[log in to unmask]" _mf_state="1" title="null" src="cid:[log in to unmask]" class="" width="44" height="44" border="0"> 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. 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
A. Hawkins, July, 7, "Two fatal Tesla crashes are being
examined by investigators at the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. Reuters reported that NHTSA opened a
special investigation into a recent fatal crash in California,
in which a Tesla driver killed a pedestrian. And an agency
spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that a crash that took
place on July 6th in Florida is also under examination.
The crash in Florida took place on Interstate 75, just south
of Gainesville, where a Tesla vehicle smashed into the rear of
a stationary tractor-trailer that was parked at a truck stop.
Two people inside the Tesla, the driver and a passenger, were
killed, according to Fox 35. A spokesperson for NHTSA said the
agency was aware of the crash and was currently communicating
with Tesla about it.
R. Mitchel, July 6, "In the late 1980s, the U.S. Army turned
to outside experts to study how pilots of Apache attack
helicopters were responding to the torrent of information
streaming into the cockpit on digital screens and analog
displays. The verdict: not well.
The cognitive overload caused by all that information was
degrading performance and raising the risk of crashes, the
researchers determined. Pilots were forced to do too many
things at once, with too many bells and whistles demanding
their attention. Over the next decade, the Army overhauled its
Apache fleet, redesigning cockpits to help operators maintain
focus.... " Read
more Hmmmm...Just crazy!! Begin by
removing the big screens from the front seat. Alain
A. Hawkins, July, 7, "An “erratic” pedestrian attacked a
Waymo autonomous vehicle late Tuesday evening in Tempe,
Arizona, smashing the windshield and injuring the safety
driver, the company said. It was the latest incident of people
in Arizona attacking Waymo vehicles — and occasionally their
safety drivers — as the company ramps up its commercial
service in the state. ..." Read more
Hmmmm... And we thought that no one misbehaved in
Arizona. Alain
A. Hawkins, July 7, "Tesla plans to open up its Supercharger
network to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US in late 2022,
according to a White House memo.
The company has been allowing non-Tesla EVs to use its
Supercharger plugs in several cities in Europe as part of a
limited pilot program but has been quiet about when US
charging stations would be available to non-Tesla EV owners. A
“fact sheet” published by the White House on June 28th
and noticed
by InsideEVs indicates that those EV owners may be able
to use Superchargers as soon as the end of this year.
“Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new
Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers
in North America to use Tesla Superchargers,” the White House
states. ..."
Read
more Hmmmm... Another revenue opportunity for Elon.
Alain
A. Hawkins, July, 7, "The first passenger station in the
“Vegas Loop” network of vehicle tunnels that’s being built by
Elon Musk’s Boring Company was revealed Thursday. The station
is situated underneath Resorts World Las Vegas, the first in
what is expected to be 55 stops along 29 miles of tunnels.
The Boring Company already operates a small version of this
“Teslas in Tunnels” system underneath the Las Vegas Convention
Center, which opened
in early 2021 and involves two 0.8-mile tunnels. Afterward,
Musk’s startup proposed a
massive citywide expansion that was eventually approved
by Clark County officials last year. The system uses
human-controlled Model X and Y vehicles to transport
passengers, despite Musk’s previous
statements about using sleds to carry cars through the
tunnels. ..."
Read
more Hmmmm... More advances. Alain
These editions are sponsored by the SmartETFs Smart
Transportation
and Technology
ETF, symbol
MOTO. For more
information
head to www.motoetf.com
https://www.cartsmobility.com/ provided technical support
June
15, Press
release,
"Today, as
part of the
U.S.
Department of
Transportation’s efforts to increase roadway safety and encourage
innovation,
the National
Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration
published
the initial
round of data
it has
collected
through its Standing
General Order
issued last
year and
initial
accompanying
reports
summarizing
this data.
The SAE Level
2 advanced
driver
assistance
systems
summary report
is
available here,
while the SAE
Levels 3-5
automated
driving
systems
summary report
is
available here.
Going forward,
NHTSA will
release data
updates
monthly..."
Read
more Hmmmm...
This is a good
start;
however, as
NHTSA repeats
many times,
this is just a
start and
there are many
"data
limitations".
The most
severe may
well be the
possibility of
substantial "sampling
bias", the
most severe of
which is that
each OEM
sourced the
reported data
very
differently.
That makes the
data between
OEMs
incomparable.
Also un reported is any measure that would enable a "crash rate" for an OEM to be determined. One only has a numerator value but no denominator value.
Finally, 392 crashes of "Level 2"
cars were
reported
during the
"10" month
period of July
2021 and May
15, 2022.
About 12
million
vehicles are
involved in
traffic
crashes
every year
among the 283
million
vehicles that
operate in the
US. Assuming
any one
vehicle is
unlikely to be
involved in
more than one
crash per yer,
it means that
each vehicle,
on average is
involved in
12M/283M =
0.0424 crashes
per year.
Thus, if these
ADAS cars were
involved in
crashes at the
average rate,
and had their
ADAS on all
the time, the
500 vehicle
crashes per
year contained
in these data
would expect
to be
generated from
a fleet of
only about
11,800
vehicles (or
0.0042% of the
vehicles
("everything
being equal",
ADAS on all
the time.).
Consequently, either, ...
Anyway. It is a start and at least to me the numbers
are not
startling.
What needs improvement is sourcing of the incidents.
Maybe OtA
should be
mandated. At
minimum, the
VIN should
specify the
existence of
theses
capabilities.
Then normal
police
reportings can
begin to
"automatically"
access the "black
box event
recorders"
(see also Accident
data recorder
and NHTSA)
that are in
most cars
today.
Unfortunately,
privacy
concerns
makes this
not-easy. So
here we are.
It wont be
easy to do
much better,
but we should
continue to
try.
What the data do point out is that a substantial
number of the
crashes
involved the
rear ending of
a stationary
object. I
have pointed
out repeatedly
that the
source code of
these systems
explicitly
disregard
stationary
objects in the
lane ahead.
Justifying
this explicit
process is
that current
sensors incur
unacceptable
false
positives when
trying to
determine if
sufficient
headroom
exists under
detected
stationary
object in the
lane ahead.
Thus, to avoid
braking in
response to
these rare
false
positives,
stationary
objects in the
lane ahead are
all assumed to
be "pass
under-able".
As one drives, one encounters many stationary objects
in the lane
ahead. These
are readily
sensed and
precisely
located
ahead.
Readily sensed
are
overpasses,
signs, tree
canopies,
traffic
lights, ...
all of which
can usually be
readily passed
under. (As
can vehicles
ahead that
come to rest
in
vehicle-follower
mode. These
are not
disregarded
because one is
in
vehicle-follower
mode.)
But when one is in vehicle-leader mode and one
encounters a
stationary
object ahead,
I believe,
most, if not
all "Level 2"
systems
disregard that
object and
assume the car
can pass
underneath.
So if you are
in vehicle
leader mode
and come over
the crest of a
hill to be
confronted
with a stopped
object ahead,
your system
will disregard
that object.
Similarly, if
the vehicle
that you are
following
changes lanes
forcing you to
become a
leader, any
stationary
object ahead
will be
disregarded.
Alain
The 5th Summit: https://www.cartsmobility.com/summit
A.
Nathans, May
11, "When
Serena Ren
presented her
senior thesis
on using
machine
learning for
art appraisals
last month,
she hoped to
see her
friend, Joyce
Luo, present
her thesis on
fighting
opioid
addiction. But
since all
students in
the Department
of Operations
Research and
Financial
Engineering
present their
theses in
parallel
sessions, this
was
impossible.
But on May 4,
Ren and Luo
finally got to
see each
other’s
presentations
in a classroom
in Sherrerd
Hall, thanks
to the
department’s
first-ever
event in which
selected
students
present their
thesis work to
the whole
department....
" Read
more
Hmmmm... I'm so proud! Hopefully we'll be able to
release the
video so you
can enjoy.
Keep trying
the link:
PAVE,
May 4,
"Autonomous
vehicle
technologies
offer
incredible
potential:
they could
make our
highways
safer, they
could offer
new mobility
options for
people who
can’t drive,
and they could
help create a
more equitable
transportation
system for
those who are
not
well-served by
our current
system.
During the
month of May,
we are
highlighting
places where
AVs are in use
— today —
being
deployed,
tested, and
used for
public good.
We want to
look at
examples of
the technology
being used to
serve food
deserts, to
expand access
to rural
communities,
to offer new
accessibility
options, and
more.
We are
starting with
the Trenton
MOVES
initiative,
which is the
first
large-scale
urban transit
system in
America based
entirely on
self-driving
shuttles. The
shuttles,
which carry
four to eight
passengers,
serve
traditionally
underserved
Trenton
neighborhoods,
where 70% of
households
have limited
access to a
single
automobile, or
no access at
all. Our
panelists will
detail the
program,
describing how
it works, the
results it has
achieved, and
their vision
for the
future......"
Read
more
Hmmmm...
Very nice. Be
sure to
watch video
😁 and see ZoomCast
267 Alain
P. Keller, April 29, "New Jersey recently announced a $5 million grant for the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System or MOVES Project. The grant to the City of Trenton will support the planned start up and eventual deployment of 100 Autonomous Vehicles that will provide an on-demand automated transit system to serve the 90,000 residents of Trenton....." Read more Hmmmm... Very nice. 😁 AlainSaturday, April 23, 2022
H.
Jin, April 6,
"Electric
carmaker Tesla
(TSLA.O) will
make a
"dedicated"
self-driving
taxi that will
"look
futuristic,"
Chief
Executive Elon
Musk said on
Thursday,
without giving
a timeframe.
The
50-year-old
billionaire,
wearing a
black cowboy
hat and
sunglasses,
made the
comments at
the opening of
Tesla's $1.1
billion
factory in
Texas, which
is home to its
new
headquarters.
"Massive
scale.
Full
self-driving.
There's going
to be a
dedicated
robotaxi,"
Musk told a
large crowd at
the
factory...." Read
more
Elon followed the graceful rollout of his Supercharger infrastructure which enabled the upper-middle class that doesn't have a backup fleet and needs to have a toy and reliably go back and forth to grandma's house. Viola!!! No longer just a toy. Seamless evolution to "Massive Scale" scale and Massive Profitability.
RoboTaxis' evolution
to "Massive
Scale" is
turning out to
be different.
Starting with
rich
WesternStaters
doesn't seem
to be working
sociologically
for Waymo.
The rides
offered seem
to be taken
for
entertainment
and side-show
purposes
rather than
valued
enablers of
enhanced
quality of
life. Nice
for selfies,
but not much
more.
Recall fundamental value is to provide a safe, high-quality ride from A to B. "Safe" is "safe", but "high-quality" is relative to what one now has readily available. For the rich, that's where they've already put a lot of money to create for themselves something really nice. The chances someone is going to offer something better to an individual that has crafted something perfect for themselves is slim-to-none. Consequently, the service is used primarily for taking selfies.
For those that don't have their
own car for
whatever
reason (can't
drive, don't
want to, too
young, too
old, and/or
too poor)
their mobility
options are
simply
dreadful.
Absolutely
trivial for an
aTaxi service
to be viewed
as the quality
winner and
used to
provide
customer
accessibility,
improved
quality of
life,
endearment,
respect, love,
appreciation,
loyalty, and
use.
Consequently, if Elon is really serious about achieving "Massive Scale" then he should basically flip his Tesla strategy and start by focusing on serving the mobility needs of those that will fully appreciate and gain the most personal value from his market offering;
These are the customers of Trenton MOVES; only about 50,000 of Trenton's 90,000 population; but 50,000 that will really appreciate you. Start by only serving Trenton's 8 square mile area with about 100 vehicles and only during the best 350 days out of the year's 365.25.
They'll be so appreciative and you
will have
provided the
spark that
will allow
your aTaxis
to go
viral! You'll
quickly serve
Mercer county,
Newark,
Camden,
Atlantic City,
New Brunswick,
Toms River,
Perth Amboy,
all of New
Jersey,
Eastern
Pennsylvania,
New York City
(except
Manhattan),
Long Island,
.....
That's the natural road to "Massive Scale" for Mobility for all. Start with those in most need and evolve to convert those that will leave their own cars parked in their driveway.
"Massive Scale" starts with Trenton MOVES. Alain
The Waymo
Team, March
30, "This
morning in San
Francisco, a
fully
autonomous
all-electric
Jaguar I-PACE,
with no human
driver behind
the wheel,
picked up a
Waymo engineer
to get their
morning coffee
and go to
work. Since
sharing that
we were ready
to take the
next step and
begin testing
fully
autonomous
operations in
the city,
we’ve begun
fully
autonomous
rides with our
San Francisco
employees.
They now join
the thousands
of Waymo One
riders we’ve
been serving
in Arizona,
making fully
autonomous
driving
technology
part of their
daily
lives...." Read
more
Hmmmm... Congratulations!
Enormous
accomplishment
and
fundamental
expression of
confidence in
your
technology.
Please come to
New Jersey
where we are
certain that
you can
actually
delier "Safe,
Equitable,
Affordable,
Sustainable,
HIgh-quality
Mobility" that
will
substantially
improve the
quality-of-life
of many by
transforming
affordable
housing into
affordable
living and
more.
K. Pyle, Feb. 9, "Dr. Alain Kornhauser’s vision of bringing equitable, sustainable, and affordable mobility to the people of Trenton took another step forward with the February 9th, 2022 announcement (Facebook) of a $5 million NJDOT Local Transportation Planning Fund Grant for the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System (MOVES) Project (PDF). The significance of this event goes beyond the grant announcement..." Read more Hmmmm... Ken, thank you for the kind words. Alain
W. Skaggs, Feb. 3,"We are excited to invite you to join Mayor Gusciora, N.J. Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, and Trenton Public Schools Superintendent James Earle to celebrate a $5 million award from the NJDOT Local Transportation Projects Fund for an unprecedented public transportation project right here in the Capital City. The project is called the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicular Equity System (MOVES) initiative.
Originally announced by Governor Murphy and Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti in December, TrentonMOVES seeks to provide a safe, equitable, and affordable high-quality on-demand mobility service to Trenton residents. The effort is a collaboration between the Governor’s Office, NJDOT, the City of Trenton, and Princeton University.
The $5 million award is a huge milestone for the project. This will be the first large-scale urban transit system in America to be based entirely on self-driving shuttles. Each vehicle will carry four to eight passengers at a time. The AVs will be low-cost to users in underserved neighborhoods. The high school will be one of the central destinations on the first routes.
The
event will
take place at
11:00 a.m.
on
Wednesday,
Feb. 9, 2022
in the Trenton
Central High
School
auditorium.
Members of the
press will be
invited to
attend. ...."
Read
more Hmmmm...
Another real
milestone.
The Trenton MOVES RfEI closed
February 25,
with 20
submittals.
Next comes the
5thPrinceton
SmartDrivingCar Summit June 2 -> 4, 2022 in Princeton &
Trenton, NJ.
The Summit
will be
focused on
enabling
Trentonians to
get a first
glimpse at
technology and
mobility
systems that
can deliver
Trenton MOVES'
mobility
objectives
(Safety,
Equity,
Affordability,
Sustainability,..) and, very importantly, enabling technology and
mobility
companies to
learn the
market
opportunities
available to
be captured in
Trenton, the
rest of Mercer
County, and
throughout New
Jersey.
Trenton MOVES is a win-win opportunity for the citizens of New Jersey (The Public) and the shareholders of mobility provider(s) (The Private), who can come together in a Trenton MOVES Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) that will be created through a Request for Proposal (RfP) process commencing shortly after the close of the Summit. 😁 Alain
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