autonomousvehicles
Latest
Uber is out to prove its self-driving cars are safe
Uber put its autonomous vehicle testing on hold following a fatal accident involving one of its cars in Tempe, Arizona. But the company now plans to resume testing in Pittsburgh and maybe San Francisco in August, according to The Information. Additionally, Uber told its employees that it will put into place 16 safety recommendations that were proposed by an internal team. The company said in a statement last month that it had been working closely with the National Transportation Safety Board as it reviewed its safety practices and it also hired former NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart to advise its safety efforts.
nuTonomy can test autonomous vehicles city-wide in Boston
Autonomous cars will now be allowed on all public Boston roads. The city has played host to nuTonomy for some time now, allowing the company to test its self-driving Renault Zoes at the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park in January of last year, later expanding its testing zone to the Seaport District. And for the past few months, nuTonomy and Lyft have teamed up on a pilot program, transporting passengers in the autonomous vehicles within the Seaport area. Now, Boston will allow nuTonomy to test its vehicles city-wide.
Uber, Waymo and others to study the 'human impact' of self-driving cars
A group of companies have just formed a new organization that will study the impact self-driving cars could have on humans, like the millions that stand to lose their jobs to autonomous vehicles in the future. The Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity (PTIO) is being formed as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit and includes Ford, Toyota, Daimler, Waymo, Uber, Lyft, FedEx and the American Trucking Association among its members. The Verge reports that in its first six months, PTIO wants to start developing a "well-rounded and data-based understanding of the impact and implications of autonomous vehicles on the future of work," collect expertise, goals and concerns from interested parties and "foster awareness of existing and near-term career opportunities for workers during the transition to a new autonomous vehicle-enabled economy."
Uber reportedly increased self-driving simulations after fatal crash
Uber allegedly "neglected" simulation testing for its autonomous vehicles according to The Information. Following March's fatal accident between one of Uber's self-driving vehicles and a pedestrian, that's apparently changed, after ceasing all on-road testing. The publication's sources claim that there was a dearth of investment in the simulation software, and lots of incompatible code between the autonomous vehicle software and simulation software Uber is developing internally. However, the sources said there isn't a direct link between the lack of investment and the fatal accident involving one of Uber's autonomous taxis and a pedestrian.
All Cadillacs will have semi-autonomous features starting in 2020
Every model Cadillac sells will be available with semi-autonomous features starting in 2020. The luxury automaker's Super Cruise system for hands-free highway driving will be available across its entire model line in two years; currently, it's exclusive to the CT6 sedan. After 2020, the feature will make its way to other GM lines including Chevrolet, Buick and GMC, according to TechCrunch.
GM settles with motorcyclist over accident with self-driving Bolt
Earlier this year, Oscar Nilsson sued GM over an accident involving one of the company's self-driving Chevy Bolts. In December, according to Nilsson, the Bolt began changing lanes but then suddenly swerved back into Nilsson's lane, knocking him and his motorcycle over and causing injuries to his neck and shoulder. Now Nilsson and GM have reached a settlement. "The parties anticipate finalizing all details and filing a joint stipulation for dismissal with prejudice within thirty (30) days, or before June 29, 2018," says a court filing announcing the agreement.
California will allow autonomous cars to pick up passengers
California is launching two pilot programs that will allow autonomous vehicles to pick up passengers in the state, the San Francisco Examiner reports. One will let companies pick up passengers with their self-driving cars as long as a safety driver is behind the wheel. The other will allow for passenger pickup without a driver in the autonomous vehicle -- though the company will be required to have humans monitoring the cars remotely. "I am pleased to launch these pilot programs as part of the evolution of the passenger transportation system in California," California Public Utilities Commissioner Liane Randolph said in a statement. "Our state is home to world-class innovative companies and I look forward to these services being offered with the high level of safety that we expect from our passenger service providers."
Waymo will add 62,000 Chrysler hybrid minivans to its fleet
We heard in January that Waymo was expanding its agreement with Chrylser for 'thousands' of additional hybrid minivans, which would start being delivered in late 2018. Apparently, that was an understatement. Today, news emerged that the automaker will supply the autonomous car company with 62,000 its family vehicles.
The Ford Fusion Energi hybrid is great but going away
A week before I took delivery of the Ford Fusion Energi (starting at $31,400), the automaker announced it would be ending the US production of all but one of its cars (the Mustang) in the next few years. The Fusion's days are numbered, and no single review would save it. So now what?
Apple now has more than 50 autonomous cars on the road
Apple has more than doubled the number of its self-driving cars, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has confirmed. Since obtaining a permit to test autonomous vehicles, Apple's fleet size has steadily risen -- from a scant three test cars, to 27 in January, and now, 55 intelligent machines. Should the program remain on course, consumers could be chilling out in the driver's seat by 2019.
A peek at BMW’s self-driving ride-hailing plans
Automakers are trying to figure out where they fit in the autonomous-driving future. With sales falling, some of these companies are exploring the idea of becoming ride-hailing services too. BMW is one of them and during the opening of its autonomous Driving Campus in Germany, it offered rides in an autonomous 7 Series that gave us a glimpse of its plans.
Uber crash reportedly caused by software that ignored objects in road
Uber has reportedly discovered that the fatal crash involving one of its prototype self-driving cars was probably caused by software faultily set up to ignore objects in the road, sources told The Information. The autonomous programming detects items around the vehicle and operators fine-tune its sensitivity to make sure it only reacts to true threats (solid objects instead of bags, for example). Unfortunately, the car's software was supposedly set too far in the other direction, and didn't stop in time to avoid hitting bicyclist Elaine Herzberg.
After Math: Robot revolutionaries
The whole "fear of SkyNet" trope is a bit moot at this point, seeing as how robots have already infiltrated our roads, skies and cafeteria-style eateries. You can already see it happening with Lyft adding 30 self-driving vehicles to its Las Vegas fleet, Sphero debuting yet another domestic robopanion, and gangs leveraging drone swarms to blindside the FBI. Numbers, because how else are we going to learn to speak the binary language of our future overlords?
Alibaba is the latest Chinese internet giant to test self-driving cars
China's Alibaba Group has been testing its own autonomous vehicle technology, the South China Morning Post reports, and is looking to hire an additional 50 self-driving vehicle experts. Alibaba's rivals Baidu and Tencent have also been working on autonomous technology and last month, Baidu received the go-ahead from the Chinese government to begin testing its technology on Beijing roads. Tencent reportedly sent one of its autonomous vehicles for a ride on a Beijing highway earlier this month.
Inside BMW’s Autonomous Driving Campus
Dr. Dirk Wisselmann, senior expert for autonomous driving at BMW, tells me that the automaker's first level 3 car will have the technical capabilities for level 4 or 5 highway driving. "We can create a software update (for the car) and inform our drivers, 'We are are very confident on this road. We are very sure nothing can happen. You can sleep if you want to.'" He makes sure to note that this is a best-case scenario.
BMW’s new research center is dedicated to autonomous driving
The world of autonomous cars is coming. Maybe it's a utopian future where all the vehicles drive themselves, while traffic jams and road rage are a thing of the past. Or maybe it's just a bunch of fancy robo-taxis (and hopefully buses) that ensure city commuting is less of a pain. No matter how it plays out, it's coming and BMW wants to be prepared, by establishing its own autonomous driving campus.
Phantom Auto will drive your autonomous car if it gets confused
Imagine, you're sitting in your autonomous taxi when suddenly the power goes out and the traffic signals in your area no longer function. To keep things moving, traffic officers arrive at the intersection, waving cars through and the vehicles with human drivers move on without too much trouble. But your robot-controlled car stops.
Waymo may work with Honda on an autonomous delivery vehicle
Last week, Waymo announced a partnership to build autonomous Jaguar vehicles for its upcoming self-driving taxi service, which will augment its existing fleet of Chryslers. But today Bloomberg reported that the Alphabet company is nearing a deal with a third automaker, Honda, that may lead the pair to collaborate on an entirely new vehicle.
Apple patent taps VR to ease motion sickness in self-driving cars
The US Patent and Trademark Office has published an Apple patent application that details a pretty neat VR system. Spotted by Patently Apple, it's meant to be used in vehicles -- including self-driving vehicles -- and Apple pitches it as a way to mitigate motion sickness. But the company also describes a lot of other interesting applications, many of which could be used to turn a standard ride in an autonomous car into a business meeting, a concert or an exciting, zombie-filled adventure.
SF Motors reveals two electric SUVs with 300 miles of range
While much of the automotive world is focused on the New York Auto Show, a small car startup has unveiled its first-ever vehicles on the other side of the country in Santa Clara, California. SF Motors, the US arm of Chinese company Sokon, has just announced two cars -- the SF5 and the SF7 -- as part of a whole new line of electric vehicles. The SF5 is a medium-size crossover SUV, and the SF7 is a full-size crossover. The SF5 will be available for preorder by the end of this year and will ship in 2019.
