Autonomous Vehicles, LEAF and others...

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The NTSB is clueless about technology? Have you read the letter? It's only 12 pages + 3 of references to past NTSB safety recommendations to NHTSA or manufacturers. It mainly takes NHTSA to task for adopting a laissez-faire attitude to regulating DAS, much as the FAA seem to have done with Boeing, although the latter may have been more a case of regulatory capture, lack of funds and/or simple laziness.

As an example of regulatory capture, I remember many years back when the then-head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a speech at an industry forum in which he started off by saying "We in the nuclear power industry . . ."!

The Trump-era EPA would be another example, at least at its head: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture
 
Someone at work posted https://insideevs.com/news/495428/tesla-full-self-driving-anxiety-inducing-unprotected-lefts/ (Anxiety-Inducing Drone Footage Of Tesla FSD Beta Unprotected Lefts),

Haven't watched the video yet other than 3:55 that someone called out as being super scary, which I'd agree with.
 
GRA said:
The NTSB is clueless about technology? Have you read the letter? It's only 12 pages + 3 of references to past NTSB safety recommendations to NHTSA or manufacturers. It mainly takes NHTSA to task for adopting a laissez-faire attitude to regulating DAS, much as the FAA seem to have done with Boeing, although the latter may have been more a case of regulatory capture, lack of funds and/or simple laziness.

As an example of regulatory capture, I remember many years back when the then-head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a speech at an industry forum in which he started off by saying "We in the nuclear power industry . . ."!

The Trump-era EPA would be another example, at least at its head: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture

I don't think the NTSB is generally to blame - they don't have regulatory authority, so they're insulated from some of the political dysfunction we see at NHTSA and the FAA. They often make recommendations that well-connected industry insiders then shoot down or delay for decades.

For all the whining we hear about "big government," reality involves a great deal of regulatory capture and converting public funds into private profits, aka socializing costs and privatizing profits. Milking the taxpayer for big profits while screaming to high heaven about the evils of government is the new normal, it seems. I suspect the players involved feel no cognitive dissonance whatsoever while they're at it, either. How do you spell "cynical"? We've become a nation of grifters.

Once upon a time, folks still had some sense of community, but we've rationalized that all away in 40 years of demonizing all government as evil. Reminds me of the old bumper sticker "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." How about "If you think democracy is dysfunctional, try authoritarianism."

My 13.5 cents worth... Might be OT.
 
Received linked to https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a35878363/teslas-full-self-driving-beta-is-just-laughably-bad-and-potentially-dangerous/ (Tesla's "Full Self Driving" Beta Is Just Laughably Bad and Potentially Dangerous) via a Road & Track magazine email w/that as the subject line in the email, as well.

I've only watched bits and pieces of the video, so far (which is well-indexed), but it's already being discussed at https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/fsd-beta-videos-and-questions-for-fsd-beta-drivers.210858/page-107. Was supposedly on "FSD" beta 8.2 and uploaded March 15, 2021. At https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/fsd-beta-videos-and-questions-for-fsd-beta-drivers.210858/page-106#post-5390829, they were discussing another video in downtown San Jose from the same folks.
 
frontrangeleaf said:
GRA said:
The NTSB is clueless about technology? Have you read the letter? It's only 12 pages + 3 of references to past NTSB safety recommendations to NHTSA or manufacturers. It mainly takes NHTSA to task for adopting a laissez-faire attitude to regulating DAS, much as the FAA seem to have done with Boeing, although the latter may have been more a case of regulatory capture, lack of funds and/or simple laziness.

As an example of regulatory capture, I remember many years back when the then-head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a speech at an industry forum in which he started off by saying "We in the nuclear power industry . . ."!

The Trump-era EPA would be another example, at least at its head: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture

I don't think the NTSB is generally to blame - they don't have regulatory authority, so they're insulated from some of the political dysfunction we see at NHTSA and the FAA.


Never said they were - did you miss the question mark and the sarcasm? For reasons we both have mentioned, it's the regulatory agencies and some companies who are ignoring safety.


frontrangeleaf said:
They often make recommendations that well-connected industry insiders then shoot down or delay for decades.

For all the whining we hear about "big government," reality involves a great deal of regulatory capture and converting public funds into private profits, aka socializing costs and privatizing profits. Milking the taxpayer for big profits while screaming to high heaven about the evils of government is the new normal, it seems. I suspect the players involved feel no cognitive dissonance whatsoever while they're at it, either. How do you spell "cynical"? We've become a nation of grifters.

Once upon a time, folks still had some sense of community, but we've rationalized that all away in 40 years of demonizing all government as evil. Reminds me of the old bumper sticker "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." How about "If you think democracy is dysfunctional, try authoritarianism."

My 13.5 cents worth... Might be OT.
 
Xpeng begins 2,284 mile cross-country "FSD" drive
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/xpeng-begins-2-284-mile-cross-country-fsd-drive.223691/
 
Angry Residents, Abrupt Stops: Waymo Vehicles Are Still Causing Problems in Arizona
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/waymo-arizona-abrupt-stops-angry-residents-are-still-a-problem-11541896

Waymo CEO departure comes after tenure filled with milestones, hurdles and hype
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/03/waymo-ceo-tenure-filled-with-milestones-hurdles-and-hype.html
 
cwerdna said:
I watched this late last night on my phone. This is from some Chinese company and posted Sept 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxgAAfblfn8

Was pretty impressive with so many pedestrians, bicyclists and scooters, including a bunch passing the car. Street was sometimes rather narrow for two cars.

I haven't had a chance to watch most of their other videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE5dpHV6khQbtZ6kv_dNT6w/videos.
The above was from WeRide. While doing a Google search, I stumbled across https://werideai.medium.com/villages-in-the-city-weride-self-driving-on-china-s-unique-urban-roads-6a9b06297196 accompanying the above, that I hadn't read until now.

Chinese autonomous vehicle startup WeRide scores permit to test driverless cars in San Jose
https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/12/chinese-autonomous-vehicle-startup-weride-scores-permit-to-test-driverless-cars-in-san-jose/
The California DMV, the agency that regulates autonomous vehicle testing in the state, said the permit allows WeRide to test two autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel on specified streets within San Jose. WeRide has had a permit to test autonomous vehicles with safety drivers behind the wheel since 2017. WeRide is also restricted to how and when it tests these vehicles. The driverless vehicles are designed to operate on roads with posted speed limits not exceeding 45 miles per hour. Testing will be conducted during the day Monday through Friday, but will not occur in heavy fog or rain, according to the DMV.
 
cwerdna said:
Microsoft invests in Cruise in new $2 billion round
https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/19/microsoft-invests-in-cruise-in-new-2-billion-round/
Cruise has raised $2 billion in a new equity round that has pushed its valuation up to $30 billion and delivered Microsoft as an investor and partner.

GM, Honda and other institutional investors have also put more capital into Cruise as the autonomous vehicle company inches closer to commercializing its technology.

While Microsoft’s capital is important, the partnership might provide equal and longer-term value for Cruise, at least in the two companies’ views. Under the long-term strategic partnership, Cruise will use Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform, for its yet-to-be launched autonomous vehicle ride-hailing service.
Walmart investing in GM’s Cruise self-driving car company
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/walmart-investing-in-gms-cruise-self-driving-car-company.html

Walmart helps push Cruise’s latest investment round to $2.75B
https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/15/walmart-helps-push-cruises-latest-investment-round-to-2-75b/
 
Fatal Tesla Crash in Texas Believed to Be Driverless

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fatal-tesla-crash-in-texas-believed-to-be-driverless-11618766363

It took emergency responders about four hours and roughly 32,000 gallons of water to put out the fire that engulfed the electric vehicle, Constable Herman said. High-voltage batteries like the ones used in Teslas can reignite after being damaged, even after firefighters have extinguished a fire, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/04/18/tesla-model-s-car-crash-leaves-two-dead-texas-and-ignites-blaze/7276828002/
 
Toyota is buying Lyft’s autonomous car division for $550 million
Lyft is the latest company to abandon the expensive development of AVs
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/26/22404406/toyota-lyft-autonomous-vehicle-acquisition-amount-deal
 
GCC:
Baidu Apollo to launch fully driverless ride-hailing services in Beijing; health code scan to enter

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/20210501-baidu.html


Baidu will open fully driverless robotaxi services to the public in Beijing starting tomorrow. This will be China’s first paid autonomous vehicle service where users can hail a robotaxi without a safety driver behind the steering wheel. The fully driverless Apollo Go Robotaxi service will first be launched in Beijing’s Shougang Park—one of the venues for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics—and will soon be transporting visitors at the games.

By using the Apollo Go App, users can locate a robotaxi in the vicinity and hail a driverless ride by themselves through a system of unmanned self-service processes. Features including virtual reality navigation and remote car honking can help users to identify the location of the car. To unlock the autonomous vehicles, users are required to scan a QR code and health code on the car for identity verification and pandemic prevention purposes.

Upon boarding the vehicle and clicking on the “Start the Journey” button, the system will ensure that seat belts are fastened and the doors are shut, the trip only beginning after all the passenger safety protocol checks are completed. With no safety driver at the helm, the 5G Remote Driving Service is present at all times to allow human operators to access the vehicles remotely in the case of exceptional emergencies.

At Beijing Shougang Park, the robotaxis will be able to transport users to sports halls, work areas, coffee shops and hotels. During the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Apollo robotaxis will be available to provide shuttle services for athletes and staff. . . .
 
GCC:
Waymo, Cruise seek permits to charge for autonomous car rides in San Francisco

California DMV is still reviewing the applications

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/05/15/waymo-gm-cruise-autonomous-taxis-san-francisco/


. . . Neither company revealed when they intend to launch services. But they detailed contrasting deployment plans, with Waymo starting with "drivered operations" and Cruise expecting to deploy vehicles without humans behind the wheel.

California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has yet to decide on the previously unreported applications made by Waymo on Jan. 19 and Cruise on March 29, according to the documents. The agency said it is still reviewing the applications.

The efforts come at a turning point for Waymo, which Google launched over a decade ago. Waymo has provided paid, driverless rides hailed through its app in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler since 2019. But it has failed to scale up Arizona operations as quickly as analysts once envisioned.

Its longtime chief executive, John Krafcik, stepped down in April and was replaced by two co-CEOs.

Cruise, backed by General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co Ltd and SoftBank Group Corp, has focused on San Francisco since its beginning. It said in the permit application it has logged 2 million autonomous driving miles (3.22 million km) in the city.

Waymo said it has had over 83,000 autonomous miles in its proposed deployment area, according to its application.

"You have a faster path to meaningful revenue in dense urban environments such as San Francisco than in the suburbs such as Chandler," said Grayson Brulte, a consultant who advises companies around autonomous mobility strategies. . . .

The companies would not be the first to obtain one of two permits required to operate robotaxis for hire in California. Silicon Valley startup Nuro in December became the only company to secure a DMV deployment permit. Nuro in March announced an unspecified investment from Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc, which said it was interested in new delivery systems. . . .
 
California will allow GM-backed Cruise to transport passengers in driverless test vehicles
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/04/california-will-allow-cruise-to-give-rides-in-driverless-test-vehicles.html
In a public statement, the CPUC said Cruise is the first autonomous vehicle developer to obtain such a permit. In order to allow passengers to ride in their test vehicles without a driver on board, Cruise may not charge fees for the rides and will have to submit quarterly reports about its autonomous vehicles, as well as a passenger safety plan, the CPUC said.
 
GCC:
NHTSA orders crash reporting for vehicles equipped with Level 2 ADAS or Levels 3-5 automated driving systems

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/06/2021030-nhtsa.html


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a Standing General Order requiring manufacturers and operators of vehicles equipped with SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or SAE Levels 3-5 automated driving systems (ADS) to report crashes. . . .

NHTSA’s order requires covered entities to report crashes that occur on public roads in the United States based on the following:

Within one day of learning of a crash, companies must report crashes involving a Level 2 ADAS or Levels 3-5 ADS-equipped vehicle that also involve a hospital-treated injury, a fatality, a vehicle tow-away, an air bag deployment, or a vulnerable road user such as a pedestrian or bicyclist. An updated report is due 10 days after learning of the crash.

Every month, companies must report all other crashes involving an ADS-equipped vehicle that involve an injury or property damage.

Reports must be updated monthly with new or additional information.

Reports must be submitted for any reportable crash, about which a company receives notice, beginning 10 days after the company is served with the order.

Reports must be submitted to NHTSA electronically using a form that requires important information regarding the crash. NHTSA will use this information to identify crashes for follow-up.

The order requires vehicle and equipment (including software) manufacturers of Level 2 ADAS or Levels 3-5 ADS systems and vehicles and operators of ADS-equipped vehicles to report crashes where the Level 2 ADAS or Level 3-5 ADS system was engaged during or immediately before the crash.

These data will help the agency identify potential safety issues and impacts resulting from the operation of advanced technologies on public roads and increase transparency. Access to ADS data may show whether there are common patterns in driverless vehicle crashes or systematic problems in operation. . . .


Gee, it only took them what, 7 or 8 years after L2 ADAS were being used by the public to decide gathering this data might be a good idea. :roll: Who knows, in another five years or so they might actually write some regs that prohibit companies from putting the public at risk without their knowledge or consent.
 
GCC:
Argo AI and Ford to launch self-driving vehicles on Lyft network by end of 2021; targeting 1,000 over next 5 years

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/07/20210722-fordargo.html


. . . Argo AI and Ford will deploy Ford self-driving cars, with safety drivers, on the Lyft network, as part of a network access agreement, with passenger rides beginning in Miami later this year and in Austin starting in 2022. . . .

The collaboration is designed to scale autonomous vehicle deployment using market and safety data that helps define where self-driving technology can safely serve consumers. As part of the agreement, Argo will use anonymized service and fleet data from Lyft to overcome the challenges faced by other autonomous vehicle companies by focusing on where they can build a sustainable business and validate deployment through localized safety data.

In addition, Lyft will receive 2.5% of the common equity of Argo AI as part of the licensing and data access agreements to collaborate on the safe commercialization of autonomous vehicles.

In order to support self-driving vehicle deployments at scale, Ford has established a presence in Miami, Austin and Washington, DC. This includes operations to support commercial fleets, including fueling, servicing and cleaning, ultimately ensuring a great experience for customers. Ford also has established strong community relationships, including working closely with city leaders to provide valuable mobility solutions to meet their unique needs.
 
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