Singapore + nuTonomy = Pod-mania
OMG, the twittersphere and conventional journalism - here, via Forbes - are full of Singapore's plan to introduce taxi-pods (taxibots?). These will be accessible by apps. How else, right? (Not quicker, by the way, than catching a cab on CPW in Manhattan.) This could beat Uber at its own game and get a leg up on shared-use plans by Google, GM, Ford, and others.
Google stays out West
Google is bringing its cute driverless vehicles to Phoenix, Arizona. Who wants to be there? No offense, but it' not a pedestrian-friendly place. Maybe it's just my East Coast sensibilities. Google says there's good air-born dust, as in dust storms. I was there for one once and it was creepy. Thank goodness someone else was driving.
North Dakota to have driverless highway? Every hardly-any-people state has two senators
One weird aspect of the US Constitution is that every state, no matter how small and no matter how few people, gets two senators. Hence a state like Wyoming, which has a population the size of a Brooklyn neighborhood, gets somewhat outsize representation. In a way, this is a good thing. Some of those senators are able to push through interesting ideas and not get swamped by the more populous states.
North Dakota (pop. a bit under 750,000) Sen. John Thune is backing an idea to allow a particular highway that runs north-to-south and goes through seven states to be the first to allow driverless hauling of freight. Lots of driverless trucks. There's an association formed to push the idea toward fruition, the Central North Trade Corridor Association.
This would mean seven states permitting driverless travel, whether through laws, regulations, or pure neglect. It could just mean interpreting existing provisions to not require a human driver. They're all laissez-faire/no-government-intervention out West, (super broad generalization there) so maybe that could happen.
Truck trip success in Europe
Speaking of a trucking company fantasy, a convoy of connected trucks - lorries, to those of you in the UK - has completed a trip across Europe. I think the first truck needs a driver, but the followers do not, though, of course, there were drivers present during this test. I'm not sure what happens to the CV trucks when obnoxious, speeding drivers of cars weave into the middle of the convoy. That will be the New Jersey Turnpike test.
Volvo going to China
First, Volvo is now owned by a Chinese company. Second, Chinese companies are pushing for their government to establish driverless-friendly rules. Third, China presents good challenges for driverless vehicles, as in crazy congestion and drivers. Volvo plans to essentially give 100 ordinary people 100 driverless vehicles to test on urban Chinese roads. I think the drivers must be present and they will be able to take over the wheel. This pilot will not happen until 2017.
NHTSA and technical details that make driverless possible
Tomorrow, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be hosting a public meeting at the USDOT (Department of Transportation) building. One of those details is the technology that allows driverless vehicles to "see" its surroundings and "communicate" - as in connected vehicles or CV - with others. It will be interesting because DOT announced it will come out with regulations within the next few months. Okay, I remember that, but I don't have a link right now. That is warp speed for a government agency.
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