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From the article:
Eleven percent said they’d be tempted to have a nap, read a paper, or watch a film while using one of the highway-assist features available today, even though every automaker peddling the tech requires drivers to pay attention to the road at all times. “It’s really worrying that consumers are believing the hype.”
Worrying, but not at all surprising, as the research is clear that people will trust automation while it's still much too unreliable for vehicle control use. Google abandoned driver-assist and instead decided to go for full autonomy after watching video of their regular employees beta-testing their driver-assist system (which was far more capable than A/P was when the latter was introduced, and probably still is). People almost immediately disengaged from driving and did all the activities noted above plus others, even though they knew the systems were immature - the most extreme case involved one employee who fell asleep and stayed that way for 27 minutes while the car cruised at 60 mph.
 
Ford is the first company to test self-driving cars in Washington, DC
https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/22/ford-self-driving-cars-washington-dc/

Addison Lee's self-driving taxis could hit London by 2021
https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/22/self-driving-taxi-london-2021-addison-lee-oxbotica/
Maybe their partner Oxbotica is another name to watch? Hadn't heard of them until now.

Why People Keep Rear-Ending Self-Driving Cars
https://www.wired.com/story/self-driving-car-crashes-rear-endings-why-charts-statistics/

GM's self-driving car reportedly has trouble recognizing pedestrians:
https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/24/gm-self-driving-car-has-trouble-recognizing-pedestrians/

Thanks to a poster at TMC, they pointed to https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-selfdriving-cruise-insight/gms-driverless-car-bet-faces-long-road-ahead-idUSKCN1MY0CK which as a bit more info.
 
Via GCC:
Volkswagen, Mobileye and Champion Motors to commercialize mobility-as-a-service with self-driving EVs in Israel
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/10/20181030-vw.html

Volkswagen Group, Mobileye and Champion Motors plan to commercialize Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) with self-driving electric vehicles in Israel. Development will begin in early 2019 and roll out in phases reaching full commercialization in 2022. . . .

Operating as “New Mobility in Israel,” the group’s proposal was formally accepted by the Israeli government during a private ceremony at the Smart Mobility Summit 2018 in Tel Aviv.

“New Mobility in Israel” will roll out in phases and grow quickly from several dozen to hundreds of self-driving electric vehicles.

The Volkswagen Group will provide the electric vehicles (EVs) and bring in its in-depth knowledge and competency about design and deployment of user-centered mobility services.

Mobileye will provide its level-4 AV Kit—a turn-key, driverless solution comprising hardware, driving policy, safety software and map data. Champion Motors will run the fleet operations and control center. . . .

The government of Israel has committed to support the project in three main areas: furnishing legal and regulatory support; sharing the required infrastructure and traffic data; and providing access to infrastructure as needed.

While “New Mobility in Israel” will be Israel’s first commercial Mobility-as-a-Service with self-driving vehicles, all facilitations and rulings will be applied to all other ventures that wish to operate a Mobility-as-a-Service in Israel.

Volkswagen, Mobileye and Champion Motors will use “New Mobility in Israel” to serve as a global beta site for testing and introducing the Mobility-as-a-Service model using autonomous electric vehicles. . . .

I'm wondering if we should start a separate topic for MaaS companies (AV or not), and use this one solely for technical issues related to AVs. Opinions?
 
California gives Waymo the state’s first permit to test self-driving cars without humans
https://qz.com/1444810/california-is-letting-waymo-test-self-driving-cars-without-humans/
 
Via GCC:
Ford and Baidu announce joint autonomous vehicle testing in Beijing with SAE L4 vehicles; Apollo system
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/11/20181101-fordbaidu.html

. . . The Baidu-Ford L4 Autonomous Vehicle Test Project is a two-year initiative, with on-road testing slated to begin by the end of this year. The project will see Ford and Baidu cooperating to develop and test autonomous vehicles that are designed to meet the Level 4 (L4) driving automation standard as defined by SAE International. This means that upon completion of the development and testing process, the vehicles will be capable of operating autonomously within a specific geographic area and under certain weather conditions. . . .

In the lead-up to the kickoff, a team of Ford engineers at the company’s Nanjing Research and Engineering Center (REC) was set up to convert the vehicles into Autonomous Vehicle Platforms (AVPs) in order to prepare them to be fit with Baidu’s Apollo Virtual Driver System (VDS).

All vehicles have now been equipped with the Virtual Driver System (VDS) and related hardware and are ready for testing. The AV tests will be conducted on open roads in Beijing that are specially designated for AV testing, with the option of exploring further opportunities in other Chinese cities in the future in accordance with local regulations.

Ford is a founding member of the Apollo Committee, an advisory group for Baidu’s Apollo autonomous driving open platform, with Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC president and CEO Sherif Marakby serving as a board member. The new project builds on the existing collaborative partnership between the two companies. . . .
 
Elon's at it again w/his crazy timelines and distorted reality. From TMC:
Elon Musk: EAP solved, on track for FSD completion in 2019 (No one else is close!)
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/elon-musk-eap-solved-on-track-for-fsd-completion-in-2019-no-one-else-is-close.133947/
 
Waymo blames human error for motorcycle accident involving self-driving car
https://mashable.com/article/waymo-motorcycle-accident/ points to https://medium.com/waymo/the-very-human-challenge-of-safe-driving-58c4d2b4e8ee.
 
cwerdna said:
California gives Waymo the state’s first permit to test self-driving cars without humans
https://qz.com/1444810/california-is-letting-waymo-test-self-driving-cars-without-humans/
Thanks to a post at https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/autonomous-car-progress.99413/page-20#post-3185105, there's a link to a ~100 page PDF at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oZ9zwmpfzZvuGVX7MeUGvUSW6Vq1Zhaf/view.

I probably won't have time to dig into it for awhile. Pages 55 to 100 seem to be their safety report that I've skimmed thru before. There's a fair amount of redacted info.
 
Waymo Set to Debut Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service to Select Arizona Users in December
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/13/waymo-autonomous-service-december/ points to

Hyperdrive
Waymo to Start First Driverless Car Service Next Month
Under a new name, the Google sibling plans to methodically build a futuristic rival to Uber and Lyft. This is how it will unfold.
https://www.bloomberg.com/hyperdrive
 
Via GCC:
IIHS study finds GM front crash prevention systems cut police-reported crashes
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/11/20181119-iihs.html

An IIHS study of General Motors vehicles with optional front crash prevention systems found that GM vehicles with autobrake and forward collision warning had 43% fewer police-reported front-to-rear crashes of all severities and 64% fewer front-to-rear crashes with injuries than the same vehicles without any front crash prevention technology.

For vehicles equipped with forward collision warning only, the crash rate reductions were 17% for all front-to-rear crashes and 30% for front-to-rear crashes with injuries.

The results echo an earlier IIHS study involving Acura, Fiat Chrysler, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volvo vehicles, which found that the combination of forward collision warning and autobrake reduced front-to-rear crash rates by 50% for crashes of all severities and 56% for front-to-rear crashes with injuries. Forward collision warning without autobrake cut the rates 27% and 20%, respectively, for vehicles in that study.

[list]The evidence has been mounting that front crash prevention works, and it works even better when it doesn’t solely rely on a response from the driver.

—Jessica Cicchino, IIHS vice president for research and author of both studies[/list]

The new research involves 2013-15 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands. GM provided vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for vehicles with and without front crash and other crash avoidance systems.
Now, if we could just get Tesla to provide similar data to back up their Autopilot claims (as opposed to AEB, which we know works for front-to-rear crashes).
 
Via GCC:
Volvo Trucks provides autonomous transport solution to Brønnøy Kalk AS
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/11/20181121-volvotrucks.html

Volvo Trucks has signed a landmark agreement with Brønnøy Kalk AS in Norway to provide its first commercial autonomous solution transporting limestone from an open pit mine to a nearby port.

The solution for Brønnøy Kalk AS consists of limestone being transported by six autonomous Volvo FH trucks on a five kilometer stretch through tunnels between the mine itself and the crusher. Tests of this solution have been carried out successfully and will continue throughout 2018 to become fully operational by the end of 2019.

The agreement follows recent successful automation projects involving mining, sugar cane harvesting and refuse collection. Yet this commercial solution represents an exciting first for Volvo Trucks. Rather than purchasing autonomous trucks, Brønnøy Kalk is buying a transport solution—specifically the transport of the limestone between the two hubs. . . .

The agreement involves a deal whereby the customer buys a total transport service and pays per tonne delivered.
I could almost put this in the 'Mobility as a Service' topic - 'Cargo Hauling as a Service'?
 
cwerdna said:
Waymo Set to Debut Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service to Select Arizona Users in December
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/13/waymo-autonomous-service-december/ points to
Waymo launches its first commercial self-driving car service
Waymo One's on-demand autonomous rides come with human backup for now.
https://www.engadget.com/2018/12/05/waymo-one-launches/

A ride in Waymo One as the self-driving service goes 'live'
Waymo's been promising it'd launch its fully autonomous service by the end of 2018, and with just a few weeks to go the company has met that goal. Kinda.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/waymo-one-google-self-driving-car-project/
 
GCC:
Consumer Reports: Self-driving cars bill in Congress still falls short on safety
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/12/20181205-cr.html

As car and tech companies press Congress to approve a bill to speed up the introduction of self-driving cars, Consumer Reports says the bill still falls short of ensuring that these vehicles will be safe for consumers.

Senators have shared draft revisions to the bill—known as the AV START Act—in a last-minute push to win approval as lawmakers prepare to adjourn for the year.

David Friedman, the vice president of advocacy for Consumer Reports and former interim head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said, “Companies are trying to rush this bill through Congress, but there is no clear need for speed. These changes still do not provide the safeguards we need to make sure self-driving cars will be safe, despite some improvements that have been made in the bill.”

Friedman said senators have added language to require companies to provide more data about the safety and testing of self-driving vehicles, and they have tightened some loopholes that would have allowed companies to shut off vehicle safety systems. However, the bill remains deeply flawed because it would permit companies to put thousands, and possibly millions, of vehicles on the road before they are demonstrated to be safe, he said.

For self-driving cars to succeed, Congress should take the time it needs to draft legislation that provides meaningful protections—even if that means continuing its work into the new year, he said. . . .

  • Surveys show that most consumers are already skeptical. If this bill becomes law as written, it could actually set the technology back for years, because the lack of standards could lead to more injuries and deaths, and that would further erode public trust.

    —David Friedman
 
ABG:
Uber to fire up its autonomous testing program once again
Ride-hailing company plans cautious restart after tragedy earlier this year
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/uber-starts-autonomous-testing-program-again/

Uber is coming back to autonomous vehicle testing eight months after one of its test vehicles hit and killed a pedestrian crossing the street in Arizona. The plan this time around is to be overly cautious. Vehicles will run on a one-mile loop between two company offices in Pittsburgh — they will only be allowed to operate in the daylight and in dry weather conditions. Speed will also be limited to 25 mph for every vehicle testing. There won't be any rides given to passengers in these test vehicles, either. Uber doesn't specify how many vehicles it will start with. . . .

Every new autonomous Uber will have two passengers, both sitting in the front seat from now on. This is a huge departure from its past policy of only requiring one operator in the driver's seat, even in high-risk situations like night driving in the city. The loop for these initial test cars is actually the exact same loop Uber started its program with back in 2016.

Gaining the public's trust back after the incident in March of this year won't be an easy task. Still, the company knows this technology may be necessary for its profitability. Eliminating the cost of the drivers is the biggest hurdle Uber faces as a company if it wants to stop having quarters like its most recent in which the company lost $1 billion. . . .
Finally adopting conservative practice, better late than never. RIP Elaine Herzberg - from the Wiki:
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a team of federal investigators to gather data from vehicle instruments, and to examine vehicle condition along with the actions taken by the safety driver.[21] Their preliminary findings were substantiated by many event data recorders and proved the vehicle was traveling 43 miles per hour (69 km/h) when Elaine was first detected 6 seconds (378 feet) before impact; it was unable to determine that emergency braking was needed another 4 more seconds.[9] A vehicle traveling 45 mph (72 km/h) can generally stop within 195 feet (59 m).[22] Because the machine needed to be 1.3 seconds (76 feet) away prior to discerning that emergency braking was required, whereas at least that much distance was required to stop, it was exceeding its assured clear distance ahead,[23] and hence driving too fast for the conditions.[24][25][26][27][9] A total stopping distance of 76 feet itself would imply a safe speed under 25 mph,[22] whereas human intervention was still legally required. Computer perception–reaction time would have been a speed limiting factor had the technology been superior to humans in ambiguous situations;[28] however, the nascent computerized braking technology was disabled the day of the crash, and the machine's apparent 4 second perception–reaction (alarm) time was instead an added delay to the still requisite 1–2 second human perception–reaction time. Video released by the police on March 21 showed the safety driver was not watching the road moments before the vehicle struck Herzberg.[29] Notwithstanding perception and reaction times, 43 mph also commands a braking distance slightly greater than 76 feet.[22].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Elaine_Herzberg
 
DanCar said:
Waymo flops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_5xBf-TZ3I
No flop, just a very conservative roll-out, which is what Uber should have been doing (and Tesla). Waymo (I think then still the 'Chauffeur' program as part of Google) had their first accident (a 2 mph non-injury fender-bender) after seven years of public driving; by comparison, Tesla experienced their first fatal A/P accident just 7 months after releasing it, because they were pushing the tech way beyond what it was ready for. I don't doubt that Waymo is being even more conservative with this roll-out than they otherwise would have been, given the negative public perceptions from the Uber fatality there, even assuming that AZ isn't requiring a safety driver for now.

If you want to see some of the differences between the various companies attitudes/approaches, I suggest you read "Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car—And How It Will Reshape Our World" by Larry Burns, who has been involved in this stuff from back when he was VP of R&D and Planning for GM, then consulted for Google/Waymo, and knows all the major players.

https://www.amazon.com/Autonomy-Quest-Driverless-Car-Reshape/dp/0062661124

The book's so recent it even mentions the Herzberg (and Huang) crashes, although not in as much detail as the NTSB prelim, and it also dissects the Brown crash and why Google/Waymo ultimately decided not to go down the 'driver assist' route on the way to full autonomy.

BTW, that guy at Hyper Change needs to cut back on the caffeine!
 
Uber self-driving cars allowed to operate on Pittsburgh streets again
https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/uber-self-driving-cars-allowed-to-operate-on-pittsburgh-streets-again/892115618

Uber Resumes Self-Driving Car Tests In SF Months After Fatal Accident
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/12/20/uber-resumes-self-driving-car-tests-in-sf-months-after-fatal-accident/
 
Waymo self-driving vehicles face attacks in Arizona
Slashing tires, throwing rocks, brake-checking, and a game of chicken
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/02/waymo-self-driving-vehicle-attacks
 
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