2015-01-29

January 29, 2015Newsletter archive →

Jan 25 "...US Department Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced the addition of two automatic emergency braking systems to the recommended list of safety features under the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)...

Emergency braking systems are slowly becoming the norm in safety evaluations. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety now requires it for a model to earn a Top Safety Pick + rating, and the tech is a must to score five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.

"PRESS RELEASE January 22, 2015, WASHINGTON – Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to add two cutting-edge automatic emergency braking systems to the recommended advanced safety features included under its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) – the latest step in a half-century of safety innovations that have saved more than 600,000 lives, according to new research NHTSA released today...." Read more

by Ken Pyle, Managing Editor • January 26, 2015 " That a representative of an insurance company of insurance companies was at International CES2015 to learn about autonomous vehicles and their impact on the transportation of tomorrow is an indicator that the automation of transport is well on its way. In the above interview, Michael Scrudato of Munich RE, points out that autonomous vehicles offer the potential for significant societal benefits, including the reduction in deaths, injury and associated emotional damage from car crashes. "Read more and be sure to watch the video.

Aaron Mamiit Jan 23 "Ford unveiled the company's brand new 25,000-square-foot research center in Silicon Valley in a move that will see the automobile manufacturer become closer with the tech industry.

At the launch event of the research center, which is in the Stanford Research Park, Ford CEO Mark Fields revealed that the company was searching for the best technology available for the industry...." Read more

Tony Borroz, Jan 27 "..Germany's Minister of Transport has announced a project that will see a section of the A9 autobahn that connects Berlin and Munich set it up for autonomous vehicle testing....the German trials are the first time a country has given over a slice of public highway for tests like this ... and the fact that the Berlin to Munich Autobahn is a pretty important stretch of road points to just how serious they are about this. Read more

Jan 25, "..German car parts maker ZF Friedrichshafen plans to strengthen its position in technology for self-driving cars after buying U.S.-based TRW Automotive Holdings, ZF's chief executive told a newspaper.

Stefan Sommer told car industry weekly Automobilwoche that TRW had recruited more than 650 engineers and technicians worldwide over three years, mainly to develop radar and camera systems..." Read more

Allen Young, Jan 27 "Google Inc. company officials warned the California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday against establishing a government process for measuring the safety of driverless cars, saying regulators may not be able to understand the technology.

Google representatives spoke Tuesday morning at a public workshop attended by more than 100 car manufacturers, state workers, lobbyists and safety advocates. Google officials argued that the technology behind autonomous vehicles is too intricate for state government representatives to fully grasp — and therefore regulate. Google instead suggested that regulators look to the company' own safety process...." Read more Hmmm "... too intricate for state government representatives to fully grasp" Whew, Excuse us!!!! Alain

"Gartner's report "Predicts 2015: The Internet of Things" forecast that in the next five years, nearly one in five cars worldwide will have wireless Internet capabilities, which amounts to over 250 million connected cars....Read more Hmmm How many will have DSRC? Also, essentially all cars today have "wireless internet capability" through the smartPhone (aka carPhone in the UK and elsewhere) that is in essentially every driver's pocket. What is the news here? Alain

Invitation ONLY

Automated Vehicle Founder's Meeting @ Fort Monmouth Bringing together the Region's Decision Makers to Cooperatively Accelerate the Research, Certification and Commercialization of SmartDrivingCars Trucks & Buses

Save the date (Invitation only) Friday, January 30, 2015 @ Ft. Monmouth, NJ

A postdoc position on Automated and Connected Vehicle Energy Analysis, Intern as well as regular full time positions for general Vehicle/Transportation Energy Analysis, and an Urban Sciences Program Development position.

All of the positions can be accessed by searching for postings under "Center #5400 (Transportation and Hydrogen Systems)" from the below link,

https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWebHost/searchopenings.aspx?partnerid=25104&siteid=5189

January 22, 2015

Serving New Jersey's Personal Mobility Needs with the Casual Sharing of autonomousTaxis (aTaxis): Land Use, Personal Travel Demand, Casual Ride-sharing Potential, Fleet Size Requirements and Empty aTaxi Management. Orf 467F14 Student Reports for each of New Jersey's counties.

Even though these are unedited student reports they contain substantial information and perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for aTaxis to adequately serve the majority of New Jersey's mobility needs. While there are significant causal ride sharing opportunities during peak hours in peak directions, sufficient to eliminate congestion, and aTaxis can substantially increase the utilization (by a multiple of 5) of NJ Transit's rail system by providing efficient and high quality "last mile" mobility to/from rail stations, it is unlikely that average vehicle occupancy (AVO = personTripMiles/aTaxiMiles) for all trips, all day could reach a level of 2.0. Moreover, that is before one accounts for empty aTaxi repositioning that enables the sharing of aTaxis. These reports are the first that begin to address the empty aTaxis problem. It is non-trivial especially if one wishes to have multiple sized aTaxis so as to have the size of the serving aTaxi more closely match the number of shared rides that are being served. The spatial-temporal imbalances of the shared-ride demand seems to impose a great deal of empty repositioning. It may well turn out that having only four passenger aTaxis may be better than having a fleet consisting of 2 and 6 passenger aTaxis. The reduction in empty repositioning of a uniform fleet of aTaxis may well compensate for the extra energy consumed by a larger aTaxi when a smaller two passenger aTaxis could have done the job and the foregoing of some shared riding when two four passenger aTaxis need to be used because a single 6 passenger aTaxi was not available to serve the six travelers. Alain

January 4, 2015

MARC SANTORA DEC. 24, 2014 "A Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver was arrested on Wednesday after his bus struck and killed a 78-year-old man on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. The driver, Reginald Prescott, was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian and violation of highway law, the police said.

Mr. Prescott, 57, was driving a B44 bus eastbound on Farragut Road in East Flatbush when he made a turn onto New York Avenue around 6 p.m., according to the police. As he was making the turn, Jean Bonne-Annee was crossing the street and was struck by the bus, the police said..." Read more

December 21, 2014

Arlington, VA – 10/06/2014 – "The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, will deliver a 2015 International CES® keynote address focused on the latest advances in autonomous vehicle technology. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2015 CES, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, will run January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dr. Zetsche will discuss autonomous vehicle technology and its impact on society, mobility and environment, as well as raise ideas and questions for the future. In addition to his insights on the future of Daimler Intelligence Drive, Dr. Zetsche's 2015 CES keynote will feature the world-debut of a new car concept. His address is slated for 8 PM Monday, January 5 at the Chelsea Theater within the Cosmopolitan." Read more Daimler will have a Level 4 Research Car at their booth on January 6 ONLY! Alain

December 12, 2014

Florida DOT is blazing the trail for the integration of automated vehicles into existing traffic operations and leading by example with pilot projects, research projects, and open dialogue to ensure that Florida serves as a fertile proving ground for these exciting new technologies. Agenda Register

2015-01-29

Be sure to read the included Foxx's Press Release:

Some other thoughts that deserve your time:

Half-baked stuff that probably doesn't deserve your time:

C'mon Man! (These folks didn't get/read the memo)

Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Job Postings

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