2021-12-05
December 4, 2021 blue; text-decoration: blue; text-decoration: none;”>44th edition of the 9th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
???????????????????
Press release, Dec. 6, “///////… “Read more Hmmmm… Expecting a Press Release, but it hasn’t hatched, so I’m not counting the chicken. 🙁 Maybe Monday. 😎 Alain
SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 244](https://anchor.fm/smartdrivingcars/episodes/Smart-Driving-Cars-Episode-244-e1b54me),
[Zoom-Cast Episode 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQkIfDRx4s)[44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQkIfDRx4s) w/Michael
Sena... [Germany's Automotive Industry in Transition](https://www.dropbox.com/s/jrb9v5qrh05l1ms/The%20Dispatcher_December%202021.pdf?dl=0)…
###
###
F. Fishkin, Dec. 2, “Germany’s Automotive Industry in Transition… Consultant and The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena shares his insights on the rapid shifts taking in place in Germany and globally and what they will mean for mobility and transportation. Join us for episode 244 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin”.
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
initiative
https://www.cartsmobility.com/ provides technical support
###
December 2021
Issue: [Germany's Automotive Industry in Transition](https://www.dropbox.com/s/jrb9v5qrh05l1ms/The%20Dispatcher_December%202021.pdf?dl=0)
M. Sena, Dec. 1, “Germany’s automotive industry is important for the country’s economy, the welfare of a large number of its citizens and for the prestige of the nation. It is also very important for Europe as a whole. VW, DAIMLER and BMW had total 2020 revenue of €476 billion and hold respectively positions 2, 3 and 8 amongst the largest companies in the EU…
Hydroelectric power has not disappeared, but it isn’t directly driving machines; it’s driving turbines to generate electricity. If you are among those who classify hydroelectric power as a renewable energy source (a club in which I am not a member), then it is interesting to note that hydropower accounts for 70% of global electricity production from renewable sources. But it definitely is not top of the list of investments recommended for high returns. Solar and wind are the darlings of investors. But imagine what would have happened if electricity had not been invented and we got stuck on steam. Hydropower would have disappeared completely. Now imagine if the internal combustion engine didn’t make it out of the lab and electric- and steam-driven engines continued to compete for investments. What happens to TESLA’s stock, which is now trading at just over a $1,000/share (it was up to $1,239 on the 4th of November!) if the U.S. decides that it will stop financing its rival’s military buildup by banning the sale of all battery electric cars using lithium-ion batteries or any other material on which its rival holds a monopoly. Or, what happens if the country that currently has the monopoly decides not to sell batteries or allow the sale of any of the raw materials that are used to make batteries?
Steam trains got the chance to pull coal cars when the price of oats that fed the horses became prohibitively high due to the wars in which Britain was engaged. Anybody who owned stock in a steam engine company did very well at that point. But if that company tried to buck the ICE trend and continue to build steam trucks, like SENTINEL and FODEN, the paper was eventually worthless…” Read more Hmmmm… Once again,excellent fundamentals here. Read, learn and enjoy! Also check out our SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 244, Zoom-Cast Episode 244 w/Michael Sena, Editor of The Dispatcher, Alain
2021 FAV Summit NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 1
The 9th Annual Florida Automated Vehicles Summit will be hosted by the Central Florida Expressway Authority in Orlando, Florida November 29- December 1, 2021….. “ Read more Hmmmm… I really enjoyed my 1st live conference in two years (which was FAV 2019). The conference was well attended and included primarily substantive discussions on the opportunities and reaming challenges of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance), Driverless mobility of both people and goods and EVs.
Highlights included Alex Roy’s “Who will Win the Self-driving car Race” ( that I hope he’ll repeat in my class on Monday 😎), Carla Bailo’s “Lessons in Automotive Research” (one of her tildes showed New Jersey tied with Mississippi for last in the nation in AV achievement boxes checked. Hopefully that slide will be in need of some updating in the near future) , an excellent panel on “Future of Agriculture” moderated by Jay Rogers and the several panels moderated by Grayson Brulte. Hopefully presentations and recordings of free flowing discussions will be made public.
Warmest congratulations to Senator Jeff Brandes and everyone else on an excellent conference. Alain
Building for Scale: When it comes to safety, it’s important to plan for expansion
Nat Beuse,
Dec. 2, "...
No company
that's serious
about pulling
its driver and
delivering
this
technology at
scale can move
forward
without having
a clear
roadmap for
safety. It's
not enough to
just talk
about safety,
and it's not
enough to just
have any
Safety Case
Framework
(though that's
a great first
step). A
robust
framework
needs to be
both
comprehensive
and built for
scale. It
needs to
support the
product and
the company
from early
development to
large-scale
deployment.
Ours does.
Aurora's [Safety Case Framework](https://aurora.tech/blog/aurora-unveils-first-ever-safety-case-framework)
is the first
Framework that
applies to
both
autonomous
trucks and
passenger
vehicles, and
the only one
that's been
shared
publicly. A
unique
property of
our Safety
Case
Framework, we
believe, is
that it is not
targeted at
just being
able to
conduct a safe
demo once or
twice; it's
about safely
launching a
commercial
fleet and
growing that
to a very
large scale.
..." [Read more](https://aurora.tech/blog/building-for-scale-when-it-comes-to-safety-its-important) Hmmmm...
This perspective is VERY important. In order to have
any hope of
scaling
driverless
mobility, one
must deliver
mobility
without
incurring
anything but
modest
incremental
labor costs.
Hence safe
mobility must
be delivered
without a
human driver
or attendant.
Nat presents a
potential
framework for
achieving the
expectation
that safe
mobility can
be delivered
with the
presence of a
driver or an
attendant.
Alain
San Francisco agency opposes Cruise robotaxi application, citing safety
P. Dave, Dec.
1, "San
Francisco's
public transit
operator has
challenged an
application by
Cruise to
charge for
robotaxi
rides, saying
on Wednesday
promotional
videos from
the General
Motors Co
(GM.N) unit
show Cruise
passengers
illegally
hopping in and
out of
vehicles in
the middle of
the street
instead of at
the curb.
The San
Francisco
Municipal
Transportation
Agency (SFMTA)
said in a
24-page letter
that the
recent videos
from Cruise
show the
self-driving
technology
company is
allowing
unlawful
behavior that
also endangers
people nearby
and slows down
buses, agency
director Jeff
Tumlin said.
The agency
also blasted
Cruise's
application
for failing
to plan
service in
low-income and
minority
neighborhoods
or to
accommodate
wheelchairs....
" [Read more](https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/san-francisco-agency-opposes-cruise-robotaxi-application-citing-safety-2021-12-01/#:~:text=The%20San%20Francisco%20Municipal%20Transportation,agency%20director%20Jeff%20Tumlin%20said.) Hmmmm... In New Jersey we want to
start by
providing
transit in "low-income and minority
neighborhoods" 😎. Maybe GM-Cruise should
seriously
consider
coming to New
Jersey. Alain
Nuro, Waymo bring autonomous deliveries to California
B. Wessling, Dec. 1, “Nuro and Waymo are launching two of the first ever autonomous delivery services in California. Nuro’s self-driving delivery service launched today, and Waymo plans to launch its self-driving grocery delivery service in early 2022.
Nuro is
starting
deliveries
with its
self-driving
Prius', which
will operate
autonomously
but have a
human safety
driver behind
the driver's
seat just in
case. The
company plans
to eventually
deliver with
its R2
delivery
vehicles....
" [Read more](https://www.therobotreport.com/nuro-waymo-bring-autonomous-deliveries-to-california/) Hmmmm...
Nuro with a
safety driver
and Waymo in
early 2022, so
both are gonna
be autonomous
deliveries,
aka very
expensive
deliveries,
for the time
being. When
will these
deliveries
become
affordable aka
... cost less
than what
customers are
happy to pay?
Alain
Waymo has tens of thousands people on San Francisco robotaxi waitlist, co-CEO says
P. Dave, Dec.
3, "Waymo has
given hundreds
of people
robotaxi rides
since its test
rollout in San
Francisco in
August, with
tens of
thousands more
residents on a
waitlist, the
Alphabet Inc
(GOOGL.O)
company's
co-chief
executive said
on Friday at
the Reuters
Next
conference.
Waymo is among
a small number
of companies
around the
world that
have billions
of dollars in
financing to
develop
self-driving
cars and
trucks.
But progress
toward
wide-scale
service has
been slow. San
Francisco, a
city of nearly
900,000
people, ... "
[Read more](https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2021-12-03/waymo-has-tens-of-thousands-people-on-san-francisco-robotaxi-waitlist-co-ceo-says#:~:text=Technology%20News-,Waymo%20Has%20Tens%20of%20Thousands%20People%20on,Robotaxi%20Waitlist%2C%20Co%2DCEO%20Says&text=Waymo%20has%20deliberately%20selected%20diverse,San%20Francisco%20riders%20are%20women.) Hmmmm...Excellent! but (10s of
thousands)/900,000
=~ single
digit % ...
but it is a
start. I
wonder what is
that ration in
Chandler?
Alain
Miami rescinds its short-lived ban on shared electric scooters
A. Hawkins, Nov. 29, “The Miami City Commission voted to end its short-lived ban on shared electric scooters Monday after some new safety measures were put in place…. “ Read more Hmmmm… OK Alain
Tesla announces all-electric $1,900 Cyberquad for kids
T. Warren,
Dec. 2, "
Tesla has
quietly
launched a
$1,900
four-wheel ATV
for kids. The
Cyberquad for
Kids is
available to
order right
now from
Tesla's
website, and
will begin
shipping in
two to four
weeks. The
surprise
announcement
comes more
than two year
after Tesla
announced a
fullsize
Cyberquad ATV
to compliment
its futuristic
Cybertruck.
The Cyberquad
has not yet
shipped.
This new
pint-sized
Cybersquad is
designed for
kids 8 years
old and up,
and ones that
have parents
that can
afford to buy
them a $1,900
ATV. It
includes a
steel frame,
cushioned
seat, and
adjustable
suspension
with rear disk
braking.
There's even
LED light bars
to complete
the cyberpunk
aesthetics.
This
all-electric
ATV has a top
speed of
10mph, and the
battery will
power up to 15
miles of
range.... " [Read more](https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/2/22813719/tesla-cyberquad-for-kids-pricing-features-availability) Hmmmm...
As if rich
kids didn't
have enough
toy options.
Alain
Tesla pushes new Full Self-Driving Beta update with improved object detection
F. Lambert,
Dec. 4 ".Tesla
has started to
push a new
Full
Self-Driving
Beta software
update
(version 10.6)
to its fleet
with improved
object
detection.
It's the
latest step in
the long road
to improve the
FSD package
and deliver on
a promise to
customers that
has been
delayed
several
times...." [Read more](https://electrek.co/2021/11/23/tesla-asks-full-self-driving-beta-to-accept-being-recorded-crash-safety-risk/) Hmmmm...
Seems as if Tesla's FSD team should be doing more
internal
testing and
spreading out
their releases
until they can
demonstrate
substantive
improvements
rather than a
high frequency
"...two
steps forward,
one step back"
type of
program
..." Alain
+++++++++++++++++++
5th Annual SmartDrivingCars Summit: Deployment of Equitable Affordable, High Quality Mobility throughout New Jersey
Date Change: Thursday evening, May 5, through Saturday May 7, 2022. Live in Trenton, New Jersey.
“Everything” was going well wrt the 5th Summit Nov 18->20; however…
Time is very short, we must focus on the election and the realities of where we remain with Covid really put cold water on some aspects of our vision for November.
Consequently. I’ve become convinced that it is very much better, that we take our time and reschedule for the first week on May 2022 rather than rush for what isn’t as good as could be.
By May we will have received responses to our upcoming https://www.cartsmobility.com/ for “Equitable … Mobility in Trenton”. We will thus have a better idea on “Who”, from the “What & How” communities, “Want & Can” Deploy “Equitable … Mobility” starting in Trenton with real expectations of scaling throughout New Jersey.
In May the [5th Summit](https://www.cartsmobility.com/summit)
can better
achieve its
fundamental
purpose by
allowing all
of us in New
Jersey to
better learn
from others
around the
world the
"Whats &
Hows" and have
the possible
"Whos" get a
better
appreciation
of the "Equitable
... Mobility"
desires
of Trentonians
and other New
Jersians.
Rescheduling the Summit to be between the RfI and the RfP steps of our Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Deployment Process, will better enable our Community Engagement initiative to shape our ultimate deployment. We’ll thus deliver even better mobility equitably and best improve quality-of-life in Trenton and throughout New Jersey.
Please pencil into your calendar the new dates of May 5 (Thursday evening) though May 7 (Trenton Mobility Festival Saturday). 😎 Please let me know if these dates work for you.
Sorry about the delay, but many will be relieved by this change. Plus, early May is really nice in NJ.😁
Alain
This 5th Summit is inspired by the many levels of public-sector, community and neighborhood welcoming and support that now exists in New Jersey for the deployment of equitable, affordable, high-quality mobility. This is now made possible by automated driving technology that is especially targeted to serve those who, for whatever reason, don’t have access to their own personal car.
The Princeton SDC Summits were initiated in 2017 to provide a venue for the open discussion of how technology, in particular automation, can be shaped to improve mobility of people and goods between and within cities. Early on, we realized that this form of mobility could easily provide yet another alternative to those who are fortunate enough to enjoy one or many high quality mobility options.
But, more importantly, it became obvious that substantial improvement in quality-of-life and equitable mobility can readily be made available to the un-served and under-served. Those who cannot drive themselves, cannot afford the transport alternatives that exist for them, or who live in areas where, for either economic or other reasons, neither public nor private desirable forms of transport are offered. Furthermore, such initial Operational Design Domains (OODs) can be readily expanded and replicated to allow the vast investments continuing to be made in this technology to actually yield their envisioned societal and financial benefits.
The recently completed 4th Summit set the groundwork for these initial deployments to benefit under-served communities. Communities with many households having access to one or fewer cars and with challenged transit alternatives. We concluded the 4th Summit by envisioning a deployment throughout Trenton, NJ, a community where 70% of the households have access to one or fewer cars.
We believe that Trenton is a perfect ODD to begin to deliver Equitable, Affordable, High-quality Mobility, in addition to being environmentally responsible, safe and comfortable.
The opportunity to expand throughout Mercer County and replicate this deployment scenario throughout the State exists. This deployment will serves as a blueprint for the future for many other “Trentons” of this world.
The groundwork set by the 4th Summit and the NJ Autonomous Vehicle Task Force has enabled us to create a “most welcoming environment” in New Jersey for creating a Public-Private Partnership to deliver this enhanced mobility to the residents of Trenton and all New Jersians. The 5th Summit will focus directly on deploymentin Trenton and will take place in Trenton. We also envision its expansion throughout Mercer County and its replication in and around New Jersey’s other major cities.
The Technical portion of the summit will be in the morning, through lunch, of Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7.
Sessions will be free of charge but will require advance registration, as seating will be limited.
The Societal portion focused on engaging the customers of this form of mobility, featuring descriptions, discussions, interactions, exhibits and technology demonstrations, will be free and open to the public, with preference given to Trenton residents on Friday and residents of Mercer County and the rest of New Jersey on Saturday. Link to Sponsorship Opportunities Link to Draft Program Link to Registration
C’mon Man!(These folks didn’t get/read the memo)
Sunday Supplement
Half-Baked
Click-Bait
More On….
Re-see: Pop Up Metro USA Intro 09 2020
H. Poser’77, Sept 13, 2020. “Creating Value for Light Density Urban Rail Lines” . See slides, See video Hmmmm… Simply Brilliant. Alain
4thAnnual PrincetonSmartDrivingCar Summit It is over!!! Now time to actually do something in the Trentons of this world.
Making Driverless Happen: The Road Forward (Updated)
K. Pyle, April
18, "It's time
to hit the
start button,"
is [Fred Fishkin's](https://www.techstination.com/) succinct
way of
summarizing
the next steps
in the Smart
Driving Car
journey.
Fiskin, along
with the LA
Times' [Russ Mitchell](https://twitter.com/russ1mitchell?lang=en) co-produced
the final
session of
the [2021 Smart Driving Car Summit, Making It Happen: Part 2](https://orfe.princeton.edu/conferences/sdc/session/20210415).
This 16th and
final session
in this
multi-month
online
conference not
only provided
a s[ummary of the thought-provoking speakers](https://viodi.com/2021/04/18/making-driverless-happen-the-road-forward/),
but also
provided food
for thought on
a way forward
to bring
mobility to
"the Trentons
of the World."
Setting the
stage for this
final session,
Michael Sena
provided
highlights of
the Smart
Driving Car
journey that
started in
late December
2020. Safety,
high-quality,
and affordable
mobility,
particularly
for those who
do not have
many options,
was a common
theme to the
2021 Smart
Driving Car
Summit. As
Princeton
Professor
Kornhauser,
the conference
organizer put
it,....." [Read more](https://viodi.com/2021/04/18/making-driverless-happen-the-road-forward/) Hmmmm.... We had another
excellent
Session.
Thank you for
the summary,
Ken! Alain
Ken Pyle’s Session Summaries of 4th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit:
14th Session What Will Power Safely-driven Cars
13th Session Improving the Moving of Goods
12th Session 3/18/21 Human-centered Design of Safe and Affordable Driverless Mobility
11th Session 3/11/21 Incentivizing Through Regulation
10th Session 3/04/21 Incentivizing Through Insurance
9th Session 2/25/21 Can Level 3 be Delivered?
8th Session 2/18/21 Who Will Build, Sell and Maintain Driverless Cars?
Michael Sena’s Slides, Glenn Mercer Slides
7th Session 2/11/21 Finally Doing It
6th Session 2/ 4/21 Safe Enough in the Operational Design Domain
5th Session 1/28/21 At the Tipping Point
4th Session 1/21/21 Why Customers are Buying Them
3rd Session 1/14/21 The SmartDrivingCars We Can Buy Today
2nd Session1/ 7/21 A Look into the Future1st Session:12/17/20Setting the Stage
Kornhauser & He, April 2021“Making it Happen: A Proposal for Providing Affordable, High-quality, On-demand Mobility for All in the “Trentons” of this World”
Orf467F20_FinalReport “Analyzing Ride-Share Potential and Empty Repositioning Requirements of a Nationwide aTaxi System” Kornhauser & He, March 2021 “AV 101 + Trenton Affordable HQ Mobility Initiative”
###
Calendar of Upcoming
Events
5th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit
Thursday (evening), May 5, Welcome Reception (Registration required)
Friday, May 6, Equitable Mobility Innovation Forum (Registration required)
Saturday, May 7, Equitable Mobility Festival (Open to All)
Trenton, NJ
Live in Person
On the More Technical Side http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
K. Lockean’s AV Research Group at U of Texas
and The SYMPOSIUM ON THE FUTURE NETWORKED CAR 2021 VIRTUAL EVENT
R. Shields, 22 - 25 March, “Recordings from the conference: Session 1 plus opening: (Regulatory): https://youtu.be/UcDC8gXiUFk
Session 2: ([Cybersecurity](https://youtu.be/ppp2hxlvebY)): [https://youtu.be/ppp2hxlvebY](https://youtu.be/ppp2hxlvebY)
Session 3: [(Automated Driving Systems](https://youtu.be/uL2dRHuX2Cc)): [https://youtu.be/uL2dRHuX2Cc](https://youtu.be/uL2dRHuX2Cc)
Session 4: [(Communications for ADS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFQcL6yfBso)) : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFQcL6yfBso](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFQcL6yfBso) [Read more](https://www.itu.int/en/fnc/2021/Pages/default.aspx) Hmmmm...
Russ, thank
you for
sharing!
Alain
###
These editions re sponsored by the SmartETFs Smart Transportation and Technology ETF, symbol MOTO. For more information head to www.motoetf.com
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 243, Zoom-Cast Episode 243 Progress with Driverless
###
###
F. Fishkin, Nov. 26, “AutoX advances with fully driverless RoboTaxis in China, Gatik and Walmart are doing full driverless deliveries in Arkansas, Tesla full self driving custsomers have to agree to company access to video inside and out. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more on Episode 243 of Smart Driving Cars”.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 242, Zoom-Cast Episode 242 w/Gabe Hinton & Dick Mudge
###
###
F. Fishkin, Nov. 16, “LexisNexis Risk Solutions has determined that advanced driver assistance systems are helping insurers. Should they lower premiums? Senior Scientist and researcher Gabe Hinton joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser, co-host Fred Fishkin and Dick Mudge from Compass Transportation and Technology for a look at the issues.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 241, Zoom-Cast Episode 241 w/Danny Shapiro, nVIDIA
###
###
F. Fishkin, Nov. 11, “NVIDIA’s GTC GPU Technology Conference was filled with innovations that can change lives…and save lives. The company’s CEO declared someday everything that moves will be autonomous…either fully or mostly. NVIDIA Automotive VP Danny Shapiro joins Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin for the latest Smart Driving Cars. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 240, Zoom-Cast Episode 240 AEB&FSD
###
###
F. Fishkin, Nov. 6, “Tesla, full self driving and the need for a fix. Cruise goes driverless in San Francisco, Waymo Driver heads to NYC while Aurora debuts on Wall Street. That and more in episode 240 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 239, Zoom-Cast Episode 239 w/Michael Sena, Editor of The Dispatcher
###
###
F. Fishkin, Oct 28, “Will there be an uprising if a crush of electric vehicles results in overwhelmed power grids? The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin to dive into the issues. Plus the latest on Tesla, the Hertz and Uber deals and more.”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 238, Zoom-Cast Episode 238 w/Chunk Mui, Futurist
###
###
F. Fishkin,Oct 18, “With his new book “A Brief History of a Perfect Future..Inventing the World We Can Proudly Leave Our Kids by 2050”, author and futurist Chunka Mui informs us how rapidly advancing technology can solve many problems including mobility and transportation. The questions? And a surprise offer from Chunka (keep watching) …in Episode 238 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin. Or you can listen to episode 238 of Smart Driving Cars”.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 237, Zoom-Cast Episode 237 Aurora aTaxi & aTrucking
###
F. Fishkin,Oct 18, “Aurora is planning subscription services for autonomous trucking & ride hailing. Passenger buttons to stop and start are part of Motional’s planned self driving taxi experience. And Tesla’s Texas insurance rates to be based on real time driving behavior. Plus more in Episode 237 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin.”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 236, Zoom-Cast Episode 236 w/Russ Mitchell, LA Times Staff Writer
###
F. Fishkin, Sept. 30, “The Tesla automatic braking mystery. Los Angeles Times reporter Russ Mitchell joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to to explore the questions surrounding automatic emergency braking in Teslas and other cars. The systems have to work before there can be autonomous mobility. Plus GM unveils Ultra Cruise, the 5th annual Princeton Smart Driving Car Summit moves to May and actor William Shatner prepares for liftoff.”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 235, Zoom-Cast Episode 235 w/Michael Sena, Editor, The Dispatcher
###
F. Fishkin, Sept. 30, “So what is a car company? Appearances can be deceiving. Join The Dispatcher publisher & consultant Michael Sena on Episode 235 of Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin. Plus much more on the upcoming summit and mobility for all… “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 234, Zoom-Cast Episode 234 1st Preview of 5th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit
###
F. Fishkin, Sept. 26, “Tesla reportedly has built 300 thousand cars in Shanghai so far this year despite the chip shortage. FedEx & Aurora partner for autonomous trucking in Texas. And dramatic developments in advance of the upcoming 5th annual Princeton Smart Driving Car Summit. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Tune in to Smart Driving Cars… and subscribe..”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 233, Zoom-Cast Episode 233 w Prof. Adriano Alessandriniat the U. of Florence
###
F. Fishkin,
Sept. 18 "What
will it take
to deliver
autonomous
mobility for
all? For one
thing,
improved road
systems, says
Professor
Adriano
Alessandrini
at the
University of
Florence.
The author of
The Role of
Infrastructure
for a Safe
Transition to
Automated
Driving joins
Princeton's
Alain
Kornhauser
& co-host
Fred Fishkin
for a spirited
discussion on
that, plus
Waymo and new
details on
bringing new
mobility to
New Jersey and
the upcoming
Princeton
Smart Driving
Car SmartDrivingCars
[Pod-Cast Episode 232](https://anchor.fm/smartdrivingcars/episodes/Smart-Driving-Cars-Episode-232-Can-cameras-alone-get-to-driverless-mobility-e16tilm)[,](https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-230-with-tim-higgins-author-of-power-play) [Zoom-Cast Episode 232](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeGxqFemSWw)
w [Steven Shladover](https://path.berkeley.edu/steven-e-shladover)
###
F. Fishkin, Sept. 4 “Cameras alone aren’t enough to get Tesla or anyone else to driverless mobility. So says UC Berkeley’s Steven Shladover, a leading autonomous vehicle research engineer. He joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that plus the need for more regulation from Washington, Waymo, Cruise, Toyota, Motional and more. Watch or listen to Smart Driving Cars Episode 232 and subscribe!”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 231, Zoom-Cast Episode 231 w Michael Sena, Creator of The Dispatcher
###
F. Fishkin, Aug 27, “What’s wrong with the concept of building electric vehicles on a skateboard type platform? Consultant and The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that…plus Tesla, Waymo and more. And the next Princeton Smart Driving Cars Summit is on the way. Watch or listen…and subscribe! Or listen.”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 230, Zoom-Cast Episode 230 w/Tim Higgins, author: POWER PLAY: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century
###
F. Fishkin, Aug 21, “Teslas, Humanoids and Elevators! What Elon Musk and Tesla delivered at AI Day 2021 was insight into the company’s remarkable technology and that may boost recruiting efforts. So says Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser who is joined by co-host Fred Fishkin and guest Tim Higgins of the Wall Street Journal, author of POWER PLAY… Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century. AI Day, the NHTSA investigation and Elon Musk hops on the elevator on Episode 230 of Smart Driving Cars!
Or you can
listen to
Episode 230 of
Smart Driving
Cars on
Tesla's AI Day
and more with
guest Tim
Higgins of the
Wall Street
Journal
..author of [POWER PLAY... Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century](https://anchor.fm/smartdrivingcars/episodes/Smart-Driving-Cars-Episode-230-Teslas--Humanoids-and-Elevators-e168g34).
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 229, Zoom-Cast Episode 229 w/Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times
F. Fishkin, Aug 18, “With the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration having opened an investigation into Tesla autopilot crashes involving emergency vehicles…Los Angeles Times reporter Russ Mitchell joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a look at the issues facing Tesla and other vehicle makers.”
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 228, Zoom-Cast Episode 228 Planes, Trains & Automobiles
F. Fishkin, Aug 13, “Planes, trains and automobiles. From battery powered electric light rail to the confusion over the difference between driver assistance and self driving to Amazon’s new 1.5 billion dollar U.S. air cargo hub…the focus is on the latest in mobility. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 228 of Smart Driving Cars. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 226, Zoom-Cast Episode 226 w/Tim Higgins, author: POWER PLAY: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century
###
F. Fishkin, July 22, “The Wall Street Journal’s Tim Higgins has a new book arriving August 3rd titled POWER PLAY: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century. You can bet it’s a lively discussion with Tim on the latest Smart Driving Cars with Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin. Or listen.. https://soundcloud.com/smartdrivingcar/smart-driving-cars-226-with-tim-higgins-author-of-power-play.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 225, Zoom-Cast Episode 225 w/Kevin Biesty, Deputy Director for Policy @ Arizona DoT
F. Fishkin, July 22, “Chandler, Arizona is the one place where paying customers can take advantage of driverless robo-taxis (from Waymo) to get where they are going. How did that happen? What does the future hold? Kevin Biesty, Arizona’s Deputy Director for Policy at the Department of Transportation, joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for an in depth discussion. Plus.. Ford, Argo, Lyft, Tesla, Mercedes & more. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 224, Zoom-Cast Episode 224 w/Selika Josiah Talbot, Principal, Autonomous Vehicle Consulting
F. Fishkin, July 19, “Does there need to be a White House appointed autonomous and electric vehicle czar to open up new mobility possibilities for all? That’s the view of Selika Josiah Talbott..a government veteran who now heads Autonomous Vehicle Consulting and lectures at American University. She joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser & co-host Fred Fishkin for a deeper look at how the technology can be deployed to improve lives.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 223, Zoom-Cast Episode 223 w/Richard Mudge, Compass Transp. & Baruch Feigenbaum, Reason Foundation
F. Fishkin, July 15, “Can Tesla (and others) make automatic emergency braking work? Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser continues his push and is joined by the Reason Foundation’s Baruch Feigenbaum and Compass Transportation & Technology President Dick Mudge along with co-host Fred Fishkin to explore this week’ss Transportation Research Board sessions. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 222, Zoom-Cast Episode 222
F. Fishkin, July 11, “Is it time for autopilot to not break the law? Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser says yes. And if technology can save lives, prevent injuries and crashes shouldn’t it? Plus Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Waymo, VW and more on Episode 222 of Smart Driving Cars with co-host Fred Fishkin. “
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 221, Zoom-Cast Episode 221 w/Mark Rosekind, Chief Safety Innovation Officer, Zoox
F. Fishkin, July 1, “With Zoox the Amazon owned autonomous mobility company out with a comprehensive safety report.. Chief Safety Innovation Officer Dr. Mark Rosekind joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. What is so different about the Zoox approach to building a vehicle and safety? What is the company’s vision for future mobility and transportation. Dr. Rosekind fills us in on those issues and more.
SmartDrivingCars Pod-Cast Episode 220, Zoom-Cast Episode 220 w/John Thornhill, Innovation Editor, Financial Times
F. Fishkin, July 1, “Sociology not technology will decide the electric car race. That’s a Financial Times headline from a piece written by Innovation Editor John Thornhill…who joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a lively discussion on that…plus Tesla…autonomous mobility and more. John is also the founder of Sifted.eu.
Link to previous SDC PodCasts & ZoomCasts
Recent Highlights of:
###
November
26, 2021
blue;
text-decoration:
none;">
[Gatik and Walmart Achieve Fully Driverless Deliveries in a First for Autonomous Trucking Industry Worldwide](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005409/en/Gatik-and-Walmart-Achieve-Fully-Driverless-Deliveries-in-a-First-for-Autonomous-Trucking-Industry-Worldwide) Press
release, Nov.
8, "[Gatik](https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgatik.ai%2F&esheet=52524421&newsitemid=20211108005409&lan=en-US&anchor=Gatik&index=1&md5=6a4c96f3d6a11910ad46e9eed7ed1f86)
and Walmart
Inc. (NYSE:
WMT) announced
today that
Gatik is
operating
daily without
a safety
driver behind
the wheel on
its delivery
route for
Walmart in
Bentonville,
Arkansas,
moving
customer
orders between
a Walmart dark
store and a
Neighborhood
Market in its
fleet of
multi-temperature
autonomous box
trucks.
Gatik’s deployment with Walmart in the state represents the first time that an autonomous trucking company has removed the safety driver from a commercial delivery route on the middle mile anywhere in the world.
Gatik’s fully driverless operations, which began in August 2021, involve consistent, repeated delivery runs multiple times per day, seven days per week on public roads and unlock the full advantages of autonomous delivery for Walmart’s customers: increased speed and responsiveness when fulfilling e-commerce orders, increased asset utilization and enhanced safety for all road users…“…
This milestone signifies a revolutionary breakthrough for the autonomous trucking industry,” said Gautam Narang, CEO and co-founder, Gatik. “Our deployment in Bentonville is not a one-time demonstration. These are frequent, revenue-generating, daily runs that our trucks are completing safely in a range of conditions on public roads, demonstrating the commercial and technical advantages of fully driverless operations on the middle mile. We’re thrilled to enable Walmart’s customers to reap the benefits.”
In December 2020, Gatik and Walmart received the Arkansas State Highway Commission’s first ever approval to remove the safety driver from Gatik’s autonomous trucks, following the completion of 18 months’ successful operations. As part of its roadmap to operating fully driverless, Gatik undertook a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy, involving state and local leadership and emergency services, and will continue to hold ongoing informational workshops concerning its ground-breaking autonomous operations.
In December 2020, Gatik and Walmart received the Arkansas State Highway Commission’s first ever approval to remove the safety driver from Gatik’s autonomous trucks, following the completion of 18 months’ successful operations. As part of its roadmap to operating fully driverless, Gatik undertook a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy, involving state and local leadership and emergency services, and will continue to hold ongoing informational workshops concerning its ground-breaking autonomous operations…“ Read more Hmmmm… If you are trying to do it for real , this is the way to do it. I appreciate the showing showing some humility as opposed to making Houdini-style Snake & Mirrors announcements focused on getting more from the “SoftBanks” of this world. Congratulations! This looks like a real “dida milestone”! Update 12/4… It is driverless but there is an attendant on-board for now. Progress but not PrimeTime. 🙁 Alain
November
20, 2021
The impact of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on insurance claims (True Impact of ADAS Features on Insurance Claim Severity Revealed)
J. Kanet, Nov 9, “Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have improved automobile safety by minimizing the factor most frequently associated with car accidents – human error. The conventional wisdom has been that ADAS technologies should mitigate the number of insurance claims, but the impact of ADAS on claim severity has been less clear. ADAS features include expensive and complex technical components and are often installed on exposed areas of vehicles, making them susceptible to damage from a collision.
This white
paper examines
the
multivariate
effect of ADAS
features on
claim
severity. It
is a follow up
to our earlier
report, [ADAS Analysis Creates Path for Auto Insurance Rating](https://lexisnexis.turtl.co/story/multivariate-adas-whitepaper/?utm_campaign=INSATO20.MetStraDem.VBDemGenWP),
which analyzed
the impact of
ADAS systems
on claim
frequency. For
both analyses,
LexisNexis
Risk Solutions
considered the
same sample of
11 million
vehicles from
model years
2014-2019, and
reviewed
industry-wide
claims loss
data for
bodily injury,
property
damage and
collision
coverages.
For this
follow-up
report, we
looked at the
interactions
between a core
list of ADAS
features and
quantified the
claim severity
differential
across all 648
possible
combinations
of those
features. ...
" [Read more](https://risk.lexisnexis.com/insights-resources/white-paper/true-impact-of-adas-features-on-insurance-claim-severity-revealed?trmid=INSATO21.2021AutoLG.2021ADAS.OMXX-545501) Hmmmm...
Excellent. Finally there is
data that
supports that
ADAS is indeed
fundamentally
good for the
insurance
industry in
that it allows
them to make
more money.
Not to be
crass, but
"crash
mitigation"
(airbag, [energy absorbing car design](https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv17/Proceed/00137.pdf),
...) has been
great for
safety...
saving lives,
reducing
occupant
severity , ...
but,
the
liabilities
associated
with crash
mitigation
have
increased. [Claim Severity](https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-insurance)
for both Physical
Damage and
Bodily Injury
have gone
up. Cars are
more expensive
to repair and it
costs more if
you live than
if you die.
🙁,.
For years I’ve been arguing that ADAS focused squarely on Crash Prevention {automated collision avoidance (that actually works well… does kick automatically to avoid collision 😎), not just “warning” (that is annoying. Because since it is just a warning there is no pressure to make it work well… just cover your butt! So, no pressure to make it work well. Consequently, “everyone” turns it off to avoid being annoyed… 🙁} is Automation’s best opportunity to deliver real safety… Save lives, …, and make $$$ for the Insurance industry!
For years, I’ve postulated that as soon as {“the expected liability savings for ADAS (the difference in the expected liability for me with&without…)” < (less than) “incremental cost of ADAS on the price of a car that I am about to buy (difference with&without)”}, my insurance agent (the Gecko, Flo, NJM, or ???) should insist on picking up the tab on the price difference as long as I continue to pay my existing premiums! Nothing but a win-win! I win because the probability that I die… is lower and the Gecko, Flo, NJM, or ??? smile all the way to the bank😎. These are real market forces.
This is the first report that I’ve seen that begins to quaintly the reduction in “expected liability” of ADAS based on real experiential data. To me, this is major!
Be sure to see the white paper True Impact of ADAS Features on Insurance Claim Severity Revealed and listen/watch the SDC Pod/ZoomCast 242. Alain
November
12, 2021
blue;
text-decoration:
none;">
[First across the Forth – and a royal visit](https://vivarail.co.uk/first-across-the-forth-and-a-royal-visit/) H. Posner,
Nov 10,
"UK-based
rolling stock
& battery
technology
manufacturer
Vivarail noted
a number of
achievements
during the
first week of
the COP26 UN
Climate Change
Conference in
Glasgow. The
opening
Saturday of
the conference
on Saturday
October 30 saw
a historic run
across the
Firth of
Forth,. as the
first electric
train across
the iconic
bridge.
Vivarail was
asked to
operate its
battery train
for
demonstration
runs through
the conference
as part of the
official
Network Rail
Green
Trains@COP26
event. Each
day the train
has taken
delegates and
invited guests
from around
the world to
showcase the
best of new
emission-free
technology. In
the first week
the train
carried
hundreds of
people from
government,
industry,
academia,
media and
advocacy
groups. ... "
[Read more](https://vivarail.co.uk/first-across-the-forth-and-a-royal-visit/) Hmmmm...
But you know that the Pop-Up Metro train was the
First Across
the Atlantic.
[Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSjAozf2r3g),
[Slides](http://rrdc.com/presentation_NJ_TransAction_2020_10_PUM.pdf)
and [ZoomCast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFyRcbL6-N8)
re: [Pop-Up Metro](https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2021/august/future-of-rail-transit.html).
And there is
always [Alain](https://www.dropbox.com/s/hkt1zu1c6joq9ch/ClimbingOn6998.JPG?dl=0)
climbing on [#6988](https://www.icloud.com/photos/#0twHZBw5LwCqIbK_4HJoHjyOQ).😎
.
Absolutely
Fantastic
Henry. Alain
November
4, 2021
[Tesla's handling of braking bug in public self-driving test raises alarms](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-11-03/teslas-handling-braking-bug-in-public-self-driving-test)
R. Mitchell,
Nov. 3, "Tesla
pushed out a
new version of
the
experimental
software suite
it calls Full
Self-Driving
to approved
drivers Oct.
23 through an
"over the air"
update.
The next
morning, Tesla
learned the
update had
altered cars'
behavior in a
way the
company's
engineers
hadn't
intended.
In a recall
report to
federal safety
regulators
Friday, Tesla
put the
problems like
this: The
company
discovered a
software
glitch that
"can produce
negative
object
velocity
detections
when other
vehicles are
present."
In everyday
English,
Tesla's
automatic
braking system
was engaging
for no
apparent
reason,
causing cars
to rapidly
decelerate as
they traveled
down the
highway,
putting them
at risk of
being
rear-ended.
Forward
collision
warning chimes
were ringing
too, even
though there
was no
impending
collision to
warn about...
Tesla's
response to
the glitch
raises its own
concerns.
While its
engineers
worked to fix
the software,
they turned
off automatic
braking and
forward
collision
warning for
the software
testers over
the weekend,
the company
said. ..." [Read more](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-11-03/teslas-handling-braking-bug-in-public-self-driving-test) Hmmmm...
At least the
AEB was on
this time
around. I
still contend
that previous
versions FSD
(and
autoPilot) had
AEB turned off
because of
AEB's
propensity for false-positives. Tesla's problems/challenges is today NOT with FSD. It
is with AEB.
It must solve
the AEB's
false-positive
problem BEFORE
it goes back
trying to
improve FSD.
A satisfactory
AEB is a
necessary
precursor
to any FSD.
To date, Tesla
has put the
cart before
the horse.
It's not
pretty!
Emergency braking happens because weird things happen while driving. Disrespecting the system that is supposed to save you when weird things happen is very short-sighted. Explicitly turning it off is totally irresponsible and potentially criminal. Alain October 29, 2021
Tesla pulled its latest ‘Full Self Driving’ beta after testers complained about false crash warnings and other bugs
R. Lawler, Oct
24, "Tesla's
decision to
test its "Full
Self Driving"
advanced
driver
assistance
software with
untrained
vehicle owners
on public
roads has
attracted [scrutiny](https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/13/22724171/nhtsa-tesla-letters-fsd-beta-autopilot-recall-emergency-vehicles)
and [criticism](https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/22/21528508/tesla-full-self-driving-beta-first-reaction-video),
and that was
before this
latest
release.
Version 10.3
began rolling
out on
Saturday night
/ Sunday
morning with [a long list of release notes](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/qem0lu/fsd_bets_103_release_notes/).
The list
mentions
changes
starting with
introducing
driver
profiles that
can swap
between
different
characteristics
for following
distance,
rolling stops,
or exiting
passing lanes.
It's supposed
to better
detect brake
lights, turn
signals, and
hazard lights
from other
vehicles,
along with
reduced false
slowdowns and
improved
offsetting for
pedestrians.
However, on
Sunday
afternoon Elon
Musk [tweeted](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1452345284483235841)
that Tesla is
"Seeing some
issues with
10.3, so
rolling back
to 10.2
temporarily."
[Read more](https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/24/22743628/elon-musk-tesla-fsd-beta-10-3-rollback-issues-phantom-fcw) Hmmmm...
The problems stem from version
10.3 loading
with Automated
Emergency
Braking (AEB)
enabled. Most
everything is
OK if AEB is
disabled.
Which, of
course, is the
fundamental
problem with
AutoPilot and
FSD...
Tesla got ahead of itself figuring that autoPilot and then FSD were so much better> That made their “buggy” and thus annoying AEB superfluous. Rather than fix a lowly “Level 1” system, they simply may have turned it off.
They may finally realize that the AEB functionality is really needed and it needs to be almost perfect. Exceedingly few false positives or false negatives. Wow… Not so simple. They have a lot of hard work to do to fix what they had previously shoved under the rug. Alain October 24, 2021
[Amazon's self-driving cars are coming to downtown Seattle. Safety advocates are not pleased](https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/22/cars/tesla-missy-cummings/index.html) K.
Long, Oct 19,
"... But an
announcement
Monday from
Amazon's
self-driving
car unit Zoox
that it will
soon start
testing its
autonomous
vehicles in
downtown
Seattle drew
criticism from transportation-safety advocates. The early promise of the technology,
they said, has
been
overshadowed
by a string of
crashes and
near-misses,
due in part to
lax oversight
of the rapidly
growing
sector..." [Read more](https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/22/cars/tesla-missy-cummings/index.html) Hmmmm...
First news out
of the box
from the home
town paper is this?? So discouraging. You
just can't
win. 😭
Alain
October 10,
2021
[A Tesla mystery: Why didn't auto-braking stop these crashes?](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-07/why-arent-automatic-braking-systems-stopping-deadly-tesla-crashes)
[In Spanish](https://www.latimes.com/espanol/eeuu/articulo/2021-10-09/por-que-los-sistemas-de-freno-automatico-no-paran-los-accidentes-mortales-de-tesla)
R. Mitchel, Oct 7, “Compared with so-called advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot, a forward collision avoidance system is relatively crude. It is designed to answer one question — is a frontal impact imminent? — and respond to danger by sounding a warning and, if necessary, triggering a subsystem called automatic emergency braking. Unlike Autopilot, which must be selected manually and is available only under some driving conditions, automatic emergency braking runs by default unless manually turned off….
Tesla calls its vehicles “the safest cars in the world,” citing their combination of structural engineering and advanced technology. But when it comes to the forward collision avoidance system, Tesla owners have been reporting problems at a substantially elevated rate compared with similarly equipped cars….
“Teslas are running into stationary objects,” said Alain Kornhauser, who heads the driverless car engineering program at Princeton University. “They shouldn’t be.” If the company’s cars can’t avoid crash scenes marked by flares or traffic cones, he said, “how can you trust anything else they do with Autopilot?”…
One possibility, according to Missy Cummings, a former Navy fighter pilot who studies human-machine interaction at Duke University, is that Autopilot is designed to preempt or suppress emergency braking to minimize what’s known as phantom braking.
"I haven't
seen the code
to say how
Tesla works,
but I suspect
the AEB is
turned off in
some
situations,"
she said. "If
it were left
on it may
detect what
are called
phantom
objects and
would be
slamming on
the
brakes."... "
[Read more](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-07/why-arent-automatic-braking-systems-stopping-deadly-tesla-crashes) Hmmmm...
This story is
great and is
not what
anyone else
has written.
Thank you,
Russ, for
doing all of
the research
and hard work
that you put
into this
article.
I agree with Missy, (I haven’t seen the code either), but, rest assured, a perception algorithm is part of each of Tesla’s automated systems that “drive” their cars some of the time, be it its forward collision avoidance system (FCAS), autoPilot or FSD. They may each have its own or the best one is used in all three, but each has an FCAS; else, Teslas would never know to invoke any of the driving sub-tasks, like slow down or speed up or stay in the lane, or don’t hit me, or … If a Tesla perception system detects an objects that doesn’t exist and locates it as being in the lane ahead, i.e. a “stationary phantom object in the lane ahead”, then that perception system will signal to the automated driving system… to slow down and don’t hit it. If Tesla’s human driver is paying attention to what is going on and, of course, doesn’t see the phantom object (it is phantom = not real), then the alert driver is justified in losing trust that FCAS, autoPilot or FSD is reliable and won’t kill. The erosion of that trust leads to complaints, demands for refunds and substantial problems for Tesla.
Tesla has simply gotten ahead of itself in trying to get to Driverless too quickly, rather than making sure that Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) works better than “good enough”. My guess is, Tesla perception algorithm simply ignores stationary objects detected in the lane ahead and those detected to be to the side of the lane ahead.
Ignoring detected stationary objects is perfectly appropriate when following a car ahead. The car ahead didn’t crash into that detected stationary object ahead, so the coast is clear! I’ll be able to pass under/to the side/over it too! If the car ahead crashes into that object, Its sudden deceleration is readily perceived by the trailing Tesla’s AEB. As long as the Tesla has not been tailgating (which a good AEB should disallow), the Tesla should be able to stop in time to avoid crashing into the new pileup ahead. All easy, and likely not the scenario in any of the NHTSA crash investigations.
Not so easy if the Tesla is the lead vehicle, especially if the vehicle that the Tesla was following suddenly changes lanes and is no longer explicitly confirming that the Tesla’s road ahead is traversable, It is now the Tesla’s job to determine if it can pass under a stationary object in the lane ahead. That is simply not easy to do reliably. Not easy to determine the clearance under an overpass/sign/traffic light/tree canopy while approaching said overpass/… at any significant speed. If the object is classified as an overpass/sign/traffic light/tree canopy, the chance are really good that “passing under” is a breeze. However, if classification of the object is uncertain, then all bets are off.
I strongly suspect that Tesla’s perception algorithm disregards all stationary objects ahead when leading as well as when following. NHTSA has to tell Tesla to not do that any more!!! Tesla must go back, essentially to the beginning, and figure out how to reliably determine if it can pass under, beside or over stationary objects detected in the road ahead. Alain
1, 2021
blue;
text-decoration:
none;"> [Cruise gets the green light to give driverless rides to passengers in San Francisco](https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/30/22702962/cruise-waymo-california-dmv-autonomous-vehicle-permit) A.
Hawkins, Sep
30, "Waymo and
Cruise, two of
the leading
autonomous
vehicle
companies in
the US,
received
permits from
the California
Department of
Motor Vehicles
to offer rides
to passengers
in their
robotaxis.
But while
Cruise was
approved to
give rides in
its [fully driverless vehicles](https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/5/22520227/cruise-permit-california-driverless-autonomous-vehicles)
without safety
drivers, Waymo
only is
allowed to
deploy its
autonomous
vehicles with
a human
monitor behind
the wheel. In
order to give
rides to
paying
passengers in
its fully
driverless
vehicles, as
it does in
Arizona, the
Google spinoff
would need to
apply for an [additional permit from the California Public Utilities Commission](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/23/21591045/california-robotaxi-paid-rides-cpuc-permits).
... " [Read more](https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/30/22702962/cruise-waymo-california-dmv-autonomous-vehicle-permit) Hmmmm... Congratulations Kyle, Robert and everyone else!!!! This is a non-trivial accomplishment!
Given all of the additional knocks on your door that will naturally come your way, we hope that you’ll keep us in mind. We here in NJ have assembled an enormously welcoming and realistic environment for Deployment to a customer base that will fundamentally benefit and cherish the Equitable, Affordable, High-Quality, Safe Mobility that is delivered by your Driverless Technology.
Hopefully
you'll divert
a little
bandwidth to
our upcoming "[5th Annual SDC Summit](https://www.cartsmobility.com/summit)",
New Jersey's
next step in
our process to
help you and
possibly
others get to
where you've
gotten in
California.
We are new
kids on the
block, but
we've really
gotten our act
together to
work with you
and others to
catch up
quickly and
really improve
the
quality-of-life
for many here
in New
Jersey, and
the rest of
the NorthEast.
Again… Congratulations! So pleased and so well deserved! Alain
Alain L. Kornhauser, PhD
Professor, Operations Research & Financial Engineering
Director of Undergraduate Studies, ORFE
Director, Transportation Program
Faculty Chair, Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering
Princeton, NJ
609-980-1427 (c)
This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University LISTSERV.