, "Moving forward with autonomous vehicle testing, the head of safety at Uber's Advanced Technology Group is pledging safety data transparency. Nat Beuse joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co host Fred Fishkin for that and more on the latest mobility headlines."

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 172 Zoom-Cast Episode 172 Special Edition w/Danny Shapiro

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 171 Zoom-Cast Episode 171 w/Henry Greenidge

SmartDrivingCars PodCast 170 ZoomCast Episode170 w/Michael Sena

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 169 ZoomCast Episode 169 w/Anthony Townsend

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 168 ZoomCast Episode 168 w/Olaf Sakkers

SmartDrivingCars PodCast 167 ZoomCast Episode167 w/Robin Chase, Carlos Pardo & Daniel Sperling

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 166 ZoomCast Episode 166 w/Jay Rodgers'95, CEO Local Motors

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> SmartDrivingCar Zoom-inar Episode 005 AmaZooks

SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 165, ZoomCast Episode165 w/Michael Sena

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast 164 Episode 164, Zoom-Cast Episode 163 w/Robbie Diamond

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 163, Zoom-Cast Episode 163 w/Henry Greenidge

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 162, Zoom-Cast Episode 162 w/Cliff Winston

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 004 Insurance: For or Against SmartDrivingCars?

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 161, Zoom-Cast Episode 161 w/Alberto Stochino

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 160, Zoom-Cast Episode 160 w/Jessica Cicchino

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 159, Zoom-Cast Episode 159 w/Kara Kockelman

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 003 Everyone's for Connectivity; but...

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 158, Zoom-Cast Episode 158 w/Chunka Mui

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 157, Zoom-Cast Episode 157 w/Grayson Brulte

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 002 The Future of Public Roadway Transit

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 156, Cars Zoom-Cast Episode 156 w/Danny Shapiro2

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 155, Zoom-Cast Episode 155 w/Alex Roy2

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 154, Zoom-Cast Episode 154 w/Dan Sperling

[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="38" height="42" border="0"> DrivingTheDebate Episode 001 The Driverless "New Normal" Debate

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 153, Zoom-Cast Episode 153 w/Dick Mudge2

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 152, Zoom-Cast Episode 152 w/Brad Templeton

[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="" width="77" height="18"> SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 148 - Richard Bishop

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 163, Zoom-Cast Episode 16 3 w/Henry Greenidge

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 153, Zoom-Cast Episode 15 3 w/Dick Mudge2

SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 152, Zoom-Cast Episode 15 2 w/Brad Templeton