14.16 - Bad Media
SmartDrivingCars.com
, again
16h edition of the 14th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
TNY We’re Learning to Live with Waymos. It’s Going Weird A view from the back seat.
M. Fisher, Oct. 19, "...allegedly taking ... In 2020, he was convicted of stealing trade secrets...”, Read more Hmmmm…Being pardoned transforms "convicted" to "alleged" ??? It goes further downhill from here. "This is what you do in the back seat"? "Not much of a view"? (You can find that passage on your own. I shan't replicate it for you. Too disgusting and not cute) This article doesn't do anything to enhance the important and complex question of how society can benefit from the use autonomous technology. Totally embarrassing! I'm surprised that BWS allowed one of his quotes to be associated with this article. How bad has even the good media become??? 😳 Alain
The Real Case for Driverless Mobility
Narrated by Fred Fishkin, Available now
Published in 2024 (but still relevant)!!! Go to Amazon.com…
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 419 / PodCasts 419 : Waymo, Tesla, more Tesla, GM & more
F.
Fishkin, Oct. 22, "A sneak peak at "Driverless Vehicles- Enabling Mobility to Work for Riders" by Alain Kornhauser and Michael Sena! Michael joins Alain and co-host
Fred Fishkin for Episode 419 of Smart Driver Cars as they dive into a New Yorker report on Waymo, Tesla's safety report, Cybercab, Roadster and Semi and GM's new technology strategy. Plus a fun video from Ken Pyle and more. Tune in and subscribe!
0:00
open
0:54
The New Yorker publishes a take on Waymo- misses “The Real Case for Driverless Mobility”
25:00
Tesla out with safety data and miles driven
26:28
FSD subscription numbers rise and Tesla re-names the technology in Europe
31:40
Tesla says it will begin selling Cybercabs
32:52
Ant then there is the Roadster reveal
46:15
GM’s new technology strategy
50:18
Link to Key Pyle video creation- fun take on delivery robots
54:00
update on HandyRides
55:00
Michael and Alain reveal new book coming soon: Driverless Vehicles- Enabling Mobility to Work for Riders
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFwuZ9jMeu5uwfTZP00zHjP7eSpG34Hsm
Tesla Names Next Robotaxi Cities, Shares Miles Driven & Safety Data
N. Malik, Oct. 21, "Tesla has launched a new
Robotaxi Vehicle Safety Report website, and it reveals more than just safety stats. The page names the next four cities getting Robotaxi service, shows a live counter of miles driven autonomously, and breaks down how far the fleet has driven in each city
it operates in.
The data covers January 22 through October 18, 2026, and includes both retrofitted Model Y robotaxis and purpose-built Cybercabs. Tesla now has more than 300 Cybercabs in Austin, with Dallas next in line...", Read
more Hmmmm…
We not only need to start really paying attention to the RoboTaxi Safety Report, but also have it expand to include improvement in quality-of-life acheived by the rides given during those "Miles Driven Autonomously" other than just safety. Please, safety
is important, but 1. getting from where one is, 2. to the place one wants to go, 3. when one wants to go, AND 4. get back home, 5. when one wants to go back home AND do those five (5) things affordably with some comfort and dignity. Giving those rides deliver
substantive enhancements to the
quality-of-life for all who can't drive or wish not to drive for whatever the apprehension. Let's start delivering and measuring those societal benefit. The
interesting behavior of those who absorb that enhancement is that they reward with their vote those who have have finally made available to them these high-quality affordable rides.😇 Alain
daley This Changes Everything
E. Daley, Oct. 21, "At 2:15PM on March 14, 1974, an elderly driver lost control of his vehicle while exiting a parking lot on University Place here in Princeton. It lurched across the road and onto a sidewalk where a three year old girl was standing next to her brother and mother in front of a masonry pillar. The vehicle crushed her into a hideously unrecognizable mass. ..." https://www.thedaleyalmanac.com/post/this-changes-everything-1Read more Hmmmm… What can I say? 🙂 Alain
axios 1 big thing: GM's tech future
J. Muller,
Oct. 15, “General Motors envisions a future where you can dispatch your car to pick up groceries, take your kids to soccer practice and handle other errands — all without you behind the wheel.
Why it matters: As software, AI and autonomous driving reshape the auto industry, GM is taking a big swing amid growing competition from Chinese rivals and leaders in the race toward self-driving cars.
Driving the news: GM today unveiled a sweeping technology strategy combining autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and a new centralized computing system that will underpin much of its future lineup...”
...” Read
more Hmmmm…
All of this is happening essentially 2 years after
GM shut down Cruise. Is GM really going to allow me to dispatch my Cadillac to go pick up my groceries @ Costco?... when they couldn't stand behind and support
Kyle Vogt when a hit and run driver flung a pedestrian into the front bumper of one of its Cruise cars? The probability that I live that long is "ten to the minus 84". Just sayin'. Alain
Tesla FSD ‘subscriptions’ hit 1.74M, counted the way Musk’s pay package wants
F. Lambert, Oct. 21, "Tesla says it now has 1.74 million active “Full Self-Driving” subscriptions, up 67% from a year ago. A footnote in its Q3 2026 shareholder letter explains how it gets there: the metric follows “our 2025 CEO Performance Award” and “includes both upfront payment and monthly subscriptions.”..." Read more Hmmmm… Fred... assume worse case... only new customers (0.5M) paid only one month during the last 6 months... that's $50M, plus Tesla's getting data from all 1.74M, and the cars that they sold with the sensors, actuators and computers each generated a positive margin. The more likely number is 1M times 6 times $100 or $500M in 6 months of basically free money.
Fred, why are you so concerned about what Elon earns? How well are the other car companies making out with their after-sales net-revenue? (To be fair, they do make a few bucks from oil changes and brake replacements). Alain
Tesla Roadster
Tesla, Oct. 17, “Roadster can perform at levels unlike any other production car. It goes beyond Plaid to unlock an entirely new dimension of driving. It challenges the limits of design, engineering and physics to deliver an expertly crafted extra-terrestrial vehicle...
Beyond The Limits of Physics
Our multi-mode fan and ground sealing system acts as a downforce generator, pulling air out from beneath the vehicle. This provides enough suction to hold the vehicle upside down, even when stationary. Powered fans and active wings maximize traction and cornering
speeds in all conditions, achieving massive downforce at zero speed. A next-gen steer-by-wire system offers incredible feedback in various road conditions. Activate Track Mode to lower the car and transform the suspension. High downforce or low drag modes
can then be used as needed on the track....
See for yourself...” Read more Hmmmm… This is a real concept car. How much of it will ever be produced, your guess is as good as mine.... but that roadster is a heck of a "one-off". Alain
axios Elon Musk's flying Tesla is gloriously absurd
J. Muller, Oct. 15, “Elon Musk finally unveiled his long-promised next-generation Tesla Roadster, and it's every bit as outrageous as you'd expect from a man who launches rockets into space.
- The car flies, does backflips and even drives upside down.
Why it matters: Musk's latest creation — a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers — pushes the boundaries of automotive technology, even if it's hard to imagine what practical purpose a flying sports car might serve....” Read more Hmmmm… Yes! as auto industry concept cars have always aspired to be. What may be interesting about this one is that there seems to have been very little smoke or mirrors. This "one-off" may actually have done what it seemed to have done. Alain
Tesla renames ‘Full Self-Driving’ to ‘Tesla Assisted Driving’ in Europe
S. O'Kane, Oct. 9, “Tesla has changed the name of its advanced driver assistance system in Europe after pushback from Germany’s transportation
ministry. It’s now called “Tesla Assisted Driving,” instead of “Full Self-Driving (Supervised).”
It’s a big capitulation from Tesla, which has been using the “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” name for years despite the system requiring humans to pay attention to the road and take over when necessary. But the name change could help Tesla achieve its goal
of wider adoption on the continent, which could unlock a potentially massive new revenue stream for the company..." Read
more Hmmmm…
Wonderful news!!! Now we can get beyond "misleading" to the substantive personal value of Assisted Driving and the impending ability to give rides to people who desperately need a ride. We can really begin serving the latent demand that releases untapped
societal value to the elderly, otherwise challenged individuals who shouldn't drive and the poor. All those who become more empowered to help themselves to a better life. Thank you, Europe. Let's do the same over here. I love it! Alain
Tesla says it will start selling Cybercabs by end of year
K. Korosec, Oct. 21, “Tesla said Wednesday it will start selling its Cybercab to customers by the end of the year, even as federal regulators investigate whether the vehicle meets vehicle safety standards. The gold-hued, autonomous two-seater lacks a steering wheel and other traditional controls..." Read more Hmmmm… Hopefully so. Looking forward to it. Alain
Finally, I Drive a FULLY LOADED Tesla Semi: Here's What It's Like!
D. Priestley, Sept. 26, “After years of anticipation, Andre finally drives the brand-new, production-spec Tesla Semi in this full review video! Andre speaks to Dan Priestley - Tesla Semi program lead...", Read more Hmmmm… I went to Elizabeth to see and ride in one. Impressive! With "Tesla Assisted Driving" it will revolutionize the Class 8 market and transform the truck-driving profession to an enormously more attractive and lucrative truck-supervising profession. Alain
A Vulcan Mind Meld with Professor K.
Ken Pyle, Oct. 12, “This video has three parts:
1) Professor Kornhauser’s comments on a podcast that were turned into a video about an autonomous delivery vehicle with a unique way of delivering packages.." Read
more Hmmmm…
Makes as much sense as drones without the nuisance of objects with cameras flying by your bedroom window as they hone in on your front porch. No??? I see them all the time at basketball games launching T-shirts at folks around me. 😇 Alain
ARK Invest updates its open-source Tesla model: expected value of about $4,400 per share in 2031
T. Keeney, Sept. 22, “ARK’s updated open-source Tesla model yields an expected value of ~$4,400 per share in 2031. The bull and bear cases—the 75th and 25th percentile Monte Carlo outcomes—are ~$5,000 and ~$3,300 per share, respectively, as shown below. The model draws on distributions across 32 independent inputs to simulate a range of outcomes for the company and its stock. ..." Read more Hmmmm… Whew!!! I love CAGR. My heirs will be rich! 🙂 (but what will be the cost of a cup of coffee?) 🙁 Alain
Space Debris: Is There a Market?
M. Airapetian, Sept. 26, “Roughly 17,000 active satellites are orbiting Earth right now, surrounded by several million pieces of space debris. The satellite count is growing exponentially, and that growth will only accelerate once Starship starts flying regularly. The obvious conclusion follows: more satellites mean more debris, so someone will have to clean it up. .." Read more Hmmmm… The success of Starship 14, a $100B spacePort in Louisiana, linear accelerators on the moon and the above brings back memories of Gerald K. O'Neil. I think of him fondly as the Elon of the 70s & 80s (unfortunagely without Adam Jonas and Cathie Wood .) Alain
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hc8bomo8rnjrmyj5gjhrf/Blue-OrangeHRCars.jpg?rlkey=vz1t450s2e7o1yrj1f3936bh3&dl=0HandyRides Update
Alain Kornhauser, Sept 26, “... …” Hmmmm… .In our 3rd month serving Spelman College in Atlanta. All going extremely well. I've traveled by car more than 18k miles so far this year. 93% (17k miles) has been driven by "assisted driving". I've intervened for about a dozen perceived safety concerns. Half were misperceptions and didn't need my interventions and half I abandoned my initial intervention either realizing that I had mis-perceived and was about to create a safety challenge or the automated emergency capabilities precluded me from creating a safety problem. The two most egregious have been: #1. when I forced it to make a right turn on red while failing to look back to my right when two young laddies, walking 2 dogs, had appeared "out of nowhere in the crosswalk". If the "assisted driving" had not kicked in, my head may not have turned in time for me to see them. It saved my butt!! (and theirs!!!!). #2. I was in the center of a 3-laned, one-way road, stopped at a head of a red light. Cars were stopped at the light on my right. Left lane was free with giant fire truck coming up fast with sirens blasting. Light turns green. Car doesn't move, so I start nudging it forward, but it won't go even though the fire truck s]was rapidly passing me on my left. But, "Assisted driving" precluded me from nudging forward because it, not me, realized that the firetruck was turning right from the far left lane and cutting me off. Had it not kept me from nudging the car forward, I would have caused a major crash. I was clueless that it was going to make that right turn, but it saw it, acted to keep me from moving forwward and saved my butt once again. I am totally convinced that it drives better than I drive. It wins as far as I'm concerned. It has earned the victory and Elizabeth agrees. 🙂 Elizabeth & Alain.
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