GM Should BrightDrop-Kick Cruise

GM Should BrightDrop-Kick Cruise
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-18-2022 at 6:00 pm

GM Should BrightDrop Kick Cruise

The GM Authority newsletter informed us last week that General Motors’ BrightDrop commercial vehicle group was planning to adopt autonomous vehicle technology created by GM-owned Cruise Automation for its delivery vans. Days later, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt announced plans to bring its nascent autonomous taxi service to Phoenix… Read More


What’s Wrong with Robotaxis?

What’s Wrong with Robotaxis?
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-08-2022 at 6:00 am

Whats Wrong with Robotaxis

For some reason the obsession with robotaxis persists throughout the world and throughout the transportation industry. The collective conventional wisdom appears to be that getting rid of the human drivers of taxis and letting these vehicles freely operate presumably around the clock will save money and the environment.… Read More


GM’s Postcard from Fantasyland

GM’s Postcard from Fantasyland
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-07-2021 at 6:00 am

GMs Postcard from Fantasyland

In the midst of what may well be the greatest electric vehicle debacle of the nascent EV era, General Motors put on a happy face telling investors two weeks ago that all things EV and autonomous were going swimmingly to plan with gumdrops and sugar plums coming on the road ahead. GM claimed before-end-of-year availability for the… Read More


Autonomous Vehicle Rationale Breaks Down

Autonomous Vehicle Rationale Breaks Down
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-03-2021 at 6:00 am

Autonomous Vehicle Rationale Breaks Down

The latest SmartDrivingCars podcast raised fundamental questions regarding the rationale for developing autonomous cars while debating the various paths to market adoption. The discussion took place between Alain Kornhauser – faculty chair of autonomous vehicle engineering at Princeton University and Adriano Alessandrini,

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Car Wars 2021

Car Wars 2021
by Roger C. Lanctot on 01-10-2021 at 10:00 am

Car Wars 2021

A strange narrative took hold in the U.S. at the end of 2020 that vehicle sales were in decline, that cars weren’t selling. The reality is something quite different. In spite of nearly two solid months of auto factory and dealership shutdowns, automotive sales surged back in 2020 – a phenomenon that manifested globally with regional

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Elon Musk’s Aspirational Automation

Elon Musk’s Aspirational Automation
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-01-2020 at 8:00 am

Elon Musk Aspirational Automation

Tesla Motors kicked off the release of its latest earnings with news of record results and the release of the company’s Full Self Driving beta. Leading up to the earnings, most attention was focused on whether Tesla will meet its original target of 500,000 vehicle shipments this year in spite of the negative impact of the pandemic.

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Tesla: The Day the Industry Stood Still

Tesla: The Day the Industry Stood Still
by Roger C. Lanctot on 05-05-2019 at 7:00 am

Tesla Motors held an investor event at its Palo Alto headquarters. CEO Elon Musk and a series of Tesla executives announced a new in-house developed microprocessor (already in production and being deployed in Tesla vehicles) and its plans and progress toward autonomous vehicle operation.

Tesla Autonomy Day Live Stream

To be … Read More