Two articles that popped up on my Google alerts this week point to a possible - though still unlikely - scenario of transcendent transit systems and a waning auto dealership distribution model - both due to fully automated vehiches (AVs) and the ways they will be available, particularly in cities and traditional suburbs (not exurbs).
Auto dealers have not said much or done much in response to AV developments thus far. Even as every prediction says that most AV passenger transportation will be fleet based and publicly available, whether through transit or private companies or public-private partnerships, auto dealers have remained silent. After all, it is still a profitable business in most places in the US to sell cars, even in most cities.
Change drastically or get out
Now an executive at a firm that does financial advising for car dealers, and which itself invests in dealerships, is ringing the alarm for dealerships and holding up the scary prospects of Kodak and Blockbuster as examples of companies that had their heads in the sand as technological developments began bubbling up around them.
The opinion piece insists that in the next 20 years, dealerships will either go out of business (so better to sell out soon) or undergo massive consolidation, down to a few huge dealership companies.
Singapore planning for drastic change
Singapore is possibly the city (okay city/state) most prepared for AVs. It has been investing in AVs and allowing testing for years. Now Singapore is turning to the AV shuttle with an EasyMile AV that will serve a university. This will be a pilot that begins in March 2019.
With its good weather, Singapore is well placed to take early advantage of AVs.
Waymo to launch real no-driver service and expand to more cities
Yes, it's all over the news, almost old news, from last week that Waymo will slowly begin and then incrementally expand its AV service, but without backup drivers in every vehicle. I'm about to head to the airport, so I am excusing myself from providing one of any 50 easy-to-find sources for this news.
Still no word from Waymo on working with transit or providing accessible vehicles. Since I like the company, that is quite disappointing.
So the title question - will AVs bring transit popularity?
The answer may be publicly available transportation will become popular, but transit itself becoming popular in the places where it barely hits the edge of the spectrum on mode share is doubtful. Transit quality means investment, which means funding in the form of public dollars, which has grown, but, in the US, still remains the exception rather than the rule.
Showing posts with label EasyMile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EasyMile. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Bunch of links: Pilots, UK law, SAE announcement
Pilots
Truly awful of me to send out a post that is a list with links. Too busy this week to do otherwise and this post is more personal filing of information than entertaining or informative writing for an audience. My apologies.
Australia - Regional pilot locations announced in New South Wales.
Phoenix, Arizona area - Waymo and Phoenix's public transit, AND Waymo and Walmart partner up for rides to the store, AND Waymo test families include a teenager with the coolest driver - as in none.
Austin, TX - Cap Metro, the transit agency, is testing AVs prior to year-long pilot with EasyMile shuttles. More local coverage.
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, area - AV service within geofenced area by Drive.ai with bright orange Nissan vans.
Regulation and insurance
Pennsylvania - Stronger "voluntary" regulations, I mean "guidelines," demand more of AV testing companies.
New insurance law in England, mostly concerned with partial vehicle automation.
SAE
SAE to develop standards for AV safety. First draft due by end of 2018.
New SAE J3016 levels of automation came out in June and a new graphic was released in July. Still clumping together the very different and distinguishable partial automation level 3 with full automation levels 4 and 5.
Truly awful of me to send out a post that is a list with links. Too busy this week to do otherwise and this post is more personal filing of information than entertaining or informative writing for an audience. My apologies.
Australia - Regional pilot locations announced in New South Wales.
Phoenix, Arizona area - Waymo and Phoenix's public transit, AND Waymo and Walmart partner up for rides to the store, AND Waymo test families include a teenager with the coolest driver - as in none.
Austin, TX - Cap Metro, the transit agency, is testing AVs prior to year-long pilot with EasyMile shuttles. More local coverage.
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, area - AV service within geofenced area by Drive.ai with bright orange Nissan vans.
Regulation and insurance
Pennsylvania - Stronger "voluntary" regulations, I mean "guidelines," demand more of AV testing companies.
New insurance law in England, mostly concerned with partial vehicle automation.
SAE
New SAE J3016 levels of automation came out in June and a new graphic was released in July. Still clumping together the very different and distinguishable partial automation level 3 with full automation levels 4 and 5.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Small Steps from Houston to Florida and Big Steps Abroad
Prelude: Thus far, and for the near future, this blog exists in some respect as my personal filing cabinet of topics I follow about autonomous vehicle (AV) business development, models of future service and arrangements, and legal and regulatory issues. At the moment I do not have the time and resources to cover and catalogue these issues as thoroughly and in ways I would like to. Not sure when that will change, but I do feel torn because I want to follow through on my ideas for better resources than currently exist.
That's my reason for why the following is a list and not an analysis or complete coverage of what follows. PLUS - This is not up-to-the-moment. 😦
Read below while considering the "cities-first" approach of an AV planning partnership from the Bloomberg Philanthropies AV Cities project and the National League of Cities. In an American governance framework where cities are often preempted from regulating their street use due to federal or state laws and regulations, it will be interesting to see the planning coming out of the project. So far, these two organizations say there has been a 30 percent jump in cities incorporating AV transportation into their planning.
Texas is growing as far as AV pilot programs. There is Arlington, where the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers play, which has an AV shuttle operating on game days and around other events. But now:
Houston - An AV shuttle will be operating on campus at Texas Southern University (TSU) shuttle. "The small shuttles, called “university circulators,” will be limited to a mile-long campus pathway and will run at average speeds ranging from 8 to 12 miles per hour."
Frisco, a suburb of Dallas - According to a Dallas News article, Drive.ai will be testing and doing a six-month pilot of an AV ridehailing service that is planned to commence in July. "The service is made possible through a unique public-private partnership among California-based Drive.ai, the city of Frisco, the Denton County Transportation Authority and the private developments for Hall Park, The Star and Frisco Station. They are all part of the newly formed Frisco Transportation Management Association."
The Frisco AV shuttle will serve the general public at an office park near where the Arlington, TX, AV shuttle operates.
Florida
Two states with strong conservative tendencies have attracted plenty of AV testing, Arizona and now Florida. Florida, which is a little far from California and does not have that dry heat, has also rolled out the red carpet of no regulation for AV testing, pilots, and operations.
Gainseville, below the Florida Panhandle, but not at all on the water, is getting a cute AV shuttle route for a transit pilot. EasyMile will be supplying four shuttle AVs. Service is expected to begin for regular riders by the fall.
Tampa already has a shuttle and Babcock Ranch, a real estate development creation of a town, has a pilot that is expected to turn public. The town, Babcock Ranch, announced in 2016 as an eco-friendly soon-to-be-developed town the size of Manhattan, is being true to the word of the developers and an AV shuttle is on its streets being tested since January. Some houses are already built.
Viva Las Vegas
Coming this summer to the streets of Vegas to join the cute AV shuttle there will be Lyft AV ridehailing - BUT to run on fixed routes. This partnership of Lyft and Aptiv will build on the January pilot that provided rides during the CES conference in January 2018. Aptiv's Chief Technology Officer says, "Aptiv will work closely with the city to design future mobility solutions, which benefit public transportation and help with urban congestion challenges. The findings in the Las Vegas test run will be deployed in other cities across the world."
While in the Midwest:
FINALLY the University of Michigan MCity AV shuttle makes its debut, after over a year in the works. Ferrying students on North Campus is a cute shuttle vehicle from Navya. Students, staff, and eligible guests are invited to ride for free. Hours are limited to daytime and the shuttle ceases service at 3 pm.
Watch the cool video from Ford about enabling people with visual disabilities to "see" or at least to experience the visual landscape.
When you're in Norway, you are definitely not in the US. While the federal government, over both the Obama and Trump Administrations, has tried to stay more out of the way on AVs and electric vehicles, Norway is taking a wholly different route. AV shuttles are planned and the country is actively encouraging more electric vehicle use.
The long-running AV shuttle operating in Sion, Switzerland is being taught to cross busy streets and communicate with traffic signals. There will also be testing for making its route more complex with roundabouts as well.
That's my reason for why the following is a list and not an analysis or complete coverage of what follows. PLUS - This is not up-to-the-moment. 😦
Read below while considering the "cities-first" approach of an AV planning partnership from the Bloomberg Philanthropies AV Cities project and the National League of Cities. In an American governance framework where cities are often preempted from regulating their street use due to federal or state laws and regulations, it will be interesting to see the planning coming out of the project. So far, these two organizations say there has been a 30 percent jump in cities incorporating AV transportation into their planning.
There's more than a yellow rose in Texas
Texas is growing as far as AV pilot programs. There is Arlington, where the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers play, which has an AV shuttle operating on game days and around other events. But now:
Houston - An AV shuttle will be operating on campus at Texas Southern University (TSU) shuttle. "The small shuttles, called “university circulators,” will be limited to a mile-long campus pathway and will run at average speeds ranging from 8 to 12 miles per hour."
Frisco, a suburb of Dallas - According to a Dallas News article, Drive.ai will be testing and doing a six-month pilot of an AV ridehailing service that is planned to commence in July. "The service is made possible through a unique public-private partnership among California-based Drive.ai, the city of Frisco, the Denton County Transportation Authority and the private developments for Hall Park, The Star and Frisco Station. They are all part of the newly formed Frisco Transportation Management Association."
The Frisco AV shuttle will serve the general public at an office park near where the Arlington, TX, AV shuttle operates.
Commercial interruption
Two states with strong conservative tendencies have attracted plenty of AV testing, Arizona and now Florida. Florida, which is a little far from California and does not have that dry heat, has also rolled out the red carpet of no regulation for AV testing, pilots, and operations.
Gainseville, below the Florida Panhandle, but not at all on the water, is getting a cute AV shuttle route for a transit pilot. EasyMile will be supplying four shuttle AVs. Service is expected to begin for regular riders by the fall.
Tampa already has a shuttle and Babcock Ranch, a real estate development creation of a town, has a pilot that is expected to turn public. The town, Babcock Ranch, announced in 2016 as an eco-friendly soon-to-be-developed town the size of Manhattan, is being true to the word of the developers and an AV shuttle is on its streets being tested since January. Some houses are already built.
Viva Las Vegas
Coming this summer to the streets of Vegas to join the cute AV shuttle there will be Lyft AV ridehailing - BUT to run on fixed routes. This partnership of Lyft and Aptiv will build on the January pilot that provided rides during the CES conference in January 2018. Aptiv's Chief Technology Officer says, "Aptiv will work closely with the city to design future mobility solutions, which benefit public transportation and help with urban congestion challenges. The findings in the Las Vegas test run will be deployed in other cities across the world."
While in the Midwest:
FINALLY the University of Michigan MCity AV shuttle makes its debut, after over a year in the works. Ferrying students on North Campus is a cute shuttle vehicle from Navya. Students, staff, and eligible guests are invited to ride for free. Hours are limited to daytime and the shuttle ceases service at 3 pm.
Watch the cool video from Ford about enabling people with visual disabilities to "see" or at least to experience the visual landscape.
Over there ... and turn north
When you're in Norway, you are definitely not in the US. While the federal government, over both the Obama and Trump Administrations, has tried to stay more out of the way on AVs and electric vehicles, Norway is taking a wholly different route. AV shuttles are planned and the country is actively encouraging more electric vehicle use.
The long-running AV shuttle operating in Sion, Switzerland is being taught to cross busy streets and communicate with traffic signals. There will also be testing for making its route more complex with roundabouts as well.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
AV Shuttles in the Outback and US; MADD Partners
Yes, I will admit that to a native New Yorker, anything beyond Ohio, let alone Chicago, seems like the outback, but that is where AVs are taking hold first. By the way, I am simply being self-aware here and not proud of this mindset as I work with many lovely people across the US who see far prettier landscapes than I do everyday and live outside of the DC and NY bubbles.
Plus, we already have 12 mph vehicles in NYC; that's called regular traffic.
Australia
Perth has had a driverless shuttle for over a year and the Darwin Airport just had its own AV shuttle demo to ferry folks on airport grounds. This was the "EZ10 shuttle from Transdev and Easymile." However, this was only a two-day demonstration last week to show the wonders of new transportation technology and to get the conversation started.
Meanwhile, a suburb in Queensland, Australia, is planning for a totally AV system in a private area. Springfield - not the one in Illinois or Massachusetts - is a suburb of Ipswich and this week it is hosting an EasyMile AV shuttle demo.
Minneapolis wants another taste
Now that Minnesota had its first taste with an AV shuttle, this during the winter in downtown Minneapolis during Super Bowl week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) is moving on demos elsewhere in its biggest city. ""I've ridden on the vehicle, and it feels a bit like the people-mover at the airport that runs between terminals," says [Hennepin] county transit director John Doan."
The Hennepin County Board just approved the idea for a demo in another location. That location is the Greenway, which advocates are touting as part of a route for another light rail line. The Greenway is a six-mile bike and pedestrian trail. "Driverless rides will be offered over a weekend in April. They'll take place along a 2-3 block stretch." Rides will be fare free.
FYI: If you go out to Minneapolis to ride an AV shuttle, take the time to go have pancakes at Mickey's Diner in St. Paul. The place is tiny, so get there early or on the very late side.
One more FYI: I know John Doan and he heads up Mobility 4 All, which is advocating for accessible AVs for people with disabilities. Mobility 4 All is a partner in the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets.
Even the Marines
A Marine Corps air station in California is planning for AV routes, as in real service, on a sprawling base in Miramar, CA. "Two routes on the air station, a “rural” and “urban” route, will provide opportunities for stakeholders to initiate autonomous vehicle testing and development projects. The rural route is located on East Miramar where autonomous vehicle technology testing began early February 2018."
The AVs will be vans and they will also be part of a connected vehicle project.
Buffalo university buys a shuttle
The state university of New York campus at Buffalo has purchased an Olli with help from the NYS DOT and the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority. The Olli, a product of Local Motors, will be used on campus for first-mile/last-mile service to and from public transit. Service is not set to begin until at least the end of April.
Public good case for AVs
MADD and Velodyne Lidar have entered into a partnership to do something unspecified for the cause of getting humans away from the steering wheel.
MADD is an easy partner because unlike advocacy groups for people with disabilities, MADD's push to transport drunk and tipsy people - who seem to greatly overestimate their ability to drive under the influence of alcohol (or other substances) - without having them drive does not require any accessible equipment or interfaces.
And if I sound snarky, I do not mean to. I have known a few people who have been killed in car crashes and I have seen a dear friend try to rebuild her life after her son's death. My father's best friend was killed by a drunk driver. Already two young adults from my daughter's high school class have been killed on US roads. I applaud MADD for encouraging AV technology.
Velodyne is supplying lidar technology to Ford, Volvo, Baidu, Mercedes and other companies, according to the Velodyne Lidar homepage. MADD is a partner in the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets.
Plus, we already have 12 mph vehicles in NYC; that's called regular traffic.
Australia
Perth has had a driverless shuttle for over a year and the Darwin Airport just had its own AV shuttle demo to ferry folks on airport grounds. This was the "EZ10 shuttle from Transdev and Easymile." However, this was only a two-day demonstration last week to show the wonders of new transportation technology and to get the conversation started.
Meanwhile, a suburb in Queensland, Australia, is planning for a totally AV system in a private area. Springfield - not the one in Illinois or Massachusetts - is a suburb of Ipswich and this week it is hosting an EasyMile AV shuttle demo.
Minneapolis wants another taste
Now that Minnesota had its first taste with an AV shuttle, this during the winter in downtown Minneapolis during Super Bowl week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) is moving on demos elsewhere in its biggest city. ""I've ridden on the vehicle, and it feels a bit like the people-mover at the airport that runs between terminals," says [Hennepin] county transit director John Doan."
The Hennepin County Board just approved the idea for a demo in another location. That location is the Greenway, which advocates are touting as part of a route for another light rail line. The Greenway is a six-mile bike and pedestrian trail. "Driverless rides will be offered over a weekend in April. They'll take place along a 2-3 block stretch." Rides will be fare free.
FYI: If you go out to Minneapolis to ride an AV shuttle, take the time to go have pancakes at Mickey's Diner in St. Paul. The place is tiny, so get there early or on the very late side.
One more FYI: I know John Doan and he heads up Mobility 4 All, which is advocating for accessible AVs for people with disabilities. Mobility 4 All is a partner in the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets.
Even the Marines
A Marine Corps air station in California is planning for AV routes, as in real service, on a sprawling base in Miramar, CA. "Two routes on the air station, a “rural” and “urban” route, will provide opportunities for stakeholders to initiate autonomous vehicle testing and development projects. The rural route is located on East Miramar where autonomous vehicle technology testing began early February 2018."
The AVs will be vans and they will also be part of a connected vehicle project.
Buffalo university buys a shuttle
The state university of New York campus at Buffalo has purchased an Olli with help from the NYS DOT and the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority. The Olli, a product of Local Motors, will be used on campus for first-mile/last-mile service to and from public transit. Service is not set to begin until at least the end of April.
Public good case for AVs
MADD and Velodyne Lidar have entered into a partnership to do something unspecified for the cause of getting humans away from the steering wheel.
To fulfill this vision, Velodyne and MADD have adopted the shared mission of promoting and advancing Autonomous Vehicle technology with the singular goal of getting you and your loved ones home – safely. The Designated Driver of the future is Velodyne LiDAR. Velodyne LiDAR will never be drunk, drugged, distracted, or even drowsy.Following the press release, I have not seen anything more detailed.
MADD is an easy partner because unlike advocacy groups for people with disabilities, MADD's push to transport drunk and tipsy people - who seem to greatly overestimate their ability to drive under the influence of alcohol (or other substances) - without having them drive does not require any accessible equipment or interfaces.
And if I sound snarky, I do not mean to. I have known a few people who have been killed in car crashes and I have seen a dear friend try to rebuild her life after her son's death. My father's best friend was killed by a drunk driver. Already two young adults from my daughter's high school class have been killed on US roads. I applaud MADD for encouraging AV technology.
Velodyne is supplying lidar technology to Ford, Volvo, Baidu, Mercedes and other companies, according to the Velodyne Lidar homepage. MADD is a partner in the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Popping Up Like Weeds from the Sidewalk
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| [Image from Cision PR Newswire.] |
The declaration of the special day was a way for the pro-AV governor - whose administration paved the way for the driverless truck beer delivery PR stunt - to continue to highlight AV partners and Colorado's enthusiasm.
According to the press release, in very press-release-y language:
"Panasonic, a global leader in smart cities and smart automotive technology solutions, welcomed Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver offices, where he proclaimed December 4 as "Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Day" to reinforce initiatives like Panasonic's connected vehicle partnership with CDOT's RoadX Program, as well as acknowledge EasyMile, a leader in autonomous technology, for their North American headquarters grand opening co-located within the Panasonic building."
Best of luck to Lauren Isaac of EasyMile as she awaits the birth of her baby. By the time that baby is a teenager, he or she will never need a driver's license. My own kids told me about six years ago that their generation would be the last for that.
Other EasyMile news is that the company is graduating, or rather expanding, from cute AV shuttles to real buses, AVs, of course. EasyMile is partnering with the French government and "IVECO, Sector, Transpolis, ISAE-SUPAERO, Ifsttar, Inria, and Michelin" to produce the AV buses. The buses will be large enough to transport 100+ passengers. (A warning to all of you traveling with more than one small child: Whether or not a bus has a driver, get on at a stop where you can sit together and where you do not have to stand holding a child of 30 pounds or one wearing a snow suit. AVs will not solve every transportation conundrum.)
Watch this nice video of the EasyMile AV shuttle at Bishop Ranch office park in California, being piloted in a partnership with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
In the state where everyone believes every visitor wants to move there
Look at the cute Colorado license plate for the EasyMile AV shuttle. It will be spring 2018 before regular passengers can get on board to ride the first-mile/last-mile route near Denver's 61st and Peña Station. Political and business partners came out to shine anyway for the early dog and pony show on Monday.
[Off topic: Moxie bialys are nowhere near the real thing, but their whole grain, naturally-leavened bread is excellent. In the bialy/bagel realm, I remain true to my pre-hipster Brooklyn roots.]
Nissan will be starting a pilot in Japan for app-based AV ridehailing. Will start with only two Nissan Leaf electric vehicles. The pilot will begin in March 2018.
Lyft riders in Boston's Seaport neighborhood may be experiencing AV ridehailing trips due to a pilot program and a partnership between Lyft and nuTonomy. Delphi owns nuTonomy, which has experience in Singapore with AV pilots.
Previous posts about nuTonomy activity in Singapore: AV ridehailing in 2018; Singapore is a driverless sandbox; plus more posts about AV activity in Singapore.
Will vans be cool again?
The company first known for its cool vans is trying to climb back to regain that reputation. Volkswagon has developed an AV van called MOIA that will be launched as the vehicle for a ridehailing service. "The van-pooling MOIA service will launch in Hamburg in 2018 with 200 vans, letting passengers enter a departure point and destination in an app. "We've set ourselves the goal of taking more than a million cars off the roads in Europe and the USA by 2025," said MOIA CEO Ole Harms."
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| [Image from Endgadet.] |
Fiskers has also developed an AV shuttle called Orbit and its shape varies from the cute boxy design of other companies. No word on when this van-like shuttle vehicle will appear on roads or where it will launch.
School bus without driver
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| [Image from Teague.] |
So, I hope parents are aware that school bus drivers do not actually supervise children who ride the bus. I mostly walked my kids to school up to high school, but I overheard plenty of kid conversations about school bus rides.
The AV school bus design, named Hannah, crafted by the Teague design firm is cute. The affluent-and-white world portrayed in the photographs suggests a crime-free, suburban paradise. In the real world, perhaps parent volunteers would be needed up to high school, especially in the prime cliquey years of fourth grade through middle school.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Contrasting Approaches Advance
We are not even a week out from the Baidu announcement of its open source partnership with 50 companies in the autonomous vehicle (AV) world, when now we learn that Microsoft is joining that team. Microsoft continues its work on AVs by contributing to AI development and to connected vehicle (CV) research. Microsoft is playing to its traditional strengths to establish a beachhead in the AV market, rather than take the Google - now Waymo - all-in approach.
The technology under development is mode-agnostic, if you will. It can be employed in transit vehicles, in private ride hailing, micro-transit, or shuttles as well as for freight trucking and conventional individually-owned and operated cars and light trucks. There's a hedge-your-bets wisdom to concentrating on the technology side and ignoring business models and vehicle design.
Don't count out regular cars, just with AV
There are many who believe we will replace our current pattern of vehicle use with similar individually-owned AVs. Depending on price, this could be the future. News from Torc Robotics supports that prediction with an AV system for cars. The company is declaring that it has solved the weather problem and that it is partnering with auto companies to bring the system to market.
Not California or Singapore, but Dubai
Lots of US government investment is being made in CV research, but Dubai, which has been out in front in the adoption of AV transportation and pilots, will be testing CV - or rather V2I - traffic signals. (V2I meaning vehicle to infrastructure, in case any non-nerds are reading.) I hope that, unlike the DC area, there are no power outages there.
Another cute shuttle vehicle is born
EasyMile has much of the shuttle market the world over, but now a new player has emerged with its own adorable shuttle. "AirBridgeCargo has transported a prototype autonomous vehicle from the Netherlands to Singapore." The shuttle is supposed to be a new mode, or at least a new acronym - GRT, which stands for Group Rapid Transit. I wonder if GRT is a dig at EasyMile, which has concentrated on slow shuttles that are quickly easing regular people, in contrast to transportation nerds, into the idea of AV as normal.
The technology under development is mode-agnostic, if you will. It can be employed in transit vehicles, in private ride hailing, micro-transit, or shuttles as well as for freight trucking and conventional individually-owned and operated cars and light trucks. There's a hedge-your-bets wisdom to concentrating on the technology side and ignoring business models and vehicle design.
Don't count out regular cars, just with AV
There are many who believe we will replace our current pattern of vehicle use with similar individually-owned AVs. Depending on price, this could be the future. News from Torc Robotics supports that prediction with an AV system for cars. The company is declaring that it has solved the weather problem and that it is partnering with auto companies to bring the system to market.
Not California or Singapore, but Dubai
Lots of US government investment is being made in CV research, but Dubai, which has been out in front in the adoption of AV transportation and pilots, will be testing CV - or rather V2I - traffic signals. (V2I meaning vehicle to infrastructure, in case any non-nerds are reading.) I hope that, unlike the DC area, there are no power outages there.
Another cute shuttle vehicle is born
EasyMile has much of the shuttle market the world over, but now a new player has emerged with its own adorable shuttle. "AirBridgeCargo has transported a prototype autonomous vehicle from the Netherlands to Singapore." The shuttle is supposed to be a new mode, or at least a new acronym - GRT, which stands for Group Rapid Transit. I wonder if GRT is a dig at EasyMile, which has concentrated on slow shuttles that are quickly easing regular people, in contrast to transportation nerds, into the idea of AV as normal.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
AV Transit Shown Off in Nevada as Law Passes
Nevada's push for an autonomous vehicle law has succeeded, but part of the public relations effort associated with the legislation was the week-long operation of a shuttle in Las Vegas. Add media coverage and delighted passengers to produce a sweet picture of a rosy and uncomplicated future. Image is as important as reality.
The Nevada bill that became law on June 16 is quite broad and allows for the operation of autonomous vehicles. →No human is required to be present in an AV or ready to operate or test the vehicle.
The law provides for:
The law coins a new term here - "autonomous vehicle network company" (AVTC). The meaning is obvious, but the definition articulated is "an entity that, for compensation, connects a passenger to a fully autonomous vehicle which can provide transportation services to the passenger." The law provides for an application process for AVTCs.
Pretty much a taxi/TNC/AV law
The AVTC section of the law provides:
The Nevada bill that became law on June 16 is quite broad and allows for the operation of autonomous vehicles. →No human is required to be present in an AV or ready to operate or test the vehicle.
The law provides for:
- Platooning, if in compliance with state law,
- Operation and testing of autonomous vehicles,
- Pre-emption of local laws, taxes, and fees,
- Partially and completely AV, and
- Lack of liability for post-purchase third-party conversion to AV.
- Ten-business-day window for reporting crashes,
- Explicit adoption of SAE International terminology regarding levels of automation,
- Tax on AV rides from a company operating as a transportation network company (TNC), otherwise known as ride hailing,
at the rate of 3 percent of the total fare charged for transportation services, which must include, without limitation, all fees, surcharges, technology fees, convenience charges for the use of a credit or debit card and any other amount that is part of the fare. The Department shall charge and collect from each autonomous vehicle network company the excise tax imposed by this subsection.New acronym warning
The law coins a new term here - "autonomous vehicle network company" (AVTC). The meaning is obvious, but the definition articulated is "an entity that, for compensation, connects a passenger to a fully autonomous vehicle which can provide transportation services to the passenger." The law provides for an application process for AVTCs.
Pretty much a taxi/TNC/AV law
The AVTC section of the law provides:
- Prospective passengers of AVTCs will be entitled to a fare estimate before embarking on a trip.
- At least an annual inspection of AVTC vehicles.
- Receipts for passengers and what they must contain.
- Explicit exemption from the meaning of AVTC are human services transportation, motor carrier transportation, and carpool matching services. But later on the law allows for AV human services transportation, taxi, and motor carrier transportation.
- Production and retention of trip records, vehicle inspection records, annual reports to the state, and on and on, blah, blah, blah.
- Ban on release of personally identifiable information about passengers - without consent or unless disclosure relates to "protect[ing] or defend[ing] the terms of use of the services or to investigate violations of those terms of use." Nice use of legalese.
- Submission of crash reports.
- Localities are permitted to regulate AVTC business licenses and permit, certification, and/or fee to operate at an airport.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Nvidia video and No-Hands Shuttle in California
I can't help but post the new Nvidia AI video. The video demonstrates how riding about in New Jersey would be much less stressful when one does not have to drive. There's been lots of articles about Nvidia's progress, but this captures the company's technology perfectly. (Here's an article with details about the upgraded technology.)
Okay, we can't be far from driverless production and widespread use if we can give up driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. That has to be one of mankind's least favorite chores.
Legislation passes for one shuttle
Gov. Jerry Brown just signed legislation in California to allow a driverless shuttle to operate on a pilot basis in the Bishop Ranch business park and when crossing a public road. This is part of the GoMentum Station work. (More on the legislation from a previous post.) EasyMile is providing the vehicles.
Okay, we can't be far from driverless production and widespread use if we can give up driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. That has to be one of mankind's least favorite chores.
Legislation passes for one shuttle
Gov. Jerry Brown just signed legislation in California to allow a driverless shuttle to operate on a pilot basis in the Bishop Ranch business park and when crossing a public road. This is part of the GoMentum Station work. (More on the legislation from a previous post.) EasyMile is providing the vehicles.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Transit, AI Routes to Driverless & International Stories
Time to book travel to Tokyo - oh wait, I mean the Tokyo suburbs, where there's a cute driverless transit shuttle currently in operation. DeNA is operating the service, working with EasyMile on this project.
Comma points - not a grammar thing
Comma.ai, the George Hotz company, is giving out comma points in exchange for collecting data from consenting drivers. Comma.ai put out an app called Chffr, which grants comma points to drivers who agree to allow Comma.ai to "record users' views as they drive." For now, Hotz is keeping information about what those points will be currency for close to his vest, but the speculation is that they will be redeemable at some point to get a good place in line or a discount for the upcoming Comma.ai self-driving kit due out later in 2016.
Hotz isn't the only one with an AI approach. There's Cruise Automation, for which GM paid approximately $1 billion - with a "b" - and now a new entrant, a small British start-up named Five AI, which just received $2.7 million in venture capital, not that much really. The company plans to be much less map-based than Google and other driverless producers. It is confident that British universities can supply the talent for its growth.
China investing big and spreading the wealth
China is working on driverless transit, but it seems more interested in the luxury automobile market of the future. "Future Mobility Corp, the Chinese electric car startup backed by internet giant Tencent Holdings, plans to have its first driverless vehicles on the road by 2020." Production will be in China and it will be geared towards a Chinese audience (at least at first). Future Mobility, like Chinese company Faraday Future, has offices in Silicon Valley. Future Mobility has also played the game of poaching talent from its competitors, in this case German-based BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Tesla and Google. More on this particular poaching in a second article.
Comma points - not a grammar thing
Comma.ai, the George Hotz company, is giving out comma points in exchange for collecting data from consenting drivers. Comma.ai put out an app called Chffr, which grants comma points to drivers who agree to allow Comma.ai to "record users' views as they drive." For now, Hotz is keeping information about what those points will be currency for close to his vest, but the speculation is that they will be redeemable at some point to get a good place in line or a discount for the upcoming Comma.ai self-driving kit due out later in 2016.
Hotz isn't the only one with an AI approach. There's Cruise Automation, for which GM paid approximately $1 billion - with a "b" - and now a new entrant, a small British start-up named Five AI, which just received $2.7 million in venture capital, not that much really. The company plans to be much less map-based than Google and other driverless producers. It is confident that British universities can supply the talent for its growth.
China investing big and spreading the wealth
China is working on driverless transit, but it seems more interested in the luxury automobile market of the future. "Future Mobility Corp, the Chinese electric car startup backed by internet giant Tencent Holdings, plans to have its first driverless vehicles on the road by 2020." Production will be in China and it will be geared towards a Chinese audience (at least at first). Future Mobility, like Chinese company Faraday Future, has offices in Silicon Valley. Future Mobility has also played the game of poaching talent from its competitors, in this case German-based BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Tesla and Google. More on this particular poaching in a second article.
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