SmartDrivingCar.com/10.43-Folded-112722
43rd edition of the 10th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
Argo AI Folded After a Lifeline From Amazon Never Arrived: Report
P.Holderith, Nov. 22, “The dream of smoking a cigar with the windows up in your self-driving turbine-powered jet car may be on hold. At least, that’s what the demise of Argo AI, backed by monolithic automakers Ford and VW indicated. Before it all came crashing down though, Bloomberg reports Amazon nearly stepped in to keep the ball rolling.
The retail giant, which is rumored to be laying off thousands of employees, was allegedly interested in the technology for use in its Rivian-built delivery vans last year. However, a struggle to determine how Argo would be governed with three large investors as well as an alleged high cost of the autonomous driving company’s tech soured the deal. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, which hasn’t done anyone besides defense contractors any good.
Amazon was reportedly willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the startup. Ford had already invested $1 billion in 2017, followed by an even bigger $2.6 billion pile of cash from Volkswagen. In fact, VW’s now-deposed CEO Herbert Diess even met with Jeff Bezos personally to discuss details of a potential deal. This was followed by prototype Argo vehicles running Amazon delivery routes, albeit without dispensing any packages.
Argo additionally hired 150 people to work on what seemed like a surefire investment from Amazon, but it was for naught. A governing deal couldn’t be struck, the global economy was in a further state of disrepair thanks to that Vlad guy over in Russia—what’s his last name again?—and inflation got more serious….” Read more Hmmmm… Reminiscent of what Larry Burns recalled in his book “Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car―And How It Will Reshape Our World” about a failed “partnership” between Ford & Waymo that would have “reshaped our world”. Waymo (L), VW (W), Amazon (L), VW(L)… now what? Alain
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 293 / PodCast293
“F. Fishkin, Nov.. 27, ” The reported Argo lifeline from Amazon that never arrived, The Ambarella/Continental deal, a safety report from Cruise, and Tesla opens up FSD and moves to block cheating on attentiveness. Episode 293 of Smart Driving cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin.
0:00 open 0:42 what happened to Alain 1:43 Argo AI’s lifeline from Amazon that never came 5:00 Ambarella/Continental Deal 12:14 Cruise Safety Report 13:00 Tesla opens up FSD 18:44 Cybertruck pre-orders top 1.5 million 19:47 HOLON 23:08 NY Times on AI Recipes 24:17 Mercedes to charge subscriptions for performance boost 27:00 Nuro layoffs 29:33 BrightDrop
fishkin@techstination.com
732-928-4691
Technical support provided by: CARTSmobility.com a 501c3 dedicated to Safe & High-Quality Mobility for All
Press release, Nov 18, “In the future, Continental will offer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) solutions based on the “CV3” artificial intelligence (AI) system-on-chip (SoC) family from semiconductor company Ambarella. The high-performance, power efficient and scalable SoC portfolio, which is built for ADAS applications, complements Continental’s solutions for assisted driving and further advances vehicle automation. The more sensors are installed in a vehicle, the greater the amount of data collected to detect the environment. The joint solution with a centralized single-chip processing based on 5 nanometer technology enables the next generation of vehicles to process the environment perception of multiple sensors even quicker thanks to an increasing performance level. Sensor solutions include high-resolution cameras, radars, lidars as well as ultrasonic sensors. The integrated SoC enables early data fusion, in which the information from different sensors is superimposed simultaneously for various modalities such as emergency brake assist, parking or cruising….
The integrated system-on-chip in Continental’s ADAS systems will be showcased at CES 2023 in Las Vegas for the first time. Read more Hmmmm… Congratulations Alberto. Hope to see you in Vegas Alain
The 2022 FAV Summit at Omni Amelia Island Resort
December 14->16, 2022 (this year) “The Florida Automated Vehicles (FAV) Summit assembles industry leaders from around the world to address technologies, operations, and policy issues. Our mission is to gain insight into what Florida is doing to create the ideal climate for the implementation and deployment of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.
Topics will include automated, connected, electric, and shared (ACES) mobility, operations, law, infrastructure, functional design, cyber security, ethics, aftermarket products, enabling technologies, and public policy…” Read more Hmmmm… See you there. Alain
The Cruise Safety Report: Advancing our safety mission through a transparent and holistic approach
L. Zhang, Nov 22, Safety is at the core of everything Cruise does — it’s the indispensable ingredient in our success as a company. Since the beginning of our driverless operations, Cruise’s safety record has been publicly reported to regulators and updated online, and just this week we announced that we have driven nearly five million total miles, including 500,000 driverless miles without any major incidents….
With the recent announcement that we’ll soon begin scaling our driverless service in Austin and Phoenix, we wanted to share more about the culture of safety we’ve built at Cruise. So, today we’re sharing our first ever Cruise Safety Report detailing the approaches, tenets and processes that make up our commitment to safety. In it, we outline our comprehensive safety approach — how we define safety, the mechanisms we’ve created to make safety the top priority across our company, and how every individual at Cruise keeps safety central to everything we do.
Our Safety Report is the blueprint for a safe, commercial driverless service, and covers the following: …” Read more Hmmmm… Impressive. Alain
Tesla makes automated driving available to all owners in N. America
Bloomberg, Nov 24, “Tesla is making its controversial driver-assistance system available to customers previously deemed not safe enough behind the wheel to test it out.
CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the system Tesla calls Full Self-Driving Beta is now available to anyone in North America who has bought the option and requests it from their car screen.
Until now, some paying customers have been blocked from accessing the feature known as FSD because they did not score high enough on metrics Tesla uses to set insurance rates….” Read more Hmmmm… This will be an interesting roll-out. Hopefully its requirement that the driver remain always alert to take over the driving task in an instant is made perfectly clear to each user of this feature. Confirmation of this requirement should be made by the driver at its inception of use each day. Alain
Who’s Who in Self-Driving Truck Development
S. Clevenger, Nov. 23, “ The process of developing, validating and ultimately commercializing fully autonomous trucks has proven to be a long and arduous journey, but there is no shortage of software developers and technologists dedicated to accomplishing that mission.
More than a dozen technology companies and startups are actively working to solve the myriad technical and business challenges associated with bringing self-driving trucks to market and widely deploying them in the trucking industry.
While a few of these companies, such as Waymo and Torc Robotics, have been working on autonomous vehicle technology for well over a decade, the majority are startup firms founded 4-7 years ago. Newcomers such as Waabi continue to enter the space as well.
Automated vehicle consultant Richard Bishop said autonomous truck development has advanced significantly since it first became a prominent topic among industry leaders in the middle of the past decade….” Read more Hmmmm… Nice summary article. I’m surprised that Tesla’s electric truck wasn’t included. I can’t imagine it not having some version of FSD onboard from the get go. Here is what the view was in 2019, and 2021. Alain
Self-driving cars were supposed to take over the road. What happened?
M. McFarland, Nov. 1, “or over a decade, companies from Google to General Motors have poured billions of dollars into the pursuit of what was seen as the Holy Grail of driving technology: the fully self-driving car. Such vehicles would usher in an era of consumer safety and convenience, experts promised, and would be an immensely valuable product for carmakers.
But recently many of the main players in the autonomous vehicle game have been scaling back or outright abandoning their lofty ambitions. Last week Ford and Volkswagen pulled the plug on their self-driving effort, Argo AI, the latest admission from a hype-fueled industry that building a good self-driving car that’s also a profitable business may not happen anytime soon…
“I think there are trucking companies that have done a sufficient amount of testing to where they’re ready when the tech is ready,” Bishop said. Those eventual deployments will depend not only on the readiness of technology developers’ self-driving software, but also the availability of autonomous-ready tractors rolling out of truck makers’ factories in significant quantities….” Read more Hmmmm… Another nice summary article. Alain
A New Player, HOLON, Enters The Emerging Autonomous People Mover Industry
J. Sensiba, Nov. 25, “… we can expect future autonomous vehicles to start specializing in being autonomous vehicles. We’re already seeing this in the designs, with the upcoming Cruise Origin being a great example. When there’s no driver, expect to see vehicles that prioritize interior room, ease of getting in and out, and people facing each other to have conversations….
BENTELER is creating a new brand, HOLON, to underline its global business ambitions in autonomous mobility. As a result, the BENTELER EV Systems business unit will change its name at the end of 2021 and focus on fully electric autonomous people movers….” Read more Hmmmm… Great. We need some driverless vehicles designed to take advantage of the driverless stack to deliver safe affordable, high-quality mobility. Nice to have a new entrant, but they’ll need to partner with a viable automated driver technology company; else, this is just another conventional shuttle like a Sprinter van. Alain
Can A.I. Write Recipes Better Than Humans? We Put It to the Ultimate Test.
P. Krishna & C Metz, Nov. 4, “Recipes can be passed down by word of mouth, scribbled on index cards, published in cookbooks. But they’ve always had one thing in common: They’re made by people. Few things, in fact, are as packed with humanity as a recipe. Mixed and folded and baked into each one are their creators’ backgrounds, stories, tastes and feelings.
People have their limitations, though. They can’t read every mashed potato recipe on the internet before coming up with their own version. They can’t analyze thousands of techniques in search of the best way to make a pie crust.
Machines can. Computer systems driven by artificial intelligence can compose tweets and blog posts, create art, even generate computer code. And now they’re starting to write recipes.
These recipes have all the components of their handmade forebears: lists of ingredients, precise measurements, step-by-step instructions and introductory notes with (fabricated) personal touches. Their advantage, in theory, is that they draw on a vast trove of online information about food and cooking.
But are they any good? And can they improve on millenniums’ worth of lived culinary experience?…
This technology is not a replacement for people, at least so far. It can nudge cooks in one direction or another. But it is still humanity — with its intuition, storytelling and warmth — that drives a good recipe.
The individual behind the dish is just as important as the recipe itself, Dr. Shane said. There is value in knowing that someone took the time to perfect a version of pie, stuffing or turkey, and share it. “You want to know that these recipes mean something to somebody,” she said. That’s something artificial intelligence may never be able to provide.” Read more Hmmmm… Amen. Nice article Cade & Pariya.. Alain
Mercedes Makes Better Performance a $1,200 Subscription in Its EVs
N. Demattia, Nov 20. “Mercedes is now taking subscription fees to an entirely new, maddening level. For new Mercedes EQ electric models, customers will have to pay a $1,200 (plus tax) yearly subscription to unlock the full performance potential of their cars….
This news comes a few months after BMW faced backlash for offering subscriptions for certain options, such as heated seats. BMW North America faced so much public criticism that it even released a statement defending the subscription option….
Subscription fees are sort of understandable for certain cloud-based options, as those options require consistent monthly operating costs. However, the extra power and performance this option provides is something the car is already capable of…. Read more Hmmmm… Is Mercedes also going to pick up the tab for illegal driving and additional crashes that that these “better performance” will induce? Public roads aren’t racetracks. Sorry… I’m sure this “additional performance” will be geofenced to be available only “when you’re at the track”. . See CRASH TEST: Electric Cars are More Dangerous than Conventional Cars, Says Global Insurance Company Alain
Autonomous delivery startup Nuro lays off 20% of workforce
K. Karosec, Nov. 18, “Nuro, the autonomous vehicle delivery startup backed by SoftBank, Google and Tiger Global Management, is laying off about 300 people, or 20% of its workforce, in an effort to preserve cash amid a stormy economic outlook, according to an email sent to employees this morning.
Several Nuro employees also posted on Twitter and LinkedIn this morning that they had been affected by the layoffs.
In the email viewed by TechCrunch, co-founders Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson informed employees they would receive an update later this morning letting them know if they are impacted by this layoff and with information on next steps.
The co-founders said they take responsibility for the layoffs, which were the result of over-hiring in 2021 smacking into economic headwinds in 2022:… “ Read more Hmmmm…Not pretty. Tough running a business with little operating revenue. Alain
BrightDrop Set to be One of the Fastest Companies in History to Reach $1 Billion in Revenue
Press release, Nov. 18, “BrightDrop shared today with investors that it is on track to reach $1 billion in revenue in 2023, making it one of the fastest companies to ever hit that milestone. The company also confirmed that it is set to generate up to $10 billion in revenue and reach 20% profit margins by the end of the decade.
BrightDrop launched in 2021 with a suite of products targeting last mile delivery and fulfillment, including the BrightDrop Zevo lineup of electric delivery vans, the BrightDrop Trace eCart, and the BrightDrop Core software suite.
The revenue news comes ahead of the company’s two year anniversary and just 11 months after breaking the record for the fastest vehicle to market in GM’s history. Some of the most notable tech and consumer brands took over five years to reach the $1 billion milestone, however BrightDrop will be joining the billion-dollar league in less than three years — demonstrating the company’s strategy, vision, tech expertise and commitment to the market….” Read more Hmmmm… Does anyone believe this stuff? GM must believe it. Alain
Staff, Nov. 20, “When the North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University invited us to join in the unveiling of their latest “Aggie Auto” Global Electric Motorcar (GEM) autonomous shuttles, we thought, “Why not get our Ford Transit out of the stable and take a road trip?”
On the way down from our home in Peoria, IL, to Greensboro, NC, we visited universities along the way to show and tell all the technology that goes into developing an autonomous platform—and made some new friends while we were at it!…” Read more Hmmmm… Bobby, keep up the good work. Alain
Tesla Engineers Discuss FSD Training, Weekly China Numbers, New Tesla Referral Program
R. Mauer, Nov 22, “➤ Tesla Autopilot engineers discuss FSD training, simulation progress… “ Read more Hmmmm… Very interesting. Alain
Everything that stood out to us at the 2022 LA Auto Show
K. Karosec, Nov. 21, “The 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show is in the rearview mirror, leaving us with one final task: sharing a roundup of the weird and wonderful, the awkward and eye-popping vehicle unveilings and new announcements that made this year’s show.
The auto show didn’t quite capture the energy of those heady pre-COVID pandemic days, although it was much livelier than last year.
Electric vehicles, and the greenwashing that often comes with it, took center stage, and hydrogen fuel cell technology made a few cameos. There were even several startups that showed up to reveal electric restomods, 3D printing tech and three-wheeler design.
Let’s dig into the good, bad, ugly and surprising moments of the 2022 LA Auto Show.… “ Read more Hmmmm… Autoshows are back. Alain
Tesla now detects Autopilot cheating devices
F. Lambert, Nov 25, “Tesla is now starting to detect Autopilot cheating devices that enable you not to hold the steering wheel, and it is acting on it if you use it. In order to use Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, Tesla requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel.
However, Tesla is not equipped to detect hands on the steering wheel. It can only detect torque being apply to it, so the automaker regularly asks drivers to apply some torque to the wheel in order to keep using Autopilot.
It pushed some people to use what has been called “defeat devices.” It can be as simple as jamming a water bottle in the steering wheel to apply some pressure to some custom-made devices to trick Autopilot’s driver monitoring system. NHTSA even had to intervene and ban devices that were clearly marketed for that purpose. One of those Autopilot defeat devices tried to come back as a phone mount, but it was shut down again.
Now Tesla is trying to address the issue through software directly.
Teslascope, which digs into Tesla software updates, found something interesting in the latest FSD Beta update. Tesla can now detect Autopilot defeat devices, and it forces drivers off Autopilot if detected:…” Read more Hmmmm… Excellent!! Alain
Exclusive: Tesla Cybertruck reaches 1.5 million pre-orders – Can it live up to the hype?
F. Lambert, Nov 22, “Tesla is now starting to detect Autopilot cheating devices that enable you not to hold the steering wheel, and it is acting on it if you use it. In order to use Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, Tesla requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel.
However, Tesla is not equipped to detect hands on the steering wheel. It can only detect torque being apply to it, so the automaker regularly asks drivers to apply some torque to the wheel in order to keep using Autopilot.
It pushed some people to use what has been called “defeat devices.” It can be as simple as jamming a water bottle in the steering wheel to apply some pressure to some custom-made devices to trick Autopilot’s driver monitoring system. NHTSA even had to intervene and ban devices that were clearly marketed for that purpose. One of those Autopilot defeat devices tried to come back as a phone mount, but it was shut down again.
Now Tesla is trying to address the issue through software directly.
Teslascope, which digs into Tesla software updates, found something interesting in the latest FSD Beta update. Tesla can now detect Autopilot defeat devices, and it forces drivers off Autopilot if detectedTesla Cybertruck is getting closer to production, and as the automaker’s first new model in three years, the company badly needs it to gain its momentum back.
But can the electric pickup truck live up to Elon Musk’s hype and the 1.5 million pre-orders? Musk has been hyping the Cybertruck as not only Tesla’s best vehicle yet but as possibly the best product ever. The CEO is known for his use of hyperbole, but he has some credibility when it comes to Tesla’s vehicle programs since each model has raised the bar in one way or the other in the auto industry.
While the launch of the vehicle in 2019 wasn’t without issue or criticism, with the unbreakable window demonstration failing and the polarizing design of the truck, the hype around it has been quite successful. Musk announced that Tesla received over 250,000 reservations for the Cybertruck within a week of unveiling the vehicle.
Generally, Tesla receives a lot of reservations early after an unveiling, and then it tapers off – but that wasn’t the case with the Cybertruck.
Even throughout the pandemic, sources told us that some Tesla stores were getting hundreds of Cybertruck reservations per week, and Cybertruck pre-orders even helped boost sales. By 2021, a crowdsourced Cybertruck reservation tally was putting the pre-orders at over 1 million units.
Now in 2022, the same tally put Tesla Cybertruck reservations at over 1.5 million units.:…” Read more Hmmmm… Not bad! Alain