M. Sena,
March 1, "To
all in
Ukraine,
continue to
have courage
against the
aggressor.
Everyone who
supports
democracy and
freedom
against
tyranny stands
with you. At
such a time,
when a free
country has
been invaded
by a
dictatorial
power,
discussions
about
automobiles
and
electricity
seem trivial.
But, in many
ways, the
issues of how
we obtain our
energy and how
we use it are
central to
what is
occurring now
in the
southeastern
edge of
Europe.
The U.S.
federal
government,
along with
many of the
States, and
the European
Union, along
with many of
its member
countries, are
throwing money
at battery
electric cars.
They believe
the reason
everyone isn’t
rushing out to
buy one of
these types of
cars is
because there
aren’t enough
charging
stations that
drivers who
normally
charge at
their place of
residence can
use when they
are on long
trips, or
drivers who
live in cities
and don’t have
an off-street
parking spot
can use for
their daily
charging
needs. I
disagree. The
biggest
problem is
that those
running
charging
stations have
to convince
people to pay
two-to-four
times what
they would pay
if they
plugged their
car into their
own electric
outlet. It’s
less
convenient and
more
expensive.
There is more
in this issue.
You can see a
brief summary
of the
contents
below. You can
read the
entire issue
in the PDF
attached or
online by
clicking here.
Also below is
a link to the
program for
the Symposium
on the Future
Networked Car
2022 to be
held as a
virtual event
on the 22nd to
the 25th of
March. Plan on
setting aside
time to
attend.
Enjoy your
March issue of
The
Dispatcher.
All comments
are welcome,
whether you
want to take
exception to
something I
have written
or you just
want to let me
know that you
got something
out of reading
it. Horses run
on feed;
writers run on
feedback...."
Read
more
Hmmmm... I've[log in to unmask]"> linked Michael's email. I also
need
feedback..
Check out the
Pod/ZoomCasts
below with
Michael.
Alain
[log in to unmask]" _mf_state="1" title="null" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" 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 initiative
Staff, Dec
6, "The New
Jersey
Department of
Transportation
(“NJDOT”), an
instrumentality of the State of New
Jersey, has
issued a
Request for
Expressions of
Interest
(“RFEI”) to
identify
experienced
firms
capable of
introducing a
safe,
equitable,
affordable,
sustainable,
and efficient
on-demand
automated
vehicle
mobility
systems in and
beyond
Trenton, NJ.
NJDOT is
soliciting
written
expressions of
interest from
qualified and
experienced
vendors to
gain
valuable
insight from
the private
industry
regarding the
goals set
forth in the
Trenton MOVES
(Mobility
&
Opportunity:
Vehicles
Equity System)
potential
project and
assess its
viability.
If and when
NJDOT elects
to proceed
with a
potential
project, NJDOT
may issue
formal
Request(s) for
Qualifications
or Proposals.
The RFEI is
available to
be downloaded
at https://www.nj.gov/transportation/business/procurement/ems/current.shtm..."
Staff,
March 2, "..."
Read
more
Hmmmm... Links to the 20
responses
to NJ DoT's Trenton
MOVES RfEI.
Lots of very
encouraging
and
enthusiastic
respondents.
Thanks to NJ
DoT for making
the replies
available to
the public at
large on a
very timely
basis allowing
everyone to
learn a lot
and showing
that there is
broad and
competent
interest in
deploying
Safe,
Equitable,
Affordable,
Sustainable,
High-quality
Mobility
throughout
Trenton and
beyond. Alain
A. Hawkins, March 1, "... .In a statement, Waymo said it would start charging for rides within “the next few weeks.” The company has been providing free rides around San Francisco to a select group of “trusted testers” since last August. These are members of the public, who are not Waymo employees, who sign non-disclosure agreements as a precursor before getting to ride in the company’s autonomous vehicles. Waymo says it has “hundreds” of people involved in its trusted tester program.
The
vehicles will
be available
“24/7,” Waymo
spokesperson
Nicholas Smith
wrote in an
email...." Read
more
Hmmmm... This is very exciting,
... especially
the 24/7
part. I sure
hope Waymo
finds the
bandwidth to
pursue the
opportunity to
provide this
kind of safe,
equitable,
high-quality
mobility to
the residents
of Trenton
and the rest
of New Jersey
by
participating
in my 5th
Princeton
SmartDrivingCar
Summit now
scheduled for
June 2 ->
4.
A major thrust of this year's summit is to provide the
residents of
Trenton and
the rest of
New Jersey a
convenient
opportunity to
get a first
exposure to
the kind of
mobility that
Waymo and
GM/Cruise are
beginning to
offer in San
Fransisco, and
others that
are preparing
to offer in a
few other
places around
the world.
The other major purpose is to enable those who might be
inclined to
offer such
mobility
services in
Trenton and
other parts of
New Jersey, to
have a
convenient
opportunity to
meet the New
Jersey
customers that
initiatives
like Trenton MOVES are focused on serving.
Luckily, we
are still at
the very
beginning of
the deployment
of these
mobility
technologies.
It is still
somewhat
trivial to
tune these
systems to
best serve the
needs
and desires of
the customers
of Trenton
MOVES.
These customer
may be
different than
the target
customers in
San Francisco
or other
places. This
year's summit
is seriously
focused on the
serious
engagement
and a "meeting
of the minds"
of the
technology of
the service
provider and
the sociology
of the target
customers.
We in New Jersey know essentially zero about this
technology.
We certainly
can learn from
the active
participation
in the Summit
by Waymo,
GM/Cruise, ...
.
It may also be the case, that the sociology of us in
Trenton and
New Jersey is
not exact
replicas of
the mobility
needs of the
target
customers of
San Francisco,
Silicon
Valley,
Arizona, Las
Vegas or other
places that
these mobility
systems are
attempting to
serve.
The purpose of the Summit
is to provide
the technology
companies
wanting to
serve the
mobility needs
of
Trentonians,
and other New
Jerseyians, to
readily
acquire an
improved
understanding
of the
mobility needs
that the Trenton MOVES initiative is serving. Alain
S. Still,
Feb 26, "As I
mentioned, I
am involved in
a project,
ITS4US,
sponsored by
the USDOT to
bring
autonomous
shuttles to
downtown
Buffalo to
serve the
large BNMC
medical campus
and some
low-income
surrounding
neighborhoods.
The initial
scale is much
smaller than
what you have
envisioned -
but we are all
hopeful this
concept can
expand with
its success.
We are in the
early stages
of identifying
vehicle
options - and
that is not an
easy
undertaking.
As you've
mentioned the
big players
like Waymo
(Google),
Ford, GM are
more focused
on the
robo-taxi
business
(think Uber
without a
driver). I
dont see
evidence that
the big
players are
serious about
accessible
shuttles that
can
effectively
provide
"mobility for
all" in cities
like Buffalo.
We are working
on two
parallel
tracks. One
is going with
smaller
vendors that
have
ready-made
solutions.
There aren't
many of those
to begin with,
but we are
finding their
vehicles
aren't ideal
particularly
those with
mobility
challenges.
There is
always a risk
with smaller
companies that
they meet the
fate of Local
Motors/Olli
(e.g. cease
operations).
..." Read
more
Hmmmm... Steve, as you cans see
above, the Trenton
MOVES RfEI
was also
ignored by
"the big
players".
However, since
the RfEI was ,
"issued
for planning
purposes and
does not
constitute a
commitment,
implied or
otherwise,
that a Request
for
Proposal(s) or
other
solicitation
will be
issued."..., it is not surprising that they
would ignore
it.
What will be more disconcerting is if they pass on
participating
in the
5th Princeton
SmartDrivingCar Summit on June 1 -> 4.
A major thrust of the Summit is to provide both the large players and the small players a convenient opportunity for Trenton's mobility customers to get their first glimpse at these mobility systems and for these big and little guys to better understand the needs and expectations of Trentonians, especially the mobility disadvantaged. I suspect that Buffalo's mobility needs and expectations are closer to that of Trenton than Silicon Valle, San Francisco or Phoenix. I certainly welcome our collaboration. Maybe together they'll take us more seriously. Trenton has about 250,000 daily person trips that are the market opportunity set for one of these systems. Mercer county brings that number up to a million a day. Buffalo's region is about 2.5x. Combined we create a substantial market opportunity for them. Let's see who chooses to participate in the Summit. Those that do are truly interested in improving the lives of our residents and its worth us working with them. Those that don't tell us loud and clear that we shouldn't be wasting our time with them. 😎
Steve, nice to be working together this. Alain
Press
release, Feb.
24,
"Pennsylvania’s
first
automated
vehicle (AV)
shuttle is
coming to
Philadelphia
this summer.
The
zero-emissions
shuttle will
provide
visitors and
employees with
transportation
services
within the
Philadelphia
Navy Yard and
to SEPTA’s NRG
Station
located at
Broad Street
and Pattison
Avenue.
The project
took a step
forward this
week when
PIDC,
Philadelphia’s
public-private
economic
development
corporation,
awarded
Perrone
Robotics, Inc.
a two-phased
AV shuttle and
services
contract. The
pilot AV
shuttle is
funded by the
Travel Options
Program, a
grant program
of the
Delaware
Valley
Regional
Planning
Commission
(DVRPC). The
Travel Options
Program is an
ongoing
regional
initiative
that awards
funds for
innovative
projects to
provide better
access to more
travel
options, while
meeting the
goals of
climate action
and air
quality
improvement,
equity,
reliability,
freedom of
choice, and affordability..." Read
more
Hmmmm... Very nice, but doesn't
seem to be
focused on
affordability...
aka
driversless.
Why is the
term
driverless
nowhere in
this Press
release? (or
can't I
read???). If
the objective
is not
driverless
operation, how
is it going to
become
affordable?
Smoke &
mirrors? I'm
missing
something
really
important
here. Will
someone @
DVRPC please
clue me in. I
desperately
need help.
Alain
A. Hawkins,
March 2,
"Ford’s
decision to
divide its
business into
two separate
entities — one
focused on
electric
vehicles and
the other on
gas-powered
ones — may
complicate the
automaker’s
efforts to
recruit
top-tier
talent and
could risk
upsetting
dealers
already
chafing under
the shift to
electrification,
auto analysts
and experts
said
Wednesday.
Ford also
isn’t going so
far as to spin
off its EV
divisions
entirely as a
separate
business, as
some major
Wall Street
banks advised.
The
automaker’s
share price
could suffer
as a result.
By keeping
both divisions
within the
same company,
Ford is
entwining
their fates.
Ford Model E
won’t succeed
without the
profits and
efficiencies
created under
Ford Blue.
On Wednesday,
Ford announced
the creation
of two
separate
entities: Ford
Model E,
focused on
electric
vehicles and
advanced
software
projects; and
Ford Blue,
dedicated to
the
automaker’s
much larger
and profitable
internal
combustion
engine
vehicles. It’s
a bold move —
one analyst
called it
“radical” —
but will come
with some
serious
risks...." Read
more
Hmmmm... What about driverless
Fords? Is
that a 3rd
"Ford" company
(Argo.ai)
or part of
Ford Model E?
Alain
A. Hawkins, March 2, "Polestar, the Swedish electric automaker, announced a new roadster concept called the Polestar O2. The hardtop convertible, which made its debut in Los Angeles today, is designed to showcase the automaker’s bonded aluminum platform, which it produces in-house, as well as some quirkier innovations, like an integrated drone for aerial filming...." Read more Hmmmm... Now that's serious click-bait! Alain
F. Lambert, March 2, "...."We could’ve made a 600 mile Model S 12 months ago, but that would’ve made the product worse in my opinion, as 99.9% of time you’d be carrying unneeded battery mass, which makes acceleration, handling and efficiency worse. Even our 400+ mile range car is more than almost..." Read more Hmmmm... I love Elon! He is so right. Unlike a gas tank which weighs much less empty than it does full, batteries weight is proportional to the max range, and is constant charged or uncharged. Alain