11.51 - Goodbye 2023
51st edition of the 11th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
Whew! We finished the year! J
Cruise Imploded in 2023. Can the Robotaxi Industry Recover in the New Year?
J. Bote, Dec. 29, "…With this tumultuous year in the rearview and a pall hanging over the industry, what will happen to robotaxis next year? The Standard interviewed four autonomous vehicle experts for their predictions about how the industry will fare in 2024 as it tries to move past Cruise's screw-ups….
Alain Kornhauser, an operations research and financial engineering professor at Princeton University, expressed wariness about Waymo's airport ambitions. Instead, he suggested, the company should focus on where it is uniquely positioned to supplement existing transportation systems.
"There are other people that can get people to the airport," he scoffed. "The Uber and Lyft drivers can do that, OK?"…
Part of that, Kornhauser said, is heightened transparency from Cruise and Waymo. "They have to be open; they can't cover stuff up," he said. "Nothing's perfect, and … I don't think anybody's holding anybody to perfection."
Beyond safety promises, Kornhauser emphasized that Waymo and other autonomous vehicle firms hoping to roll their products out on San Francisco streets should refocus their community efforts.
"They need to see what business they're in, who their customers are and what their customers need," Kornhauser said. "It's mobility for the folks that really need it, when they need it, to improve the quality of life in San Francisco." Read More
Hmmmm…. I guess all of you already know all of that. 😊 Alain
is repeated below…