Autonomous Vehicles, LEAF and others...

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Via GCC:
German government adopts ethics rules for automated driving
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/08/20170823-bmvi.html

. . . The report of the Ethics Committee comprises a total of 20 theses. The key points are:

  • Automated and networked driving is ethically necessary if the systems cause fewer accidents than human drivers (positive risk assessment).

    In the event of danger, the protection of human life always has top priority.

    In the case of unavoidable accidents, any qualification of people according to personal characteristics (age, sex, physical or mental constitution) is not permitted.

    In any driving situation, it is necessary to clearly define and identify who is responsible for the driving task: the human being or the computer.

    The driver in control (human or car) must be documented and the data saved (e.g. to clarify possible liability issues)
. . . .
 
Via GCC:
Law firm forming autonomous vehicle industry group
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/08/20170825-honigman.html

. . .
  • Honigman is leading the charge to help clients with guidance and strategies for the complex legal, business, IP and regulatory requirements related to autonomous vehicle technologies. We can help clients navigate the broad spectrum of issues and potential pitfalls throughout their product development and commercialization strategies.

    —Steve Wernikoff

Honigman is responding to what it sees as a growing need for practical guidance as new laws and best practices are adopted by this emergent industry. Traditional automotive OEMs, suppliers and strategic investment entities are making significant investments in the autonomous space.

The industry group focuses on advising clients on the development, procurement, investment, patenting, use and licensing of these new technologies. Additionally, Honigman lawyers advise on related activities, such as the creation and development of autonomous vehicle research, development and testing facilities. The firm already has deep experience in the traditional automotive industry, as well as significant knowledge of the technologies used for autonomous vehicles, and the data privacy and cybersecurity concerns that commonly arise. . . .
 
Via GCC:
Are Autonomous Buses the Answer for Efficient Transportation and Reducing Emissions and Fuel Consumption?
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/08/20170828-crichton.html

Driverless cars are poised to decongest personal car traffic, shrink our eco footprint, free up parking spaces and reduce the frequency of collisions by about 90%. This could result in a conservative estimate of $642 billion in cost savings. But as promising as autonomous private vehicles are, could self-driven buses outshine them?

Recent innovations in autonomous public transport. It’s not hard to imagine a computer program directing buses to pick up and drop off passengers, because it’s already being done. Autonomous bus prototypes have hit the streets in select areas around the world. In May 2017, Reno, Nevada, boasted that it is laying the groundwork for the industry’s first driverless bus program, launching a three-phase process to roll out a full fleet in its downtown area.

Arizona-based startup Local Motors has unveiled Olli (earlier post), a 12-passenger minibus that may hit university campuses in Las Vegas and Miami later this year. In Helsinki, Finland, two driverless buses were employed last year—one of the first programs of its kind. Likewise, a plan in Western Australia aims to do away with timetables, supplementing their autonomous transit system with an on-demand bus service that provides service to elderly and disabled people who don’t live along standard-route bus services. Shuttles like these emulate systems currently used in the Netherlands.

These kinds of programs seek to do more than economize public transportation. They aim to change the way humans think about public transit, making it their first choice, not last, for getting around. Otherwise, smaller driverless vehicles (including taxis, rideshare services and private cars) could potentially eliminate the need for public transit. After all, why remain beholden to a fixed bus route when a car can pick you up and drop you off door to door? . . . .
 
Via GCC:
Ford, Domino's Pizza team up for autonomous delivery in Ann Arbor
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/08/29/ford-dominos-pizza-autonomous-delivery-ann-arbor/

While many people are still reluctant to take a ride in a vehicle that doesn't have a human driver at the wheel, a pizza doesn't harbor the same fears (thankfully, pizza hasn't become sentient yet) . . . Ford has partnered with Domino's Pizza to research pizza delivery using self-driving cars.

The program is taking place in Ann Arbor, Mich., using a Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle to deliver orders to randomly selected Domino's customers. If a customer agrees to participate, they'll be able to use an upgraded, GPS-powered version of the Domino's Tracker. When their order approaches, they'll get a text message with a code they can use to retrieve their pizza from a "Domino's Heatwave Compartment" through the car's rear window.

The vehicle will actually have a safety engineer in the driver's seat, with other researchers riding along, but the automated experience will simulate taking delivery from a robotic car. . . .
 
GRA said:
Via GCC:
Ford, Domino's Pizza team up for autonomous delivery in Ann Arbor
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/08/29/ford-dominos-pizza-autonomous-delivery-ann-arbor/

But who will walk my pizza to the front door? If I have to walk to the driveway, I might as well drive to the pizzeria! :lol:
 
GetOffYourGas said:
GRA said:
Via GCC:
Ford, Domino's Pizza team up for autonomous delivery in Ann Arbor
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/08/29/ford-dominos-pizza-autonomous-delivery-ann-arbor/

But who will walk my pizza to the front door? If I have to walk to the driveway, I might as well drive to the pizzeria! :lol:
That thought had occurred to me, but the Uber generation will presumably be willing to walk to the curb when they get a notification by smartphone that their pizza is waiting for them there ;) . Alternatively, there will be a pizza-carrying, stair-climbing and doorbell-knocking delivery robot at some point. :D
 
Via GCC:
US DOT releases new automated driving systems guidance
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/09/20170913-dot.html

The US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new federal guidance for the implementation of autonomous driving: Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0. This is the latest guidance for automated driving systems to industry and States; it replaces the earlier guidance document issued by the previous administration in September 2016 and offers a more flexible approach to advancing the innovation of automated vehicle safety technologies.

A Vision for Safety: 2.0 builds on the previous policy and incorporates feedback received through public comments and Congressional hearings. The 2.0 document provides voluntary guidance that encourages best practices and prioritizes safety. The document also provides technical assistance to States and best practices for policymakers. Specifically, the new Voluntary Guidance:

  • Focuses on SAE International Levels of Automation 3-5 – Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) – Conditional, High, and Full Automation);

    Clarifies the guidance process and that entities do not need to wait to test or deploy their ADSs;

    Revises unnecessary design elements from the safety self-assessment;

    Aligns Federal Guidance with the latest developments and industry terminology; and

    Clarifies Federal and State roles going forward. . . .

However, Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports, criticized the new guidance as a move to weaken oversight of automated vehicles.

  • This is a clear step backward for consumer safety that sends a troubling message about the Transportation Department’s priorities under the new administration. On the same day that the NTSB announced Tesla’s Autopilot system played a ‘major role’ in a May 2016 fatal crash [earlier post], Secretary Chao indicated that the Department will go easy on automakers, and that it will expect them to do less to verify the safety of emerging automated vehicle systems. It’s an abdication of responsibility.

    Self-driving cars have enormous potential to improve mobility and safety on our roads. But innovation must be accompanied by sensible, strong federal oversight. The Department of Transportation should be asking more of automakers, not less. NHTSA needs to be empowered to protect consumers against new hazards that may emerge, and to ensure automated systems work as they’re supposed to without placing consumers at risk. Given the Administration’s approach, it is more crucial than ever for Congress to substantially improve its automated vehicle legislation to prioritize safety and empower NHTSA.


    —David Friedman, director of cars and product policy and analysis for Consumers Union
Direct link to the guidance document: https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/13069a-ads2.0_090617_v9a_tag.pdf
 
Via GCC:
Cadillac embarks on first hands-free cross-country highway drive with Super Cruise
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/09/20170925-cadillac.html

. . .Super Cruise utilizes two advanced technology systems—a driver attention system and precision LiDAR map data.

A group of stakeholders and media will put the power of Super Cruise technology to the test in twelve Super Cruise-equipped Cadillac CT6 vehicles, which departed from Cadillac House in New York City and will travel to Los Angeles, California.

Crossing through 16 states, plus the District of Columbia . . . the drive program will make stops in major cities across the US including: Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Memphis, Tennessee; Dallas, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona. Super Cruise is Cadillac’s driver assistance feature which enables hands-free, driver-assisted operation on 130,000 miles of limited access, divided freeways in the US. . . .

Super Cruise will be available this fall in the 2018 Cadillac CT6.
By not limiting use (at least initially) of Super Cruise to the safest types of roads, with no oncoming or at-grade cross traffic that complicate the sensor and processing requirements, Cadillac seems to be running the same risk as Tesla which led to Joshua Brown's accident. Although they say not to use it other than on limited-access divided freeways, they apparently still allow it, else there would be no need for the warning. I wonder if they will change that given the NTSB finding in the Joshua Brown accident.

Super Cruise seems to be a Level 2 or 3 system, using a camera to monitor driver attention: http://www.cadillac.com/world-of-ca...MI7sK6wtDB1gIVgoFpCh32_gZcEAAYASAAEgJazPD_BwE

As the warnings on when not to use it include when visibility is limited or In slippery or other adverse conditions, including rain, sleet, fog, ice, or snow, IMO they should further limit its use to times when the headlights or windshield wipers aren't in use - turning either on should prevent turning Super Cruise on, or if already in use should disengage (safely) Super Cruise.

Also GCC:
Daimler Trucks testing truck platooning on public highways in the US
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/09/20170925-dtna.html

. . . In truck platooning, connectivity and automated driving improve safety within the vehicle convoys, support drivers and enhance efficiency through closer distances between the connected trucks.

Having started with successful trials on Daimler Trucks North America’s proving ground in Madras, Oregon, DTNA has received the appropriate permission from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). In a first step called “pairing”, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is testing its platooning technology in two connected Freightliner New Cascadia truck trailer combinations. . . .

In a joint effort with fleet customers, DTNA is working to understand how platooning technology may impact fleet operations (e.g. dispatch, logistics, driver training). In a joint effort with large fleet customers DTNA will test digitally connected trucks in every day transport business. With its Freightliner and Western Star brands Daimler Trucks is the market leader accounting for a 40% market share in the North American truck market. . . .

Wi-Fi-based vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) interacts with Freightliner’s Detroit Assurance 4.0 driver assistance systems featuring Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Assist and Active Brake Assist 4. This technology offers fuel savings to the customer when two or more Freightliner trucks closely follow each other, lowering aerodynamic drag and adding safety, because V2V reaction times have dropped to about 0.2 or 0.3 seconds; humans response time is usually not faster than one second. . . .
 
Via ABG, another positive review of Cadillac's Super Cruise:
Cadillac Super Cruise — a hands-off review
It’s not self-driving, but it steers us toward an autonomous future
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/06/cadillac-super-cruise-hands-off-driving-review-autonomy/

Another ABG article details the system's safety measures:
Super Cruise’s failsafes
We discuss Cadillac's safety measures with the system's lead engineer.
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/06/cadillac-super-cruise-failsafes/

I'm very glad that they limit it to divided, controlled access highways for now. All companies should be doing that initially with their systems.
 
Via GCC:
Deutsche Post DHL Group, ZF deploying test fleet of autonomous electric delivery trucks based on NVIDIA Drive PX
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171010-dhl.html

. . . DPDHL will outfit electric light trucks with the ZF ProAI self-driving system, based on NVIDIA DRIVE PX technology (currently the Drive PX 2 AI platform), for automating package transportation and delivery, including the “last mile” of deliveries. Taking packages from a central point to their final destinations is considered the most complex and costliest aspect of courier and e-commerce deliveries.

ZF is delivering ZF ProAI as an in-vehicle system capable of over-the-air updates to add new features and capabilities throughout the life of the vehicle. It is also configured for V2X applications, so it can communicate with other vehicles and with the surrounding infrastructure. In addition, the learning and networking capacity of ZF ProAI can help make an entire vehicle fleet safer and more efficient by means of “swarm intelligence.”

DPDHL currently has a fleet of 3,400 StreetScooter electric delivery vehicles (earlier post), which can be equipped with ZF’s multiple sensors, including cameras, LiDAR and radar, that feed into the ZF ProAI system. This can enable the vehicle to use AI to understand its environment, plan a safe path forward, proceed along a selected route and park itself— ensuring deliveries can be made with greater accuracy and safety, and at lower cost. . . .

With Deutsche Post DHL Group and a number of third-party customers looking to cost-effectively increase range for use in other applications, the company is now producing the currently available model also with boosted performance: Joining the current vehicle that features a range of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and a top speed of approximately 85 km/h (53 mph) will be a new model that boasts a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and a top speed of around 120 km/h (75 mph).

In addition, Deutsche Post is now testing several hundred StreetScooter WORK L’s equipped for the first time with fuel cell drives. These vehicles could travel more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) and Deutsche Post DHL Group is planning test runs for the next two years.
 
Via ABG:
Robot road rage? Impatient drivers causing accidents with law-abiding autonomous cars
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/10...-driving-impatient-drivers-causing-accidents/

Self-driving cars take traffic laws, such as stop signs or speed limits, literally and follow them to a T. Humans? Not so much.

And so as the public may fear the menace of rogue autonomous vehicles failing to recognize them and causing crashes, the reality is quite different: It's actually human drivers who are posing much of the risk, failing to fully halt at a stop sign or getting impatient with a slow-footed robot car and causing accidents with them, Bloomberg reports.

The accidents typically occur at intersections rather than in free-flowing traffic, and at low speeds with no injuries. In California, the only state that requires reports when autonomous vehicles are involved in accidents, self-driving cars were rear-ended 13 times since the beginning of 2016, out of 31 collisions involving autonomous cars. The results have autonomous vehicle companies working on ways to get their vehicles to drive more naturally and intuitively with human-powered traffic. . . .

Said Karl Iagnemma, CEO of the self-driving software developer NuTonomy: "You put a car on the road which may be driving by the letter of the law, but compared to the surrounding road users, it's acting very conservatively. This can lead to situations where the autonomous car is a bit of a fish out of water."

He added: "If the cars drive in a way that's really distinct from the way that every other motorist on the road is driving, there will be in the worst case accidents and in the best case frustration. What that's going to lead to is a lower likelihood that the public is going to accept the technology. . . ."
 
Both via ABG:
EVs and autonomy may not be as harmonious as we think
Self-driving systems draw a lot of power.
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/11/evs-and-autonomy-may-not-be-as-harmonious-as-we-think/

. . . It's been widely stated that electric vehicles lend themselves particularly well to autonomy. Especially in a future where private ownership is rarer and an autonomous vehicle spends the bulk of its time picking up and dropping off users (as opposed to sitting parked), an electric powertrain makes sense. It requires less maintenance, and finding a place to (wirelessly) recharge is safer and less complex than refueling at a gas station. . . .

But EVs may not be the answer to automation, at least not yet, according to an article from Bloomberg titled, "Driverless Cars Are Giving Engineers a Fuel Economy Headache," which points out how the two technologies might not be as harmonious as we think.

According to BorgWarner, the amount of energy used to power the autonomous driving systems in today's prototypes is equivalent to that of running 50 to 100 laptops. Processing data from the numerous sensors required for a car to drive itself might just be too great for a car running solely on battery power, especially if the first applications will be in robotaxis.

That's why Delphi Automotive's powertrain CTO Mary Gustanski and Cairn Energy Research Advisors founder Sam Jaffe believe hybrids will make more sense. Autonomous taxis are "going to favor plug-in hybrid EVs," says Jaffe, "and they're going to require that extra gasoline engine, both to extend the range to be able to do a taxi type of duty cycle, but also to help mitigate the proportion of the autonomous systems on the battery pack itself. . . ."

Still, we're in the early days of autonomous driving, and the technology will only improve and become more efficient (as will EV battery technology). When that happens, fully electric autonomous cars will make more sense. For now, though, they're not the ideal fit.

Passenger drones are 'absolutely coming. ... They're flying as we speak'
Fare would compare to a taxi. Should the auto industry worry?
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/11/passenger-drones-aircraft-vtol-automakers/

. . . Most people would call these aircraft passenger drones, some call them quad copters, but the people in the business prefer the term Vertical Take-Off and Landing craft (VTOLs). It's all about flying over traffic jams by using autonomous, electrically powered drones.

"It's absolutely coming," says Robin Linenberger, a retired Air Force officer and now a principal at Deloitte who advises aerospace and defense companies. "We're seeing prototypes being built. We're seeing demonstration programs. They're flying as we speak."

Starting in 2013, NASA began working with VTOL contractors at six test sites. NASA is also working with the Federal Aviation Administration, which is licensing the airspace and developing different scenarios and use cases. The early tests have been successful, and aerospace and defense contractors are getting involved, not only with the VTOLs themselves, but with flight management systems.

One of the startups in the field is the Detroit Aircraft Corp., which works out of the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit. It's working on a VTOL that can carry 4-5 passengers and 100 pounds of baggage, traveling 150 miles per hour with 60 miles of range and a 20 percent reserve. The potential impact on the auto industry is obvious.

NASA and the DOT are proactive on developing VTOLs because road traffic congestion is so bad and getting worse. That's why Uber is also heavily involved in developing VTOLs — it wants to reduce a trip from San Francisco to San Jose from nearly two hours down to only 15 minutes.

The key to making this all work is getting the cost down. Jon Rimanelli, founder and CEO of DAC, wants to leverage the automotive industrial base for mass-producing low-cost aircraft using automotive EV motors, controls, batteries and battery management systems. Even more, it turns out that automotive sensor technology for autonomy and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication could be applied to VTOLs.

"Wait a minute, we've spent all this time and money figuring this out for cars, why don't we use that exact same system to manage air traffic?" Rimanelli asks. "We're only going to be operating at about 1,000 feet, and the range of these radios is about 3,000 feet. . . ."

While much VTOL development work is centered on electric propulsion, the machines could also be powered by a gasoline engine, or a fuel cell. It's all going to come down to which is the most cost effective.

"We've done the math, and the math is working," says Rimanelli. He claims VTOLs could deliver rides for about $2.50 a mile. That's about the same cost as an Uber X ride, and cheaper than a taxi.

The first commercial VTOLs in the United States are expected to appear sometime around 2020. . . .
 
Via GCC:
Daimler demos self-driving snow removal trucks; premiere of Remote Truck Interface
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171017-daimler.html

Following its successful demonstration of the Highway Pilot and Highway Pilot Connect systems (earlier post)—the latter making truck platooning possible—Daimler has demonstrated automated snow removal operations on the site of the former Pferdsfeld airbase. This application of autonomous commercial vehicle operation was based on a specific customer requirement.

Under the project name “Automated Airfield Ground Maintenance” (AAGM), four Mercedes-Benz Arocs tractor units demonstrated automated airfield clearing in a remote-controlled convoy. The benefits are obvious: Airfield clearances are hard to predict and thus difficult to plan, especially in winter. This makes snow removal units operated with pinpoint precision by a single vehicle operator to remove snow from runways especially crucial when extreme weather strikes without warning during the winter months, and they require no additional vehicle and staff scheduling. . . .
There's a picture of four trucks operating in echelon, and when commercialized Frankfurt airport will use 14. Seems like an excellent use for autonomous vehicles at this stage, as an airport is private with far higher levels of traffic control than a public street or highway.
 
I don't think this has been posted yet. It's Waymo's 10/2017 safety report.

https://storage.googleapis.com/sdc-prod/v1/safety-report/waymo-safety-report-2017-10.pdf

Heard about it from https://storage.googleapis.com/sdc-prod/v1/safety-report/waymo-safety-report-2017-10.pdf. I've only skimmed it but it's very good and illustrates some of the many challenges faced if we want to get to SAE level 4 or 5 autonomy.
 
Thanks for that. No crash data, but good info. From the report (sidebar page 13), another confirmation of why I'll wait for Level 4:
The Case for Full Autonomy:
Allowing Passengers to Stay
Passengers

Advanced driver-assist technologies were one
of the first technologies our teams explored. In
2012 we developed and tested a Level 3 system
that would drive autonomously on the freeway
in a single lane but would still require a driver
to take over at a moment’s notice. During our
internal testing, however, we found that human
drivers over-trusted the technology and were
not monitoring the roadway carefully enough
to be able to safely take control when needed.

As driver-assist features become more
advanced, drivers are often asked to transition
from passenger to driver in a matter of
seconds, often in challenging or complex
situations with little context of the scene ahead.
The more tasks the vehicle is responsible for,
the more complicated and vulnerable this
moment of transition becomes
.

Avoiding this “handoff problem” is part of the
reason why Waymo is working on fully selfdriving
vehicles. Our technology takes care
of all of the driving, allowing passengers to
stay passengers.
 
Via GCC:
Mercedes-Benz running automated test drive in Shanghai; infrastructure peculiarities
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171027-mb.html

. . . The high density of cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and pedestrians and the associated traffic behavior in Chinese cities pose different requirements on automated driving functions than in Europe or the US. In addition, there are road signs with Chinese characters and lane markings, which in China have different or even multiple meanings. For example, short white lines, known around the world as pedestrian crossings, can also be found on motorways. However, they don’t denote a pedestrian crossing, but the minimum distance between vehicles. The sensors must be able to recognize this and interpret it correctly. The same is true for speed limits, which can differ from one lane to another. Another challenge: Parking spaces come in many different shapes and frequently are full of obstacles that are hard to detect for sensors.

These special national features show how important it is to gather worldwide insights into real-life traffic on the road to autonomous driving and to adapt automated driving functions to the particular traffic practices and conditions. . . .
 
Further to the Google/Waymo link cwerdna provided above, via ABG:
Google ditched autopilot feature after test user napped behind wheel
Decided to go for full autonomy and nothing in between.
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/31...ilot-feature-after-test-user-napped-behind-w/

ATWATER, Calif. — Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit stopped developing semi-autonomous features that required drivers to take control in dangerous situations, its chief executive said Monday, as autopilot reliance left users prone to distractions and ill-prepared to maneuver. The decision to focus on full autonomy followed experiments of lower-level driver-assist technology in Silicon Valley that showed test users napping, putting on makeup and fiddling with their phones as the vehicles traveled up to 56 mph.

John Krafcik, the head of Waymo . . . told reporters that about five years ago the company envisioned technology that could autonomously drive cars on highways as a quick way to get on the market. Automakers include similar autopilot features for highway-driving in vehicles, but they require drivers to take over the steering wheel in tricky situations. Waymo had planned to do the same.

But, "What we found was pretty scary," Krafcik said on Monday during a media tour of a Waymo testing facility. "It's hard to take over because they (drivers) have lost contextual awareness."

Krafcik said the company determined a system that asked drivers to jump in at the sound of an alert was unsafe after seeing videos from inside self-driving cars during tests. . . .

The company decided to focus solely on technology that didn't require human intervention a couple of days after the napping incident, said Krafcik, who joined as CEO in 2015. It has also since argued against allowing "handoffs" between automated driving systems and people. . . .
 
Nice find. BTW, I meant to post the NHTSA's list of AV competencies and Waymo's additional competencies from Google's safety report linked by cwerdna above, but forgot, so here they are:

Set of Behavioral Competencies Recommended by NHTSA

1 Detect and Respond to Speed Limit Changes and Speed Advisories
2 Perform High-Speed Merge (e.g., Freeway)
3 Perform Low-Speed Merge
4 Move Out of the Travel Lane and Park (e.g., to the Shoulder for Minimal Risk)
5 Detect and Respond to Encroaching Oncoming Vehicles
6 Detect Passing and No Passing Zones and Perform Passing Maneuvers
7 Perform Car Following (Including Stop and Go)
8 Detect and Respond to Stopped Vehicles
9 Detect and Respond to Lane Changes
10 Detect and Respond to Static Obstacles in the Path of the Vehicle
11 Detect Traffic Signals and Stop/Yield Signs
12 Respond to Traffic Signals and Stop/Yield Signs
13 Navigate Intersections and Perform Turns
14 Navigate Roundabouts
15 Navigate a Parking Lot and Locate Spaces
16 Detect and Respond to Access Restrictions (One-Way, No Turn, Ramps, etc.)
17 Detect and Respond to Work Zones and People Directing Traffic in Unplanned or Planned Events
18 Make Appropriate Right-of-Way Decisions
19 Follow Local and State Driving Laws
20 Follow Police/First Responder Controlling Traffic (Overriding or Acting as Traffic Control Device)
21 Follow Construction Zone Workers Controlling Traffic Patterns (Slow/Stop Sign Holders)
22 Respond to Citizens Directing Traffic After a Crash
23 Detect and Respond to Temporary Traffic Control Devices
24 Detect and Respond to Emergency Vehicles
25 Yield for Law Enforcement, EMT, Fire, and Other Emergency Vehicles at Intersections, Junctions, and Other Traffic Controlled Situations
26 Yield to Pedestrians and Bicyclists at Intersections and Crosswalks
27 Provide Safe Distance From Vehicles, Pedestrians, Bicyclists on Side of the Road
28 Detect/Respond to Detours and/or Other Temporary Changes in Traffic Patterns

Examples of Additional Behavioral Competencies Tested by Waymo

29 Moving to a Minimum Risk Condition When Exiting the Travel Lane is Not Possible
30 Perform Lane Changes
31 Detect and Respond to Lead Vehicle
32 Detect and Respond to a Merging Vehicle
33 Detect and Respond to Pedestrians in Road (Not Walking Through Intersection or Crosswalk)
34 Provide Safe Distance from Bicyclists Traveling on Road (With or Without Bike Lane)
35 Detect and Respond to Animals
36 Detect and Respond to Motorcyclists
37 Detect and Respond to School Buses
38 Navigate Around Unexpected Road Closures (e.g. Lane, Intersection, etc.)
39 Navigate Railroad Crossings
40 Make Appropriate Reversing Maneuvers
41 Detect and Respond to Vehicle Control Loss (e.g. reduced road friction)
42 Detect and Respond to Conditions Involving Vehicle, System, or Component-Level Failures or Faults (e.g. power failure, sensing failure,
sensing obstruction, computing failure, fault handling or response)
43 Detect and Respond to Unanticipated Weather or Lighting Conditions Outside of Vehicle’s Capability (e.g. rainstorm)
44 Detect and Respond to Unanticipated Lighting Conditions (e.g. power outages)
45 Detect and Respond to Non-Collision Safety Situations (e.g. vehicle doors ajar)
46 Detect and Respond to Faded or Missing Roadway Markings or Signage
47 Detect and Respond to Vehicles Parking in the Roadway
As the article you linked says, Phoenix weather mostly lacks inclement conditions, so they don't have to worry about snow, ice or (much) rain.
 
Via IEVS:
First US Public Self-Driving Shuttle Launches In Las Vegas, In Accident Shortly Thereafter – Video
https://insideevs.com/aaa-and-keoli...c-self-driving-shuttle-in-downtown-las-vegas/

America’s first public self-driving shuttle has launched in downtown Las Vegas using NAVYA Arma vehicle – supplied from Michigan where 25 are to be build for North America customers by the end of 2017.

The shuttle pilot project will enable a quarter-million residents and visitors to Las Vegas a first-hand experience using autonomous vehicle over the course of a year.

Unfortunately, the shuttle was involved in a minor accident about an hour after it launched, when a truck backed into it (the shuttle was not found at fault, but probably could have done a better job avoiding this accident – more/video on that below).

It’s pretty cool to see the first all-electric, autonomous vehicles on the road (in this case being a fixed routes and just low-speed driving for now), although it will take some time for the technology to match a human driver – at a reasonable cost. . . .

As noted, the autonomous shuttle had a minor accident on its first day of use, when a semi-truck backed into it. It was reported that the shuttle stopped when it noted the truck, but the semi continued to reverse…ultimately right into the side the passenger vehicle, unaware it was in its path.

While the truck was cited at fault, the first question one thinks of in this situation (as did one of the passengers recounting the event in the news video below) is: “would an aware human driver not only have noticed the truck, but taken further corrective actions to avoid it? Or at least peeped the horn?” The answer of course being – yes. . . .
 
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