2016-03-12

2016-03-12

SmartDrivingCars-????-021816

GM Buying Self-Driving Tech Startup for More Than $1 Billion

D. Patrick Mar 11,”General Motors  GM 1.43%  this morning announced that it will acquire Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based developer of autonomous vehicle technology. No financial terms were disclosed, but Fortune has learned from a source close to the situation that the deal is valued at “north of $1 billion,” in a combination of cash and stock.

                Talks between the two companies originally related
                to a strategic investment by GM in Cruise, which was
                planning to raise a new round of venture capital
                funding. But that quickly morphed into an
                acquisition discussion with the entire agreement
                getting hashed out in less than six weeks. [Read more](http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/gm-buying-self-driving-tech-startup-for-more-than-1-billion/)Hmmmm...That
                    sets the bar.  Reminiscent of [AOL paying $1.1B for MapQuest](http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/2068.html) resulting in [NavTeq getting $8.1B from Nokia](http://mashable.com/2007/10/01/nokia-navteq/#CnEKJL0cUOqM) followed by [Here getting $3B from MB et al](http://mashable.com/2007/10/01/nokia-navteq/#CnEKJL0cUOqM).  [Deja vu all over again!](http://yogiberramuseum.org/just-for-fun/yogisms/)  Very interesting  :-)
                    Alain

Primers On The Business Innovation And Disruption Enabled By Driverless Cars

C. Mui, Mar 10, ““Baloney” and “nonsense” captured the zeitgeist of many reactions to my early articles on the potential of Google’s self-driving car program. But, that was in 2013, when many viewed driverless cars as nothing more than a high-tech dalliance by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. …To facilitate an ongoing discussion (and help to address search engine limitations), this post will provide an ongoing, chronological compendium of my articles on the business and societal innovation and disruption enabled by driverless cars. Happy reading, and I’d welcome your comments. Read more and Comment  Hmmmm…23

                    of Chunka's visionary articles are linked.  He's
                    be right on! :-)  Alain

Driverless Trucks - Background and views on Truck Platooning

Mar 2016, “The correct term for the proposed system to be trialled is not ‘driverless trucks’, but ‘platooning’. This is where a series of vehicles use technology to enable drivers to move more closely to each other in convoy than would be safe if he or she were not using them. The UK government has agreed to a limited trial of platooning on a stretch of the M6 in Cumbria, a portion of UK motorway that is relatively quiet with larger sections between junctions….” Read moreHmmmm…I hear the arguments about truck platooning; however, the value of platooning can only be captured if there is a substantive chance that vehicles so equipped will find ech other sufficiently often in their normal traffic movements to make a difference. There is one place where platooning would be useful for a substantial portion (~25%) of their daily travels:  The 3,000 buses in trans-Hudson service!  Alain

Exclusive - At 100, BMW sees radical new future in world of driverless cars

###

E. Taylor, Mar 4, “After a century building what it calls the “ultimate driving machine”, BMW is preparing for a world in which its customers will be mere passengers, and the cars will do the driving themselves….Days before BMW’s 100th birthday, its board member for research and development described plans for a completely overhauled company, where half the R&D staff will be computer programmers, competing with the likes of Google parent Alphabet to build the brains for self-driving cars….” Read more Hmmmm…BMW finally becoming “The Ultimate Riding Machine”?!?!  Yeah!!!. Alain

Sergio Marchionne Wants Fiat to Build an Apple Car

Mar 2, “Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne, who describes himself as an “Apple freak,” is keen to partner with the technology giant on building a car.

                Given the complexity of auto manufacturing, Apple
                Inc. would be better served working with an
                established manufacturer than trying to build a car
                on its own, and the Italian-American company would
                be well-suited, according to Marchionne, who says he
                owns every kind of product Apple makes...." [Read more](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-02/-apple-freak-marchionne-keen-on-fiat-building-tech-giant-s-car) Hmmmm...The

                    500 already looks like a Google car so there'll
                    be no infringement by Apple. Go for it!  Alain

Baidu Joins Geely Urging China to Hasten Autonomous-Driving Law

              Mar 2, "The chairmen of Internet search provider Baidu
              Inc. and automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.
              urged China's government to speed up the drafting of a
              legal framework for autonomous driving technology.
              Baidu Chief Executive Robin Li and Li Shufu, founder
              of Volvo owner Geely, wrote in separate proposals to a
              Chinese political advisory body that early
              establishment of a legal system governing autonomous
              driving would boost development of the technology and
              attract investment. China's carmakers and tech
              companies are competing in the space with the likes of
              Google Inc. in the U.S., Daimler AG in Germany and
              Nissan Motor Co. in Japan....." [Read more](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-03/baidu-joins-geely-urging-china-to-hasten-autonomous-driving-law) Hmmmm...Yup!

                  Go for it!. Alain

Startup trials autonomous delivery robots in Greenwich

              A. Scroxton, "Starship Technologies, a supplier of
              autonomous robotics technology, has secured permission
              from Greenwich Council to trial self-driving delivery
              robots.

              The Estonia-based startup –  set up by two of Skype's
              co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis – has just
              opened a London office in the area. It aims to
              revolutionise the logistics sector and cut the cost of
              delivering goods – by as much as 15 times per shipment
              – using a fleet of autonomous, lightweight robots for
              the last-mile, local delivery of items such as
              groceries.

              Its six-wheeled robots generate zero carbon emissions
              and move around without human input for most of the
              time – but they are monitored by human controllers,
              who can take the reins if they need to...[Read more](http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500278343/Startup-trials-autonomous-delivery-robots-in-Greenwich)Hmmmm...Seems
                  more promising than [Amazon's drones](https://www.yahoo.com/tech/exclusive-amazon-reveals-details-about-1343951725436982.html). Alain

### Hi-Res 3D Flash LIDAR will supplement Continental’s existing portfolio for automated driving

              Press Release, Mar 3, "...acquisition of the Hi-Res 3D
              Flash LIDAR business from Advanced Scientific
              Concepts, Inc. (ASC) based in Santa Barbara,
              California. This innovative technology will further
              enhance the company's Advanced Driver Assistance
              Systems product portfolio with a future-orientated
              solution to add to the group of surrounding sensors
              needed to achieve highly and fully automated
              driving...."[Read more](http://www.continental-corporation.com/www/pressportal_us_en/themes/press-releases-us/3_automotive_group/chassis_safety/pr_2016_03_03_flash_lidar_en.html) Hmmmm...Maybe...In the
                      end, this technology gets dominated by vision
                      (and acoustics).  Continental
                  should have saved its money?   See [Wired article](http://www.wired.com/2016/01/in-a-huge-breakthrough-googles-ai-beats-a-top-player-at-the-game-of-go/) below.  Just stirring the pot
                  with my expectation. Alain

Anthony Foxx: Grit Goes Further Than Genius

A Bryant, Mar 11, “This interview with Anthony Foxx, United States transportation secretary, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant….”  Read more  Hmmmm… Enlightening!  Alain

Some other

                  thoughts that deserve your attention

Long-Haul Sweatshops

              A. Balay, Mar 9,  "...A big part of the problem is
              that when it comes to long-haul trucking, the
              government's focus has been almost entirely on road
              safety. That's not a misplaced concern; highway
              accidents involving semis kill about 5,000 people per
              year. But it overlooks a critical concern: the
              well-being of the drivers themselves...."[Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/opinion/long-haul-sweatshops.html?ref=opinion)Hmmmm...Well

                  worth reading, but the driver's well-being can be
                  best improved through the aggressive adoption of automated
                  collision avoidance and lane keeping systems.
                  Drivers need help in performing and extremely
                  difficult and tedious task!! The technology is
                  available and has an ultra-attractive RoI since
                  the technology allows insurers, self or otherwise,
                  to "print money" through the technology's
                  substantive reduction in expected liability
                  exposure (expected loss). Alain

In a Huge Breakthrough, Google’s AI Beats a Top Player at the Game of Go

              C. Mets, Jan 27 "...In a major breakthrough for
              artificial intelligence, a computing system developed
              by Google researchers in Great Britain has beaten a
              top human player at the game of Go, the ancient
              Eastern contest of strategy and intuition that has
              bedeviled AI experts for decades..."[Read more](http://www.wired.com/2016/01/in-a-huge-breakthrough-googles-ai-beats-a-top-player-at-the-game-of-go/)Hmmmm...The
                  Wired article gives some details about the Google
                  approach which is similar to our
                  real-time-image-based [DeepDriving](http://deepdriving.cs.princeton.edu/)
                      approach to the cognitive aspects
                  of autonomous driving.  Update: the DeepMind
                  software has beat an even better player in their
                  first match:[Master of Go Board Game Is Walloped by Google Computer Program](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/world/asia/google-alphago-lee-se-dol.html?ref=technology), and their 2nd match: [Google's DeepMind beats Lee Se-dol again to go 2-0 up in historic Go series](http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/10/11191184/lee-sedol-alphago-go-deepmind-google-match-2-result) Also see [AlphaGo: Mastering the ancient game of Go with Machine Learning](http://googleresearch.blogspot.com/2016/01/alphago-mastering-ancient-game-of-go.html) :-) Alain

As roads become safer for drivers and passengers, pedestrian deaths still rise

              A. Halsley, Mar 8,"Safer cars and safer roads have
              resulted in an overall decline in driver and passenger
              fatalities in recent years, but pedestrians are as
              vulnerable as ever and the number killed by vehicles
              continues to increase, according to a new study....[Read more](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/as-roads-become-safer-for-drivers-and-passengers-pedestrian-deaths-still-rise/2016/03/07/41caa802-e47d-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html)Hmmmm...and
                  see: [Early data suggests pedestrian deaths surged in 2015](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pedestrian-deaths-surged-in-2015-early-data-suggests/2016/03/07/4c15142a-e4a8-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html).

                  Unfortunately, the National Safety Council
                  recently reported that deaths went up 8% in 2015
                  (VMT up only 3.5%) ([Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years](http://www.nsc.org/Connect/NSCNewsReleases/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=103))  and[Owen Curtis has weighed in as linked here](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/CurtisOnPedestrians.pdf)with

                  respect to the pedestrian issue.  Alain

Silicon Valley Residents Leave for Greener Grass, Cheaper Housing

              G. Wells, Mar 3, "Not everyone wants to live in
              Silicon Valley. Americans are starting to leave the
              techie hub faster than they're arriving, a new study
              says....Not everyone wants to live in Silicon Valley.
              Americans are starting to leave the techie hub faster
              than they're arriving, a new study says....[Read more](http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2016/03/03/silicon-valley-residents-leave-for-greener-grass-cheaper-housing/?mod=ST1)Hmmmm...Come

                  to Jersey (however, property and income taxes are
                  brutal!)  :-( Alain

4 Carnegie Mellon spinoffs acquired by global companies in 2015

K. Serenke, Mar 7, “Pittsburgh is on a roll….Following is a brief recap of just a few Pittsburgh companies—all CMU spinoffs—that were acquired in high-profile deals in the last year…Ottomatika’s path as a company was intense, jettisoning from creation to acquisition in less than 18 months. Now that he has handed over his “baby” as part of Delphi’s August 2015 acquisition, Dr. Rajkumar will continue as a CMU professor, working to develop embedded technology that will further transform transportation and manufacturing as we know it.Read moreHmmmm…Congratulations!

                    Alain

On the More Technical Side

http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/

Review of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards(FMVSS) for Automated Vehicles

A. Kim, et al, Mar 2016, “Current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) do not explicitly address automated vehicle technology and often assume the presence of a human driver. As a result, existing language may create certification challenges for manufacturers of automated vehicles that choose to pursue certain vehicle concepts.  Read more Hmmmm…One really doesn’t have to read more to realize that the name of these”Standards” should be changed to “Federal Human Controlled Vehicle Safety Standards” and a whole new set of standards should be set for Driverless Vehicles (NHTSA Level4) (“Federal Driverless Vehicle Safety Standards” ) and Self-Driving Vehicles (NHTSA Level2/3) (“Federal

                        Self-Driving Vehicle Safety Standards" ).

                    The Feds have work to do and they should get
                    going or get out of the way.  Alain

Recompiled Old News

                      & Smiles:

###

Half-baked

                    stuff that probably doesn't deserve your time:

GOODYEAR REVEALS CONCEPT TIRES FOR AUTONOMOUS CARS

i Mar. 2, “The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has revealed two innovative new concept tires at the 86th Geneva International Motor Show that could literally reshape the future for autonomous cars.

                The concepts: the spherical-shaped Eagle-360 - a
                future-oriented tire - was designed with key
                features of maneuverability, connectivity and
                biomimicry for autonomous mobility, while the
                IntelliGrip, featuring advanced sensor and treadwear
                technology, is a solution for the earlier adoption
                of self-driving vehicles...Connected via magnetic
                levitation: The tires would rely on a magnetic
                levitation system to suspend the car resulting in a
                smooth, quiet ride for the passenger..."  [Read more](https://corporate.goodyear.com/en-US/media/news/goodyear-reveals-concept-tires-for-autonomous-cars.html) Hmmmm...When I
                    first saw this I thought I was reading an [Onion](http://www.theonion.com/)article.

                    Really???  Alain

###

C’mon Man!

                  (These folks didn't get/read the memo)

Suburbia reimagined in driverless car future

              Mar 9, "The are currently 31 million cars in Britain,
              but are we close to "peak car"?" [See video](http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35756441) Hmmmm...Doubtful!

                  What is improperly imagined is that this
                  neighborhood is locally self-sustaining requiring
                  only a pleasant walk in the sunshine to create a
                  desirable quality of life.  (Even though the sun
                  rarely shines in the UK)>  It is not the road,
                  nor the cars that are the problem in this
                  neighborhood; it is the sterility of the land
                  use.  No stores, no workplace, no entertainment
                  places, no playgrounds, no parks, no schools,
                  no... No wonder people needed cars and escape this
                  sterility!  [C'mon Man!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6XXIFXxtS8)  Alain

###

Calendar

                          of Upcoming Events:

The Business of Autonomous Vehicles

March 22-23, 2016

                              Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Francisco
                              Airport

http://driverlessmarket.com/

Workshop on Automated Vehicle Policy and Regulation:

A State Perspective

The National Transportation Center, University of Maryland

                    May 18, 2016

Preliminary Program

Recent

                                                  Highlights of:

#

###

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: How we found (and lost) the dream of Personal Rapid Transit

A. Robertson, Feb 10 , Feb. “…Half a century after its heyday, the Alden StaRRcar clearly wasn’t made for its world. It looks like a white flatiron with wheels or a sleek, plastic bullet, dwarfed by the regal sedans of 1960s Detroit. It belongs in one of Buckminster Fuller’s domed cities, a vehicle for traveling under the geodesics of a bubble-topped Manhattan. Its future wasn’t one of highways, but of narrow cement tracks looping gracefully between city and suburb, connecting increasingly alienated parts of the American landscape…

                                                Once considered a
                                                key to solving urban
                                                blight, the StaRRcar
                                                was part of a public
                                                transit revolution
                                                that never was — but
                                                one that would help
                                                launch one of the
                                                weirdest and most
                                                politicized public
                                                infrastructure
                                                experiments of the
                                                20th century. It's
                                                an old idea that
                                                today, in an age of
                                                self-driving cars,
                                                seems by turns
                                                impractically retro
                                                and remarkably
                                                prescient...

                                                PRT's invention is
                                                attributed to a
                                                transportation
                                                expert named Donn
                                                Fichter, but the
                                                central idea was
                                                conceived, remixed,
                                                and adapted by many
                                                in the 1950s and
                                                1960s. While the
                                                details varied, the
                                                prototypical PRT
                                                system was a network
                                                of narrow guideways
                                                populated by small
                                                passenger pods. When
                                                commuters arrived,
                                                they would hit a
                                                button to select a
                                                destination, calling
                                                one of the pods like
                                                a taxi. Then,
                                                instead of running
                                                on a set line, the
                                                pod would use
                                                guideways like a
                                                freeway system,
                                                routing around
                                                stations in order to
                                                take passengers
                                                directly to their
                                                final stop.

                                                The system was
                                                designed to be
                                                everything that
                                                existing public
                                                transportation
                                                wasn't. Pods would
                                                carry only as many
                                                people as an average
                                                car, guaranteeing a
                                                nearly private ride.
                                                Riders wouldn't need
                                                to follow a
                                                timetable or wait
                                                for other people to
                                                enter and exit the
                                                system. Because the
                                                pods would only be
                                                dispatched on
                                                demand, cities could
                                                run service to many
                                                low-traffic areas
                                                without worrying
                                                about waste. There
                                                were no drivers to
                                                train or pay, and
                                                the pods could run
                                                quietly on
                                                electrical power
                                                instead of with
                                                fossil fuels...

                                                Multiple plans for
                                                personal rapid
                                                transit fell
                                                through, whether
                                                because of budget
                                                problems, logistical
                                                issues, or political
                                                power struggles....

                                                And as in the '60s,
                                                we're talking about
                                                whether self-driving
                                                vehicles could spell
                                                the end of private
                                                cars...."[Read more](THE%20ROAD%20NOT%20TAKEN:%20How%20we%20found%20%28and%20lost%29%20the%20dream%20of%20Personal%20Rapid%20Transit)Hmmmm...A

                                                    must read.
                                                    Pretty much as I
                                                    remember it.  I
                                                    lived much of
                                                    it, including
                                                    designing 10,000
                                                    station, 10,000
                                                    mile PRT
                                                    networks that
                                                    could serve all
                                                    of New Jersey's
                                                    needs for
                                                    personal
                                                    mobility.  The
                                                    good news was
                                                    that the
                                                    area-wide
                                                    systems would
                                                    provide great
                                                    mobility for
                                                    all.  The bad
                                                    news: No viable
                                                    way to start.
                                                    The best
                                                    starting places
                                                    could each be
                                                    readily served
                                                    by conventional
                                                    systems with no
                                                    technology
                                                    risk.  Without a
                                                    place to start,
                                                    PRT never got a
                                                    chance to
                                                    flourish in the
                                                    vast areas that
                                                    are un-servable
                                                    by conventional
                                                    technology.
                                                    Moreover, PRT
                                                    needed the
                                                    diversion of
                                                    public sector
                                                    capital funds
                                                    that weres already in the back pocket of those pedaling the
                                                      conventional
                                                      technologies.
                                                      Consequently,
                                                      the personal
                                                      auto has
                                                      reigned on.

Today is different. With PRT, even the first vehicle needed a couple of stations and interconnecting guideway (and all of the discussion and heartache was about the location and cost of those initial stations and guideway). With autonomous taxis sharing

                                                      existing
                                                      roads, one can
                                                      begin with a
                                                      single vehicle
                                                      capable of
                                                      serving many
                                                      existing
                                                      places without
                                                      needing to
                                                      pay-for/justify
                                                      any
                                                      infrastructure.
                                                      That is today's fundamental
                                                      opportunity,
                                                      in contrast to
                                                      PRT's
                                                      monumental
                                                      infrastructure
                                                      burden even
                                                      for one
                                                      vehicle.
                                                    That's why
                                                    aTaxis are
                                                    destined to
                                                    finally deliver
                                                    PRT's utopian
                                                    mobility to all
                                                    and
                                                    substantially
                                                    transform our
                                                    cities and
                                                    suburbs. Alain [Vancouver councillor wants city to prepare for driverless cars](http://www.vancouversun.com/news/vancouver+city+councillor+wants+study+impact+driverless+cars/11726263/story.html)  T.
                                                Fletcher, Feb 18
                                                "Driverless cars
                                                might seem like a
                                                futuristic dream,
                                                but a city
                                                councillor doesn't
                                                want Vancouver to
                                                take a hands-off
                                                approach to the
                                                emerging
                                                technology.  Coun.
                                                Geoff Meggs is
                                                steering a motion
                                                slated for next
                                                Tuesday's council
                                                meeting asking city
                                                staff to look into
                                                the impact of
                                                self-driving
                                                vehicles and how to
                                                maximize the
                                                benefits of the
                                                technology for
                                                Vancouver and the
                                                city's economy.

                                                Although the city's
                                                transportation 2040
                                                plan, which outlines
                                                a strategy for how
                                                people and goods
                                                will move in and
                                                around Vancouver for
                                                the next 30 years,
                                                was adopted only
                                                four years ago,
                                                Meggs said it fails
                                                to address
                                                driverless
                                                technology....  "It
                                                may be a powerful
                                                tool or there may be
                                                problems with it,
                                                but at the moment,
                                                it's an empty
                                                category in a lot of
                                                our thinking," Meggs
                                                told Metro. "We
                                                don't want our
                                                (transportation)
                                                plan, which we just
                                                did, to be
                                                  obsolete before it
                                                  even starts."..."  [Read more](http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2016/mv-fatality-report-1215.pdf)Hmmmm...Yup!

                                                    Obviously,
                                                    "obsolescence
                                                    before ribbon
                                                    cutting" is
                                                    something all
                                                    cities should
                                                    try to avoid.
                                                    Alain

Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years

                                                Press Release Feb 16
                                                "With continued
                                                lower gasoline
                                                prices and an
                                                improving economy
                                                resulting in an
                                                estimated 3.5% increase

                                                in motor-vehicle
                                                mileage, the number
                                                of motor-vehicle
                                                deaths in 2015
                                                  totaled 38,300,
                                                  up 8% from 2014.

                                                The 2015 estimate is
                                                provisional and may
                                                be revised when more
                                                data are available.
                                                The total for 2015
                                                was up 8% from the
                                                2013 figure. The
                                                annual total for
                                                2014 was 35,398, a
                                                less than 0.5%
                                                increase from 2013.
                                                The 2013 figure was
                                                3% lower than 2012.
                                                The estimated annual
                                                population death
                                                rate is 11.87 deaths
                                                per 100,000
                                                population, an
                                                increase of 7% from
                                                the 2014 rate. The
                                                estimated annual
                                                mileage death rate
                                                is 1.22 deaths per
                                                100 million vehicle
                                                miles traveled, an
                                                increase of 5% from
                                                the 2014 rate. [Read more](http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2016/mv-fatality-report-1215.pdf)Hmmmm...This

                                                    is REALLY BAD
                                                    news.  Come on
                                                    insurance. This
                                                    is costing you
                                                    money!  Accident
                                                    rates going up
                                                    means that your
                                                    actuarials are
                                                    behind, your
                                                    regulated
                                                    pricing lags and
                                                    you are losing
                                                    money.  To get
                                                    ahead of your
                                                    actuarials, you
                                                    MUST incentivize
                                                    the adoption of
                                                    automated
                                                    collision
                                                    avoidance
                                                    systems.  You'll
                                                    then do very
                                                    well, thank you
                                                    AND help
                                                    society.  Alain

Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2017

Feb. 9, “…(3) Accelerate the integration of autonomous vehicles, low-carbon technologies, and intelligent transportation systems into our infrastructure….

  • Providing almost $400 million on average per year in funding over the next 10 years for the deployment of self-driving vehicles. Investments would help develop connected infrastructure and smart sensors that can communicate with autonomous vehicles, support R&D to ensure these vehicles are safe and road ready, and expand at-scale deployment projects to provide “proving grounds” for autonomous self-driving and connected vehicles in urban and highway settings.

Read moreHmmmm…major

                                                    victory...not
                                                    only: "...for

                                                    autonomous
                                                    self-driving...",

                                                    bit also stated
                                                    before: "... and
                                                    connected...".
                                                        Alain

London’s first driverless cars revealed

The consortium behind the trial has decided to adapt electric passenger shuttles that are currently in service at Heathrow Airport for use in Greenwich.  Unlike the Heathrow pods, they will not need dedicated tracks.

                                                The Greenwich trial
                                                is one of four in
                                                the UK to test
                                                driverless
                                                technology and
                                                public reaction to
                                                it..."This vehicle
                                                has millions of
                                                miles under its belt
                                                and now we have to
                                                take it outside of
                                                the track and modify
                                                it for use on
                                                pavements," he
                                                added.  The
                                                so-called UltraPODs
                                                currently in service
                                                at Heathrow carry
                                                passengers between
                                                the car park and
                                                Terminal 5. In the
                                                five years they have
                                                been in use, they
                                                have carried 1.5
                                                million passengers
                                                and traveled three
                                                million kilometers
                                                (1.8 million
                                                miles)...."   [Read more](http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35432687)   Hmmm...Wow!! ... PRT evolving to be
                                                      autonomousTaxis!
                                                      Wow!!!  :-) Alain

###

Obama’s $4 Billion Plan for Self-Driving Cars Will Make Google Very Happy

M. Bergen, Jan 14 “The Obama Administration has seen the self-driving future, and it’s jumping aboard.  At the Detroit auto show on Thursday morning, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will unveil a plan to develop a national blueprint for autonomous driving technology within the next six months.  He will also announce that President Obama is planning to insert $4 billion into the 2017 budget for a 10-year plan to support and “accelerate” vehicle automation projects.

                                                "We are on the cusp
                                                of a new era in
                                                automotive
                                                technology with
                                                enormous potential
                                                to save lives,
                                                reduce greenhouse
                                                gas emissions, and
                                                transform mobility
                                                for the American
                                                people," Secretary
                                                Foxx said in a
                                                statement. ...But here's
                                                  the part of Foxx's
                                                  talk that really
                                                  matters for
                                                  Google: These
                                                  national rules
                                                  will allow fully
                                                  driverless cars..."

                                                [Read More](http://recode.net/2016/01/14/obamas-4-billion-plan-for-self-driving-cars-will-make-google-very-happy/)  Hmmm... A [few months ago](http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2015/ngv_tech_announcement.htm)
                                                      it was $42M
                                                      for Connected
                                                      Vehicles.
                                                      Today it is
                                                      100x for
                                                      automated
                                                      vehicles!
                                                      Finally
                                                      Secretary
                                                      Foxx.."[YES! YES! JESUS H. TAP-DANCING CHRIST... I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5tfRdkoY0)"
                                                      (Blue
                                                      Brothers)
                                                      Yea!!!!!   :-)

                                                      Alain

Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars

J. Hyde & S. Carty, Dec. 21 “Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google’s technology, a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing, …According to three sources familiar with the plans, the partnership is set to be announced by Ford at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. By pairing with Google, Ford gets a massive boost in self-driving software development; while the automaker has been experimenting with its own systems for years, it only revealed plans this month to begin testing on public streets in California….

                                                Google already has
                                                several links to
                                                Ford; the head of
                                                the self-driving car
                                                project, John
                                                Krafcik, worked for
                                                14 years at Ford,
                                                including a stint as
                                                head of truck
                                                engineering, and
                                                several other
                                                ex-Ford employees
                                                work in the unit as
                                                well. Former Ford
                                                chief executive Alan
                                                Mulally joined
                                                Google's board last
                                                year.

                                                And Ford executives
                                                have been clear for
                                                years that the
                                                company was ready to
                                                embrace a future
                                                where cars were sold
                                                as on-demand
                                                services. Ford CEO
                                                Mark Fields has
                                                repeatedly said Ford
                                                was thinking of
                                                itself "as a
                                                mobility company,"
                                                and what that would
                                                mean for its
                                                business" [Read more](https://www.yahoo.com/autos/google-pairs-with-ford-to-1326344237400118.html)  Hmmm...Not surprising and not exclusive.
                                                      :-) Alain

Adam Jonas’ View on Autonomous Cars

                                                Video similar to
                                                part of Adam's
                                                Luncheon talk @ 2015
                                                Florida Automated
                                                Vehicle Symposium on
                                                Dec 1.  [Hmmm ... Watch Video](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Videos/AdamJonas10T_MorganStanley.mp4)  especially

                                                    at the 13:12
                                                    mark.
                                                    Compelling;
                                                    especially after
                                                    the 60 Minutes
                                                    segment above!
                                                    Also see his [TipRanks](https://www.tipranks.com/analysts/adam-jonas).  Alain

                                                      [Mailto:alaink@princeton.edu](Mailto:alaink@princeton.edu) 

                                                      This list is
                                                      maintained by
                                                      [Alain Kornhauser](mailto:alaink@princeton.edu) and hosted by the [Princeton University LISTSERV](http://lists.princeton.edu).
Unsubscribe Re-subscribe

This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University LISTSERV.