The pilot starts with two vehicles and service every 10 minutes on campus, but plans are already being discussed for more. Needless to say, the vehicles are fully electric. MCity, an autonomous vehicle testing facility in Ann Arbor, is part of the partnership making the pilot happen.
Service will begin in the Fall of 2017.
Another cute transit shuttle
First Transit has announced that it will be a partner in the GoMentum autonomous vehicle shuttle pilot that Contra Costa Transit Authority will be conducting at Bishop Ranch, a huge office park in suburban California. EasyMile is supplying the autonomous shuttle vehicles. "First Transit is responsible for providing staffing, maintenance and operational support for the two SAV shuttles during the testing and deployment phases of the program."
Commercial break
Ford showing off its autonomous car at the MCity testing ground in Ann Arbor, Mich. Aren't those uncongested streets cute? And what sweet, undistracted, few pedestrians.
Not every US state and jurisdiction is ready for autonomous vehicles, self-driving tiny houses, and transit to be anywhere and everywhere on its roads. Some would prefer to sit back, have research performed, and read a report before getting feet wet. Portland, Ore., and the small state of Rhode Island fall into this category. Both recently issued RFIs - or requests for information.
Portland is high tech, granola, and transit, bike and artisnal friendly. Its RFI, issued on June 9, seeks "data to assist the City in understanding the availability and diversity of suppliers in the marketplace, as well as approaches and solutions to AV testing, piloting and deployment." (To view the RFI, click on link to file attachment number in the middle of the page.) This specifically includes business models, electric vehicles, maintenance, and communications.
In its open way, Portland invites all players to submit information. "We are open to receiving individual applications from companies that have a single piece of the AV puzzle, or group applications that bring together multiple entities." Listed are traditional car manufacturers, transportation network companies - a/k/a TNCs, such as Uber and Lyft, tech companies, consultants, and community stakeholders, among a few others.
Among the topics Portland seeks input about include, but not limited to, first and last mile for transit, commuter transportation, etc., drone or mobile delivery, campus/private land transportation, connected vehicle and infrastructure technology, data collection, and freight transportation.
The deadline for submissions is Aug. 11, 2017. Though a pilot program might come later, the city emphasizes that a pilot program description is not what it is currently seeking.
The Ocean State
Seems like a weird nickname for Rhode Island because it can apply to so many states. Rhode Island's RFI has a deadline of July 12., mid-day. The state is seeking information about autonomous vehicles and not proposals for pilots or programs. RI is seeking information about autonomous surface transportation in all of its forms, from ordinary cars to inter-suburban mobility to ride sharing (or ride hailing, I suppose) to intercity rail. The state also wants ideas about public-private partnerships and utilizing the state's well-known academic institutions, including Brown University and RISDI (Rhode Island School of Design), both within walking distance in Providence.
Mentioned in the RI RFI are requests about planning, employment, laws and regulation, operations in various weather conditions, and law enforcement as well as particular cities, corridors, and connectivity to specific campuses.
Self-driving entertainment
... and finally, a video of a potato enabled to travel autonomously shows what happens when a smart, tech-savvy person has too much time on his or her hands. Cute, odd, and entertaining one-minute-plus video. Plus proof that one can be a plant and travel at the same time.
Teaser: We have draft federal legislation!!! Next Tuesday will be a hearing on Capitol Hill, though I will be on a different coast at the time. Maybe I can catch the live stream. The subcommittee hosting the hearing will be the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The draft legislation is available and I will be examining it ASAP.
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