2024-09-01
Click or tap if you trust this link. Sunday, September 1, 2024
28th edition of the 12th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
M, Sena, August 28, “Amidst wars, riots, assassination attempts, the Olympic Games, changes of presidential plans, and a two-day collapse of the world’s stock markets, the automobile industry putters along, trying to find a balance between ICEs and BEVs. When the summer started, the U.S. and EU were slapping tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, and the Chinese government was threatening to respond in turn. It has been quiet on both the western and eastern automotive fronts since then, but when summer turns to autumn, the topic of tariffs will rise again. The lead article in this September issue is intended to put a long range perspective on the issues and give one man’s view of what is at stake for the players.” Read more Hmmmm… As usual, most interesting and informative reading. The China challenge, like the driverless challenge and challenges in general, is not easy. Alain
The Real Case for Driverless Mobility
Narrated by Fred Fishkin, Available now
Just Published!!! Go to Amazon.com…
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 380/ PodCast 380 – w Michael Sena
F. Fishkin, Sept 1, “Tariffs on EVs from China, is congestion pricing in NYC really dead, Waymo, Tesla and more. Tune in as the co-author of The Real Case for Driverless Mobility, Michael Sena, joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 380 of Smart Driving Cars.
0:00 open
01:15 from The Dispatcher- Delivering Transport Systems- the tariffs on China and more
16:41 Dispatch Central- New York City Congestion Pricing Halted. For now, at least.
27:52 The push to provide rides beyond mass transit
32:00 New Driver Control Assistance Systems regulation being developed by UN Economic Commission for Europe
40:00 Gas tax was elegant for funding transportation…now what?
49:00 News coverage of Waymo car going wrong way into oncoming traffic in Arizona
52:02 University of Buffalo researchers probe safety of AI in driverless cars…and cyber-security discussion
1:02:05 WSJ headline asks How Will Self Driving Cars Make Ethical Decisions on the Road
1:03:06 Self driving pods to take passengers from Atlanta Airport to College Park
1:04:40 Florida AV Conference this coming week
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCasts
Self-driving Waymo car goes wrong way into oncoming traffic in Arizona
ABC 30 Action News, Aug 29, “A Waymo self-driving car was caught on camera driving the wrong way in Arizona. The women said they were driving near Arizona State University when a Waymo car came into their lane after making a turn.”… Watch video Hmmmm… This is news??? That happens all the time in New Jersey. Making a left and deciding that wasn’t a good idea leads to this situation all the time at the end of Nassau Street and Rte 206 in Princeton. It’s a total mess in that intersection. No crash occurred, and everyone went merrily on their way. What may have been news is that it was raining in Phoenix. No wonder it was a total mess, and there was confusion. Does anyone in Phoenix know how to drive in the rain? Alain
UB researchers probe safety of AI in driverless cars, find vulnerabilities
L. Kaiser, Aug 30, “Artificial intelligence is a key technology for self-driving vehicles. It is used for decision-making, sensing, predictive modeling and other tasks.
But how vulnerable are these AI systems to an attack?
Ongoing research at the University at Buffalo examines this question, with results suggesting that malicious actors could cause these systems to fail. For example, it’s possible that a vehicle could be rendered invisible to AI-powered radar systems by strategically placing 3D-printed objects on that vehicle, which mask it from detection.
The work, which is performed in a controlled research setting, does not mean existing autonomous vehicles are unsafe, researchers say. Nonetheless, it could have implications for the automotive, tech, insurance and other industries, as well as government regulators and policymakers.
“While still novel today, self-driving vehicles are poised to become a dominant form of transportation in the near future,” says Chunming Qiao, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, who is leading the work. “Accordingly, we need to ensure the technological systems powering these vehicles, especially artificial intelligence models, are safe from adversarial acts. This is something we’re working on diligently at the University at Buffalo.”… Read more Hmmmm… Very nice work, but it sure would be nice if everyone just behaved instead of trying to break things. Don’t they have something better to do than attack an automated car? Really?? Maybe some substantive mental health treatment would be more useful. That would help the adversarial actor as well as eliminate the challenge. Isn’t minding one’s business enough for most folks? Alain
Tesla FSD 12.5 on HW3, Waymo Upgrades, Cruise Downgrades, DrivePilot adds +1
AI DRIVR, Aug 26, “….. …” Read more Hmmmm… Watch the video. Alain
Is Uber’s Stock Going to Crash in the Next 18 Months? - 24/7 Wall St.
C. MacDonald, Aug 31, “Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) is among the top global players in the ride-hailing market, serving up more than 7.6 billion rides per year to commuters around the world. The company has carved out quite a profitable and lucrative niche in its sector, seeing profitability surge in recent years as the ride-hailing giant raised prices to provide outsized returns for investors.
Over the past year, UBER stock is up more than 55% at the time of writing, as investors continue to expect earnings growth will bring the company’s multiple down. At a valuation of around 80-times trailing earnings, this stock isn’t cheap. Accordingly, there’s certainly a mixed view of how this stock is expected to perform over time relative to the market’s expectations. On the one hand, bulls expect profitability to continue to rise, and this stock to see fundamentals-driven growth. On the other, bears may look at this valuation, and suggest that pricing power may be limited due to a weakening consumer and competition in this space.
We’ll have to see which group is right, but my view is that Uber won’t crash over the next 18 months, and there are a number of reasons for this. Let’s take a more bullish angle on why Uber may be poised to see continued upside over the near-term.”… Read more Hmmmm… OK. So I’ve been wrong on this one, too. No wonder I always buy high; sell low. So sad! Alain
An app called Screwber allegedly scammed Uber riders out of $40M B. Ennis, Aug. 30, “Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have accused two software developers in Queens of a sweeping, six-year scheme in which they sold shady apps — including one called Screwber — that enabled hundreds of Uber drivers to swindle passengers out of $40 million….
In court documents, prosecutors outlined how Paldiel and Suarez allegedly orchestrated an elaborate plot in which they sold hacked smartphones and access to fraudulent apps to more than 800 rideshare drivers from November 2018 through August 2024. The illicit apps essentially allowed drivers to fake their locations so that Uber’s app would tack on pricey surge charge fees to fares. They would pocket the extra charge. …
The indictment does not explicitly name Uber, but a spokesman for the company, Josh Gold, confirmed to Crain’s that the rideshare juggernaut was the target of the alleged fraud.”… Read more Hmmmm… First of all, Uber is NOT rideSharing, but rideHailing! More importantly, this has been going on for 6 years and Uber didn’t know? What else is going on to scam riders? Seems like this may just be the tip of some huge iceberg. Alain
R. Shewale, Dec. 27, 2023, “With more than 72% of the ride-hailing market share belonging to Uber, it is one of the most popular brands worldwide. Most people prefer Uber over other ridesharing services (counting me in as well).
It took 64 million trips in the year 2022 and was able to generate an overall revenue of $31.8 billion that year.
Want to know more details about the company?
In the following article, I have compiled all the latest Uber statistics for 2024. I have gathered the data from Uber financials, Uber investors’ reports, and other trusted sources.
So without further ado, let’s learn more about Uber.
Uber Statistics 2024: Top Picks …” Read more Hmmmm… First of all, Uber is NOT rideSharing, but rideHailing! Also, the numbers can’t be right… 64,000,000 trips generating $31,800,000,000 means that on average, each trip generated $500. Nope!!!! Uber is expensive, and if you don’t tip well, you don’t get a next ride, but the average can’t be $500. These numbers are at least 10x high if not 20x plus that is gross, not net, which we know is negative per trip. So, I don’t know what is believable here. Maybe nothing. Sorry I included it. Just to keep things in perspective… Each day in the USA there are about 1.1 Billion personTrips that are longer than 0.5 miles (folks didn’t walk’em). Roughly 3.5 for each person between the ages of 6 and 85. Alain
How Will Self-Driving Cars Make Ethical Decisions on the Road?
Z. Thomas, Aug 30, “As carmakers work to get fully self-driving cars on the road, they have to think about the ethical dilemmas that the vehicles might face. While supporters say the tech will make driving safer, autonomous cars may still have to choose between hitting an animal or swerving into traffic.”… Read more Hmmmm… What??? WSJ is bringing us back to the Trolley Problem? I guess it’s getting close to it being time to move on. This all has gone completely full circle without yet delivering any societal value for fear that somehow it isn’t going to be completely perfect. Alain
Self-driving pods to take passengers from Atlanta airport to College Park
S. Gregory, Aug 30, “Self-driving pods to take passengers from Atlanta airport to College Park.”… Read more Hmmmm… Personal Rapid Transit is back!! 😎 This was a good idea 50 years ago. It is still a good idea today. Maybe it’s time for me to call it quits. Alain
The Real Case for Driverless Mobility
Narrated by Fred Fishkin, Available now
SmartDrivingCars
– Time to Pivot-Hamburg-Waymo-Tesla & more F. Fishkin, Aug 26, “Time to Pivot is the lead in the latest Smart Driving Cars podcast and newsletter. The effort is underway to provide HandyRides for driverless mobility. Plus ..join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-hosts Fred Fishkin for more on micro transit in Hamburg, Waymo, Tesla and the question of robotaxis for school kids.