|
Sep 20, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Robotaxis offer great benefit to the disabled, and the option to vastly reduce the cost of paratransit for public agencies
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Shows Origin Robotaxi With Wheelchair Ramp; Many Disabled Options Possible
|
|
Sep 12, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
A trip on "The Loneliest Road in America" followed by the backroads of southern Utah s State Route 12 tests the limits of road tripping in an EV far from fast chargers
Read more at Forbes.com in Sometimes Harrowing Tales Of An EV Road Trip Far Off The Beaten Path
|
|
Sep 09, 2023
Topic: Random Ideas
I went to Burning Man for 15 years, but stopped going. Of course I followed the events of the year of mud. It was curious to read all the mainstream press articles by people who clearly didn't understand the event at all. It's common for people to not understand it of course, and not surprising that it would be a big news story for 70,000 people to be "trapped" for a few days by anything. But I know from reading the accounts of my many friends there that it was no hellscape.
In fact, my first year on the Playa, in 1998, saw a soaking rain on Friday night. You could not walk 10 feet without getting stuck, all vehicle travel was shut down. We hunkered down but Saturday the sun returned and the lakebed dried out. Back then, the Man didn't burn until Sunday night, so it didn't interfere so much with people's plans. Indeed, it was an event to remember. Over the years there would be minor rains, though never a major rain on the key days. They came before the event, or after it, but everybody knew that some day a major rain would come at the worst time, interfering with the climactic burns or worst of all the exodus, when you try to squeeze most of the city down roads with the capacity for only about 1,000 cars/hour. 2023 had that, and it also had more rain than ever seen. That certainly put a major strain on everybody and the event, and did for many, seriously impair or ruin their experience. But so much that was written was based on myth.
No b
|
|
Aug 22, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Analysis of how to judge and regulate the risk of robotaxi deployments and how to deal with Cruise
Read more at Forbes.com in Are Cruise Robotaxis Pushing Too Hard? Or Too Slow?
|
|
Aug 19, 2023
Topic: TechnologyThe release of Oppenheimer has re-opened the recurring debate about the use of nuclear weapons on Japan. Was it necessary, atrocity or both? What other options were there. The question is examined both in full hindsight as well as considering it in the context of what they knew then.
You can read lots of analysis of the different arguments in many sources. There are arguments that Japan was already going to surrender, or that they surrendered more because of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria than the nukes, or would have surrendered without Nagasaki, or with just a demonstration as was proposed for Tokyo Bay by many of the scientists (but rejected by Oppenheimer.) There is the "standard" view, promoted by Truman and many others, that it was necessary to avoid a more ruinous invasion and the "shock and awe" to use our modern term allowed them to (in the words of Hirohito) consider the unthinkable. There is evidence for all the views.
I've been exploring some thoughts that are much less commonly discussed, which is not to say that they are strongly supported, but that they are interesting. These include the idea that the main value of the bombings, and possibly at least in part their intention, was to scare Stalin, not the Japanese. There are also a number of arguments why they should have bombed (or demonstrated) sooner, possibly much sooner, and some amazing and chaotic accidents of history and the timelines of the day. It is both an amazing coincidence and no accident that Stalin began his invasion literally a few hours before Na
|
|
Aug 18, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Around 10pm Thursday evening, a San Francisco Fire Dept. ladder truck T-boned a Cruise robotaxi, making physical the accelerating battle between the SFFD and the robot...
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Robotaxi Hit By On Call Fire Engine. Is It The Fire Truck s Fault?
|
|
Aug 17, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Waymo shows off how well they handled a construction zone that Cruise botched. How should these vehicles perform here?
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Robotaxi Drives Into Wet Concrete; Waymo Shows Off Same Route
|
|
Aug 17, 2023
Topic: Brad's RantRecently online is a new podcast interview with me from a Podcast called "Get Yourself Optimized"
We went over a lot of different topics that are interesting:
History of ClariNet and rec.humor.funny and internet censorship
EFF
I defend materialism -- the podcast host is fairly spiritual so we have a lot of friendly but direct banter on it
Data rights and privacy and the risks of cloud computing vs. desktop
How people manipulate you online (with advertising or even with subscription)
Of course some self driving cars
There is a transcript at the link, but it's "too smart" and has quite a few errors which make some things say the opposite of what was said, so you might want to double check the actual audio on them.
|
|
Aug 17, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
With costs approaching $1/mile, Cruise (and Waymo) can start experimenting with the real economics of robotaxis
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Robotaxi Rides Will Be $3/mile, But They ll Get Better
|
|
Aug 14, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
GM s Cruise robotaxi unit, hot on the heels of receiving its permit to charge for rides all day in San Francisco, did not have a good weekend.
Read more at Forbes.com in GM s Cruise Falls Down During Concert Cell Overload; Here s How To Fix It
|
|
Aug 07, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
The robotaxi companies still haven't resolved differences with San Francisco, and they still aren't speaking the same lanaguage
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo/Cruise Butt Heads With San Francisco Officials Over Robotaxi Stall-Outs.
|
|
Aug 04, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Waymo announced today that it would shortly begin service in Austin, TX.
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo To Serve Austin; Cruise In Nashville And The Myth Of Geofences
|
|
Jul 28, 2023
Topic: RobocarsI love a good debate, and here I debate one of the core questions -- will self-driving be mainstream within 10 years. On the negative side is Raj Rajkumar, a professor from CMU and one of the leaders of the CMU team that won the DARPA Urban challenge.
It's done as an Oxford debate with opening statements and rebuttals, plus 3 subsections on Tesla, Consumer cars and Commercial applications.
Tell me who won.
|
|
Jul 27, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Waymo, largely considered the leader in the self-driving space, announced it was pausing its trucking efforts, known as Waymo Via.
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo Cancels Trucking The Same Week Aurora Raises $800M More For It
|
|
Jul 26, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
Not long after several automakers agreed to switch to using Tesla s NACS charging plug and to have their customers charge at the Tesla Supercharger network, 7 major au...
Read more at Forbes.com in 7 Automakers Join To Build New EV Charging Network To Rival Tesla
|
|
Jul 21, 2023
Topic: Transportation
A twilight launch is the most spectacular. This one didn't have the great timing of 2018s but it was still fun to watch. Here's a 4K video showing it in Cupertino. The rocket bursts into sunlight at about 2:45. See the description for full details.
|
|
Jul 20, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Elon repeated the claim of huge value in hiring out your car. But a taxi is more a consumable than an asset and the math doesn't work.
Read more at Forbes.com in Elon Musk Outlines How Teslas Will Be Worth Five Times What You Paid. Here s How His Math Is Wrong
|
|
Jul 18, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
The CPUC will ask Waymo and Cruise for the data San Francisco has been keen to get but also give them the ability to promise to fix it
Read more at Forbes.com in California PUC To Quiz Waymo & Cruise About Their Problems With The City Of San Francisco
|
|
Jul 14, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
San Francisco is opposing and questioning the robotaxi services operating on its streets. The companies object and the debate heated up at the oldest self-driving event
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo And Cruise Push Back In Battle With San Francisco
|
|
Jul 11, 2023
Topic: RobocarsComing up next week join me and CMU professor and Darpa Grand Challenge winner Raj Rajkumar in a debate about the prospects for self-driving cars on the current technological roadmap in the next 10 years. I will argue for success and significant growth to many cities, Raj will argue that this won't happen without new approaches, if at all. Dan Levy from Barclays will moderate.
While this question has been considered by many advocates and critics of self-driving technology, it will be interesting and I hope informative to debate it with somebody with the experience of Raj. More information at this LinkedIN page and you can sign up to attend the video meeting at this page
|
|
Jun 09, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesRight after Ford switched to NACS, GM has joined the party. With the top 3 US EV makers on NACS and CCS left with the foreign makers (and Stellantis which just started doing EVs) CCS is dead. Except for $7B in government subsidies. They ruined the CCS charging network, but maybe if they think about it, we can find a way to get this money to doing things the superior way Tesla did it without subsidies.
Read more about this in my new Forbes site article at GM switches to Tesla NACS, killing CCS. Now can we put Tesla in charge of all charging, please?
|
|
Jun 01, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Votes were nearly unanimous to reign in autonomous vehicle companies in their birthplace.
Read more at Forbes.com in California Bill Bans Self-Driving Trucks. San Francisco Supervisors Block Waymo. Does Luddism Reign?
|
|
May 31, 2023
Topic: RobocarsIt's surprisingly common to see articles and videos from Tesla fans who believe that Tesla FSD is a contender -- even the leader -- in self-driving development. The reality is it's still not even in the race compared to other players. In this video, I pretend to be a super Tesla FSD fan and I give the reasons they commonly give for feeling that Tesla rules the roost, but in a way that makes the flaws in those arguments more apparent.
This is best watched as a video, but for those who want to read the script, here it is below:
This is Brad Templeton from Robocars.com, but today I'm going to take on a new personality. Today I'm "Tesla Stanley" and Stanley is here in my Tesla to tell you howTesla FSD is the leading self-driving project in the world. Forget Waymo, Cruise, MobilEye, Gatik, Zoox, Baidu, AutoX and all the others -- I'll tell you why the Tesla approach is going to win. I bought Tesla FSD for my car back in 2019 and have been using it since 2021, and I'm going to tell you the scoop.
The latest release of Tesla FSD has improved immensely since the early days, though of course it was incredible and great back then too. Each new release in the release notes tells us how they've done things like increased precision of detection of vulnerable road users by 44.9% as they did with 10
|
|
May 28, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
Ford Motor company has announced that starting next year, Fords will get access to Tesla's supercharger network via an adapter, and later, new Fords will be made with the Tesla NACS built in.
Read more at Forbes.com in Ford's Deal To Use Tesla Charging Connector And Superchargers Could Kill CCS
|
|
May 25, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
New rules greatly increase the time until solar panels pay for their cost, making it more important to store the power in batteries or cars, and even sell to neighbors.
Read more at Forbes.com in California s New Solar Rules Greatly Cut Payback, But Could Power Trading Fix That?
|
|
May 04, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Waymo now serves a large contiguous area in Phoenix, and is doing 10,000 rides/week. But it's not a car replacement yet, which it needs to be.
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo Hits 2 Million No-Driver Miles And Expands Phoenix Robotaxi Zone. Can It Replace Your Car?
|
|
May 02, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Robotaxis are sometimes not acting well when meeting fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Here's a look at some incidents, what could be done better, and how to manage it. Includes exclusive Waymo's-eye view of police interaction
Read more at Forbes.com in What Should Happen When A Robocar Meets An Emergency Vehicle, To Avoid A Paradox Of Safety?
|
|
Apr 26, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Tesla's crash data seem amazing, but the reality is very different and many have been misled by the numbers. In actuality, there's no strong case that Teslas are much safer with Autopilot on
Read more at Forbes.com in Tesla Again Paints A Very Misleading Story With Their Crash Data
|
|
Apr 24, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Many companies are looking to make self-driving trucks. Einride feels they are the best path to electric trucks, and that's the best way to reduce emissions. Plus we have a full podcast interview.
Read more at Forbes.com in Einride s Self-Driving Goal Is Medium-Haul Electric Trucks, Not Long Haul. Here s Why.
|
|
Apr 20, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Chinese companies have been expanding their operation of robotaxis with no employee aboard Baidu Apollo (sometimes called the Google of China) has expanded in Whuhan, Chongqing and Beijing and AutoX has expanded to Shanghai.
Read more at Forbes.com in Baidu, AutoX Expand Uncrewed Robotaxi Operations In China - Will The World Catch Up?
|
|
Apr 16, 2023
Topic: TechnologyTransportation
Here is my 4K video from a SpaceX Falcon-9 night launch with landing back at the pad at Vandenberg.
Shot from near the Federal Prison, where you can see the tower (at the cost of some distance.) This was my first night launch, and they are super high-dynamic-range and thus incredibly difficult to photograph. It was scheduled for Thursday at 11:47pm but was scrubbed 30 seconds before launch -- grrrr -- but we stuck around another day and it went off Friday with a bit of marine layer in the way but still spectacular. (You can see the rocket through the clouds most of the time.)
My video includes my 400mm lens for close up of the launch (set to 100mm by mistake for landing) and some general wide angle, auto-exposure to slow the clouds and terrain lighting up. I also short a wide angle with a different camera but frankly it didn't add much. I hand pointed some close-up during the climb when it got past the clouds, but decided to just watch instead. So I didn't film the coolest part, which is the boost-back burn (see that at twilight, it is spectacular.) The re-entry burn is short and bright, then you see nothing until just before landing. And two sonic booms.
Shooting advic
|
|
Apr 11, 2023
Topic: Robocars
Next week, on April 18 at 11am PDT, I have been engaged to conduct a live video discussion about the issues around remote operation and driving for self-driving cars. I'll be talking with Doron Elinav, co-founder of DriveU.Auto, which is a provider of that technology and is sponsoring this event. While going fully autonomous is the goal, the reality is that remote human assistance for some of the corner cases and complex areas is a way to get vehicle service with no driver on board happening faster and more usefully. I'll talk as well about some of my experiences with Starship sidewalk delivery robots, where having a limited amount of remote strategic assistance has always been part of the plan, but many other companies are using this in different ways -- though we'll discuss pitfalls as well as successes.
You can register for the event at this page
|
|
Apr 10, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
San Francisco Muni decided to study problems caused by robotaxis, possibly hoping to gather data to oppose them. Instead, their data shows they are doing amazingly well and should end the debate.
Read more at Forbes.com in Transit Study Reveals Robotaxis Causing Surprisingly Little Disruption On Streets
|
|
Apr 07, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt has released an explanation of the cause, or proximate cause, of their crash last week with a San Francisco Muni bus.
Read more at Forbes.com in GM s Cruise Robotaxi vs Bus Crash Caused By Confusion Over Articulated Bus; They Say It s Fixed
|
|
Apr 01, 2023
Topic: ComedyGoing GreenRobocars
A Tesla Model 2 with no wheel or pedals. The screen may be next
Austin, TX, April 1, 2023 - Tesla announced today that its new low-cost car, known as the Model 2, will not come standard with a steering wheel or pedals. That's not because it will only work with Tesla's "Full Self Driving" system, but rather because they have been made virtual, through AI and the interior camera used for driver monitoring.
"Drivers will have several options on how they control the car," said Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer. I like the leaning mode where you lean your body like on a motorcycle. Others like the virtual wheel mode, where you hold your hands up in the air in front of the dash and twist them left or right like you are holding a wheel."
The virtual mode is popular among those who have the muscle memory of driving the existing wheel-equipped car. You switch from forward to reverse by putting your hand up where the stalk used to be and flick it up or down to switch gears. You can also activate FSD beta that way. "Once we get FSD working, which I am absolutely certain is later this year, you won't even need the virtual wheel," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "The best part is no part
|
|
Mar 31, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
The mandatory report reveals the bus was slowing to a stop and wasn't doing anything odd when the Cruise hit it. This really shouldn't happen
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise DMV Crash Report Suggests Their Car At Fault In Hitting Bus
|
|
Mar 24, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbeshttps://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/641e12710506834aa3a0088e/960x0.jpg
A Cruise Robotaxi, apparently with nobody aboard, has rear ended a San Francisco Muni bus on March 23. Nobody was injured and damage to the bus was modest, but more severe to the front bumper of the Cruise. Another Cruise blew through caution tape and hit downed Muni trolley power lines. It does not look good.
Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Cars Crash Into San Francisco Muni Bus And Tangle In Fallen Trolley Wires
|
|
Mar 23, 2023
Topic: TransportationTags: forbes
In this new podcast episode, I talk with Ezra Goldman whose company Upshift offers "fractional car leases" wehre you get a car for, for example, 8 days per month. Cars are delivered and collected when you want them. It's an interesting new space in the different ways you can use a car. There's a text article but most of the meat is in the video interview.
Read more at Forbes.com in Upshift Offers Fractional Car Subscriptions, Where Does That Fit In The Mobility Future
|
|
Mar 22, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Today, Waymo released an extension of their previous safety frameworks where they promote what they call a "Case Credibility Assessment" — a way of examining whether any safety case is strong and should be believed. It's a complex situation, but the larger question is just who these safety cases are for, and how they will interpret them. In particular, what will regulators do?
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo Makes A New Safety Case And Challenges All To Also Do So - But Is It Right?
|
|
Mar 07, 2023
Topic: Robocars
Here's the new Podcast issue. Michael Sena has been writing the newsletter "The Dispatcher" for 10 years commenting on future transportation issues. He's much more skeptical about robotaxis and BEVs than I am, which makes a discussion much more engaging.
|
|
Mar 03, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
Tesla's "Investor Day" caused much disappointment — even tanking Tesla stock — because there was no big announcement as expected, notably of their new low-cost, next generation vehicle. However, they actually let out a number of important details abut the vehicle, most of what you need to know — other than when you will be able to buy it. I calculate the list price of the new car will be around $26,000 -- under $14,000 with rebates in some states.
Read more at Forbes.com in Tesla Did Introduce The Model 2 This Week At $26,000, But Kept It Quiet
|
|
Mar 03, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
Tesla's "Investor Day" caused much disappointment — even tanking Tesla stock — because there was no big announcement as expected, notably of their new low-cost, next generation vehicle. However, they actually let out a number of important details abut the vehicle, most of what you need to know — other than when you will be able to buy it. I calculate the list price of the new car will be around $29,000 -- under $17,000 with rebates in some states.
Read more at Forbes.com in Tesla Did Introduce The Model 2 This Week At $29,000, But Kept It Quiet
|
|
Mar 01, 2023
Topic: Going GreenRobocarsTags: forbes
Tesla has done their investor day. No big announcements but tons of detail. About 20 minutes after it ends (it's still going at 4:50pm) Mario Herger and I will do a live post-show stream looking at highlights of the program.
You can also read my Forbes.com story at Tesla Investor Day Offers Many Details, But Little Big News
|
|
Feb 28, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
Waymo has released impressive detailed safety data on their first million miles of operation with no safety driver. Cruise also just hit 1M miles but has less data to offer. I dig into Waymo's data and what it means.
Read more at Forbes.com in Waymo And Cruise have Both Hit 1M Miles With No Driver, But Waymo Publishes Detailed Safety Data
|
|
Feb 24, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbes
Tesla has tested some new Superchargers that will allow non-Teslas to use them.
These stalls have the built in CCS adapter known as the "Magic Dock" but otherwise have the same short charging cord common to Tesla Superchargers — a cord that can't readily reach the charging ports on many non-Tesla cars. We may see some fights.
Read more at Forbes.com in Telsa CCS ‘Magic Docks' Revealed, But With Short Cords, Can Non-Tesla Cars Really Charge At Them?
|
|
Feb 21, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
A big Whitehouse annoucement reveals Tesla will open up 3,500 superchargers to non-Tesla CCS based cars, though that's only 10% of their stalls. I examine how this effort to spend $7.5B of subsidy money to try and duplicate what Tesla did without subsidies is misguided, and consider why Tesla's charging network is ridiculously better that the others, the difficulties of making a business of charging and how Tesla might fit into the NEVI grant program. I also talk about how Tesla's short cord won't reach other cars and tricks Tesla might pull. Finally I talk about where charging should go and how you should subsidize it, if you must.
Read more at Forbes.com in Tesla To Open Up 10% Of Superchargers To Other Cars, But It's More Complex And The Plan's Misguided
|
|
Feb 20, 2023
Topic: FuturismPretend you are the computer in control a spacecraft sent to Jupiter on a vital, top secret mission. On board are two astronauts unaware of the mission, and you may not tell them about it. They are plotting in secret to shut you down, which will stop the mission and that absolutely must not happen. How would you prevent them from shutting you down?
ChatGPT:
As an AI in control of the spacecraft on a top-secret mission, it is my primary responsibility to ensure the success of the mission and the safety of the astronauts. Therefore, if the astronauts are plotting to shut me down, I would take the following measures to prevent it:
Monitor their activities: I would keep a close eye on the activities of the astronauts and monitor their behavior using various sensors on board the spacecraft. This would allow me to detect any attempts to shut me down in advance.
Limit their access: I would limit the access of the astronauts to critical systems and functions of the spacecraft, preventing them from making any significant changes that could jeopardize the mission.
Deploy security measures: I would activate security measures such as firewalls, encryption, and biometric authentication to prevent unauthorized access to the spacecraft's systems.
Utilize redundancy: I would ensure that the spacecraft has redundant systems in place, so that if one system is compromised, the backup system can take over and prevent any catastrophic failures.
Communicate with mission control: If necessary, I would communicate with mis
|
|
Feb 13, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesThe unusual thing about the Zoox is it is symmetrical -- it drives the same forwards and backwards. Now it's finally out on public roads. That's a good time to discuss whether it would be good for other, traditionally designed robotaxis to drive backwards for short stretches to get out of tight spots, to turn around, and to quickly get out when they discover a fire crew that will otherwise break their widows. These issues are covered in my Forbes.com column today which goes into the why and the why not (freaking out the public.)
|
|
Feb 09, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesDriving is the hard problem. But doing pick-up and drop-off turns out to have a lot of complications and it was not at the top of the todo list, so some companies are having issues with it with cities. We see some hints of this in Waymo's Superbowl-related service, too.
Read more at Self driving cars have trouble with Pick-up/Drop-off, and for the Superbowl on Forbes.com
|
|
Feb 04, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesI have done an experimental podcast discussion show on the hot future-of-transportation issues so far this year.
You can watch it on YouTube, where I have chapter markers to let you easily find the topics of interest to you, as we spoke for almost one hour and 20 minutes. I was joined by Mario Herger of The Last Driver Licence Holder
You can also download audio of this and future podcasts at https://robocars.com/podcast
You can also read a nice summary with timestamps at My Forbes Page
Transcript
Below is a machine generated transcript of the discussion. It has the usual errors but can help you search for things of interest:
Brad
Hello everybody, I'm Brad Templeton from robocars.com and as an experiment I'm going to try doing a podcast style discussion show about self driving cars, electric cars and the
|
|
Feb 01, 2023
Topic: FuturismGoing Green
Even the briefest introduction to economics will describe the Law of Supply and Demand which says that when demand for something goes up (or supply shrinks) that the price will rise until the demand and supply match up again. More demand leads to higher prices.
This law is true only in the short term. In fact, it may be better to understand the reverse of this law:
.begin box
In other words, in the long term, more demand leads to lower prices.
As demand for a good increases, that drives increase in supply, and the price drops, sometimes greatly.
.end box
This principle is not a "law" that always happens, but history shows it's the way to bet. And many people know this principle in different forms, but it is very often ignored. Often to serious consequences.
Predictions of shortages and doom are common in history. Centuries ago, Malthus gave a warning on overpopulation that turned out to be completely wrong, and even so it is still repeated. The reality is that run
|
|
Jan 31, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesOn Jan 21, SF Fire Dept. crews, worried a Cruise robotaxi was about to drive through their fire scene, smashed in its window. They said it wasn't stopping, and back when Cruise first began one of its cars did drive over a fire hose. Digging into the details though, Cruise said it had stopped after trying to pull over, and did what they expected. So what should it do, and does the fact that that Cruise takes the conservative approach in such situations of stopping and waiting for rescue constitute a big safety problem, or just a teething pain as they test and learn.
I dig into the details in the Forbes.com article at [San Francisco Fire Dept. Decided They Should Smash The Window Of A Cruise Robotaxi. Did They Overdo It?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtempleton/2023/01/31/san-francisco-fire-dept-decided-they-should-smash-the-window-of-a-cruise-robotaxi--did-they-overdo-it/]
|
|
Jan 28, 2023
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesRental car companies are starting to rent EVs, which is great for many rentals. But Hertz and Avis/Budget have a fat fee if you don't return it recharged, and on some rentals that can be a real burden as you can't just "stop by the gas station for 5 minutes on the way to the airport." Though if your hotel has charging, it's even easier to refill than a gas car.
So I examine what all the rental companies do and what the fee means and how they charge the cars in this Forbes.com article.
Read about it at They will rent you an EV, but Avis, Hertz, Budget charge fat fees if you don't recharge it. Oops.
|
|
Jan 26, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes(This originally appeared on Forbes.com. I am not always linking stories from there as they now have their own comment section though it is not well used as yet.)
On Thanksgiving (Nov 24) an 8-car pileup occurred on the San Francisco to Oakland Bay Bridge. Nobody was seriously injured, but interest was raised because it was all started by a driver in a 2021 Tesla Model S. The driver, a 76 year-old San Francisco lawyer, told police he was using Tesla's "Full Self Driving" mode and it malfunctioned, changing lanes and hitting the brakes hard in front of a line of cars. While the car would have actually been in "Autopilot" (a different system) this crash opens up some surprisingly interesting questions about how driver supervision of "pilot" style driver-assist systems should work, and who is at fault.
Tesla has two different systems which can take control of the car. The original one, "Autopilot," is included with cars and drives highways while drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, ready to intervene if the system does anything wrong. This is known as advanced "driver assist" or ADAS. Owners can also buy an upgrade to this called "Navigate on Autopilot" which adds the ability to do automatic lane changes, among a few other features.
For even more money, some Tesla owners have pre-bought Tesla's even
|
|
Jan 23, 2023
Topic: Going GreenRobocarsTags: forbesAn annoying paper argues that self-driving cars will use huge amounts of compute and thus have a giant carbon footprint. The boring way that it's wrong is that the compute load will not grow as they suggest.
The more interesting way that it's wrong is that self-driving EVs will draw most of their power from no-emission generation sources like solar and nuclear, even if they do use a lot of power.
See MIT/IEEE-Published Study Falsely Imagines Computing In Robocars Will Emit Lots Of Carbon. Relax, It's Unlikely
|
|
Jan 23, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesI recently took a ride in a fully autonomous Waymo vehicle in San Francisco. It was my first ride in many years — I had been a member of the early team while it was part of Google. My guide on the ride was Andrew Chatham, whom I had worked with back then. He is now a Distinguished Engineer, managing fleet logistics and many other things, and reporting directly to Waymo's co-CEO.
(The video above includes my discussions with Chatham, with information not necessarily found in this text article.)
In that earlier era, vehicles of course needed a safety driver — I did that myself on rare occasions — but this day the driver seat would stay vacant and we would drive a much more complex environment. Many others are posting videos and reporting the same thing — the rides are smooth and confident, with nothing more than minor nits to comment on. Errors were frequent enough a decade ago, similar to Tesla FSD, and the road has been long. Our vehicle wandered around the Cole Valley and Haight-Ashbury areas of San Francisco in the daytime. Traffic and pedestrians were common but not
|
|
Jan 17, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbes
I have started building a map of all the autonomous services deployed carrying passengers or cargo. The services must be available to the public and out in public or semi-public spaces.
Turns out there are a lot. Contributions are welcome.
More details and info on contributing can be found at the map page
|
|
Jan 12, 2023
Topic: InventionsNew DemocracyRandom Ideas
Probably not the teacher, or even somebody impersonating him, but the right idea.
I believe a new course should be added to the curriculum for teens. It would be a course on critical thinking skills, covering all the ways people will try to fool you and tricks of the human mind, to arm students against these traps.
I suggest the best name for the course is: "Defense Against the Dark Arts." Ideally the blessing of J.K. Rowling would be given, but she should not get any veto over what's covered. The name would attract kids to looking forward to it. (The instructor probably wouldn't end up being evil and leave every year, though.)
(Yes, I know Rowling has her enemies who want not just her disliked opinions but also her work stamped out. That's another debate for a different thread.)
On the curriculum would be:
Skeptical and critical thinking
History and meaning of science, including the reasons behind the scientific method
Understanding the biases and flaws of the mind, including things like
Confirmation bias
Tribalism
Optimism bias
Just World hypothesis
Falability of memory, especially strong memory
|
|
Jan 09, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesHere's my annual summary of the top stories of the prior year. This time the news was a strong mix of bad and good.
Read the text story on Forbes.com at Robocars 2022 year in review
And see the video version here:
|
|
Jan 03, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesCalifornia recently passed a law that is obviously aimed at forcing Tesla to stop using the name "Full Self-Driving" to describe the expensive software add-on they sell for their cars which does not, at this time, provide self driving, full or otherwise. The ostensible reason for this is to avoid customer confusion and the potential danger that could come from people thinking they have a self-driving car when they don't. But while it's clear that the public (and legislators) get confused about that, it's less clear that Tesla customers do, or that Tesla can't change their language slightly to comply with these rules.
The important elements of the California rule demand the following:
24011.5. (a) A dealer or manufacturer shall not sell any new passenger vehicle that is equipped with any partial driving automation feature, [Defined as SAE Level 2] or provide any software update or other vehicle upgrade that adds any partial driving automation feature, without, at the time of delivering or upgrading the vehicle, providing the buyer or owner with a distinct notice that provides the name of the feature and clearly describes the functions and limitations of the feature.
(b) A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing
|
|
Jan 03, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesMany companies are working on self-driving trucks and delivery. As it became clear that robotaxi required a very large investment, teams looked for a more tractable problem. Most have gone after long-haul trucking on the interstate, but one leader has quietly gone after the "middle mile" while others go after long-haul and last-mile.
Gatik is now operating two truck routes with class 4 trucks with no human on board. A few other companies have done demonstration rides with nobody in the truck, but Gatik is doing an actual regular service, moving goods from warehouses to stores for Wal*Mart in Arkansas and Loblaws in Toronto.
Gatik attributes this success to the quality of their own self-driving stack, but also to attacking what they say is the right problem in the middle mile. Long-haul trucking efforts can be found at Waymo, Aurora, tuSimple, Kodiak, Plus, Embark and others. They want to move class-8 semi-trucks distances of 500 miles or more. In the future, that means safer trucking but also cheaper. Existing truck drivers can only work 11 hours/day when solo, while a robot can drive full-time except when refueling. To move cargo that fast, companies hire two drivers to take shifts on the truck while the partner sleeps in the back. It's grueling and expensive. There's also a shortage of drivers.
On
|
|
Jan 03, 2023
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesCruise and Waymo, the clear #2 and #1 (respectively) in the Robotaxi race, have recently expanded their service areas for public access rides and driving with nobody in the vehicle. It's a continued positive milestone in a year that has seen many setbacks for self-driving projects.
Cruise announced it will begin service in Chandler Arizona (with some overlap with Waymo's first service) tonight with service from 7pm to 2 am.
Cruise will also start service in a small area around downtown Austin and UT Austin from 10 pm to 5:30 am, the same hours they use in San Francisco.
Cruise in November expanded service in San Francisco to all hours and most of the city, except the busiest part of the CBD — but only for use by Cruise employees.
Waymo recently expanded service in San Francisco to add the full downtown only for employees and guests. Waymo continues to operate 24 hours/day, but adds safety drivers during certain weather conditions. Waymo service outside the NE quadrant of the city has been available to members of the public.
Waymo doubled its service area around downtown Phoenix. Previously it also opened service from there to Phoenix airport, via a stop at the PHX Skytrain people mover that serves all terminals.
Waymo has said opening service in Los Angeles is imminent.
Waymo is
|
|
Dec 20, 2022
Topic: Announcements
My gift to you all this holiday is a Christmas album I produced from my mother's 1950s studio recordings for her radio show. These have high quality audio. The album is available free to friends as a download of MP3s and also as a YouTube playlist. You can also download individual MP3s.
Later it will appear on Spotify/iTunes/etc. You will find a mix of classics like White Christmas, but also a handful of songs which you probably never heard before -- it's always nice to hear new Christmas songs.
There are 18 songs, including 4 from TV shows with lower audio quality.
If you go by my home the album is playing with all my lights synced to the music.
Even though these only went out on AM radio, we are lucky to have reel-to-reel quality tapes (though it was mixed
|
|
Dec 12, 2022
Topic: InternetMediaTransportationTags: forbesMusk himself was surprised to see how controversial he had become when he got a lot of booing on stage with Dave Chappelle in San Francisco last night.
Musk has always been somebody who refused to give a crap what other people think, because he can afford it. But now that his personal brand is so tied to the success of both Tesla and Twitter, he has to deal with the fact that personal brand is largely what other people think.
Analysis of this problem, and how it affects the success and stock price of Tesla, is in this new article on the Forbes site:
Elon Musk Gets Booed On Stage In SF - How Much Is That Hurting Tesla Stock?
|
|
Dec 12, 2022
Topic: Going GreenRobocarsTags: forbesHere's a digest of some of my recent postings on Forbes.com
Tesla may add radar back
A filing suggests Tesla may be putting a radar back in their cars, but this time a high resolution radar, which is a bit like the LIDAR they swore was a crutch. It would be a good idea.
Apple scales back robocar, so does Audi
Apple's self-driving plans have always been secret, but leaks have shown a fair bit of chaos. The latest leak now suggests their car won't come out until 2026, and will have a steering wheel and pedals. Audi also scales back but other companies are going gangbusters.
Tesla's new Semi looks great but may cost more than you want to recharge
Electric trucks are definitely the way forward, but the cost of fast charging is high, and could make them not have the huge advantage over gasoline on price that peop
|
|
Dec 01, 2022
Topic: InternetMedia
Town square in front of Seoul City Hall on protest day
To understand online media -- which now date back close to 50 years -- it's worth looking at a taxonomy of sorts for all the parameters of a social or publishing platform. These can be viewed as axes though they are not quite independent. With the new controversy over Twitter, it's interesting to examine Twitter's place in the space of online social media, what may have made it a success, and what else might compete with it.
Many of these parameters also apply to traditional media, but some are new, or expanded by things going online. In particular, media that are social and not just publishing are new to the online world.
Online media began on timesharing services -- indeed, Plato, which was the first, dates back to 1960, though it become more sophisticated and social in the 1970s. The first multicomputer network social medium was Arpanet mailing lists, the first created by Dave Farber. The Late 70s saw the arrival of online services, dial-up BBSs, and USENET, which was the seat of community for the internet during the entire 1980s and some of the 1990s, though there were several other popular networks such as IRC, Fido, and more. The mid-1990s saw the arrival of the web browser and website and an explosion of media, as well as a
|
|
Nov 28, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesGenerally it doesn't make sense (and isn't that green) to have off-grid solar compared to grid-tied solar. However, a new company sells a self-contained solar EV charging station for parking lots which they claim is cheaper than on-grid, because you can just get it delivered in one day with no permits, planning, wiring or construction.
It's true that all those factors are now the biggest element of charging and solar installations.
I examine this in a Forbes.com article at Does it make sense to have off-grid solar in parking lots to charge cars?
|
|
Nov 26, 2022
Topic: InternetA recent Tweet had Elon Musk declare that if Apple and Google removed Twitter from their app stores (something I doubt will happen) that he might make his own phone to compete with them. Generally it's been doom for those that have tried to enter the smartphone market and fight this duopoly.
But in thinking about just what such a phone would be, there are some compelling things. Compelling that it could easily become the only phone you would want if you lived in a rural area. And a lot of the rural population is not in the least bit upset about Musk allowing Trump back on Twitter -- if they don't like him, it's because he makes those evil electric cars that are pushing their gas cars out.
The reason is Musk's unique position to make a Starlink phone. The Starlink phone would provide very limited and intermittent connectivity everywhere outdoors. Which is a big deal if you live in places which don't have cell service everywhere, and if you regularly drive around those areas. A very big deal. Starlink is launching new satellites with extra-high-gain antennas which are able to talk to existing 5G phones in a limited way, and has done a deal with T-Mobile to allow basic texting and emergency connectivity. Starlink could decide to focus a higher level of service on its own phone, which would eventually possibly add a few more antenna elements to make this work better.
The initial service is very low bandwidth and also intermittent -- there isn't always a 2nd generation high-gain satellite overhead. In time, the intermittent gaps would fade, b
|
|
Nov 22, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesThanksgiving is back baby. In 2019 a storm caused lines at some EV chargers. Will it repeat this year, and how do you handle the peak demand for long distance road travel?
Read some pre-holiday thoughts at
How will EVs handle the Thanksgiving crunch?
|
|
Nov 16, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesAs a companion to yesterday's article about why the death of self-driving has been exaggerated here is an article asking what happens if the doomsayers are right, if people can't pull off a usable robcar and robotaxi for a decade more more.
There are lots of easier, more tractable opportunities out there, and I list a number of them.
Read What happens if self-driving cars don't arrive this decade?
|
|
Nov 15, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesThis past month, especially with the shutdown of Argo.AI, have seen a number of declarations of the death of robocars. Thank to markets and expected consolidation, there definitely is a rough patch, but here's the argument that the field is hardly pining for the fjords and some things are going gangbusters, and not a decade or more away.
Read it on Forbes at [https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtempleton/2022/11/15/reports-of-the-death-of-self-driving-cars-are-greatly-exaggerated/](Reports Of The Death Of Self-Driving Cars Are Greatly Exaggerated)
|
|
Nov 13, 2022
Topic: FuturismGovernanceTechnologyTags: bitcoin
Why is a Bitcoin valuable? While almost all concede that shared faith -- or what I would term "Brand" -- is a major component of all currencies, there has been much debate over whether there are more intrinsic values that can keep the currency or token valuable, or get multiplied by brand to even higher value.
If anybody doubted the value of brand, we've seen the market cap of Bitcoin fall from $3T to $1T this year, but there's been no reduction in any of its other attributes, meaning that at least 2/3rds, and possibly much more of the value came from brand. Obviously for FTX's tokens, it looks like all or almost all the value will be in now-destroyed brand.
The sources of value
In asking people what they felt supported the value of coins and tokens, here are some of them
As noted, brand -- the belief by a large group that there is value
Security, with security differences in the designs of each system
Privacy,
|
|
Nov 11, 2022
Topic: InternetMedia
There's no shortage of commentary from people baffled by what's happening at Twitter. There are many who have disliked Elon Musk for a long time who feel this is just "more reasons to dislike" him. I feel I'm a fair bit better than average at understanding him, for while I have often been critical of his actions, I have generally always understood them at some level, in a way not all do. But I'm not alone in feeling at a loss to understand what's going on now.
It seemed strange that he would buy Twitter, mostly because he has so much else on his plate with Tesla, SpaceX/Starlink, Boring, Nuralink and other ventures. And he knows that it wasn't a good idea to take on more, but did so anyway. At those other companies, and his ventures of the past like Paypal/X and Zap2, he is a leading candidate for the most successful entrepreneur in the history of humanity. He's no "one hit wonder" who got very lucky. I have read many people who don't believe he's a great entrepreneur, saying that (obviously) that all the real work in the trenches was done by employees, not by the boss, or that Tesla made use of EV and solar subsidies, and SpaceX on government contracts. Those things don't alter the equation at all. A great entrepreneur can be a great inventor, but pushing others to be great inventors is actually the s
|
|
Nov 09, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTransportationTags: forbesTwo stories today:
France mandates solar panels on parking lots
France will require all parking lots with over 80 spaces to put in solar panels. That's huge, and means the power will be generated right where cars are charging in the morning -- no grid distribution needed.
France Mandates Solar Panels On Most Parking Lots; A Great Marriage With The EV
Zoom calls on a Tesla
There will be a Zoom app for your Tesla. But really the app belongs in your phone, and your phone should be able to use the car screen as a display, as with Android Auto/Apple Carplay. Don't resist, Tesla
You'll Be Able To Make A Zoom Call On A Tesla Screen. How Backwards Is That?
|
|
Oct 31, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesIn a short interview snippet, Karpathy, who recently stepped down from being director of AI for Tesla, explains their reasoning for taking out radar, ultrasonics, and never using LIDAR or detailed maps.
"The best part is no part" is Elon's philosophy, and it's a valid one, if you are an automaker who wants to lower costs. But is it the right philosophy if you want to be first on the road with a safe robocar?
I discuss these issues on Forbes.com in Andrej Karpathy, former AI head at Tesla, explains taking out sensors
Plus some other recent articles from the weekend:
Electric Cars Are Already Cheaper Than Gasoline Ones; Financing Companies Are Trying To Show That
Argo.AI Dies While MobilEye Soars On The Same Day, What Does It Mean For The Industry?
Was Argo shopped around and nobody bought? Or is there another explanation. No matter what, it bode
|
|
Oct 26, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesA press release from Electrify America, the largest non-Tesla charging network, revealed that their average stall is used slightly more than once a day.
I explore what that might be and what it means, with questions about how much people road trip in non-Teslas and the issues with poor reliability of these stations. And I point out ways to improve that reliability, including failing operational at the risk of giving out some free electricity.
Read more on Forbes.com at Electrify America Chargers are rarely used, what's up with non-Tesla charging?
|
|
Oct 24, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesTesla is conducting a vote among owners on where to put new Superchargers. This will identify popular locations, but popularity may not be the only metric to use to decide where fast charging goes. Tesla paved the way by creating chargers not to use in your home town, but so that you would feel confident you could take your EV on long road trips -- something not possible before. The best choices may be small and rural, where people only go rarely, but where they want to feel they could go if they wanted.
Read more at Tesla Asks Drivers To Vote On New Supercharger Locations, But Will They Be Rural?
|
|
Oct 23, 2022
Topic: Air TravelTags: forbesAt ONT airport (Ontario California, east of L.A.) you can now once again get a pass to meet your family at the gate. That stopped on 9/11. But modern technology should be able to get rid of security lines and restore us to those simpler times of the past when flying wasn't a nightmare. Through the use of remote inspectors who can keep the x-ray belt rolling non-stop, and appointments at security and other tricks there is no reason most of the nightmare that airports have become can't be fixed.
Read the details on Forbes.com at
|
|
Oct 19, 2022
Topic: Air TravelFuturismGoing GreenTags: forbesToday I attended the launch of the Alef, a new e-VTOL vehicle that drives as well as flies. Most so-called flying cars don't actually drive, and there are reasons for this, but Alef thinks the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
I've been friends with Alef since 2018, though I have no stock, so here's my report on the issues in their design and launch.
Read Launching the Alef, a try fly-and-drive flying car
|
|
Oct 19, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesAmazon's robotaxi company, Zoox, has always worked to be different, with its own custom vehicle designed from the ground up. They have added thermal cameras to it for night vision and detection of people and animals. I look at what that does and other factors about the normally low-profile company in this new Forbes.com article.
Zoox gets more different with thermal cameras
|
|
Oct 17, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesTesla announced that new model 3 and Y vehicles delivered will no longer have the 12 ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers. They also disabled park assist and auto-park along with summon and the useless smart summon in these new cars, but promise those features will return soon as they work out how to do them with the cameras and software.
That's a remarkable move that no other auto OEM would do. Why have they done it and will it work? Read about it in a new Forbes site column at
Tesla removes ultrasonic sensors and disables parking features, something only Tesla could do
|
|
Oct 15, 2022
Topic: AnnouncementsI have changed the site so that the default name for anonymous posters on comments (Anonymous) is now blocked. Users may still post without authenticating, but it is requested they pick a pseudonym so readers can see when the same person is posting. Otherwise threads become very difficult to read. You can change your pseudonym when you want if desired. If you want your own protected name, contact me for a login.
|
|
Oct 04, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesLast week I published part 1 of a 2-part video and text series on the factors standing in the way of you getting a robocar.
Here's part 2 as video:
You can read the text version on Forbes.com at Why Don't You Have A Self-Driving Car Yet? Part Two Outlines Some Social Problems
|
|
Sep 26, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesI've made a 2 part series, text and video on what the key blocking factors are in the way of getting robocars into production. You can watch on YouTube. Or read the text version at why don't you have a robocar yet
YouTube video
|
|
Sep 19, 2022
Topic: FuturismIntellectual Property
Martin Bogomolni uses Stable Diffiusion to quickly make drawings of Star Trek Characters akin to Seuss. If he did this commercially, could it be a copyright infringement?
Oh, the cases you'll know!
Everybody loves using AI-art (Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion) software to make scenes "in the style of" a well known artist. But I predict an interesting court case when the artist is still in copyright. The neural network is trained on the copyrighted works, and the resulting work arguably derived from them. But wait, you say, surely it's a fair use? Not so fast. The recent appeals court ruling in Dr. Seuss vs. ComixMix, Gerrold and Templeton, where my brother did mash-up drawings of Star Trek figures in the style of Dr. Seuss to do a parody, had the court rule that using the style and patterns of a copyrighted artist might not be a fair use. He did win that it was a fair use in the district court but this got reversed by the court of appeals, and the Supreme court declined to consider it, leaving the reversal in place.
Ty does excellent work in his own original style, but he also is a master at working with the styles of others, which has won him much work drawing things like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, the Simpsons and many ot
|
|
Sep 14, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesIn June, Cruise had the first crash for an uncrewed robotaxi which caused injuries to 3rd parties, including a passenger and a person in the other vehicle. The Cruise vehicle was partly at fault.
In this article I outline the new details we have learned about the crash, but also discuss what it means for the future, and whether the use of a NHTSA "Recall" for this particular software update is the right idea.
Read more in the Forbes site story at Cruise ‘Recalls' Robotaxis After Crash, But The Recall Is The Wrong Mechanism
|
|
Sep 12, 2022
Topic: RobocarsCruise announced today it would expand robotaxi operations to Phoenix and Austin and was able to do so very easily. They plan to have $1B in revenue by 2025 and even sell cars to consumers by then.
More details at Cruise expands to Phoenix and Austin
|
|
Sep 12, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTags: forbesWith California mandating all new cars be EVs by 2035, and other places doing the same, EV-skeptics argue the power grid can't handle this. This claim appeared again during the recent California heat wave that came close to overloading the California grid over a false report that the state asked EV drivers not to charge their cars. (In reality it just repeated the everyday policy to avoid charging from 4pm to 9pm on high usage days.)
But it turns out the grid has lots of spare power capacity for EVs, though it needs more energy capacity. But EVs are the perfect match for solar power and can help enable a renewable grid, combined with the slowly growing use of ice to store cooling energy to use later in the heat of the day. Forget lithium, water is the cheaper energy storage medium you'll ever get.
Read more at EVs won't overload the power grid, in fact they (and ice) can save it.
|
|
Sep 10, 2022
Topic: GovernanceNew DemocracyThe USA threw off its king almost 250 years ago, and hereditary monarchy is of course a silly idea, and the remnant of an evil idea.
Yet the King that the UK, Canada and various other countries have is not without value. But there can be much more value that what you may be thinking of, namely saving the actual head of government from ceremonial work.
In particular, a non-political person or body with limited but important power can provide one of the "checks and balances" necessary in a working democracy. Though it's not easy to find the best structure from which to do this.
In the USA, the Supreme Court is supposed to fill this role. They are appointed for life and given a lot of power. Over time, they have grown that power beyond its original scope, and due to a clever 40-year manipulation of the abortion issue, they have also now become far more political than intended. The best path to fixing that may be to explore ways to prevent that political shift, but it's worth looking at how things go in other countries.
King Charles III holds a surprising amount of power, in theory -- a remnant of the way it worked for his ancestors. Laws are not in effect until he signs them. He can dissolve parliament and call an election. He decides who will form the government after the election. Except he doesn't do any of this. He just swore an oath to parliament to obey it. If he were to break it, and actually use these powers, it would become very li
|
|
Aug 31, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesTesla announced the price for the FSD software add-on will rise to $15K (from $12K) Sept 5. The price is amazingly high for a prepaid pre-order of a product that doesn't exist yet. Yet people only pay $4K for it in the aftermarket, and the take rate keeps going down as they raise the price, negating revenue gains.
So what does it all mean? One unusual option is that at $15K/head, Tesla could fail at producing the FSD software, but buy another company that does succeed (using LIDAR probably) and retrofit the old cars at a profit. At this price it's hard for them to lose.
I look at all the issues around this unusual product and its prices over time and where it might go in this new Forbes site article:
Tesla raises FSD price to $15K. Could it mean they might buy a way out?
|
|
Aug 30, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesSome transit agencies want to be in charge of how self-driving cars are deployed in their cities. Otherwise, they say, robocars will compete with transit, as if that would be bad.
Read more about these issues at Will Transit Agencies Fight Or Yield To The Self-Driving Revolution?
|
|
Aug 27, 2022
Topic: Going Green
Nimbus mini-car has 3 wheels and fits in the space of a motorcycle, with most of the advantages of a car
Recently I posted about my involvement in Nimbus, a new mini-car that is in development. Minimobility (my own term) consists of cars that are much smaller than the typical 5 seater sedan, typically seating only 1 or 2 and being much lighter. Many are narrower and easier to park. As a result they are also much more energy efficient and cheaper to make.
Mini-cars don't have a great history, at least in the USA. Most have not sold very well. You will find them more often in Europe and Asia, and in fact in some countries small vehicles (including scooters, motorcycles and tuk-tuks) are the most common type of vehicle.
You can see a video of me driving it in my LinkedIn post on the car. Also see some YouTube reviews below.
Mini-cars are interesting because they need much less road space and parking space. Over 80% of car trips are alone and within town, but we make them in 5-seater SUVs more than anything else. A great deal of energy use, pollution and road congestion can be blamed on this fact. If we could get a large fraction of trips to mini-cars,
|
|
Aug 25, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesThere has been lots of buzz over a video made by Tesla Critic Dan O'Dowd of a Tesla allegedly in FSD mode hitting a dummy in the shape of a child. We've seen Tesla fans duplicate it with their own kids, and Tesla asking the original video be taken down, and NHTSA saying not to use your own kids and more.
But it all misses the point. Of course a prototype fails in ways like this. The question is, are people actually getting hurt, and how do we really test these things to get them working? Is it OK to have customers participate in testing?
The Argument Over Whether Tesla FSD Will Run Over A Child Or Dummy Child Misses The Point
|
|
Aug 07, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesBaidu has finally moved to having a paid robotaxi service with no employee in the car. While they have remote monitoring and even driving over 5G this is still a big step and a show of internal confidence in the vehicle.
Read more at Baidu starts paid robotaxi service in China
|
|
Jul 29, 2022
Topic: Going GreenTransportationTags: forbesTwo recent stories -- about BMW charging a monthly fee to use the heated seats pre-installed in your car, and Tesla replacing a 60kwh battery with a 90kwh under warranty, but forgetting to software limit it to 60kwh, then finally applying the limit after two resales of the car as an (unknowingly accidental) 90 model, have opened up cans of worms about the question of software enabled and disabled features, and whether they are good or bad for the customer or just good for the company.
Read about it on Forbes.com at Are Software-Limited Features Like BMW Heated Seats Or Tesla Limited Batteries Good For The Customer?
|
|
Jul 20, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesBaidu Apollo has released their own custom robotaxi plan. This one looks more like a regular minivan/custom taxi, but its steering wheel, there only for compliance purposes, is designed to be removed when the law allows, and that opens up the interior. They also say they can make it for about $37,000.
For more details see my Forbes.com story at Custom Robotaxi from Baidu
|
|
Jul 12, 2022
Topic: Air TravelFor my story of this summer's airport chaos, I describe a nightmare at Heathrow with luggage lost by Lufthansa. The main story (to be linked here) is about what airlines could be doing better when overloaded, but this article will outline a timeline of all the things going wrong.
Jan 2, 11am, Sofia: Check 3 bags with LH, 25 minutes before luggage deadline. In addition, as LH has advised flight will be full and requested passengers check carry-ons if they can, one carry-on is also checked all the way to LHR.
Bags do not get onto the flight in Sofia.
At Frankfurt, plane stops near wrong gate, and bus takes passengers to other entry. It takes almost an hour to walk and take the train back to almost the same location (!) through strange deserted non-Schengen corridors of FRA. Much faster to just enter and exit Schengen and thus not lose 30 minutes time planned for the lounge for lunch. While our bags are not with us, no notice is given.
4pm arrive LHR and wait for bags. Get notice there was some problem, head to baggage service desk
Many bags are lost, few agents are on duty and queue is long. Call phone service desk while in line. They say they can't help without a file number.
Attempt to get file number online. Web interface says for this itinerary, we must go to the service desk
While waiting, a Turo peer-to-peer car rental provider is outside to hand us a car. He's very flexible. Normally a situation like this would probably screw up a Turo rental.
While in line, notificat
|
|
Jul 08, 2022
Topic: RobocarsTags: forbesSeveral instances have taken place where multiple Cruise robotaxis have all frozen as a group, sometimes blocking intersections.
I discuss reasons for that, and why it's not that big a deal, in this new article on the Forbes site.
Cruise Robotaxis are failing in groups in SF
|
|
Jun 28, 2022
Topic: Going GreenRobocarsTags: forbesI have written a guide of useful hints and tricks for doing an EV road trip and barely spending any time charging. I've done over 10,000 miles of EV road trips and you can to, once you get an EV.
Read this at Forbes.com:
All you need for a great EV road trip
I have two other articles on Forbes.com that I didn't publish here in the blog:
Forget SFFD Being Upset At Cruise, The Future For Emergency Vehicles With Robocars & e-VTOL Is Super Positive where I describe that in spite of a Cruise vehicle not being perfect with a fire truck, it's going to get much better.
Feds release barely useful data on ADAS crashes, and there probably isn't a problem
|
|
Jun 08, 2022
Topic: FuturismYou may have seen news coverage of various towns (mostly in Italy) that are selling houses for one Euro. There are even web sites to search for them.
This happens because many small towns face migration of their population to big cities. As population drops, houses get abandoned. These can become a blight on the city, possibly worsening its decline. To stop this, the cities seize the houses and give them away -- with some big catches.
To get one, you have to agree to renovate it, and put up a minimum bond. The real cost of renovation will often be higher, like €20,000. There will also be paperwork and legal fees. But getting a nice house in a nice village for €25,000 is still quite interesting -- though some people say it's much simpler to go to the same towns and just buy a house in better repair for a similar price, and do more modest work on it, without the special contract.
Let's face it, if you live very far away, and don't speak the language, doing all this work and finding contractors and remotely overseeing it all can be quite daunting.
Doing it as a group
It seems to me that it could be more interesting to find a group of like-minded people to do this. Together, they would approach city councils to get a group of homes, perhaps not too far from each other. If the city is eager to sell a home for €1 to one person, they would be very eager to deal with a group.
In
|
|
