10.10 - Cruise
March 9, 2022
10th edition of the 10th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
GM names Cruise co-founder to once again run the self-driving business after CEO's unexpected departure
M. Wayland, Feb 28, "In naming a new CEO of self-driving company Cruise Monday, majority-owner General Motors is handing the firm back to one of its original founders.
Kyle Vogt, who co-founded Cruise and ran the start-up for years following GM's acquisition in 2016, has once again been named CEO of the company. He announced the appointment Monday via social media, and it was later confirmed by a Cruise spokesman." Read more
Hmmmm...Congratulations Kyle! Fantastic. Alain
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 2/ PodCast 259 w/ Mo ElShenawy, EVP of Engineering, Cruise
F. Fishkin, March 9, "Cruise, with GM and Honda as operating partners, has gone truly driverless in San Francisco and is seeking permission to eliminate steering wheels in the Cruise Origin. EVP of Engineering Mo ElShenawy joins Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin for a special edition of Smart Driving Cars.
Technical support provided by: https://www.cartsmobility.com/
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
Tesla tells U.S. lawmakers Autopilot requires 'constant monitoring'
D. Shepardson, March 8, "Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) defended the safety benefits of its advanced driver assistance system Autopilot and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability but acknowledged they require 'constant monitoring and attention of the driver.'
Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey wrote Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk on Feb. 8 raising 'significant concerns' about the electric-car maker's Autopilot and FSD systems which have prompted scrutiny from safety regulators.
In a previously unreported March 4 letter to the senators, Tesla's senior director, public policy and business development Rohan Patel, said the features enhance the ability of its customers 'to drive safer than the average driver in the U.S.'
Patel noted that both systems 'require the constant monitoring and attention of the driver.' Tesla vehicles are capable of performing 'some but not all of the Dynamic Driving Tasks' that can be performed by human drivers, he added...." Read more
Hmmmm... Every Tesla owner knows that AutoPilot and FSD "require the constant monitoring and attention of the driver". Unfortunately a few Tesla owners misbehave and get distracted by cell phones, have one too many adult beverages, fall asleep, think they are indestructible, suffer from road rage, ..., as did drivers of '55 Chevies and every other car ever made. Responsibility is inextricably tied to the privilege of driving irrespective of which car one is driving. Irresponsible behavior aka misbehavior is the root cause here, not misunderstanding.
It really isn't, or should not be hard, for any of these automakers to ascertain if a driver is misbehaving while driving. If misbehaving, simply disengage the driver from use of the automated driving assistance until he properly amends for his misbehavior.
I know it is not that easy, but in fact may well be that easy. "Take away the toys until they show up with a note from their mother.", or the equivalent. 😎 Alain
Pony.ai to issue recall of autonomous driving software
R. Bellan, March 8, "Autonomous vehicle startup Pony.ai will issue a recall for three vehicles following an October crash in California, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The agency said on Tuesday that this was the first recall of an automated driving system, Reuters first reported.
'Whether the vehicle is operated by a human driver or an automated driving system, the need to protect roadway users remains the same,' NHTSA Deputy Administrator Steven Cliff said in a statement. 'As this first recall of an automated driving system underscores, NHTSA will ensure that vehicle manufacturers and developers prioritize safety while they usher in the latest technologies.'..." Read more
Hmmmm... OK NHTSA, yes you are responsible for safety, and responsible for making sure the car is driven safely. With '55 Chevies, it's the driver doing the driving. Is NHTSA "recalling" drivers that misbehave when driving '55 Chevies? Maybe it should. In this case, it is the AV stack of sensor, processor, software and actuator that is failing. Yes it should be recalled. But it is supposed to fail during testing. That is what testing is all about... uncovering safety. Certainly, doesn't want to recall vehicles every time one uncovers a problem during testing.
Wrt the testing of automated vehicles, maybe NHTSA should recall CA DMV for "apparently" permitting the testing of AVs without a driver or attendant.
Except to save a very small amount of money, the epitome of a "penny wise & pound foolish" management strategy, all testing, including delta, omicron testing, must require an alert & capable human closely monitoring of the driving and capable of taking over the driving, just as Tesla requires of the drivers in cars that it sells.
The purpose of testing is to uncover problems that need to be fixed in an Operational Design Domain (ODD). Once one is satisfied that essentially all problems are fixed, then one can declare "the end of testing" and begin to "provide a mobility service in throughout that ODD". At that point, driverless operation can begin, so as to achieve the goal of affordability whose value is deemed to be enormously greater than the expected infinitesimal degradation of safety manifested by evolution to driverless operation.
To me, testing without competent human oversight in the vehicle, is fundamental management irresponsibility. Haven't a bunch of people been fired @ Pony.ai? Or is it that there was an attendant in the vehicle and that fact was not reported correctly by the media? Uber lost half of its valuation by having a less than fully competent attendant in their car during testing. Maybe Pony.ai deserves to lose 90% of its valuation for not learning from the death of Elaine Herzberg.
Let me be clear... no one should be permitted to test without an alert & capable human nearby monitoring. Anyone who tests without an alert & capable attendant nearby should be put out of business. Alain
Intel's Mobileye confidentially files for U.S. IPO
N. Nishant, March 7. "Intel Corp's self-driving car unit Mobileye confidentially filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Monday, setting the stage for what is expected to be one of the biggest stock market flotations of the year.
The move to list Mobileye is part of Intel's broader strategy under Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger to turn around its core business.
Investors have made big bets on new technologies in the business of global transportation over the past few years, and Intel is aiming to take advantage of the demand for autonomous vehicles by listing Mobileye's shares...." Read more
Hmmmm... Seems strange. Must not be too much synergy between Intel and MobilEye. Does this mean that Post-IPO MobilEye could start using NVIDIA's chip set?😎 Seems strange. Alain
EPA restores California's authority to set its own auto pollution rules
R. Mitchell, March 9, "California is back in the driver's seat as it steers the nation toward a future of cleaner cars and light trucks.
The Biden administration on Wednesday reinstated the state's authority to set motor vehicle pollution standards stricter than the federal government's. That includes tighter restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.
The decision, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reverses an attempt by the Trump administration to block the state from using its vast market power to push the auto industry in a greener direction. The 2019 revocation of its waiver from the federal standard put California and the states that follow its lead on pollution limits into regulatory limbo, casting a mood of uncertainty across the automobile industry.
'This is truly important,' EPA Administrator Michael Regan told The Times. 'Not just for the people in California but for the nation as a whole. We are proudly reaffirming California's longstanding authority to lead in this area.'..." Read more
Hmmmm... Excellent. Alain
Russia's Yandex 'pauses' autonomous vehicle testing in the US
A. Hawkins, March 4, "Russian technology company Yandex said that it was 'pausing' its autonomous vehicle and sidewalk robot testing in the US. The news was first reported by Automotive News.
The company said it was idling its robotaxi fleet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as well as a delivery service with Grubhub powered by its six-wheeled sidewalk robots. 'We hope to resume the operations in the future,' a spokesperson said.
The news comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued to send shockwaves around the world. The conflict has sparked a fierce outcry among Western nations, leading many to cut business ties with Russian companies. On Friday, Russia announced it was blocking access to Facebook....." Read more
Hmmmm... A smart move. Alain
Elon Musk says drill for oil, but he should worry more about nickel prices skyrocketing
F. Lambert, March 8, "Elon Musk recently made a call for the world to drill for more oil as prices are surging amid anticipated shortages due to the situation between Russia and Ukraine.
It's surprising coming from someone who is trying to get the world off oil. But on top of it, he and Tesla should worry more about nickel prices, which are skyrocketing right now.
Nickel is a critical resource when it comes to transitioning the world to electric transport and clean energy......" Read more
Hmmmm... I agree; however, anyone who is pumping oil today has no incentive to drill for more. @ $140/barrel, profit is $100. 10x the profit at $40/barrel. Keep the sabers rattling and the supply low and folks in TX, OK, ND, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Russia are becoming rich off of this war. They're best friends now are environmentalists. Hard to believe that oil is fueling yet another war. I'm so depressed. Alain
Making it Happen: Trenton MOVES... a Framework for the Deployment of Safe, Equitable, Affordable, Sustainable, High-quality Mobility
A. Kornhauser, Jan 11, 2022 TRB, "A slide deck describing the framework for a phased deployment of high-quality mobility in Trenton New Jersey that is envisioned to have wherewithal to naturally scale beyond Trenton in a fashion that can be replicated the more than 100 communities across the US that have similar demographic and travel demand characteristics." Read more
Hmmmm... Go through the slides in presentation mode to take advantage of the animations. Alain
4thAnnual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit It is over!!! Now time to actually do something in the Trentons of this world.
Making Driverless Happen: The Road Forward (Updated)
K. Pyle, April 18, 2021, "It's time to hit the start button," is Fred Fishkin's succinct way of summarizing the next steps in the Smart Driving Car journey. Fiskin, along with the LA Times' Russ Mitchell co-produced the final session of the 2021 Smart Driving Car Summit, Making It Happen: Part 2. This 16th and final session in this multi-month online conference not only provided a summary of the thought-provoking speakers, but also provided food for thought on a way forward to bring mobility to "the Trentons of the World."
Setting the stage for this final session, Michael Sena provided highlights of the Smart Driving Car journey that started in late December 2020. Safety, high-quality, and affordable mobility, particularly for those who do not have many options, was a common theme to the 2021 Smart Driving Car Summit. As Princeton Professor Kornhauser, the conference organizer put it....." Read more
Hmmmm.... We had another excellent Session. Thank you for the summary, Ken! Alain
Ken Pyle's Session Summaries of 4th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit:
15th Session Making it Happen - Part One: Elected Officials' Role in Creating a Welcoming Environment in the Trentons of this World
14th Session What Will Power Safely-driven Cars
13th Session Improving the Moving of Goods
12th Session 3/18/21 Human-centered Design of Safe and Affordable Driverless Mobility
11th Session 3/11/21 Incentivizing Through Regulation
10th Session 3/04/21 Incentivizing Through Insurance
9th Session 2/25/21 Can Level 3 be Delivered?
8th Session 2/18/21 Who Will Build, Sell and Maintain Driverless Cars?
Michael Sena's Slides, Glenn Mercer Slides
7th Session 2/11/21 Finally Doing It
6th Session 2/4/21 Safe Enough in the Operational Design Domain
5th Session 1/28/21 At the Tipping Point
4th Session 1/21/21 Why Customers are Buying Them
3rd Session 1/14/21 The SmartDrivingCars We Can Buy Today
2nd Session1/7/21 A Look into the Future 1st Session:12/17/20Setting the Stage
Kornhauser & He, April 2021 "Making it Happen: A Proposal for Providing Affordable, High-quality, On-demand Mobility for All in the "Trentons" of this World"
Analyzing Ride-Share Potential and Empty Repositioning Requirements of a Nationwide aTaxi System Kornhauser & He, March 2021 "AV 101 + Trenton Affordable HQ Mobility Initiative"
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST: Trenton MOVES 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..."
TrentonMOVES-RFEI-replies 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
Calendar of Upcoming Events
5th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit
Thursday (evening), June 2, Welcome Reception @ Alain's home (Registration required)
Friday, June 3, Equitable Mobility Innovation Forum @ Princeton University (Registration required)
June 4, Equitable Mobility Festival @ Mayor Donnely Homes, Trenton, NJ (Open to All)
Live in Person
On the More Technical Side http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
K. Lockean's AV Research Group at U of Texas
These editions are sponsored by the SmartETFs Smart Transportation and Technology ETF, symbol MOTO. For more information head to www.motoetf.com
https://www.cartsmobility.com/ provides technical support
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 2/ PodCast 25 w/ Michael Sena, Publisher, The Dispatcher
F. Fishkin, March 3, "How will electric vehicle charging stations make money? The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena poses that question and many more on episode 258 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus Ford creates a distinct EV car business, an update on NJ progress and more. Tune in and subscribe...."
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 257/ PodCast 257 w/ Cliff Winston, Brookings Institute & Marc Scribner, Reason Foundation
F. Fishkin, Feb. 25, "So what about these reports and opinion pieces casting doubt on the future of autonomous mobility? The Brookings Institution's Cliff Winston and Reason Foundation's Marc Scribner join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin to slice and dice. Plus GM Cruise, VW and more.."
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 256 / PodCast 256 w/Danny Shapiro, VP Automotive, NVIDIA
F. Fishkin, Feb. 18, "With Jaguar Land Rover signing on to partner with NVIDIA for advanced driver assistance and autonomous capabilities in all of their vehicles starting in 2025, what will the collaboration mean? NVIDIA's VP for Automotive Danny Shapiro joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus the latest on Waymo, VW, Trenton and more."
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 255 / PodCast 255 w/Brad Templeton
F. Fishkin, Feb. 11, "The engaging debate over disengagements. In episode 255 of Smart Driving Cars, Forbes.com Sr. Transportation Contributor Brad Templeton engages with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser over the path to the future of autonomous mobility. The latest data on disengagements from companies testing self driving vehicles in California, Tesla, Cruise, Waymo and New Jersey begins funding Trenton MOVES...are part of the spirited discussion with co-host Fred Fishkin."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 254, Zoom-Cast Episode 254 w/Alex Roy,
F. Fishkin, Feb 4, "Why Self Driving Isn't a Race, It's a Game. That's what Alex Roy, Director of Special Projects at Argo AI writes at www.groundtruthautonomy.com. Alex joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for the latest Smart Driving Cars for a wide ranging discussion on that plus the latest on Trenton Moves, FreightWaves, Tesla, Waymo, Cruise, Toyota and more."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 253, Zoom-Cast Episode 253 w/Michael Sena, Editor of The Dispatcher
F. Fishkin, Jan. 27, "The Federal Trade Commission looks to level the tech playing field...but "The Dispatcher" publisher Michael Sena has some words of warning. He joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin for that plus Tesla, Waymo and more on Episode 253 of Smart Driving Cars.."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 252, Zoom-Cast Episode 252 / Michael Krauss, Prof. of Law Emeritus & Alexandra Mueller, IIHS
F. Fishkin, Jan. 20, "The IIHS has announced it will rate vehicle partial automation systems. Spearheading is research scientist Alexandra Mueller who joins us. And Professor Emeritus Michael Krauss from the George Mason University School of Law on the manslaughter charges leveled in a Tesla autopilot case in California. Episode 252 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin."
SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 251 / A. Kornhauser: Making it Happen: Trenton MOVES... a Framework for...
F. Fishkin, Jan. 15, "In this special edition of Smart Driving Cars, Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and his presentation: Making it Happen: Trenton Moves-a framework for the deployment of safe, equitable, affordable, sustainable, high quality transportation. The focus is on providing autonomous mobility in a place where there is real need. A first. Join the effort."
Link to 250 previous SDC PodCasts & ZoomCasts
Recent Highlights of:
March 4, 2022
The Evolving Business of Powering Our Vehicles
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 linked Michael's email. I also need feedback.. Check out the Pod/ZoomCasts below with Michael.
Alain February 26, 2022
Motional, Via to start robo-taxi service in Las Vegas J. White, Feb 24, "Autonomous vehicle venture Motional and ride services company Via said they will launch on Thursday a robo-taxi service in Las Vegas, the latest step by Motional toward commercial deployment of its autonomous vehicle systems.
Via will use vehicles outfitted with Motional autonomous driving systems to offer free rides between several locations in downtown Las Vegas. Motional is a joint venture of Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) and automotive technology supplier Aptiv PLC (APTV.N)...." Read more
Hmmmm... Reuters, please STOP with this kind of reporting! You are being unfair to Motional, Via. They are not offering the equivalent of amusement park rides in an urban setting. They are in fact trying to develop the technology to provide (eventually) a low-cost way of providing a safe and high-quality mobility service.
Please use the correct terms. There is an attendant on-board these vehicles! Motional, Via is therefore NOT "starting robo-taxi" service in Las Vegas, as your headline proclaims. Today, this is a high-cost, heavily subsidized (by venture capital) service that's not significantly different than taxi services that have been available around the world for 100+ years.
[At least you didn't use the term autonomousTaxi, aTaxi for short, as the term encompassing Safe, Equitable, Affordable, Sustainable, High-quality Mobility.]
Motional, Via are taking a next step in the development of the technology that has the opportunity to become a low-cost way of providing a high-quality service, but for now what's "to start" is an enormously expensive demonstration that should NOT be called "robo-taxi service" unless Reuter's objective is to distract, confuse, hype or simply participate in fake news.
I'm sure that Motional, Via sincerely aspire to provide what they've been working on for many years in Las Vegas and elsewhere: a true aTaxi service. But there is one enormous step that needs to be achieved as standard, no problem, of course: a mobility service that readily operates every day without a driver or attendant. What's happening in Las Vegas is a great next step towards achieving that goal, which should be the story, not a carnival-esque offer of free rides with technology bells and whistles.
The real goal is not an amusement park attraction but a Safe, Equitable, Affordable, Sustainable, High-quality Mobility service like the one that works extremely well everyday when going up and down... elevators.
Elevators have had it somewhat easy... Competition is the stairwell, so being perceived as High-quality doesn't need many bells and whistles. They've achieved a track record of being Safe-enough (not perfectly safe, nothing is or ever will be). They are largely Equitable to those who can get inside the building, Sustainable because they are inviting to readily share rides whenever demand warrants (door stays open for a little while after I get in), and Affordable because they require only minimal human supervision done collectively not individually, which decreases with increased scale. The accessibility afforded is absolutely required for the floors above to capture any economic value that motivates and justifies free pricing. The key to affordability is minimal human supervision.
Until elevators were able to operate without attendants, and the public became comfortable that they were safe enough, tall buildings had no chance, and "the skyline of Manhattan would resemble that of Paris, if it was lucky!."
To my knowledge, only the Waymo One service in Chandler, AZ comes close to offering horizontal mobility with what is becoming minimal human oversight that some folks perceive as safe-enough. GM/Cruise in parts of SF is close, others, including Motional, Via are still making enormous progress towards that objective and are in the mix. Their hard work and actual achievements should be the story. Reuters would better serve the public by reporting on real milestones rather than potentially mis-represent (at the worst) or distract (at the best).
Rebecca Bellan @ Tech Crunch did a much better job by at least stating "...The autonomous vehicles will have human safety operators behind the wheel...."
What's my point here? These systems have the opportunity to be an incredible asset to our communities, and I implore journalists to spend the time to understand the actual challenges each company is facing as well as the progress they are making in overcoming them. Let's work together to educate and advocate for safe, equitable, affordable, sustainable high-quality mobility systems, not carnival acts. Alain
February 18, 2022
Jaguar Land Rover says all of its cars will come with NVIDIA's Drive computers by 2025 A. Hawkins, Feb. 17, "Jaguar Land Rover is teaming up with Nvidia to install high-powered computers in its vehicles to enable advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving features. Starting in 2025, all JLR vehicles will come with Nvidia's end-to-end Drive Hyperion platform installed, the companies said.
Hyperion is the latest iteration of Nvidia's Drive platform that allows automakers to customize their own driving features. And Orin is the chipmaker's system-on-a-chip, similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving chip or Intel's Mobileye EyeQ. This new hardware will form the basis for a new suite of driving features, including advanced driver assistance systems, automated parking, and autonomous driving, the companies said.
"Orin is the AI brain of the car, and Drive Hyperion is the central nervous system," said Danny Shapiro, Nvidia's vice president for automotive.
JLR wouldn't say which models would be receiving which features as a result of this deal. But we can guess some of the broad outlines, based on Nvidia's other automotive deals, including Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, TuSimple, Cruise, Zoox, and a host of Chinese EV startups. Whatever they are, they will be befitting JLR's mission to provide a luxury vehicle experience to its customers, said Francois Dossa, executive director of strategy at JLR....." Read more
Hmmmm... Enormous progress in the coming availability in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Alain
11, 2023
Moving Forward with Trenton MOVES K. Pyle, Feb. 9, "Dr. Alain Kornhauser's vision of bringing equitable, sustainable, and affordable mobility to the people of Trenton took another step forward with the February 9th, 2022 announcement (Facebook) of a $5 million NJDOT Local Transportation Planning Fund Grant for the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System (MOVES) Project (PDF). The significance of this event goes beyond the grant announcement..." Read more
Hmmmm... Ken, thank you for the kind words. Alain
Smart Driving Cars Extra: Trenton MOVES gets moving
Feb. 11, "The New Jersey DOT is providing 5 million dollars to get Trenton MOVES moving. The goal..autonomous, affordable, safe mobility for all. This is a video of the event held on February 9th." Read more
Hmmmm... Fantastic even with challenging audio. Turn on Closed Caption. The substance is in the quality of the words from the Mayor, Commissioner and Superintendent. All from the heart. Very worth absorbing. Alain.
February 4, 2022
Trenton MOVES W. Skaggs, Feb. 3, "We are excited to invite you to join Mayor Gusciora, N.J. Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, and Trenton Public Schools Superintendent James Earle to celebrate a $5 million award from the NJDOT Local Transportation Projects Fund for an unprecedented public transportation project right here in the Capital City. The project is called the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicular Equity System (MOVES) initiative.
Originally announced by Governor Murphy and Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti in December, TrentonMOVES seeks to provide a safe, equitable, and affordable high-quality on-demand mobility service to Trenton residents. The effort is a collaboration between the Governor's Office, NJDOT, the City of Trenton, and Princeton University.
The $5 million award is a huge milestone for the project. This will be the first large-scale urban transit system in America to be based entirely on self-driving shuttles. Each vehicle will carry four to eight passengers at a time. The AVs will be low-cost to users in underserved neighborhoods. The high school will be one of the central destinations on the first routes.
The event will take place at 11:00 a.m. in the Trenton Central High School auditorium. Members of the press will be invited to attend...." Read more
Hmmmm... Another real milestone.
The Trenton MOVES RfEI closed February 25, with 20 submittals. Next comes the 5th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit June 2 -> 4, 2022 in Princeton & Trenton, NJ. The Summit will be focused on enabling Trentonians to get a first glimpse at technology and mobility systems that can deliver Trenton MOVES' mobility objectives (Safety, Equity, Affordability, Sustainability,..) and, very importantly, enabling technology and mobility companies to learn the market opportunities available to be captured in Trenton, the rest of Mercer County, and throughout New Jersey.
Trenton MOVES is a win-win opportunity for the citizens of New Jersey (The Public) and the shareholders of mobility provider(s) (The Private), who can come together in a Trenton MOVES Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) that will be created through a Request for Proposal (RfP) process commencing shortly after the close of the Summit. 😁 Alain
5th Annual SmartDrivingCars Summit: Towards Deployment of Safe, Equitable Affordable, Sustainable, High Quality Mobility throughout New Jersey
New Date: Thursday evening, June 2, through Saturday June 4, 2022. Live in Princeton & Trenton, NJ.
Alain L. Kornhauser, PhD
Professor, Operations Research & Financial Engineering
Director of Undergraduate Studies, ORFE
Director, Transportation Program
Faculty Chair, Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering
229 Sherrerd Hall
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
alaink@princeton.edu
609-980-1427 (c)
http://www.princeton.edu