2020-11-25
November 26, 2020
edition of the
8th year of
SmartDrivingCars
The Vehicle Fuel Debate Has Been Hijacked
M. Sena, Nov. 19, “The lead article this month was inspired by a diagram I received showing how much of the energy that we generate to heat our homes, light up our rooms, make the concrete and steel to build our infrastructure and power our transportation is wasted. It’s over two-thirds. Wasted! Half of it is from producing electricity.
There are a
spate of
battery and
hybrid
electric cars
(and some
others) on
their way from
China to
Europe and
North America.
Some of the
ones I
describe in
the Dispatch
Central
section will
be familiar to
readers since
I wrote about
them earlier.
I could not
help writing
again about
Volvo's slow
but steady
exit from
Sweden. In the
self-driving
and data
sharing
section there
is some
interesting
news out of
the UK and
Massachusetts,
a state
(actually a
Commonwealth
just like
Pennsylvania,
my home state)
where I
registered
most of the
cars I have
owned during
the eighteen
years I lived
there.
Waymo has
delivered
quite a bit of
news to the
press during
the past few
months. It
seemed like
everyone was
putting the
same spin on
what they were
saying.
Naturally, I
decided to
spin in the
other
direction. In
Musings of a
Dispatcher I
have mused
about who is
going to be
sitting in all
of those
driverless
vehicles. Will
they be from
Mars or from
Venus?..." [Read more](https://www.dropbox.com/s/lw27g9qlolrjkpb/The%20Dispatcher_December%202020.pdf?dl=0) Hmmmm... What can I say?? Another great
edition of the
Dispatcher. Be
sure to read
all the way
through
including "[Musings of a Dispatcher: Cars are from Mars](https://www.dropbox.com/s/lw27g9qlolrjkpb/The%20Dispatcher_December%202020.pdf?dl=0)". Enjoy and listen/watch the
following [Pod](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-187)/[Zoom](https://youtu.be/eyGCKObQ4e0)-casts.
Alain
SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 187](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-187)
w/Michael
Sena,
F. Fishkin,
Nov 25, "What
you should
know about
electric cars,
climate change
and more. The
Dispatcher
publisher
Michael Sena
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin in an
eye opening
edition of
Smart Driving
Cars.." Alexa,
play the Smart
Driving
Cars podcast!".
Ditto with Siri,
and GooglePlay
...
Alain
SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 187
w/Michael
Sena,
###
Video version of SmartDrivingCars PodCast 185... Alain
SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 186](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-186)
w/Kelly
Funkhouser,
F. Fishkin,
Nov 24, "When
it comes to
active driver
assistance
systems, what
works and what
needs
improvement?
Some answers
from Kelly
Funkhouser…
program
manager for
vehicle
interface,
head of
connected and
automated
vehicles at
Consumer
Reports. She
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for
episode 186 of
Smart Driving
Cars." Alexa,
play the Smart
Driving
Cars podcast!".
Ditto with Siri,
and GooglePlay
...
Alain
SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 186
w/Kelly
Funkhouser,
###
Video version of SmartDrivingCars PodCast 186... Alain
The
SmartDrivingCars
eLetter,
Pod-Casts,
Zoom-Casts and
Zoom-inars are
made possible
in part by
support from
the Smart
Transportation
and Technology
ETF, symbol
MOTO. For
more
information: [www.motoetf.com](https://www.smartetfs.com/). Most funding is
supplied by
Princeton
University's
Department of
Operations
Research &
Financial
Engineering
and Princeton
Autonomous
Vehicle
Engineering
(PAVE)
research
laboratory as
part of its
research
dissemination
initiatives.
###
GM’s Wrong Way Insurance Plan
R. Lanctot,
Nov 24, "Word
arrived last
week that
General Motors
was returning
to the car
insurance
business,
after a
decade-long
sojourn
post-bankruptcy,
in the form of
a tie up with
Homesite
Insurance
Group, an
affiliate of
American
Family, and a
service launch
for GM
employees in
Arizona – land
of quick-draw
insurance
startups. This
is a bad idea
and a waste of
time and money
– but why?
Let's look at
the potential
strategic
rationales for
GM to get into
car
insurance:...
To be clear, none of the reasons expressed by Rose or Page makes any sense. ….
Across the industry, though, insurers are racing to understand the impact of advanced safety and automated driving systems on claims. Hmmmm… If those systems were really good there would be very few claims where GM was at fault…. There is a related need to understand the behavior of drivers driving cars equipped with these systems. Hmmmm… Again if, the systems were good, they’d be overriding driver mis-behavior resulting in Driver/automatedDriviver cooperative behavior being nothing but great…. But this does not appear to be the stated objective of the new insurance effort and, again, GM need not get into the insurance business to gather this data…
GM can achieve most of its corporate objectives of capturing sales and service leads, retaining customers, and better calibrating safety systems without selling car insurance. The entire exercise appears to be pointless and misguided – … To be successful GM will need to be more transparent and will also need an entirely new relationship with its customers and dealers.
GM's
public-facing
stance in the
era of CEO
Mary Barra has
been one of
fighting off
ignition
switch
litigants,
embracing
Trump
Administration
de-regulation,
and resisting
Takata airbag
recalls. GM is
going to have
to change its
tune if it
wants
consumers to
sing along
with OnStar
Insurance. [Read more](https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/blogs/automotive/infotainment-telematics/infotainment-telematics/2020/11/24/gm's-wrong-way-insurance-plan) Hmmmm... My comments are in red above.
Given that, to
dat, GM has
done so little
to promote and
sell its "advanced
safety and
automated
driving
systems" speaks volumes of what GM's top
management
believes is
the real value
of these
systems...
(precious
little).
Certainly Elon
doesn't have
the same
implied
perspective.
Alain
GM dumps Trump to side with California in emissions rules fight
K. Korosec, Nov 18, “General Motors is changing sides in a battle over whether states — and specifically California — can set tailpipe emissions regulations and other rules meant to mitigate climate change that are stricter than the federal government.
The automaker
said Monday it
will no longer
back the Trump administration's lawsuit to prevent California from setting its own
rules, Reuters
reported. CEO
Mary Barra
reportedly
sent a letter
to several
environmental
groups stating
that the
automaker was
"immediately
withdrawing
from the
preemption
litigation"
and is
inviting other
automakers to
join it.
The decision
is a reversal
for the
automaker,
which along
with
competitors
Fiat Chrysler
and Toyota
sided with the
Trump
administration
last year over
the issue.
..." [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/23/gm-dumps-trump-to-side-with-california-in-emissions-rules-fight/) Hmmmm... We'll take what we can get at
this point.
Alain
Uber and Lyft just scored a huge federal transportation contract
A. Hawkins,
Nov. 23, "The
US government
awarded a big
transportation
contract to
Uber and Lyft
this week,
authorizing
the
ride-hailing
companies to
provide
transportation
to up to 4
million
federal
employees and
their
families.
The General
Services
Administration,
the
procurement
arm for the
federal
government,
granted the
five-year
contract to
Uber and Lyft,
the companies
confirmed. The
contract is
worth up to
$810 million,
though it's
unclear how
much each
company will
receive.
While
individual
federal
employees have
previously
been able to
use ride-hail
services for
travel, the
new contract
allows the
companies to
formally
launch their
services
within
agencies and
directly work
with officials
to promote the
service. ..."
[Read more](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/23/21611553/uber-lyft-gsa-government-contract-amount) Hmmmm... This may well be a
first for the
Federal
government to
grant a
contract to an
entity that is
not only NOT
Union, but
Gig. I can't
imagine this
isn't going to
blow up. This
may end up
being good for
the Lyft/Uber
drivers,
enabling them
to begin to
earn a living
wage, but this
isn't going to
do anything to
help get
affordable
mobility to
non-government
workers unless
many more
companies
subsidize
chauffeur
services. Is GSA now going to subsidize
AirB&B?
Alain
Waze will soon support CarPlay’s split-view dashboard mode
A. Hawkinns,
Nov. 23, "Waze
is finally
coming to
Apple
CarPlay's new
multiscreen
dashboard.
This is sure
to come as
welcome news
to devotees of
the
Google-owned
navigation
app, who have
been waiting
for over a
year for it to
work with the
much-improved,
upgraded
version of
CarPlay. ..."
[R](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/23/21591151/waze-carplay-split-view-dashboard-apple)[ead more](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/23/21591151/waze-carplay-split-view-dashboard-apple) Hmmmm... Sure! Let's have Waze
distract
drivers even
more by
enticing
drivers to
play with
Apple's
CarPlay when
they should be
concentrating
on their
driving and
not
mis-behaving.
I'm not a fan!
Alain
Cutting Edge, Automated Mobility at the Oldest National Park & Beyond
K. Pyle, Nov 24, “Mobility as an amenity is one way to characterize Beep’s autonomous transportation service. To paraphrase Princeton’s Dr. Kornhauser, Beep’s service is like a horizontal elevator connecting buildings spread out over a given area. In a sense, what Beep is offering is an extension of its sponsors’ customer experience. These are just a few takeaways from the above video interview with Beep CEO, Joe Moye, and Beep CMO, Racquel Asa…. “ Read more Hmmmm…but still with attendants on-board. Alain
Tesla Semi electric truck to have up to 621 miles of range, says Elon Musk
F. Lambert, Nov. 24, “Elon Musk made new comments about the Tesla Semi program, Tesla’s upcoming electric semi truck, and said that the vehicle will eventually have up to 1,000 km (621 miles) of range.
This new range
is going to be
achieved,
thanks to
Tesla's new
in-house
battery cells
and battery
pack
technology.
When launching
Tesla Semi in
2017, the
automaker said
that the
production
versions of
Tesla Semi,
which is a
class 8 truck
with a
80,000-lb
capacity, will
have 300-mile
and 500-mile
range options
for $150,000
and $180,000, respectively...." [Read more](https://electrek.co/2020/11/24/tesla-semi-electric-truck-621-miles-range-elon-musk/)
Interesting.
Alain
New
Roman""> [Draft](https://www.dropbox.com/s/p7t7fwkm1wu9n3g/ProgramDraft1_4thAnnualPrincetonSDC_Summit.pdf?dl=0)Princeton
SmartDrivingCar
Summit
Postponed until 1st Episode at noon
on Dec. 10,
2020 and
followed by 14
more weekly
episodes
through to
March 18,
2021. Each
episode
starting Live
on Zoom @ noon
Eastern
(Princeton
Time) and
lasting for
1.5 hours or
until
Discussion
with audience
ends. A.
Kornhauser,
Feb 6, "The
focus of the
Summit this
year will be
moving beyond
the AI and the
Sensors to
addressing the
challenges of Commercialization and the delivery of tangible value to communities.
We've made
enormous
progress with
the
technology.
We're doing
the
investment;
however, this
investment
delivers value
only if is
commercialized:
made available
and is used by
consumers in
large
numbers.
Demos and
one-offs are
"great", but
to deliver
value that is
anywhere near
commensurate
with the
magnitude of
the investment
made to date,
initial
deployments
need to
scale. We
can't just
have
"Morgantown
PRT Systems"
whose initial
deployment has
been nothing
but enormously
successful for
45 years (an
essentially
perfect safety
record, an
excellent
availability
record and
customer
valued
mobility).
Unfortunately,
the system was
never expanded
or duplicated
anywhere. It
didn't scale.
It is a
one-off.
Tests, demos and one-offs are nice niche deployments; however, what one really needs are initial deployments that have the opportunity to grow, be replicated and scale. In 1888, Frank Sprague, successfully deployed a small electric street railway system in Richmond, Va. which became the reference for many other cites. “… By 1889 110 electric railways incorporating Sprague’s equipment had been begun or planned on several continents…” Substantial scaled societal benefits emerged virally from this technology. It was eventually supplanted by the conventional automobile but for more than 30 years it delivered substantial improvements to the quality-of-life for many.
In part, the
4th Summit
will focus on
defining the
"Richmond" of
Affordable
Shared-ride
On-demand
Mobility-as-a-Service.
The initial
Operational
Design Domain
(ODD) that
safely
accommodates
Driverless
Mobility
Machines that
people
actually
choose to use
and becomes
the envy of
communities
throughout the
Program is
in flux.
Consider all
named
individuals as
"Invited yet
to be
confirmed".
Alain
C’mon Man!(These
folks didn't
get/read the
memo)
##
Sunday Supplement
Half-Baked
[Gatik And Loblaw Partner To Bring First-Ever Driverless Deliveries To Canada](https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbishop1/2020/11/23/gatik-and-loblaw-partner-to-bring-first-ever-driverless-deliveries-to-canada/?sh=28a627cc36bd)
R. Bishop, Nov
23, "...When
Driverless?
Currently,
safety drivers
are on board.
..." [Read more](https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbishop1/2020/11/23/gatik-and-loblaw-partner-to-bring-first-ever-driverless-deliveries-to-canada/?sh=28a627cc36bd) Seems to mean that this isn't
..."First-Ever
Driverless
Deliveries" ... anywhere. Alain
KFC rolls out self-driving food trucks in China and it’s sort of wild
S. Szymkowskim Nov 23, “Some experts believe the self-driving cars are in for a boom, thanks to how the coronavirus pandemic has started to reshape how we purchase goods. When a top priority is to slow the spread of a contagious virus, having things delivered can help some people. Now take the driver out of the equation, for better or worse, and things are even simpler.
Well, that's
what renowned
fried chicken
expert KFC did
in China. U.
" [Read more](https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/kfc-food-trucks-self-driving-china/) Hmmmm... Not even half-baked. Totally
"Whatever?!"
Alain
Click-Bait
Calendar
of Upcoming
Events:s
Roman""> SmartDrivingCar
Summit
to be a
Virtual Series
Live Episode
noon ET
Thursday,
Dec.10
Princeton University Princeton, NJ
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
###
These editions are sponsored by the SmartETFs Smart Transportation and Technology ETF, symbol MOTO. For more information head to www.motoetf.com
###
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###
###
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 185 Zoom-Cast Episode 185 w/Dan Smith,
F. Fishkin,
Nov 20, "Only
Waymo has been
transporting
customers in
driverless
vehicles
without a
safety monitor
on board.
What goes into
that kind of
decision?
Waymo
Assistant
General
Counsel Dan
Smith joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin in
this special
edition of
Smart Driving
Cars." Alexa,
play the Smart
Driving
Cars podcast!".
Ditto with Siri,
and GooglePlay
...
Alain SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 184](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-184) [Zoom-Cast Episode 184](https://youtu.be/fTCCqRPWeDo)
w/Marjory
Blumenthal,
F. Fishkin,
Nov 20, "So
when are
driverless
vehicles safe
enough to be
deployed?
Senior Rand
Corporation
policy
researcher
Marjory
Blumenthal
joins
Princeton
University's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin to
examine her
latest report
and more." Alexa,
play the Smart
Driving
Cars podcast!".
Ditto with Siri,
and GooglePlay
...
Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 183 Zoom-Cast Episode 183 w/Kirsten Korosec
F. Fishkin,
Nov 13,
"Rivian's
hands free
driver
assistance
will be
standard
equipment...while
Ford unveils
the E-Transit.
TechCrunch
Senior
Transportation
reporter and
editor Kirsten
Korosec joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for
that plus
Nuro, Tesla,
Uber, Lyft,
Cruise and
more. Plus the
coming changes
for mobility
under a new
administration!"
Alexa,
play the Smart
Driving
Cars podcast!".
Ditto with Siri,
and GooglePlay
...
Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 182 Zoom-Cast Episode 182 F. Fishkin, Nov 6, “What will a new administration mean for autonomous mobility? And what about the passage of Proposition 22 in California after Uber’s big campaign? That plus luxury EVs coming from Bentley….and cheap EVs from China. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more.” SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 181 Zoom-Cast Episode 181 w/Sheldon Sandler & Glenn Mercer F. Fishkin, Oct. 30, “Waymo releases self driving data…while traditional car dealers enjoy surprisingly strong profits during the pandemic. Why? What about the coming autonomous mobility? Bell Air Partners’ Sheldon Sandler and researcher-consultant Glenn Mercer explain in Episode 181 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 180 Zoom-Cast Episode 180 w/John Rich, Ford/Argo, part 2
###
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Oct. 15, "Ford
and Argo AI
have unveiled
their next
generation
self-driving
test vehicle.
Once again,
Ford's
Director of
Autonomous
Vehicle and
Technology
Development
John Rich
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin to
unveil the
technology and
the company's
self driving
business
plans."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 179 Zoom-Cast Episode 179 w/John Rich, Ford/Argo
###
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Oct. 15,
"Which
autonomous
vehicle
platforms will
survive? The
director of
Ford's
Autonomous
Vehicle and
Technology
Development
says there may
only be
two...and Ford
/Argo AI will
be one of
them. John
Rich joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for
that and
more."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 178 Zoom-Cast Episode 178 w/Andrew Hawkins, Verge
###
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Oct. 9, "Here
we go! Waymo
going fully
driverless in
Phoenix suburb
service. The
Verge senior
transportation
reporter
Andrew Hawkins
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for
that plus
Tesla...
Amazon...
Rivian and
more.
Subscribe!
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 177 Zoom-Cast Episode 177
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Oct. 2, "New
grades for
assisted
driving
systems from
Euro NCAP.
But Princeton
Professor
Alain
Kornhauser
says the devil
is in the
details in
this edition
with co-host
Fred Fishkin.
And there's
Amazon's
success
against Covid
plusTesla,
Uber, GM,
Nikola and
more.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 176 Zoom-Cast Episode 176 w/Marc Scribner
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Sept. 25, "A
new government
entity to
oversee
autonomous
vehicles? Marc
Scribner, Sr.
Transportation
Policy Analyst
at the Reason
Foundation on
regulation and
more with
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin.
Plus...Tesla,
Nikola, GM and
the California
move to ban
new gasoline
vehicles."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 175 Zoom-Cast Episode 175 w/Michael Sena
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Sept. 18,
"Automobility
and the future
of car
dealers...
"The
Dispatcher"
publisher
Michael Sena
offers a
different take
on how car
dealers may
battle
automakers
pushing for
direct to
consumer
subscriptions.
That and more
in this
edition of
Smart Driving
Cars with
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 174 Zoom-Cast Episode 174 w/Kelly Funkhouser, Consumer Reports
###
###
F. Fishkin,
Sept. 4,
"Moving
forward with
autonomous
vehicle
testing, the
head of safety
at Uber's
Advanced
Technology
Group is
pledging
safety data
transparency.
Nat Beuse
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co host Fred
Fishkin for
that and more
on the latest
mobility
headlines." SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 173](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-173)
[Zoom-Cast Episode 173](https://youtu.be/pvFnTmw-yz0)
w/Nathanial
Beuse F. Fishkin, Sept.
4, "Moving
forward with
autonomous
vehicle
testing, the
head of safety
at Uber's
Advanced
Technology
Group is
pledging
safety data
transparency.
Nat Beuse
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co host Fred
Fishkin for
that and more
on the latest
mobility
headlines."
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 172 Zoom-Cast Episode 172 Special Edition w/Danny Shapiro
###
###
F. Fishkin ,Sept. 2, “Mercedes unveils the latest S Class with more computing power than 60 average cars…with NVIDIA playing a big role. NVIDIA’s Director of Automotive Danny Shapiro joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more.” SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 171 Zoom-Cast Episode 171 w/Henry Greenidge
F. Fishkin,
Aug. 30, "What
should
autonomous
mobility
companies be
doing to win
support from
black
communities?
Why is it
important?
Henry
Greenidge…Fellow
in residence
at the
McSilver
Institute for
Poverty Policy
and Research
at NYU joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhausere
and co-host
Fred Fishkin
for that
plus...Uber,
Voyage, Tesla
and more...."
SmartDrivingCars PodCast 170 ZoomCast Episode170 w/Michael Sena F. Fishkin, Aug 20, “Tesla grows while other automakers flounder. And creating standards in an era of mistrust. The Dispatcher publisher joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin in a thought provoking episode. Plus…transportation planning during and after the pandemic…NVIDIA…and more.”
SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 169 ZoomCast Episode 169 w/Anthony Townsend F. Fishkin Aug 13, “Ghost Road.. Beyond the Driverless Car author Anthony Townsend brings a unique viewpoint to the debate on the future of mobility…and the impact of the pandemic on ride sharing. Townsend joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and the latest developments from Uber, Lyft, Tesla and more.”
SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 168 ZoomCast Episode 168 w/Olaf Sakkers F. Fishkin Aug 8, “Is Tesla a tech stock? Or a fashion product? Maniv Mobility’s Olaf Sakkers authored a piece on Medium with that title and he joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus… GM’s would be Tesla challenger Cadillac Lyriq, TuSimple, Uber, Ford and more.”
SmartDrivingCars PodCast 167 ZoomCast Episode167 w/Robin Chase, Carlos Pardo & Daniel Sperling
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F. Fishkin July 29, “In the midst of a pandemic, what is the future of ride sharing and mobility? Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin are joined by Robin Chase and Carlos Pardo of the New Urban Mobility Alliance and the director of the Institute for Transportation Studies at U C Davis, Daniel Sperling to dig into the challenges ahead.”
###
SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 166 ZoomCast Episode 166 w/Jay Rodgers’95, CEO Local Motors
###
F. Fishkin 16,
"Local Motors
announces a
partnership
with Beep to
broadly deploy
autonomous
electric
shuttles. CEO
Jay Rogers
joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for a
wide ranging
chat. Plus the
Waymo-Fiat
Chrysler deal,
Tesla, AutoX,
Ford, Mobileye
and more."
Roman"">
[SmartDrivingCar Zoom-inar Episode 005 AmaZooks](https://viodi.com/2020/07/21/first-packages-then-people-potential-implications-of-the-amazon-zoox-deal/)
F. Fishkin, July 20, “Is Driverless home delivery the fastest route to Affordable Mobility for the Mobility Disadvantaged? … “
SmartDrivingCars PodCast Episode 165, ZoomCast Episode165 w/Michael Sena
###
F. Fishkin 16,
"Is the option
to buy a car
at a
dealership
going to
vanish? The
Dispatcher
publisher
Michael Sena
has a
provocative
perspective in
this edition
with
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser
& co-host
Fred Fishkin.
Plus..an
update on the
Amazon Zoox
deal,
autonomous
vehicles and
how they can
help battle
discrimination
in
transportation,
TuSimple,
Mobileye,
Uber, Tesla
and more." ... Alain SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast 164 Episode 164](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-164), [Zoom-Cast Episode 163](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxFEz8tqHJo&feature=youtu.be)
w/Robbie
Diamond
###
F. Fishkin, July 9, “Fostering economic opportunity through autonomous technology is the focus of an upcoming report from Security America’s Future Energy. Founder and CEO Robbie Diamond shares details and more in this edition with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus ..are armed police officers really needed for traffic enforcement? And the latest from Tesla, Waymo and more. …“ … Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 163, Zoom-Cast Episode 163 w/Henry Greenidge F. Fishkin, July 2, “Transportation, racial injustices and changing the thinking around the future of mobility. NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy & Research fellow Henry Greenidge joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin in an eye and mind opening episode of Smart Driving Cars. Plus Amazon, Zoox, Waymo, Tesla & more. .” … Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 162, Zoom-Cast Episode 162 w/Cliff Winston
###
F. Fishkin, June 25, “From the Brookings Institution, Cliff Winston, co-author of Autonomous Vehicles…The Road to Economic Growth? joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus..why are fatal crash rates rising in the midst of a pandemic…plus NVIDIA, Didi, Tesla and more.”
...
Alain
Roman""> DrivingTheDebate Episode 004 [Insurance: For or Against SmartDrivingCars?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHlPaNmjeag&feature=youtu.be)
###
F. Fishkin,
June 23, "But
the debate is
not really
about
technology nor
is it about
who delivers
the best value
for the money
or the most
privacy. It is
about ..."
-
Zoom-inar (Video replay) Insurance: For or Against SmartDrivingCars?
-
PodCast (Audio Only) Insurance: For or Against SmartDrivingCars?
Listen/Watch more Hmmm… We only scratched the surface. Alain SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 161, Zoom-Cast Episode 161 w/Alberto Stochino
###
F. Fishkin, June 17, “Is less data sometimes more when it comes to driverless vehicle technology? Perceptive Founder and CEO Alberto Stochino joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus the DOT’s new plan for sharing autonomous safety information, the latest from Tesla, EVs from China and more.” … Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 160, Zoom-Cast Episode 160 w/Jessica Cicchino
###
F. Fishkin, June 12, “Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Research VP Jessica Cicchino co-authored a new study saying self driving vehicles could struggle to eliminate most crashes. She joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to discuss the study. Plus the latest on Tesla, Ford & VW, Covid-19 and more. “ “Alexa, play the Smart Driving Cars podcast!”. Ditto with Siri, and GooglePlay … Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 159, Zoom-Cast Episode 159 w/Kara Kockelman
###
F. Fishkin, June 4, “Prof. Kara Kockelman’s focus on smart transportation to save lives, money and the environment has made her a sought after global expert. The U. of Texas Transportation Engineering Professor joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin on the impact of Covid-19 and much more. Plus Tesla, Uber, Argo AI and the top smart driving headlines. For more on Dr. Kockelman’s work….please visit… http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman.”
DrivingTheDebate Episode 003 Everyone’s for Connectivity; but… F. Fishkin, June 2, “But the debate is not really about technology nor is it about who delivers the best value for the money or the most privacy. It is about …”
Listen/Watch more Hmmm… We only scratched the surface. Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 158, Zoom-Cast Episode 158 w/Chunka Mui
###
F. Fishkin,
May 28, "In
the midst of
the Covid-19
pandemic, what
are the
smartest ways
to re-build
and plan for
the future?
Futurist and
author Chunka
Mui joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin for
that plus
Amazon, Zoox,
Intel
Mobileye,
Tesla, Uber
and more." SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 157](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-157),
[Zoom-Cast Episode 157](https://youtu.be/AQbuiJ70c7U)
w/Grayson
Brulte
F. Fishkin, May 21, “Global auto makers must completely re-think their autonomous mobility strategy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. So says innovation strategist Grayson Brulte of Brulte & Company….who joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus…Waymo, Tesla, Uber and more.”
###
DrivingTheDebate
Episode 002 [The Future of Public Roadway Transit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sqBZZzezUg) F.
Fishkin, May
14,
"Will the Bus
be Thrown
Under the
Bus?...
###
-
Zoom-inar Video (Video replay)Smart Driving Cars: The Future of Public Roadway Transit
-
PodCast (Audio Only) Smart Driving Cars: The Future of Public Roadway Transit
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 156, Cars Zoom-Cast Episode 156 w/Danny Shapiro2
###
F. Fishkin, May 14, “With new hardware and software capabilities NVIDIA is expanding into new areas of driver assistance technology. Sr. Director of Automotive Danny Shapiro joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that…plus the latest on Waymo, Voyage, Ford and more. listen and subscribe!” “Alexa, play the Smart Driving Cars podcast!”. Ditto with Siri, and GooglePlay … Alain
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 155, Zoom-Cast Episode 155 w/Alex Roy2
###
F. Fishkin, April 29, “The continuing impact of Covid-19 on autonomous vehicle progress. But it may not be all bad news. Alex Roy…host of the No Parking Podcast and Director of Special Operations at Argo AI joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus Tesla, Intel, Lyft, Uber and more. Listen and subscribe!”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 154, Zoom-Cast Episode 154 w/Dan Sperling
###
F. Fishkin, April 29, “Can ride sharing rebound after the pandemic? Daniel Sperling, founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus Tesla, Waymo, Ford and more.”
DrivingTheDebate
Episode 001 [The Driverless "New Normal" Debate](http://zoom-tank.com/) F.
Fishkin, April
27,
-
SmartDrivingCar PodCast (Audio Only) Smart Driving Cars: The Driverless New Normal Debate
-
Zoom Audience Questions (Only a few were addressed in Zoom-inar)
###
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 153, Zoom-Cast Episode 153 w/Dick Mudge2
###
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 152, Zoom-Cast Episode 152 w/Brad Templeton
###
SmartDrivingCars Podcast Episode 148 w/Richard Bishop
SmartDrivingCars Zoom-Cast Episode 148 w/Richard Bishop
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 147 - Michael Sena
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 142 - J. Hughes
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 141- A. Roy
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 139- Randal O’Toole
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 138-Nick Zart
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 136
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 135 - with Jim Atkinson
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 130 with Dick Mudge & Michael Sena
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 112 - J. Hardiman NJM
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 110 - Lance Elliot
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 108 3rd Summit Wrapup
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 106 3rd Summit David Kidd & Cecillia Feeley
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 104 3rd Summit Anil Lewis & Katherine Freund
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 97 - Michael Sena’69
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 71-Nader’55
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 69 - Chunka Mui
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 65 - Bernard Soriano, CA DMV
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 58-Keith Code,Motorcycles
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 55-Larry Burns, Autonomy
Recent Highlights of:
November 20,
2020
Active Driving Assistance Systems: Test Results and Design Recommendations
Staff, Nov.
2020, "In line
with Consumer
Reports'
mission to
create a fair,
safe, and
consumer-driven
marketplace,
this report
has been
written for
the industry
to provide
more
explanation
and guidance
on the state
of Active
Driving
Assistance
systems based
on our recent
evaluation.
While the
systems are
not equally
capable, and
may be
designed with
different
usage
intentions,
CR's
evaluation
focused on
real-world
driving
experience of
consumers,
keeping safety
at the
forefront. Our
goals:
● Support the creation of government policies and company practices to ensure that innovation and safety go hand-in-hand
● Use consumer
data to inform
the industry
of
best-practices
to aid in
development
● Influence
the safe
design,
testing, and
deployment of
systems
consumers will
like and use
● Advocate for
transparency
and clarity in
marketing and
consumer
education of
systems
In October
2020, Consumer
Reports
published
ratings of
Active Driving
Assistance
Systems,
defined as
systems that
allow the
driver to use
Adaptive
Cruise Control
(ACC) and Lane
Keeping
Assistance
(LKA) to
simultaneously
control both
the speed and
steering of
the vehicle.
An industry
webinar was
also
held...." [Read more](https://www.dropbox.com/s/8wpnt54t1t8xpfg/consumer-reports-active-driving-assistance-systems-november-16-2020.pdf?dl=0) Hmmmm.... A MUST read
along with "[Cadillac's Super Cruise Outperforms Other Driving Assistance Systems](https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/cadillac-super-cruise-outperforms-other-active-driving-assistance-systems/)". Most unfortunately, CR has not
picked up on
my main
complaint
about ACC:
Tapping of the
brakes by the
driver turns
off the ACC!
This is
BAD!!! Even
the hardest,
let alone the
slightest,
engagement of
the brakes
should NOT
turn off the
ACC. It should
ONLY
disengage the acceleration/throttle function of the ACC!
Tapping of the brakes by the driver is an indication that the driver no longer wishes to accelerate, NOT that the driver no longer wishes to slow down or stop. So why do these systems turn off ACC (which disengage both the acceleration and deceleration functions, rather than just turning off the acceleration/throttle function. (I think that I actually know why… it is an SAE “recommendation”. Just another reason why I don’t like the November 13, 2020
Road Charge Projects: California Four Phase Demonstration K. Pyle, Nov 12, “A key recommendation from the 2017 pilot was to explore whether paying at the pump could work for a road charge just like it does for the gas tax. How could the user experience be as easy as possible? With support from a federal Surface Transportation Funding Alternative grant, California will test how road charge can work with four technologies: usage-based insurance, ridesharing, electric vehicle charging stations/pay-at-the-pump systems, and autonomous vehicles.
Interested in
participating?
The
demonstration
will begin in
January 2021
and run for
six months.
Complete the [Contact Us](http://caroadcharge.com/engage/contact-us/) data
form to
express your
interest in
volunteering
for one or
more
demonstration
phases.... "
[Read more](http://www.caroadcharge.com/projects/california-four-phase-demonstration/?utm_source=California+Road+Charge+Education+Program+Interest+List&utm_campaign=e9c783daa5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_10_29_05_41&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_25691fa868-e9c783daa5-104440609) Hmmmm... New Jersey is seeking
volunteers for
its version of
this. Participation is easy. You will
enroll via a
quick, online
enrollment
process, plug
a mileage
reporting
device into
your vehicle
and drive.
During the
pilot, you
will receive
monthly
simulated
statements
that compare
what you pay
in current
state fuel
taxes to what
you could pay
in an MBUF
system. It is
okay if you
are not
driving as
much as you
typically
would because
of the
COVID-19
Pandemic.
Your driving
data and
feedback
provided
through
anonymous
online surveys
will help us
understand key
issues such as
privacy,
equity and
administrative
costs with an
MBUF system.
Please contact zenobia.fields@dot.nj.gov to participate and help n the New Jersey version. Use Subject: Please send, Body: Mileage-Base User Fee (MBUF) Demonstration registration information . We need volunteers. Thank you for helping. Alain
November 6,
Edmunds: Where are our self-driving cars?
W. Kaufman, Nov. 4, “Tesla recently made headlines with the beta launch of its Full Self-Driving system. That system comes with a disclaimer saying, “It may do the wrong thing at the worst time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel and pay extra attention to the road.â€
Tesla’s
system has
impressive
capabilities,
but it’s
definitely not
hands-free
driving. A few
years ago,
news stories
seemed to say
that
autonomous
vehicles were
just a few
years away.
Well, it’s
been a few
years and
autonomous
vehicles are,
alas, still in
the future.
Right now,
there is no
car on sale
that can drive
itself without
requiring the
driver to pay
attention to
the road and
be prepared to
take control
of the
vehicle. In
fact, some
automakers
have slowed
down their
timelines.
Here are three
reasons why
you can’t
buy a
self-driving
car today and
one place
you’re
likely to find
them first....
EDMUNDS SAYS:
You probably
won’t be
able to buy an
autonomous car
any time soon.
But expect
autonomous
fleet services
to begin
expanding in
the near
future." [Read more](https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/edmunds-driving-cars-74017111) Hmmmm... An now a change in
Washington...
Alain
October 30,
Sharing our safety framework for fully autonomous operations Waymo Team, Oct. 30, “On October 8th, Waymo opened its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the general public in Phoenix. Right now members of the public are hailing vehicles with no human driver controlling the car — either in the vehicle or remotely — to help them get to where they’re going as part of their everyday lives….” Read more Hmmmm…
Waymo’s Safety Methodologies and Safety Readiness Determinations N, Webb, Oct. 30, “As the world’s most experienced developer of automated driving systems (“ADSsâ€), Waymo has extensive experience in developing and applying state-of-the-art safety methodologies. Waymo’s methodologies help implement Waymo’s forward-looking safety philosophy: Waymo will reduce traffic injuries and fatalities by driving safely and responsibly, and will carefully manage risk as we scale our operations. Waymo’s safety methodologies, which draw on well established engineering processes and address new safety challenges specific to Automated Vehicle (“AVâ€) technology, provide a firm foundation for safe deployment of our Level 4 ADS, which we also refer to as the Waymo Driverâ„¢. Waymo’s determination of its readiness to deploy its AVs safely in different settings rests on that firm foundation and on a thorough analysis of risks specific to a particular Operational Design Domain (“ODDâ€)….” Read more Hmmmm… The process. Must read! Alain
Waymo Public Road Safety Performance Data M. Schwall, Oct. 30, “Waymo’s mission to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities and improve mobility for all has led us to expand deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) on public roads without a human driver behind the wheel. As part of this process, Waymo is committed to providing the public with informative and relevant data regarding the demonstrated safety of Waymo’s automated driving system (ADS), which we call the Waymo Driver….” Read more Hmmmm… The substance. Must read! …
I had the priveledge of reviewing Waymo’s most recent Safety Reports 1 , 2 (above)
In the past, safety reports by the AV community have largely been a response to NHTSA’s Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments and have, in my opinion, been largely public relations documents. While generally descriptive about the testing processes they contain very little, if any, substantive information about their safety related experience to-date focused exclusively on driverless operation.
Safe driverless operation is absolutely necessary for AVs to evolve from extremely expensive chauffeured rides to affordable mobility available to essentially anyone throughout an Operational Design Domain (ODD). Affordability requires that the mobility be delivered without a driver or attendant on-board the vehicle. Only passengers.
The decision to remove the driver/attendant rests in part on the shoulders of public safety regulators who need to allow such operation, but more importantly, on the shoulders of the real decision makers at the AV company. In the end, it is those AV company decision makers who will be held fully responsible for any lapse in the safety of the driverless operation. These decision makers are inside the AV companies and are, of course, privy to all the details and substance about their own safety related driverless operation, which, in the past, has not been shared in their Voluntary Safety Self-assessments.
My impression is that these just released Waymo Safety Reports contain the substantive information that clearly depicts Waymo’s safety-related driverless operational experience. To me, they read like internal documents meant to guide and inform internal decision makers to objectively decide if a sufficiently safe operational experience has been achieved in order to vote to fully accept the safety responsibility of driverless operation in their Operational Design Domain.
Given the information that is contained in these documents, it does not surprise me that Waymo decision makers have decided to proceed with driverless operation in the Phoenix Operational Design Domain. Had I had the responsibility of being one of the decision makers reviewing these documents, I would have also voted yes.
Alain
October 23,
2020
How Ford’s Next-Gen Test Vehicle Lays the Foundation for Our Self-Driving Business J. Davis, Oct 20, “Launching a self-driving service is complex. Many different pieces need to come together to create a trusted and scalable self-driving service that provides value to customers and the cities they operate in. At Ford, we are taking a thoughtful approach to how we bring together all these pieces to help shape the future of self-driving vehicles. One important part of this service is the vehicle, which will allow us to stand up our self-driving business.
Meet the
Fourth
Generation
Self-Driving
Test Vehicle:
Beginning to
roll out this
month, Ford
and Argo
AI‘s fourth-generation self-driving test vehicles are built on the Escape
Hybrid
platform and
feature the
latest
advancements
in sensing and
computing
technology.
The Escape
Hybrid is also
the
architecture
and platform
we have chosen
to use to
bring our
autonomous
vehicle
service
online....." [Read more](https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2020/10/ford-expands-stake-in-newly-public-velodyne-lidar/#:~:text=Ford%20has%20a%207.6%25%20stake,Lidar%20worth%20about%20%24227.2%20million.&text=The%20automaker%20revealed%20it%20owns,is%20worth%20approximately%20%24227.2%20million.) Hmmmm.... [See video](https://youtu.be/fZ102xfmH-Y).
Imprssive.
Listen/watch SmartDrivingCars [PodCast](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-180)
/ [ZoomCast](https://youtu.be/ngpKFmQNsxs)
with John
Rich. [CNBC's take](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/20/ford-unveils-new-self-driving-test-vehicle-for-2022-launch.html) as
well as [THe Detroit News](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2020/10/20/ford-argo-ai-chooses-hybrid-escape-self-driving-service/5993329002/).
Alain
[Ford Reveals Stake in Newly Public Velodyne Lidar](https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2020/10/ford-expands-stake-in-newly-public-velodyne-lidar/#:~:text=Ford%20has%20a%207.6%25%20stake,Lidar%20worth%20about%20%24227.2%20million.&text=The%20automaker%20revealed%20it%20owns,is%20worth%20approximately%20%24227.2%20million.) J.
Szczesny, Oct
7, "Ford Motor
Co.’s push
to broaden its
self-driving
vehicle
technology
portfolio, led
to it taking a
stake in a
Silicon Valley
company
developing
lidar systems
needed to help
guide
autonomous
vehicles.
The automaker
revealed it
owns a 7.6%
stake, or
13.06 million
shares, in
Velodyne
Lidar,
according to a
report filed
with the
Securities
Exchange
Commission.
With the
shares trading
at $17.40 per
share, the
stake is worth
approximately
$227.2
million. Ford
filed the
report to
remain
compliant with
the SEC...." [Read more](https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2020/10/ford-expands-stake-in-newly-public-velodyne-lidar/#:~:text=Ford%20has%20a%207.6%25%20stake,Lidar%20worth%20about%20%24227.2%20million.&text=The%20automaker%20revealed%20it%20owns,is%20worth%20approximately%20%24227.2%20million.) Hmmmm.... Interesting, but even
more
interesting is
the
SmartDrivingCars
[PodCast](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-179)
/ [ZoomCast](https://youtu.be/ngpKFmQNsxs)
with John
Rich. Alain
October 09,
2020 [Waymo starts to open driverless ride-hailing service to the public](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/08/waymo-starts-to-open-driverless-ride-hailing-service-to-the-public/)
K. Korosec,
Oct. 8,
"Waymo, the
Google
self-driving-project-turned-Alphabet
unit, is
beginning to
open up its
driverless
ride-hailing
service to the
public.
The company
said that
starting
today, members
of its Waymo
One service
will be able
to take family
and friends
along on their
fully
driverless
rides in the
Phoenix area.
Existing Waymo
One members
will have the
first access
to the
driverless
rides â€"
terminology
that means no
human behind
the wheel.
However, the
company said
that in the
next several
weeks more
people will be
welcomed
directly into
the service
through its
app, which is
available on
Google Play
and the App
Store.
Waymo said
that 100% of
its rides will
be fully
driverless
â€" which it
has deemed its
“rider
only†mode.
That 100%
claim requires
a bit of
unpacking. The
public
shouldn’t
expect
hundreds of
Waymo-branded
Chrysler
Pacifica
minivans â€"
no human
behind the
wheel â€" to
suddenly
inundate the
entire
600-plus
square miles
of the greater
Phoenix area..
..." [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/08/waymo-starts-to-open-driverless-ride-hailing-service-to-the-public/) Hmmmm... "...fully Driverless...".
That means
that Krafcik,
the Waymo
"Board",
Alphabet's
Board and all
the lawyers
have signed
off and
said... We are
safe enough to
basically bet
the ranch that
the expected
value of the
mobility that
we'll be
putting out on
the streets of
our
Operational
Design Domain,
which is under
our control,
is worth
whatever
expected risk
still exists
that some bad
things may
happen. That
is an enormous
hurdle that
has been
achieved by an
entity that
has an
enormous
ranch. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
It hasn't come
easy, nor has
it come
without intese
diligence and
effort. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Alain
October 09,
2020
ASSISTED DRIVING GRADINGS Staff, Oct. 2020 “On this page you will find the gradings of cars tested by Euro NCAP on automated driving technologies.
For its 2020
assessment of
Highway Assist
systems, Euro
NCAP has
developed
dedicated test
and assessment
protocols,
divided into
two main
areas:
Assistance
Competence,
based on the
balance
between Driver
Engagement and
Vehicle
Assistance,
and Safety
Backup...." [Read more](https://www.euroncap.com/en/ratings-rewards/assisted-driving-gradings/) Hmmmm....Look carefully at each
component of
the rating
system. NCAP
has chosen one
algorithmic
way of "adding
apples and
oranges" to
get their
rating.
Unfortunately
they don't
divulge the
secret
formula. To
me, it doesn't
seem to be
sufficiently
iweighted on
what I
consider to be
the most
important
element...
"Collision
Avoidance".
If the system
doesn't do
that well,
then why
bother being
good at
Consumer
Information
(unless that
information
says clearly
that the
system doesn't
work well".
If NCAP itself did a good job of Consumer Information then it would divulge its algorithm and allow the consumer to edit its weights to trade-off what the consumer believes is more or less important.
In all fairness, NCAP does divulge the individual performance values. With work, this is really valuable information. This is a must read! Alain September 25, 2020
[Proposal for a new UN Regulation on uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regards to Automated Lane Keeping System](https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9aa8x6p4rqjaxd/Level3RegulatonECE-TRANS-WP29-2020-081e.docx?dl=0)
UN Economic
& Social
Council, April
6, "The
intention of
the Regulation
is to
establish
uniform
provisions
concerning the
approval of
vehicles with
regard to
Automated Lane
Keeping
Systems
(ALKS).
ALKS
controls the
lateral and
longitudinal
movement of
the vehicle
for extended
periods
without
further driver
command. ALKS
is a system
whereby the
activated
system is in
primary
control of the
vehicle.
This
Regulation is
the first
regulatory
step for an
automated
driving system
(as defined in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1140) in traffic and it therefore provides innovative
provisions
aimed at
addressing the
complexity
related to the
evaluation of
the system
safety. It
contains
administrative
provisions
suitable for
type approval,
technical
requirements,
audit and
reporting
provisions and
testing
provisions.
ALKS
can be
activated
under certain
conditions on
roads where
pedestrians
and cyclists
are prohibited
and which, by
design, are
equipped with
a physical
separation
that divides
the traffic
moving in
opposite
directions and
prevent
traffic from
cutting across
the path of
the vehicle.
In a first
step, the
original text
of this
Regulation
limits the
operational
speed to 60
km/h maximum
and passenger
cars (M1
vehicles).
This
Regulation
includes
general
requirements
regarding the
system safety
and the
failsafe
response. When
the ALKS is
activated, it
shall perform
the driving
task instead
of the driver,
i.e. manage
all situations
including
failures, and
shall not
endanger the
safety of the
vehicle
occupants or
any other road
users. There
is however
always the
possibility
for the driver
to override
the system, at
any time.
The Regulation
also lays down
requirements
on how the
driving task
shall be
safely handed
over from the
ALKS to the
driver
including the
capability for
the system to
come to a stop
in case the
driver does
not reply
appropriately.
Finally, the
Regulation
includes
requirements
on the
Human-Machine
Interface
(HMI) to
prevent
misunderstanding
or misuse by
the driver.
The Regulation
for instance
requires that
on-board
displays used
by the driver
for other
activities
than driving
when the ALKS
is activated,
shall be
automatically
suspended as
soon as the
system issues
a transition
demand. These
measures are
without
prejudice to
driver
behaviour
rules on how
to use these
systems in the
Contracting
Parties as
currently
being
discussed by
the Global
Forum for Road
Traffic Safety
(WP.1) at the
time of
drafting this
document (See
e.g. Informal
Document 4
Revision 1 of
the
seventy-eight
session of
WP.1)...."[Read more](https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9aa8x6p4rqjaxd/Level3RegulatonECE-TRANS-WP29-2020-081e.docx?dl=0) Hmmmm.... A very important read
with many very
important
details and
this is just
for Automated
Lane Keeping
Systems (ALKS)
which is just
the 2nd (baby)
step, after
adaptive
cruise control
on the way of
"finishing"
Level 2 and
tip toeing
into Level 3
and beyond.
Thank you Russ
for bringing
this to my
attention.
Alain
September 11,
2020
Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ Falls Short of Its Name
M.
Monticello.
Sept. 8, The
features might
be cutting
edge, even
cool, but we
think buyers
should be wary
of shelling
out $8,000 for
what electric
car company
Tesla calls
its Full
Self-Driving
Capability
option. Tesla
claims every
new vehicle it
builds
includes all
the hardware
necessary to
be fully
autonomous,
and the
company says
that through
future
over-the-air
software
updates, its
cars should
eventually be
capable of
driving
themselves. .... Anytime anyone uses words
such as "Full"
the one thing
that you know
that they are
"Full" of is
.... "Full"
is about a
perception,
not a fact.
Even the
definition of
"autonomous"
has caveats
(or should I
say Full of
caveats?).
What I
interpret Elon
to be selling
is: sufficient
hardware
(sensors,
memory,
compute power
and
communications
bandwidth)
that, with
more elegant
software, may
be able to do
a way better
job in safely
driving a
car. What he
has never said
is that this
hardware plus
future
software is
going to be
good enough
for him to be
held
responsible if
something bad
happens when
the car is
being driven
by that
hardware and
software
combination.
That said,
lets move
on...
But for now,
Full
Self-Driving
Capability,
which includes
features that
can assist the
driver with
parking,
changing lanes
on the
highway, and
even coming to
a complete
halt at
traffic lights
and stop
signs, remains
a misnomer ...Yes!... Below,
we explain
each feature
in the suite,
its intended
use, and how
each performed
in our
tests.... "
[Read more](https://www.consumerreports.org/autonomous-driving/tesla-full-self-driving-capability-review-falls-short-of-its-name/) Hmmmm.... [See Video](https://www.consumerreports.org/autonomous-driving/tesla-full-self-driving-capability-review-falls-short-of-its-name/), [Watch Zoom-Cast](https://youtu.be/AfRb9B-9boc). Help with
parking....
no one parks
a good car
into a tight
parking place;
else, that
car's life as
a god car
rapidly
disappears.
Stupid Summon
is just
stupid... your
car is not
your dog and
certainly not
in the WalMart
parking lot.
(or should I
have said
WholePaycheck
parking lot)
Here puppy,
here puppy!
I really like what Consumer Reports has been doing on this front. Trying to help consumers understant what is what. Alain September 11, 2020
Autonomous vehicles could improve policing, public safety, and much more
###
August 20,
2020
[Creating Standards in an Environment of Mistrust](https://www.dropbox.com/s/6jm74a94rtyd4c0/The-Dispatcher_September-2020.pdf?dl=0)
###
The Biggest Self-Driving Truck Startup Stumbles in Hitting High Goals A. Efrati, July 22, “In just five years, TuSimple has become the biggest and most visible developer of self-driving trucks, raising more cash and putting more robotic big rigs on the road than any rival. High-profile customers including UPS have contracted to let TuSimple haul their cargo on the highway. Executives have forecast heady revenue and predicted that fully automated, driverless trucks are in sight.
Instead,
TuSimple has
fallen short
of
expectations,
hampered by
the same
technological
challenges
that have
afflicted
other
developers of
self-driving
vehicles. It
had predicted
several
hundred
million
dollars of
revenue by
this year, but
instead
acknowledges
revenue is
minimal,
according to
the
company’s
financial
projections
reviewed by
The
Information.
And it has
fallen short
of its
timeline for
removing human
backup
drivers,
repeatedly..,"
[Read more](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-biggest-self-driving-truck-startup-stumbles-in-hitting-high-goals) Hmmm....
I simply don't
understand why
they have to
be focusing on
Driverless
right from the
beginning.
There is
substantial
RoI for
Safe-driving
Trucks...
reduced
expected
liability
(~$10/truck/year);
improved
comfort,
quality of
work place,
reduced
anxiety, ...
of drivers
yielding
improved
driver
recruiting and
retention;
improved
on-time
deliveries;
... continue
to yield very
attractive
RoIs for just
for
Safe-driving
truck
technology,
aka "Level
1/2". Why
isn't tuSimple
starting with
this
technology to
build its
advanced
distribution
network????
Alain
OEMs Driving
Toward
Relevance or
Perdition
###
Fostering Economic Opportunity through Autonomous Vehicle Technology
Announcing 2020-2021 Fellow-in-Residence Henry L. Greenidge, Esq. Press release, June 24, “The McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University has announced transportation policy expert Henry L. Greenidge, Esq. as a 2020-2021 Fellow-in-Residence. …
“As New York
City and
cities around
the nation
reopen amid
COVID-19,
there is an
important
conversation
to be had
about the
intersection
of
transportation
policy with
poverty, race
and class. In
a field where
there are too
few thought
leaders of
color, Henry
Greenidge’s
industry
expertise and
distinguished
track record
of public
service make
him an
invaluable
addition to
the NYU
McSilver
team,†says
Michael A.
Lindsey, PhD,
MSW, MPH,
Executive
Director of
the institute.
“Race and
transportation
have been
inextricably
linked since
the first
slave ship
crossed the
Americas,â€
says Henry
Greenidge.
“As our
nation
continues to
grapple with
institutional
racism, which
serves as the
fabric for
every facet of
the United
States, the
inequities of
transportation
policies must
be at the
center. I am
humbled and
excited to be
working with
the McSilver
Institute to
unpack how
transportation,
race, and
poverty
intersect.."
[Read more](https://mcsilver.nyu.edu/henry-greenidge-fellow-in-residence/) Hmmm.... In
no uncertain
terms,
we must make
sure that
inequities and
racism are not
explicitly nor
even
implicitly
baked into
the
SmartDrivingCar
r/evolution.
We are still
at the very
beginning, so
it shouldn't
be hard nor
expensive but
so far it
doesn't look
good. The
emphasis has
been on giving
those that
already have
fantastic ways
to get around
one more way.
The focus
hasn't been on
the mobility
disadvantaged
and certainly
not on the
Black
community.
Just look
where the
testing has
been taking
place and the
folks that
take part in
the focus
groups and
those that are
given rides.
Look at who
designs and
writes the
software and
the
investors.
Sure, one can
and should
serve them,
but if public
policy is
going to play
a role, then
it can't bake
in more
inequities.
Moreover, the
private sector
can also step
up and realize
that these
systems can
readily serve
everyone. The
technology
that makes
SmartDrivingCars
possible is
not inherently
racists. It
can respect
and serve
everyone.
Henry and
others can
help make sure
that the
designers and
deployers of
SmartDrivingCars
don't
explicitly nor
implicitly
bake in racism
and bias.
Alain
[Motor Vehicle Fatality Rates Jump 36.6% in April Despite Quarantines, Says National Safety Council](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/motor-vehicle-fatality-rates-jump-36-6-in-april-despite-quarantines-says-national-safety-council-301082390.html#:~:text=Preliminary%20estimates%20from%20the%20National,same%20time%20period%20last%20year.)
Society of Actuaries Research Brief Impact of COVID-19, June 12, 2020
[Two-way Vehicle Connectivity is a Three-sided Coin That Everyone Wants to Own](https://www.dropbox.com/s/eyomgyelgm4q6fl/Sena_Two-way%20Vehicle%20Connectivity_2-3.pdf?dl=0)
[Luminaries Battle In Lincoln-Douglas Style Debate About The Future Of Self-Driving Cars](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2020/04/28/luminaries-battle-in-lincoln-douglas-style-debate-about-the-future-of-self-driving-cars/#35c0455028b6)
[What Negative Oil Prices Mean and How the Impact Could Last](https://www.nytimes.com/article/negative-oil-prices-facts-history.html)
Starsky Robotics Failed. Does That Mean Automated Trucking Is Dead? R. Bishop, Mar 24, “I met Stefan Seltz-Axmacher for the first time in November 2015 at the Florida Automated Vehicles Summit. Not long after, we met at the Blue Danube coffee shop in Alameda, CA so he could tell me about his vision for Starsky Robotics. When he energetically described his remote-driving-for-trucks approach, I was skeptical. “Remote driving is hard,†I said. “The military has struggled with this for years. Its harder than it looks.†On the technical side, latency for secure communications is challenging. On the operational side, re-creating enough on-road reality (situational awareness) for a remote driver is difficult when going for the high levels of safety needed. Seltz-Axmacher remained bullish on the approach and at that time went on to found Starsky Robotics as one of the earliest truck AV startups, later closing a $16.5M Series A funding round in March 2018, and then hauling freight while developing both remote and automated driving ability. Initially, Starsky’s concept was all about remote driving for first/last mile. They later expanded their offering to include fully automated highway driving on limited freight corridors.
Now, Starsky
has become the
first casualty
within a
crowded truck
automation
space, and
Seltz-Axmacher
has provided
us with an
intriguing
post-mortem in
a recent
Medium post.
Most of the
media coverage
I’ve seen
has acted as
echo chambers
for
Seltz-Axmacher’s
perspective.
Here I offer a
counterpoint
based on my
longtime
involvement in
truck
automation
plus
discussions
with many
others in the
truck
Automated
Driving
Systems (ADS)
startup space,
many of them
irate at what
they see as
unfounded
assertions
made in the
original post.
My sources
tell me that
because
Seltz-Axmacher
hasn't
experienced
their
technology nor
been briefed
on their
technical/safety
approach, he
has no basis
to make
sweeping
claims about
the entire
industry...."
[Read more](https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbishop1/2020/03/24/starsky-robotics-failed-does-that-mean-automated-trucking-is-dead/#51d50d840c84) Hmmmm... [Listen to PodCast 148](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-episode-148).
or/and [Watch us on YouTube](https://youtu.be/VkzPm5GwEz4).
Alain
Waymo suspends robotaxi service except for its truly driverless vehicles
“Urbs,†“Burbs,†and the Immigration Locomotive
J. Hughes, Feb 2020, “Even more so than the nation, the broad fourstate, 35-county metropolitan region centered on New York City (figure 1) is becoming afflicted by a condition of demographic stagnation. While the United States has been experiencing the lowest population growth rates since the Great Depression, the region has only recently (2016—2018) slipped into absolute population decline, spawned by domestic outmigration. The major counterforce forestalling a demographic catastrophe has been positive international migration. Immigration has become the primary source of population growth—the demographic locomotive. Without it, the region would have to bear fully the economic consequences of what has become a virtual domestic population hemorrhage—a vast exodus of regional residents moving to the rest of the country. This is just one dimension of endemic demographic change that has swept the post—Great Recession world….
The second new reset is a turnaround of the pattern evidenced in the 2010—2016 period, when population growth in the “urbs†surpassed that of the “burbs.†After dominating growth early in the decade (2010—2016), the core—the urban heart of the metropolitan region encompassing New York City and three adjacent counties in New Jersey—suddenly slipped into decline post-2016, causing the region as a whole to lose population. This is the latest transformation in what has become a transmillennial demographic roller coaster ride… “ Read more Hmmmm… Most interesting Demographic Dynamic. A must read. Alain
2020 Hyundai Sonata stars in Super Bowl ad all about ‘Smaht Pahk’
###
### Hmmmm… Reflections
A. Kornhauser, Jan 12, Hmmmm… Self-driving cars are hot and the OEMs are responding. I’m about to buy a new Subaru Outback and EyeSightis standard. It is no longer just AutoPilot or expensive options that car salesmen don’t sell. Car companies, as reflected in what is in showrooms and what was promoted at CES, have realized the comfort and convenience of Self-driving technology (cars that have a lot of the Safe-driving car features but also enable you to take your feet off the pedals and hands off the wheel at least for short periods of time. These technologies are really becoming the ‘chrome and fins’ that sell cars to individuals in the 2020s. The momentum is all behind that happening and there is little Washington or Trenton or Princeton Council can do about it. Hopefully part of that momentum will be to make these systems actually work well, especially the Automated Emergency Braking Systems (MUST quit assuming that all stationary objects in the lane ahead can be passed under and consequently each is disregarded. As Tesla is finding out, sometimes those objects are parked firetrucks.) and begin to put hard limits on over-speeding, tailgating and use while driver is impaired. Self-driving cars are unfortunately going to lead to substantial urban sprawl, increased VMT, increased congestion and do nothing to help the energy and pollution challenges of our addiction to the personal automobile. Only ‘Waymo-style Driverless’ (autonomousTaxis, (aTaxis)) tuned to entice ride-sharing can potentially stem the tide of ever more personal car ownership and ever expanding urban sprawl. Alain
A. Kornhauser, Jan. 6, Hmmmm… I’m in rehab and hope to go home on Wednesday morning. Thank you to so many of you for all the good wishes and prayers. They each helped. I’m looking to making a full recovery. Remember, if you don’t feel well, get evaluated by a doctor. I was totally clueless about what hit me from out of nowhere. Alain
[Chandler unveils drop-off, pick-up zone for self-driving cars](https://ktar.com/story/2852028/chandler-unveils-drop-off-pick-up-zone-for-self-driving-cars/) G.
Zetino, Nov.
25, ""It’s
about to get
easier for
self-driving
cars to drop
off and pick
up passengers
in Chandler.
The city of
Chandler, in
partnership
with Waymo, on
Friday
unveiled the
nation’s
first drop-off
and pick-up
zone for
autonomous
ride-hailing
cars.
Read more Hmmmm… The iconic image:
autonomousTaxi (aTaxi) stop facilitating true ride-sharing to any destination within the autonomous transit system’s Operational Design Domain. The first of what may well become a half million or so others. Each strategically located to be less that a 5 minute walk from essentially any of the billion or so person trip ends that are made on any typical day in the USA (outside of Manhattan (whose subway stations provide the comparable accessibility). Twenty million or so aTaxi vehicles could readily provide on-demand, share-ride mobility from these ~0.5M aTaxi stops. Provided would be essentially the same 24/7 on-demand level-of-service as we do for ourselves with our own conventional automobiles; however, this mobility would be affordably achieved using half the energy, creating half the pollution, eliminating essentially all the congestion, doubling conventional transit ridership and making such improved mobility available to those who today can’t or wish not to drive a conventional automobile. This is a MAJOR 1st. Alain
Self-driving car capital? One senator thinks it can be Florida
An Update on the Outlook for Automated Vehicle Systems
September 28,
2019 [Public forum will explore possibility of transit on demand in Princeton](https://planetprinceton.com/2019/09/22/public-forum-will-explore-possibility-of-transit-on-demand-in-princeton/)
August 17,
2019
Autonomous Vehicles: A View from Seniors
March 29, 2019
Automated vehicles could provide mobility to the ‘mobility disadvantaged’
Market Framework and Outlook for Automated Vehicle Systems
October 24,
New Jersey Pending Legislation re: Autonomous Vehicles
Oct 16, Establishes fully autonomous vehicle pilot program A4573 Sponsors: Zwicker (D16); Benson (D14)
Oct 16, EstablishesNew Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force AJR164 Sponsors: Benson (D14); Zwicker (D16); Lampitt (D6)
Oct 16, [Directs MVC to establish driver's license endorsement for autonomous vehicles A4541](https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/A5000/4541_I1.PDF)
Sponsors:
Zwicker (D16);
Benson (D14);
Lampitt
(D6)..." [Read more](https://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/NVIDIA-Self-Driving-Safety-Report-2018.pdf) Hmmmm....
Things are
beginning to
move in New
Jersey. Alain
Audio Recording of Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology - Monday, October 22, 2018 - 10:00:00 AM
June 12, 2018 [CPUC AUTHORIZES PASSENGER CARRIERS TO PROVIDE FREE TEST RIDES IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WITH VALID CPUC AND DMV PERMITS](http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M215/K467/215467801.PDF)
3, 2018
[Waymo’s fleet of self-driving minivans is about to get 100 times bigger](https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/31/17412908/waymo-chrysler-pacifica-minvan-self-driving-fleet)
May 25, 2018 [PRELIMINARY REPORT: HIGHWAY: HWY18MH010 (Uber/Herzberg Crash)](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/NTSBuberPreliminaryMay2018.pdf)
May 24, “About 9:58 p.m., on Sunday, March 18, 2018, an Uber Technologies, Inc. test vehicle, based on a modified 2017 Volvo XC90 and operating with a self-driving system in computer control mode, struck a pedestrian on northbound Mill Avenue, in Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona.
…The vehicle was factory equipped with several advanced driver assistance functions by Volvo Cars, the original manufacturer. The systems included a collision avoidance function with automatic emergency
braking, known
as City
Safety, as
well as
functions for
detecting
driver
alertness and
road sign
information.
All these
Volvo
functions are
disabled when
the test
vehicle is
operated in
computer
control..."[Read more](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/NTSBuberPreliminaryMay2018.pdf)
Hmmmm....
Uber must
believe that
its systems
are better at
avoiding
Collisions and
Automated
Emergency
Braking than
Volvo's.
At least this
gets Volvo
"off the
hook".
“…According to data obtained from the self-driving system, the system first registered radar and LIDAR observations of the pedestrian about 6 seconds before impact, when the vehicle was traveling at 43 mph…” (= 63 feet/second) So the system started “seeing an obstacle when it was 63 x 6 = 378 feet away… more than a football field, including end zones!
“…As the vehicle and pedestrian paths converged, the self-driving system software classified the pedestrian as an unknown object, as a vehicle, and then as a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path…” (NTSB: Please tell us precisely when it classified this “object’ as a vehicle and be explicit about the expected “future travel paths.” Forget the path, please just tell us the precise velocity vector that Uber’s system attached to the “object”, then the “vehicle”. Why didn’t the the Uber system instruct the Volvo to begin to slow down (or speed up) to avoid a collision? If these paths (or velocity vectors) were not accurate, then why weren’t they accurate? Why was the object classified as a “Vehicle” ?? When did it finally classify the object as a “bicycle”? Why did it change classifications? How often was the classification of this object done. Please divulge the time and the outcome of each classification of this object. In the tests that Uber has done, how often has the system mis-classified an object as a “pedestrian”when the object was actually an overpass, or an overhead sign or overhead branches/leaves that the car could safely pass under, or was nothing at all?? (Basically, what are the false alarm characteristics of Uber’s Self-driving sensor/software system as a function of vehicle speed and time-of-day?)
“…At 1.3 seconds before impact, (impact speed was 39mph = 57.2 ft/sec) the self-driving system determined that an emergency braking maneuver was needed to mitigate a collision” (1.3 x 57.2 = 74.4 ft. which is about equal to the braking distance. So it still could have stopped short.
“…According to Uber, emergency braking maneuvers are not enabled while the vehicle is under computer control, to reduce (eradicate??) the potential for erratic vehicle behavior. …” NTSB: Please describe/define potential and erratic vehicle behavior Also please uncover and divulge the design & decision process that Uber went through to decide that this risk (disabling the AEB) was worth the reward of eradicating “ “erratic vehicle behavior”. This is fundamentally BAD design. If the Uber system’s false alarm rate is so large that the best way to deal with false alarms is to turn off the AEB, then the system should never have been permitted on public roadways.
“…The vehicle operator is relied on to intervene and take action. “ Wow! If Uber’s system fundamentally relies on a human to intervene, then Uber is nowhere near creating a Driverless vehicle. Without its own Driverless vehicle Uber is past “Peak valuation”.
“…The system is not designed to alert the operator. “ That may be the only good part of Uber’s design. In a Driverless vehicle, there is no one to warn, so don’t waste your time. If it is important enough to warn, then it is important enough for the automated system to start initiating things to do something about it. Plus, the Driver may not know what to do anyway. This is pretty much as I stated in PodCast 30 and the 24 edition of May 10, 2018
March 24,
2018 [Experts say video of Uber's self-driving car killing a pedestrian suggests its technology may have fail](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-uber-death-video-20180321-story.html)
April 17, 2017
Don’t Worry, Driverless Cars Are Learning From Grand Theft Auto
Extracting Cognition out of Images for the Purpose of Autonomous Driving
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 especially at the 13:12 mark. Compelling; especially after the 60 Minutes segment above! Also see his TipRanks. Alain
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