Self-driving Cars Are Now on the Streets of Hamburg
Posted on Apr 30, 2019
Five electric Volkswagen cars fitted with the latest in autonomous technology are now driving on a section of Hamburg’s streets. The carmaker announced Wednesday that its first tests of vehicles with Level 4 automation in a major German city are underway. The e-Golf cars Volkswagen is testing are designed to handle complex urban traffic patterns without help from drivers, although they must be ready to intervene. Level 5 automation, the only higher category, requires the vehicle to perform all tasks, turning every rider into a passenger. The cars are driving three kilometers (1.9...
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Uber Gets $1B Investment Boost for Autonomous Vehicle Unit
Posted on Apr 24, 2019
Uber has raised another $1 billion. The investment is specifically going to Uber’s autonomous vehicle division with the goal of solving one of the biggest challenges in the fledgling sector of implementing hardware and software cheaply and at scale. Three organizations are behind the investment, including Toyota. Also backing the division are SoftBank Vision Fund and the Denso Corporation, an autonomous vehicle technology supplier. Toyota and Denso are fronting two-thirds of the investment and SoftBank will inject $333 million. Uber claims the investment will value it’s Advanced...
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Elon Musk Interviewed on AI and Self-driving Cars
Posted on Apr 22, 2019
Elon Musk was recently interviewed by Lex Fridman on the topic of AI and Self-Driving cars. Some of his comments included: Self-driving cars will be five to ten times more valuable than non-self-driving cars. Tesla has nearly 500,000 cars on the road with the full self-driving sensor suite. Regulators will need data proving the self-driving needs to be at least two or three times safer than human driving. The amount of increased safety will be up to regulators. Elon believes that having human monitoring of self-driving will start decreasing safety as the safety of self-driving increases....
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Insurer Must Defend New Jersey State Suit over Carjacking Coverage
Posted on Apr 18, 2019
A New Jersey state appeals court revived a policyholder’s coverage bid over injuries incurred during a violent carjacking, holding that a trial court must reconsider a psychiatrist’s finding that the use of an automobile played a significant factor in the assault. The policyholder claimed he was kidnapped at gunpoint by three individuals who drove him around to banks to withdraw money, and the assailants repeatedly beat him throughout the ordeal, throwing him against the car and hitting him with a gun. After one of the assailants crashed the car into a wall and it started to smoke, the...
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The Impact of a 5G Network on Transportation
Posted on Apr 16, 2019
The future of transport starts with driverless cars, and, in the early days of 5G, the automotive sector is likely to see some of the biggest changes. Everyone from Apple Inc. to Uber Technologies Inc. is looking to build self-driving cars. But while test cars are already on the roads in some cities, the commercial introduction of these vehicles — essentially large, mobile computers processing enormous amounts of data in real time — won’t be possible without the speed and capacity of fully deployed 5G networks. Five G and autonomous vehicles also promise to revolutionize shipping...
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Florida Could Expand Self-Driving Car Law
Posted on Apr 11, 2019
Self-driving vehicles could be operated in Florida without a human backup under a bill approved by a House committee last week, which could pave the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy fleets of driverless vehicles. Republican sponsor Rep. Jason Fischer said he wants Florida to be ahead of other states in allowing the vehicles on state highways as the technology continues to develop. His bill updates a current law allowing self-driving vehicles if there is a person in the car as a backup. The House State Affairs Committee approved the bill on a 20-1 vote and it’s now ready for a...
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GM, Ford and Toyota form group to help with AV rules
Posted on Apr 3, 2019
General Motors, Ford and Toyota said in a statement cited by Reuters they were joining forces with SAE International to establish autonomous vehicle “safety guiding principles to help inform standards development.” The group will also “work to safely advance testing, pre-competitive development and deployment,” they added. Reuters noted regulators in the US had been grappling with how to regulate self-driving cars, with other countries watching closely to see how the implementation of the emerging technology works out. Last year, the report noted, US Congress, unable...
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Hackers steer a Tesla into oncoming traffic by placing three small stickers on the road
Posted on Apr 2, 2019
Cybersecurity researchers from Tencent’s Keen Labs were able to fool Tesla’s Autopilot into merging into oncoming traffic. The hackers also controlled the car using a video game controller. Tesla thanked the group for its research and confirmed that no customers had ever experienced the problems in real driving. A prolific cybersecurity research firm says it has managed to make Tesla’s Autopilot veer off course by placing three small stickers on the road pavement. Read the full story.
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Commission welcomes agreement on new EU rules to help save lives
Posted on Mar 27, 2019
The EU institutions have reached a provisional political agreement on the revised General Safety Regulation. As of 2022 new safety technologies will become mandatory in European vehicles to protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. The new mandatory features will include: For cars, vans, trucks, and buses: warning of driver drowsiness and distraction (e.g., smartphone use while driving), intelligent speed assistance, reversing safety with camera or sensors and data recorder in case of an accident (‘black box’). For cars and vans: lane-keeping assistance, advanced emergency braking and...
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Hackers crack Tesla Model 3 in competition, Tesla gives them the car
Posted on Mar 25, 2019
A group of hackers managed to crack a Tesla Model 3 as part of a hacking competition and Tesla gave them the car for exposing the vulnerability. The automaker made a Model 3 available to hackers in order for them to find and exploit vulnerabilities in the vehicle’s system. The event happened in Vancouver this week and a team of two hackers managed to find an exploit on the last day of competition. David Lau, Vice President of Vehicle Software at Tesla, commented on their effort: “We develop our cars with the highest standards of safety in every respect, and our work with the security...
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NHTSA Opens GM and Nuro Autonomous Vehicle Petition to Public Comment
Posted on Mar 18, 2019
On March 15, 2019, the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that automated vehicle petitions from Nuro and General Motors (GM) are advancing to the Federal Register for public review and comment. “The Department is actively seeking public comment on proposed exemptions to federal standards and how the public can be protected as new transportation technologies emerge,” said US Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. Manufacturers must submit a petition to NHTSA to apply for a temporary exemption if a proposed new...
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GOP House Representatives Urge Energy and Commerce Committee to Take Up Self-Driving Legislation
Posted on Mar 14, 2019
In a letter dated March 13, 2019, representatives Greg Walden (R-OR 2nd District), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA 5th District) and Bob Latta (R-OH 5th District) wrote a letter urging the Energy and Commerce Committee to make self-driving legislation a priority. They highlighted the bill’s potential to save lives, enhance mobility and provide international competitiveness for companies in this space. Read the letter in its entirety.
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What Autonomous Vehicles Could Mean for the Future of Washington, DC
Posted on Mar 11, 2019
The one thing that’s certain about the autonomous future heralded by executives in Detroit and Silicon Valley is a future that’s either years or decades away, depending on which experts you consult: It will entail more driving. By the year 2040, the nation’s capital could be a bustling network of autonomous vehicles, with better access to jobs on its eastern and western extremities. Traffic would glide smoothly on freeways — the cars automatically keeping a safe distance by “talking” to one another — with no empty seats in the roving fleet of vehicles. The system would complement a healthy...
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Pittsburgh and Autonomous Vehicle Companies Agree to Testing Guidelines
Posted on Mar 7, 2019
An executive order signed by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday outlines objectives and expectations for the safe testing of autonomous vehicles in the city. Companies Aptiv, Argo AI, Aurora Innovation and Uber were all present for the announcement. City officials said Pittsburgh, an autonomous vehicle research hub, is the first municipality to draw up testing guidelines that are this extensive. For example, it directs the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) to create policies that ensure communication, increase “transparency and knowledge of the testing occurring on...
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