Takata’s Deepest Betrayal

Takata’s Deepest Betrayal
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-06-2016 at 4:00 pm

There’s been a lot of betrayal in the automotive industry over the past few years. Consumers have been betrayed by car makers that failed to identify, report or anticipate problems or that deliberately misled their customers. But no betrayal was deeper than that of Takata and the ongoing airbag recall effort. And Takata’s… Read More


GloFo’s 12nm FD-SOI: why it makes headlines in China

GloFo’s 12nm FD-SOI: why it makes headlines in China
by Adele Hars on 10-04-2016 at 7:00 am

As you’ve probably seen in (excellent!) recent semiwiki postings by Eric Esteve and Scotten Jones, 12nm FD-SOI has now officially joined the GlobalFoundries’ roadmap. Eric and Scotten did a great job of putting many things in perspective. But this is a big piece of news, so here I propose looking at it from yet another perspective,… Read More


The Privacy Delusion

The Privacy Delusion
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-28-2016 at 7:00 am

Why do we think we have privacy in our cars? Why does the government believe there is an interest in preserving privacy in cars? Can we just get over it? One of the least private places known to mankind – outside of the Internet – is the car!

But our transportation regulators in the U.S. and their counterparts at the European Commission… Read More


Getting out of DIY Mode for Virtual Prototypes

Getting out of DIY Mode for Virtual Prototypes
by Don Dingee on 09-26-2016 at 4:00 pm

Virtual prototyping has, inexplicably, been largely a DIY thing so far. Tools and models have come from different sources with different approaches, and it has been up to the software development team to do the integration step and cobble together a toolchain and methodology that fits with their development effort.

That integration… Read More


The Virus of Car Ownership

The Virus of Car Ownership
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-23-2016 at 4:00 pm

What if we all looked at driving as less of a right and more of an addiction, a disability, or a disease to be avoided, cured or overcome? What if driving were seen as a menace to society draining lives, money and time from the economy? What would our public policy priorities become in this new context?

Sweden isn’t waiting to find… Read More


Taxi Industry – Survival by Near Death Experience

Taxi Industry – Survival by Near Death Experience
by Kevin Kostiner on 09-20-2016 at 7:00 am

The Past We Lived Through
The taxi industry has been a part of city and community landscapes since the “modern” taxicab first appeared on the streets of London in the late 1800’s. Since then, taxis have grown into a massive worldwide industry with strong regulation and protection in most jurisdictions. Such… Read More


Apple, Google Go Home

Apple, Google Go Home
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-13-2016 at 12:00 pm

For some marketers the operative mantra is go big or go home. It looks like Apple and Google are both taking a harder look at the automotive industry and have decided to go home.

The media is rife with reports of Apple hemorrhaging automotive engineers while senior executives on Google’s automated driving team have been skipping… Read More


Zero Tolerance = Vision Zero

Zero Tolerance = Vision Zero
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-13-2016 at 7:00 am

Just returning from Sweden where the highway fatality rate is a marvel of modern transportation policy. Long before Sweden adopted a Vision Zero approach to reducing highway fatalities the country set itself apart from most others with a 0.02 blood alcohol limit for drivers. There is no question that this has contributed significantly… Read More


How to Save 10,000 Lives

How to Save 10,000 Lives
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-05-2016 at 4:00 pm

It’s Labor Day weekend in the U.S. and the National Safety Council (NSC) has forecast that approximately 400 deaths will occur on the nation’s highways. This death toll is about on par with past Labor Day weekends, with no big increase or reduction anticipated.

This routine slaughter is greeted by most observers with a yawn, but … Read More


Time for U.S. Fatality Reduction Targets

Time for U.S. Fatality Reduction Targets
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-01-2016 at 12:00 pm

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote a blog implicating the insurance industry in the high level of highway fatalities in the U.S. As part of that blog (“The Insurance Industry Has Blood on Its Hands”) I suggested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ought to look into developing a fatality-reduction… Read More