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


Waymo Collides with Transparency

Waymo Collides with Transparency
by Roger C. Lanctot on 02-03-2022 at 10:00 am

Waymo Collides with Transparency

Anyone looking to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to forthrightly assert a path-setting policy vision to guide autonomous vehicle development in the U.S. during his CES 2022 keynote was sorely disappointed. There was no guidance from the Secretary.

The issue has gained new urgency now that Waymo has sued the California… 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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Bouncing off the Walls – How Real-Time Radar is Accelerating the Development of Autonomous Vehicles

Bouncing off the Walls – How Real-Time Radar is Accelerating the Development of Autonomous Vehicles
by Jeffrey Decker on 04-01-2021 at 6:00 am

object detection

In the race to get people out of the driver’s seat, the developers of autonomous vehicles (AV) and advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) have gone off road and into the virtual world.

Using simulation to design, train and validate the brains behind self-driving cars — the neural networks of sensors and systems that perceive… Read More


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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Lyft & Auto Industry Annihilation

Lyft & Auto Industry Annihilation
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-31-2019 at 5:00 am

The good news is that Lyft’s initial public offering is over-subscribed, according to published reports. That also happens to be the bad news.

Like its disruptive corporate kin – Waymo, Uber, and Tesla Motors – Lyft is out to creatively destroy the automotive industry. In the process, the company is set on a course for its own annihilation… Read More


CES 2019 Robotaxis vs. Micro Transit

CES 2019 Robotaxis vs. Micro Transit
by Roger C. Lanctot on 01-06-2019 at 7:00 am

Attendees of CES 2019 arriving at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport next week will have four options for getting to their hotels: a shuttle offering two rides for the price of one (out and back for about $15); a taxi offering one ride for the price of two (about $30), a Lyft or Uber offering one ride for the price of one ride (about… Read More


You Cruise You Lose

You Cruise You Lose
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-25-2018 at 7:00 am

General Motors has two media magnets in CEO Mary Barra and Cruise Automation founder Kyle Vogt. Barra is praised for boosting GM profitability while streamlining operations and making strategic investments. Vogt, the beneficiary of one of those investments – in his autonomous vehicle technology company – embodies GM’s aspirations… Read More


Musk the Magician and Data Monetizer

Musk the Magician and Data Monetizer
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-19-2018 at 7:00 am

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk pulled a rabbit out of his hat last month making thousands of cars vanish and converting reports of production and delivery hell into market leadership for premium sedan deliveries. Following SEC legal action and a podcast where he appeared to be drinking scotch and smoking marijuana and after surrendering… Read More


Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla

Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla
by Vivek Wadhwa on 09-02-2018 at 7:00 am

Steve Jobs wanted to build an electric car as far back as 2008. In 2014, Tim Cook reportedly funded the project. To date, though, Apple has had little to show for it, and the rumors are that its electric vehicle will launch as late as 2025— long after such things become common commodities. Google has already had self-driving electricRead More