2016-04-09
2016
Automated Vehicle Operational Guidance Public Meeting
April 8,”At this meeting, NHTSA sought input on planned operational guidelines for the safe deployment of automated vehicles (AV). Of high importance to the agency is information on the roadway scenarios and operational environments that highly automated vehicles will need to address, and the associated design and evaluation processes and methods needed to ensure that AV systems are able to detect and appropriately react to these scenarios” Read more Hmmm…Watch testimony , especially: testimony of Dr. Jerome Lutin. Alain
GTC 2016 Opening Keynote with Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Apr 6, "NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang shows a
demo of a self-driving car platform, called
DaveNet, that uses deep learning to teach a
car how to drive, at the GPU Technology
Conference. He announces the world's first
autonomous car race, Roborace, using NVIDIA
DRIVE PX to power self-driving race cars." [Watch Video](http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/85315086?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWXpFeVlXRmhNVGMxWVRjMyIsInQiOiJySUVaem1nald0U1o5U2JNY2NpZ2xmSzNVK0lrRVZ4a1NjMCt3cmhzM1pDRWp4UHcxYmNvSFN5WTlGbXhPbzcrVTBsancwNnRrbUNYVG0yb2ZCMVFBOTIzYkpsWVlTTkJiXC9wVVJiSXBBNzA9In0%3D)Hmmm... 2 hours but well worth
watching, [especially about 1:49:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuyT2SDcYrU) and 2:00:00
(although I have some minor
reservations, of course I do.) Alain
Elon Musk visits Mobileye in Israel
D. Ben-Gedalyahu Mar 29, “…The system Mobileye is developing for Tesla is the first of its kind in the world, and it combines several advanced technologies that enable the vehicle to identify its environment, avoid obstacles, and move without driver intervention. Among the technologies are a system called DNN (digital neural network), which enables the vehicle to “learn” by gathering data on the move, and even to identify different kinds of road surface; free-space, which enables the automatic vehicle’s systems to identify areas without defined objects such as hard shoulders of roads, sidewalks, and so on, and avoid collisions and deviations from the road; a “holistic path prediction”, which enables a vehicle to select the correct path - on an open road, for example – even when there are no visual hints in the environment; and a sign identification system that can identify over 1,000 signs and road markings in use around the world…” Read more Hmmm… Of course. Alain
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Developing Next-Gen Autopilot With Team Of Chipmakers
P. Arruda, Apr 8, ".During 4QFY15 earnings
call, when Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas asked
if Tesla is designing its own silicon, Mr.
Musk refused to comment. This leaves open
the possibility that the company could
eventually develop its own chip...." [Read more](http://www.thecountrycaller.com/45067-tesla-motors-inc-tsla-developing-next-gen-autopilot-with-team-of-chipmakers/) Hmmm...
Of course!! Alain
Tesla already lowering Model 3 expectations for two key features
Y. Heisler, Apr 8, "Following last week's
unveiling of the Model 3, Tesla is riding
pretty high right now. And with good reason:
The company managed to convince more than
325,000 buyers to put down $1,000 for a car
that they likely won't receive until 2018 at
the earliest. Of course, the big question
mark hovering over the company now is
whether or not they can actually handle that
level of production...
In another example, the first incarnation of
the Model 3 webpage said that the car will
feature "Autopilot Safety Features." Now it
simply reads that the Model 3 will come with
"Autopilot Hardware", seemingly implying
that users will have to pay extra to get
Autopilot safety features turned on.."[Read more](http://bgr.com/2016/04/08/tesla-model-3-features-supercharging-autopilot/) Hmmm...
By 2018 the AutoPilot safety features
will be so inexpensive, this won't be
the issue. Alain!!
Volvo Cars plans to launch China’s most advanced autonomous driving experiment
Press Release, Apr 7, "Volvo Cars, the
premium car maker, plans to launch China's
most advanced autonomous driving experiment
in which local drivers will test autonomous
driving cars on public roads in everyday
driving conditions.
Volvo expects the experiment to involve up
to 100 cars and will in coming months begin
negotiations with interested cities in China
to see which is able to provide the
necessary permissions, regulations and
infrastructure to allow the experiment to go
ahead...."[Read more](https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/189499/volvo-cars-plans-to-launch-chinas-most-advanced-autonomous-driving-experiment) Hmmm...
Of course!! Alain
South Australia approves on-road driverless car trials
A. Barbaschow, Mar 31, "The South Australian
government has on Thursday approved on-road
trials of driverless cars on the state's
roads...."South Australia is now positioned
to become a key player in this emerging
industry and by leading the charge, we are
opening up countless new opportunities for
our businesses and our economy."..."[Read more](http://www.zdnet.com/article/south-australia-approves-on-road-driverless-car-trials/) Hmmm... The more the
merrier. Alain
American Cities Are Nowhere Near Ready for Self-Driving Cars
E. Adams, Apr 6, "..."We're looking at the
broader urban effects—and urban
opportunities—of this technology," says
Illinois Tech architect Marshall Brown, one
of the team members in the Chicago school's
Driverless Cities Project. "It's in the news
a lot, but nobody's been discussing what it
will actually do to cities." Just six
percent of long-range transportation plans
in major US cities are factoring the impact
of autonomous cars, according to a report
released in the fall by the National League
of Cities. That's a bad sign. "Even though
driverless cars may be shoehorned to fit the
traditional urban environment in the short
term, it won't be a long-term solution for
maximizing potential benefits," says Lili
Du, an assistant professor of transportation
engineering at Illinois Tech...."[Read more](http://www.wired.com/2016/04/american-cities-nowhere-near-ready-self-driving-cars/) Hmmm...
Look at the [National League of Cities Report on City of the Future](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/NationalLeagueOfCities_CitiesOfTheFuture.pdf) Alain
Dutch business community welcomes truck platoons
Press
Release, Apr 6, "Today minister Schultz
van Haegen (Infrastructure and the
Environment) welcomed six columns of
trucks at Maasvlakte II, which had
driven from a number of European cities
to Rotterdam over the past several
days....This is good news for traffic
flows and speeds up deliveries. Truck
platooning can realise up to ten per
cent fuel savings. As well as reducing
CO2 emissions, this can also mean a
significant savings for businesses... "
[Read more](https://www.eutruckplatooning.com/News/495554.aspx?t=Press+release:+Dutch+business+community+welcomes+truck+platoons+) Hmmm...
I still don't get it. Even though
those 6 trucks were going to the
same place, intending to arrive at
the same time, because they came
from 6 different locations, the
likelihood that they were traveling
in the same direction, on the same
stretch of road, at about the same
time, such that they could platoon
for more than a photo-op is:
slim2none. Of course, if all trucks
had this capability the likelihood
would improve to above slim. But,
even then, enough to mean "a
significant savings for
businesses"??? Seems like a heroic
definition of "significant". I
still contend that pushing
platooning at such an early stage
when we haven't even begun to
promote and to capture the benefits
of the underlying intelligent cruise
control. ( ... let alone
un-intelligent cruise
control. I'm
not aware that there is even one
road sign anywhere in the world
along any highway that encourages
the use of cruise control. Someone
please correct me here if I'm
wrong.) Unfortunately platooning is
the "Great White Hope" of the V2V
community . All it is going to do
now is freak out average drivers
before they've had a chance to get
accustomed to their own
Level2/Level3 driving. Today's
infinitesimal benefits don't come
close to overshadowing the potential
negative perceptions. Once the
intelligent automated driving
functions are proven and substantial
adoption begins, platooning can
begin to have a hope of generating
net benefits. At that time its
addition will be technologically and
economically trivial. Today it is a
substantive liability. Alain
China’s Companies Poised to Take Leap in Developing a Driverless Car
J. Markoff, Apr 3, "....But enormous traffic
jams in China's largest cities can make
driving a less-than-romantic experience. Why
not let a machine built with artificial
intelligence inside do the work for you?..."
[Read more](But%20enormous%20traffic%20jams%20in%20China%E2%80%99s%20largest%20cities%20can%20make%20driving%20a%20less-than-romantic%20experience.%20Why%20not%20let%20a%20machine%20built%20with%20artificial%20intelligence%20inside%20do%20the%20work%20for%20you?) Hmmm...
Not the best article. I should up my
standards. Alain
Some
other thoughts that deserve your
attention
Start-Stop Technology Is Spreading (Like It or Not)
E. Taub, Apt 7. "... The system saves fuel
and reduces emissions by cutting the engine
when the car comes to a full stop and
restarting when the foot is taken off the
brake. One of the first things Dr. Tao does
after starting the engine: He turns off the
feature. The problem, Dr. Tao says, is that
the stopping and restarting is rather
intrusive. "You actually feel it
restarting," he said. "In terrible
stop-and-go traffic this thing comes on and
off constantly. In 20 minutes you can have
50 stop-and-start cycles. It can drive you
totally insane."
Mercedes defends its technology, known as
ECO Start/Stop, calling it "one of the most
seamless systems," according to Christian
Bokich, a company spokesman. "Customers with
any concerns always have the option of
defeating the system each time they enter
and start the vehicle." ...
For the technology to work for consumers,
the experience needs to be seamless,
manufacturers say. "Restarts must be fast,
smooth, with no noise and little vibration,"
said Ulrich Muehleisen,..." [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/automobiles/wheels/start-stop-technology-is-coming-to-cars-like-it-or-not.html?ref=business) Hmmm...
If the system MUST BE..., why is it put
into cars when it isn't and if it is,
don't include the turn off mechanism
that allows the Drs of this world to so
self important. (However, if you often
experience 50 start-stop cycles in 20
minutes you should be turning off the
problems that got you there.) Alain
SpaceX Just Stuck a Historic Landing. So What Now?
N. Stockton, Apr 8, "TODAY IN SPACE history,
a rocket went to space. No big. But then it
came back down and landed on a [drone barge in the middle of the ocean](http://www.wired.com/2016/04/spacexs-rocket-victorious-robot-boat-last/).
The rocket was a Falcon 9, built by SpaceX,
Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company.
On its own, the retropropulsion landing is a
major technological accomplishment. But it
means even more as a step toward reliably
getting humans off of Earth—maybe even
permanently. "In order for us to really open
up access to space," Musk said in a press
conference shortly after the landing, "we
need to achieve full and rapid
reusability."...
But the challenges will continue even once
SpaceX nails reusability of the Falcon 9.
SpaceX's other rocket, the Falcon Heavy, is
designed to deliver spacecraft to high,
geosynchronous orbit. That means
simultaneously landing three separate
boosters coming down way hotter, and faster.
"The thing about high velocity landings is
not just the wind, but the heat," Musk said.
"Peak heating grows as the cube of velocity,
so your rockets really want to melt."...[Read more](http://www.wired.com/2016/04/spacex-just-stuck-historic-landing-now/www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2016/03/18/willow-run-driverless-cars/81967990/) Hmmm...
[See video](http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000508262). and [this one.](http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000508253) This is really impressive!!
Alain
Friend or foe… or both?
Y. Gautam, Jan 2016,"...There is synergy
between AV and CV - CV brings additional and
incremental benefits to AVs...."[Read more](http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//launch.aspx?eid=698c9354-cb98-4fd8-becc-797d6b0d14af&pnum=34) Hmmm...
Nice concise way to put it. Alain
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
Recompiled Old
News & Smiles:
Half-baked
stuff that probably doesn't deserve
your time:
THE MOST ADVANCED SELF-DRIVING CARS YOU CAN BUY TODAY
J. Bablansky. Apr 2016, "From Acura to
Volvo, more and more car companies are
getting into the game of self-driving
tech, and it's now easier -- and more
affordable -- than ever to buy a car
that basically drives itself..." [Read more](https://www.thrillist.com/cars/nation/self-driving-cars-for-sale-now) Hmmm...
They are rated 1 through 6 and Tesla
is 6 and the S-class is 5, I guess
higher is better, but then why is
Subaru 1 and Infinity is listed when
the tech costs $8,700???
Half-baked!. Alain
###
C’mon Man! (These folks
didn't get/read the memo)
Calendar of
Upcoming Events:
http://www.autonomoustrucksevent.com/agenda-mc
Workshop on Automated Vehicle Policy and Regulation:
The National Transportation Center, University of Maryland
May 18, 2016
Recent
Highlights of:
#
###
Hearing focus of SF 2569 Autonomous vehicles task force establishment and demonstration project for people with disabilities
March 23 Hmmm... [Watch the video of the Committee Meeting](http://mnsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=235).
The testimony
is Excellent
and very
compelling!
Also see [Self-Driving Minnesota](http://www.selfdrivingmn.org/)
Alain
Uber seeking to buy self-driving cars: source
Reuters, Mar
19,
"Ride-hailing
service Uber
[UBER.UL] has
sounded out
car companies
about placing
a large order
for
self-driving
cars, an auto
industry
source said on
Friday. "They
wanted
autonomous
cars," the
source, who
declined to be
named, said.
"It seemed
like they were
shopping
around."
Loss-making
Uber would
make drastic
savings on its
biggest cost
-- drivers --
if it were
able to
incorporate
self-driving
cars into its
fleet....Earlier
on Friday,
Germany's
Manager
Magazin
reported that
Uber had
placed an
order for at
least 100,000
Mercedes
S-Class cars,
citing sources
at both
companies....
The top-flight
limousine,
around 100,000
of which
Mercedes-Benz
sold last
year, does not
yet have fully
autonomous
driving
functionality.."
[Read more](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-daimler-uber-idUSKCN0WK1C8) Hmmmm...Uber has the current valuation to place the
order;
however, they
aren't the
only ones that
will want to
place an
advance order
for such a
fleet. Lyft
will want to,
Enterprise-Rent
-A-Car
(remember,
they "pick you
up" (while
incurring an
enormous labor
expense) and
all of the
AlainkAutonomousTaxi
companies that
see the
economic
opportunity of
providing
on-demand
mobility
without
incurring
labor cost.
It will be
interesting to
watch the
bidding war
for these
driverless
vehicles.
All of this
will be going
on while
Alphabet
gobbles up the
market with
its own
vehicle that
it keeps for
itself.
Advertisers
are already in
the back seat
of
conventional
cabs. While
that revenue
isn't enough
to pay for the
driver, it is
likely to
substantially
offset aTaxi's
operating and
capitalization
costs. What's
Alphabet's
other
business??
:-) Alain
U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles
Press Release,
Mar 17, NHTSA
& IIHS
"announced
today a
historic
commitment by
20 automakers
representing
more than 99
percent of the
U.S. auto
market to make
automatic
emergency
braking a
standard
feature on
virtually all
new cars no
later than
NHTSA's 2022
reporting
year, which
begins Sept 1,
2022.
Automakers
making the
commitment are
Audi, BMW, FCA
US LLC, Ford,
General
Motors, Honda,
Hyundai,
Jaguar Land
Rover, Kia,
Maserati,
Mazda,
Mercedes-Benz,
Mitsubishi
Motors,
Nissan,
Porsche,
Subaru, Tesla
Motors Inc.,
Toyota,
Volkswagen and
Volvo Car USA.
The
unprecedented
commitment
means that
this important
safety
technology will be available to more consumers more quickly than
would be
possible
through the
regulatory
process...The
commitment
takes into
account the
evolution of
AEB
technology. It
requires a
level of
functionality
that is in
line with
research and
crash data
demonstrating
that such
systems are
substantially
reducing
crashes, but does not stand in the way of improved capabilities
that are just
beginning to
emerge.
The
performance
measures are
based on real
world data
showing that
vehicles with
this level of
capability are
avoiding
crashes..[Watch NHTSA video on AEB](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Src2jhS4wcA)
[Download AEB video from IIHS](https://www.hightail.com/download/ZWJVbGtNR3NrWTg4RmNUQw)[Read more](http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-iihs-commitment-on-aeb-03172016) Hmmmm...Fantastic! Automakers leading with
regulatory
process
staying out of
the way.
Alain
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
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 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
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