Posts

News Roundup: Volkswagen Shows Off Sedric the Level-5 Autonomous Car in China, Major Players Weigh In on California’s Proposed Driverless Testing Policies, and More

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , ,

A look at some of the biggest news stories to come out of the driverless and connected-car world this past week:

Major players weigh in on California’s proposed self-driving testing policies

Representatives from major players in the autonomous drive game, such as Apple, Uber, Tesla Motors and Ford, have been sending comments to California officials on what changes they would like to see made in the Golden State’s proposed policies for testing self-driving vehicles. In particular, Apple wants to change the way companies report “disengagements,” which we assume refers to accidents or collisions. Tesla wrote that they disapprove of the idea of barring testing of vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds. Uber said it should be allowed for people to pay to ride in an autonomous vehicle with a driver behind the wheel in order to provide the company with honest feedback. Tesla also warned that restrictive policies would encourage developers to leave the state. Read more from Business Insider.

 

What to do with the ‘ocean of data’ connected and driverless cars will create each day?

Barclays analyst Brian Johnson said recently that as more and more cars are outfitted with sensors, cameras and LiDAR, the more data they will begin to generate. In fact, a single autonomous car will be capable of generating as much as 100 gigabytes of data per second. “Assuming the entire U.S. fleet of vehicles - 260 million vehicles - has a similar data generation, it would create an ocean of data. To put it in context, one hour’s worth of raw data across the entire U.S. fleet would be around 5,800 exabytes in size,” Johnson said. One exabyte is equivalent to one million terrabytes. That presents a wealth of problems when it comes to the storage, management and analysis of that much data. Many big companies like Tesla, Delphi and Intel have ideas about how to tackle this problem. One idea is “edge analytics,” where information is analyzed close to the sensor itself rather than being sent elsewhere through the cloud. Read more from CNBC.

 

Volkswagen wows with ‘Sedric’ Level 5 autonomous concept car in Shanghai

We first saw “Sedric” the Level-5 autonomous car in March, when Volkswagen showed off renderings of the concept car. Now, Volkswagen is showing off the real thing. The company recently took Sedric to China to show it off at the Auto Shanghai 2017 show. The car is capable of full Level-5 self-driving, and in fact executives said all a passenger has to do it climb in, press a single button to start the car, and then control it throughout the rest of the trip via voice commands. The car has no brakes, controls or pedals. In fact, the car features no “cockpit” at all. See more from Automotive Tires and Parts.

Photo: Interior of Volkswagen’s ‘Sedric’ car / Credit: Volkswagen

 

A Roadblock to Self-Driving Cars: Who Owns the Data?

/0 Comments/in , , , , , ,

One question that may be holding back progress toward autonomous cars - who will own the data?

As more automakers look toward partnerships with technology companies to develop their cars into self-driving transportation vehicles, one wrench in the wheel appears to be a disagreement over who will own the data garnered from the vehicle.

As some of the earliest self-driving car models come into reality, the data gathered from those early cars-mapping, sensor data, traffic data, efficiency, and much more-is incredibly valuable to many parties.

However, other data collected could be on the drivers themselves-where they eat, where they shop, what movies they like to see and more, explains TheStreet.com, especially as in-car shopping and entertainment systems become more popular.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that the question of the ownership of such data is a very big deal.

In fact, determining that ownership is what several news outlets report put the brakes on partnership talks between General Motors and Google previously, as well as talks between Ford and Google. TheStreet reports the point of contention could also be complicating GM’s recent acquisition of San Francisco-based self-driving car tech firm Cruise Automation.

“Automakers don’t want to relinquish control of data in return for access to computer code; at least, not now,” TheStreet said.

Now, Google has confirmed it will be partnering with Fiat-Chrysler. Google’s technology will be put into 100 Chrysler Pacifica mini-vans for testing on public roads.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne recently told Reuters that the question of who will own the data from the prototype vans has yet to be determined, but it seems that talks are going amicably. TheStreet speculated, “More than likely, [Fiat-Chrysler] had to agree to respect Google’s boundaries pertaining to software and intellectual property.”

Marchionne said to Reuters, though, before they get that far, they need to get the vans up and working.

“We need to get to a stage where the car is viable so we can discuss the spoils of that work. We’re not there,” he told Reuters.

IIHS Study: Automatic Braking and Forward Collision Warning Systems Could Have Prevented 700,000 Crashes in 2013

/0 Comments/in , , , , ,

Jennifer van der Kleut

A new study about the potential benefits of automatic braking asserts that the technology could have prevented a whopping 700,000 rear-end crashes in 2013.

The study, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute using U.S. police-reported crash data, is adding fuel to the fight being waged by countless safety groups, regulators and even some automakers to include automatic braking systems in all future car models.

The study also touches upon the benefit of forward collision warning systems, reporting that the technology reduces crashes by 23 percent.

Crashes are reduced by 40 percent on average in cars that feature automatic braking, the study indicates.

Though front-crash prevention technology is becoming more prevalent, the study reports that in most cases, it is still only being offered as optional equipment.

“That may soon change, however. In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and IIHS announced an agreement in principle with automakers to make autobrake standard on all models,” the report reads.

The study also suggests that automatic braking reduces injuries in front crashes.

“The rate of rear-end crashes with injuries decreases by 42 percent with [both] forward collision warning [and] autobrake,” the report said.

“Even when a crash isn’t avoided, systems that have autobrake have a good chance of preventing injuries by reducing the impact speed,” says Jessica Cicchino, the study’s author and IIHS’ vice president for research.

All in all, the study says 700,000 crashes in 2013 could have been avoided with safety technology like forward collision warning systems and automatic braking, which amounts to 13 percent of all police-reported crashes that year.

Still, it seems a slow road toward implementing the technologies widely.

According to Automotive News, “For the 2015 model year, just 1 percent of vehicles included automatic braking as a standard feature, while 26 percent offered it as an option, according to IIHS.”

Ford and IBM Team Up on Vehicular Data Platform To Solve Rider Problems Like Traffic Jams, Finding Parking Spots, and Even Planning Trips

/0 Comments/in , , , , ,

Jennifer van der Kleut

A new vehicular data project could soon help drivers navigate all manner of mobility problems, from traffic jams on freeways to finding parking spots in crowded garages.

Ford Motor Co. tapped computer giant IBM to partner with on the data project, TechRepublic reports, and as of this week, it appears the system is ready to go.

The system, dubbed Ford’s Smart Mobility Experimentation Platform (SMEP), reportedly “uses small chunks (10-15 seconds) of data, and the patterns it sees in that data, to help drivers find a parking spot in a crowded lot or avoid a traffic jam on their drive home from work.”

For example, with Ford’s Dynamic Shuttle program-currently being tested on a Ford campus in Dearborn, Michigan-if there is a problem with one of the shuttles, the system can automatically call for a backup shuttle and re-route employees waiting for a ride.

“Should one of the Transit vans experience a malfunction that triggers a warning light, the platform will be able to start routing requests away from that vehicle to other Transits in service – allowing another shuttle to redeploy to keep all riders on schedule,” the company explains in a TechCrunch article.

The SMEP platform also helps run Ford’s “GoPark Painless Parking” program. The data the platform collects helps seek out open parking spots nearby.

Eventually, TechCrunch reports Ford and IBM want to debut a comprehensive mobility app entitled “FordPass.” TechCrunch calls the app “OnHub on steroids.” Even non-Ford drivers will be able to use it for all kinds of tasks such as consulting an all-knowing “Ford Guide” to figure out the best way to get somewhere, and even pre-booking and paying for parking spots in busy cities.

Sounds like a lucrative partnership.

 

 

Events

Nothing Found

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria