Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022
April 30, 2022
SmartDrivingCars eLetter
NJDOT Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti and the Trenton NJ MOVES Program
P. Keller, April 29, “New Jersey recently announced a $5 million grant for the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System or MOVES Project. The grant to the City of Trenton will support the planned start up and eventual deployment of 100 Autonomous Vehicles that will provide an on-demand automated transit system to serve the 90,000 residents of Trenton…..” Read more Hmmmm… Very nice. 😁 Alain
F. Fishkin, April 28, “Germany has given the green light for no hands on the wheel mobility. What does it mean? The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins us for that…plus Waymo, Tesla, Ford, Argo and more.”
Technical support provided by: /
Press release, April 27, “Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) (“Baidu” or the “Company”) today received the first-ever permits in China authorizing the company to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public on open roads in Beijing. This regulatory approval marks a significant milestone for the autonomous ride-hailing industry in China, indicating a regulatory openness to taking a further step toward a fully driverless mobility future….” Hmmmm… Great!! Unfortunately, this is “only” permitting, (which I take is a very big thing in China). Baidu hasn’t done it yet, but they “will”. Nice.
More when they actually do it. (I’m holding my breath… not really)
But, I thought that? Is Baidu telling us that AutoX did it without permits? I thought that wasn’t possible in China; just America??? I’m confused! Maybe Elon will fix all of this confusion with the new Twitter?? Alain
D. Shepardson, April 27, “A group of 12 U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to develop a comprehensive federal framework for autonomous vehicles, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
“We lag behind in shaping a regulatory framework that will foster this innovation while simultaneously protecting and encouraging all of the important benefits we believe autonomous vehicles are capable of delivering,” wrote the senators, led by Gary Peters, who chairs a Senate Commerce subcommittee on surface transportation. “Autonomous vehicles hold great promise to deliver significant benefits for all Americans - but only if the federal government puts the necessary policies in place to achieve these benefits.”…” Hmmmm… Michael Sena feels we have enough laws. Alain
Highlights from the 4th Annual Princeton Driving Car Summit (2020-2021)
K. Pyle, April 18, 2021, “It’s time to hit the start button,” is succinct way of summarizing the next steps in the Smart Driving Car journey. Fiskin, along with the LA Times’ co-produced the final session of the. This 16th and final session in this multi-month online conference not only provided a, 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…..” Hmmmm…. We had another excellent Session. Thank you for the summary, Ken! Alain
’s Session Summaries of 4th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit:
n: A Proposal for Providing Affordable, High-quality, On-demand Mobility for All in the “Trentons” of this World”
Orf467F20_FinalReport “”
Kornhauser & He, March 2021
5th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit & Mobility Festival
[https://www.cartsmobility.com/summit)
@ Princeton University, Trenton, NJ (Open to All)
SmartDrivingCars / w/, CEO,
F. Fishkin, April 23, “Designing the robotaxi rider experience. Uniphy CEO Jim Nicholas is forging partnerships to help transform consumer experiences with vehicles and more. He joins Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin for that…plus the latest on Tesla, Trenton and more.”
SmartDrivingCars / F. Fishkin, April 15, “Smart Driving Cars episode 264: Massive Robotaxi Move by #Musk and #Tesla? Elon Musk is saying Tesla will make a massive move into robotaxis. And what about his attempt to buy Twitter? Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin weigh in on that…plus Argo AI coming to Greenville, South Carolina and Cruise expands Walmart deliveries in Arizona. That and more on episode 264 of Smart Driving Cars. Tune in and subscribe..”
SmartDrivingCars / w/ 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.”
SmartDrivingCars [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2Dc-MdV2QY)/ 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 / w/ & 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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4A6NCpu2Rs)/
F. Fishkin, March 21, “Apple reportedly has dissolved its car team and why is Alain now eating at McDonald’s? Episode 260 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin has that plus GM, Cruise, Tesla, Aurora, Polestar and more.”
SmartDrivingCars [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4A6NCpu2Rs)/ w/, 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 / 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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch)/ w/, Brookings Institute & 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 / w/ 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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFegxpeq0Gk) / w/
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, 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 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, w/Michael Sena, Editor of The Dispatcher
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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, /, Prof. of Law Emeritus & 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 / 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: . The focus is on providing autonomous mobility in a place where there is real need. A first. Join the effort.”
Recent Highlights of:
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April 23, 2022
April 21, “CARTS Executive Director Jerry He explains to the audience at that:
Hmmmm… Yup! Alain
April 15, 2022
Hmmmm… Wow! It was brilliant for Elon to begin focusing his EVs on rich Californians who already have a stable full of cars to go all the way to grandma’s house and back and were really looking for a neat toy.
March 31, 2022
Let’s look at the back-of-the-envelope numbers…
Trenton:
Population: 90,000. PersonTrips/Day (non-walking): 300,000 IntraTrenton: 150,000 PersonTripLength (90%tile): 10 miles intraTrenton (100%tile) 5 miles
Operational Productivity: VehicleTrips/Day: 50 Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO): 2 PersontTrips/VehicleDay: 100 PersonTrips/VehicleYear: 35,000
100 vehicle fleet productivity: 10,000 PersonTrips/day (1/15th market penetration)
50% market penetration Fleet requirements: 500 vehicles (AVO =2.5) for 60 PersonTrips/VehicleDay).
Cost: Depreciation/PersonTrip @$200k/vehicle, 4 year life = $200,000/(4*35,000) = $10/7 = $1.43/PersonTrip Electricity + maintenance + management + … = $0.57/PersonTrip Cost = $2.00/PersonTrip
New Jersey:
Population: 9+ Million
PersonTrips/Day (non-walking): >30 Million IntraNJ + NJT/Septa to/from NYC & PHL: 30 Million PersonTripLength (90%tile): 10 miles Operational Productivity VehicleTrips/Day: 60 Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO): 2.5 PersontTrips/VehicleDay: 150 PersonTrips/VehicleYear: 50,000
10% market penetration (3 Million PersonTrips/Day: Fleet requirements: 20,000 vehicles (AVO =2.5) for 60 PersonTrips/VehicleDay).
Cost: Depreciation/PersonTrip @$200k/vehicle, 4 year life = 200,000/(4*35,000)= $10/7 = $1.43 Electricity + maintenance + management … = $0.57 Cost per PersonTrip = $2.00 Revenue: (10% market penetration: 3M personTrips/Day)
10% @ cost + 90% market pricing:
10% @$2.00/PersonTrip (300,000$2.00 = $600,000/day; $200M/year 90% @$3.70/personTrip (2.7M3.70 = $10M/day; 3.5B/year (value proposition could have the average market price even higher than $3.70/personTrip (+$1.70 over cost)
Profit: $1.70 *2.7M = $4.6M/day = $1.5B/year
Seems to me that Waymo should have responded to the NJ DoT RfEI and shouldn’t be completely ignoring me. I guess I’m missing something. Maybe someone else will call me? 😎 Alain
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.” 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 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)