Are We Over Uber? Bring on the Bots

Are We Over Uber? Bring on the Bots
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-12-2018 at 12:00 pm

From sexual harassment, to surveilling regulators, to Uber drivers and taxi drivers committing suicide (because they can’t make a living) the pervasive creepiness of Uber continues to spread while the means of corraling this societal phenomenon creeps steadily forward like sclerotic mid-town traffic. The latest chapter… Read More


Florida Sends Mixed Autonomous Message

Florida Sends Mixed Autonomous Message
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-12-2018 at 7:00 am

Florida is poised to surpass California and Arizona as the leader in autonomous driving development thanks to an aggressive legislative agenda that began in 2012 and direct engagement with autonomous car developers. The state has good reasons for fostering automated driving given that it is the second largest state in the U.S.… Read More


What Mary Meeker Missed

What Mary Meeker Missed
by Roger C. Lanctot on 06-01-2018 at 12:00 pm

It must be a measure of the dim view taken of the automotive industry by Silicon Valley types that of the 294 slides in Mary Meeker’s annual Trends presentation delivered at this year’s Code Conference less than 10 of those slides refer to transportation. The Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner even managed to avoid… Read More


Don’t Balkanize Automotive Safety

Don’t Balkanize Automotive Safety
by Roger C. Lanctot on 05-13-2018 at 7:00 am

The Wall Street Journal reported, last week, that auto makers are lining up on opposite sides of the talking cars debate. Some car makers – General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen – are pushing Wi-Fi-based dedicated short range communication technology (DSRC) while others – Ford, Audi and BMW – are emphasizing 5G for the same application.… Read More


NVIDIA GTC 2018 Then There Were Three

NVIDIA GTC 2018 Then There Were Three
by Roger C. Lanctot on 04-08-2018 at 8:00 am

If there was a central takeaway to Nvidia’s GTC event last week in San Jose it was this: autonomous vehicles are already operating or at least testing in virtual every corner of the planet including companies such as Tier IV and ZMP in Japan, and Pony.ai and Baidu in China. But two U.S. companies standout globally for the growing… Read More


Uber’s Monkey in the Wrench

Uber’s Monkey in the Wrench
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-23-2018 at 7:00 am

The news of a pedestrian fatality in Tempe, Ariz., resulting from the operation of an Uber autonomous vehicle has set off alarm bells throughout the AV development community. As always in such circumstances there will be a simultaneous rush to judgement and the immediate termination of all such testing, as well as a call for calm… Read More


MWC 2018: The Anonymous Car

MWC 2018: The Anonymous Car
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-04-2018 at 12:00 pm

European regulators are poised to once again shift European car makers to the back of the queue when it comes to realizing the value of connected cars. While the rest of the world is obsessively pursuing the creation of autonomous vehicles, the European Commission with the help of the GSMA is working toward the creation of the anonymous… Read More


Blackberry Reboot Nears Completion

Blackberry Reboot Nears Completion
by Roger C. Lanctot on 02-18-2018 at 12:00 pm

Jalopnik’s report that car maker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) had experienced a failed software update that had thrown the infotainment systems in some MY 2017-18 vehicles into a never-ending cycle of rebooting was a reminder that cars are indeed becoming smartphones on wheels. Blackberry CEO John Chen has no doubtsRead More


What GM Can Learn from Tesla

What GM Can Learn from Tesla
by Roger C. Lanctot on 01-28-2018 at 7:00 am

General Motors has had wireless connections to its cars for more than 21 years, thanks to Project Beacon, better known as OnStar, now operated as Global Connected Consumer Experience. OnStar has likely saved hundreds of lives, if not thousands, by summoning emergency responders to the scenes of crashes where airbags deployed.… Read More


Japan Inc. on the Brink

Japan Inc. on the Brink
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-21-2017 at 12:00 pm

Japan has had an incredible run in technology, but the past decade has seen a reversal of fortune. Consumer electronics powerhouses such as Pioneer, Panasonic, Sharp and many others have been humbled by the commoditization of their hardware and a shift in market share to Asian competitors.
Read More