Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022

10.14 - Ferroequinalogist

February 09, 2022Newsletter archive →

C. Compton,
March 25, "On March 12, 2022, Henry Posner III '77 reported for work at 9 a.m. in his trademark bowtie. But on this day, the self-described railway worker donned a reflective safety vest and work boots as he prepared to make history. Just days earlier, a holding company with several railways owned by Posner, called RDC Deutschland, entered into a contract with the German government to help transport Ukrainian refugees from the Polish border into the country's interior.

"Unbelievable, but here we are," Posner wrote in the company's internal newsletter. "History comes at you on short notice."..." Read more

F. Fishkin,
April 7, "Mobility takes on a different meaning for Ukrainian refugees. Henry Posner II and his Railroad Development Corporation has been helping to transport many into Germany. He joins Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin for episode 263 of Smart Driving Cars. That plus GM Cruise, Aurora, VW, Qualcomm & more."

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

F. Meier,
April 4, "Vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that automate some tasks — braking, acceleration and steering in some situations — are more common at all price levels for 2022. They also are becoming more sophisticated, with some now making lane changes, allowing for brief hands-free driving and more....

While some tech, such as automatic emergency braking, works in the background, we are looking here at which model-year 2022 vehicles have these key active assistance systems (more detailed explanations are below the vehicle list)..." Read more

J. LaReau,
April 6, "...Every company needs to understand why they exist, Barra said. "Our purpose at General Motors is to pioneer the innovations that move and connect people to what matters," she said...

The Cruise Origin — the self-driving car that will be built at Factory ZERO, which straddles the Detroit-Hamtramck border — will be ready to put on the street in January 2023, she said. Those vehicles will be a robo taxi service. Barra said GM plans to also have by mid-decade personal autonomous vehicles "where the vehicle is responsible for the operation." But she said they will be expensive...." Read more

R. Mitchell,
April 4, "With his new purchase of a 9% stake in Twitter, Elon Musk isn't just diversifying his investment portfolio. The Tesla chief executive is also deepening his entanglement with one of America's foremost venues for public discourse — potentially hinting at future ambitions to influence the platform's handling of free speech, content moderation and digital censorship...." Read more

F. Lambert,
April 1, "...Chevy Bolt EV/EUV: 358, GMC Hummer EV Pickup: 99" Read more

M. Meran,
April 5, "Volkswagen plans to launch a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for self-driving operations, including a robotaxi fleet, delivery services, and shuttles.

The design of the VW SPV will be significantly different from the ID. Buzz, which has been gaining popularity since the company unveiled it last month. The ID. Buzz comes in two variants: the microbus and the cargo van.

The ID. Buzz will be launched as a robotaxi in Hamburg by 2025. The head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles — an independent VW brand responsible for developing and selling light commercial vehicles — Carsten Intra noted that VW wants to launch similar ID. Buzz robotaxi services in 50 other cities across Europe and North America...." Read more

R. Bellan,
April 6, "Aurora Innovation is launching its third autonomous freight pilot in Texas. Starting this week, Aurora Driver-powered trucks will haul loads for Werner Enterprises, a transportation and logistics company, between Fort Worth and El Paso, Texas.

The startup is already hauling freight for Uber Freight customers and for FedEx, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier. LTL freight refers to when an order shares a truck with other shippers' orders. Werner will be Aurora's first full-truckload (FTL) carrier customer, which means the truck will only carry one load and thus will be making longer, more dedicated hauls with fewer stops, allowing Aurora to flex its long-haul muscles. Like many AV trucking companies, Aurora is hoping to address long-haul freight first, in large part because they are the least desirable routes for human drivers.

"..." Read more

M. Freeman,
April 4, "Qualcomm wrapped up its acquisition of Veoneer's advanced driver assistance/self-driving vehicle software arm on Monday, highlighting the San Diego company's bid to become a key technology supplier to automakers as it diversifies beyond smartphones....

With this deal, Qualcomm isn't aiming to deliver full-fledged driverless capabilities known as Level 4/Level 5 autonomy — at least not yet.

Instead, it is targeting Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomy. That means motorists remain behind the wheel but gain ADAS safety features and limited self-driving functionality." Read more

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

4th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit It is over!!! Now time to actually do something in the Trentons of this world.

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

Ken Pyle's Session Summaries of 4th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit:

Michael Sena's Slides, Glenn Mercer Slides

2nd Session 1/ 7/21 A Look into the Future 1st Session:12/17/20 Setting 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"

Orf467F20_FinalReport "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

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/

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 2 w/ Michael Sena

F. Fishkin,
March 30, The latest from the Symposium on the Future Networked Car, the UK investigates laws for driverless cars, cars....politics and Russia, Tesla and some big news from Waymo. The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for Smart Driving Cars episode 262." SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 2/ PodCast 2 w/ Sven Beiker & Dick Mudge

F. Fishkin,
March 25, "Where autonomous mobility vehicles operate matters. But why does too. And Mercedes takes a leap. That and more as Sven Beiker of Silicon Valley Mobility and Dick Mudge of Compass Transportation join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 261 of Smart Driving Cars."

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.

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 2 / 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 2 / 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 2 / 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 2 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 2 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 2 / 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 2 / 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."

Recent Highlights of:

March 31, 2022 Taking our next step in the City by the Bay The Waymo Team, March 30, "This morning in San Francisco, a fully autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE, with no human driver behind the wheel, picked up a Waymo engineer to get their morning coffee and go to work. Since sharing that we were ready to take the next step and begin testing fully autonomous operations in the city, we've begun fully autonomous rides with our San Francisco employees. They now join the thousands of Waymo One riders we've been serving in Arizona, making fully autonomous driving technology part of their daily lives...." Read more

M. Sena, March 31, "Everything positive that is happening in the world right now, as we emerge from two years of a pandemic, is overshadowed by the negative events in Ukraine, with the criminal actions of a state, Russia, that has become a pariah and a predator under its leader, who is now in his twenty-second year. The automotive industry was slowly clawing its way back to pre-pandemic sales levels, in spite of supply chain difficulties and semiconductor shortages, before the deplorable decision by Russia to invade its neighbor, ostensibly because it had the audacity to want to remain outside of Russia's despotic sphere. The sanctions that have finally been placed on Russia after its aggressions which began over eight years ago are having impacts on all automotive companies with any activities in that country. One of the most heavily involved is Renault, with its majority ownership of AvtoVAZ, the largest producer of passenger cars in Russia. Read about its journey into the quagmire that is Russia in Musings of a Dispatcher.

This month's feature article is an overview of the annual Symposium on the Future Networked Car sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union and the UNECE. It was fully virtual again this year. The hope is that next year it will be a live event, either in connection with a revived Geneva International Motor Show or on its own...." Read more

March 25, 2022 Mercedes Drive Pilot Beats Tesla Autopilot By Taking Legal Responsibility M. Hogan, March 20, "Mercedes' new Drive Pilot seems, in operation, like many 'traffic jam assistant' technologies already on sale today. On certain highways, below 40 mph, a Drive Pilot-equipped S-Class or EQS will take control of the car's speed, steering, and brakes to move you along in traffic. But there's one key difference: Once you engage Drive Pilot, you are no longer legally liable for the car's operation until it disengages. You can look away, watch a movie, or zone out. If the car crashes while Drive Pilot is operating, that's Mercedes' problem, not yours...." Read more

T. Lee, March 15, "For a while now, we've been hearing rumors that Apple is apparently developing their own electric car tentatively known as the Apple Car. However, according to a tweet by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, he has heard that the team behind the Apple Car has actually been dissolved for some time now.

Kuo also writes that should Apple want to be able to start mass producing their cars by 2025, a reorganization needs to happen within the next 3-6 months. It's actually a little bit weird to hear that the team has been dissolved, especially since it was last year that there were rumors and reports of Apple seeking out manufacturing partners and were talking to companies like Kia...." Read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

609-980-1427 (c)

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 2/ PodCast 263 w/Henry Posner III'77 Ferroequinalogist

Calendar of Upcoming Events

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast Episode 2/ PodCast 2 6 3 w/Henry Posner III'77 Ferroequinalogist