Automobiles – Page 15

Automobiles, Aviation, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News

Driverless cars are coming for the airlines

July 9, 2019

Our research has revealed just how much people’s travel preferences could shift with the advent of driverless cars.

As driverless cars become more capable and more common, they will change people’s travel habits not only around their own communities but across much larger distances. Our research has revealed just how much people’s travel preferences could shift and found a new potential challenge to the airline industry.

Imagine someone who lives in Atlanta and needs to travel to Washington, D.C., for business. This is about a 10-hour drive. A flight takes about two hours, assuming no delays. Add to that the drive to the airport, checking in, the security line, and waiting at the gate. Upon arrival in D.C., it may take another 30 minutes to pick up any checked bags and find a rental car–and even more time to drive to the specific destination. The average person would estimate a total travel time of four to five fours. Most people would choose to fly instead of driving themselves.

Continue reading… “Driverless cars are coming for the airlines”

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News

Florida will allow autonomous cars with no safety drivers on public roads starting July 1

July 9, 2019

The new law is intended to make Florida competitive with other states that have welcomed self-driving vehicles and testing.

Self-driving vehicles without any safety driver in the vehicle will be allowed on Florida roads starting July 1.

As Florida’s governor signed the new bill into law, he stated the intention is to remove “barriers to the advancement of autonomous vehicles” in the state.

Anyone who is onboard is also exempted from laws against texting or other distracted-driving activities in the vehicle.

Continue reading… “Florida will allow autonomous cars with no safety drivers on public roads starting July 1”

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

What is our plan for zero-occupancy vehicles?

July 6, 2019

In the transportation world, there has always been consensus that there is nothing worse than the single-occupancy vehicle. But there soon could be.

A common techno-utopian vision of the near-future city is one where automated vehicles come when called and whisk you to your destination, as you sit, relaxed and untroubled by traffic. But consider the opposite vision, that gridlock will be made worse by autonomous vehicles, which will spend much of their time driving around the city with no passengers. There is simply nothing about a vehicle being autonomous that makes it more likely to achieve higher occupancy. In fact, the current trajectory of AV deployment roadmaps and our transportation policy response ensures its average occupancy will be lower.

Continue reading… “What is our plan for zero-occupancy vehicles?”

Automobiles, Energy, Engineering, Science & Technology News

New material could unlock potential for hydrogen powered vehicle revolution

July 1, 2019

New material could unlock potential for hydrogen powered vehicle revolution

Scientists have discovered a new material that could hold the key to unlocking the potential of hydrogen powered vehicles.

As the world looks towards a gradual move away from fossil fuel powered cars and trucks, greener alternative technologies are being explored, such as electric battery powered vehicles.

Another ‘green’ technology with great potential is hydrogen power. However, a major obstacle has been the size, complexity, and expense of the fuel systems—until now.

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Automobiles, Driverless cars, Engineering, Science & Technology News

Volkswagen is testing anti-vomit technology for autonomous cars

June 23, 2019

VW’s solution is better than a barf bag, but testing continues on the perfect solution to a messy problem.

One-third of all people are highly susceptible to motion sickness, according to the National Institutes of Health.

It tends to get worse when that susceptible person is a passenger instead of a driver, which will be the case more often as self-driving cars and semi-autonomous driving features enter the mainstream.

Volkswagen is testing solutions to carsickness in self-driving cars that involve such features as red and green LED lights and movable seats.

Forget the technical and safety challenges facing self-driving cars’ march toward the mainstream: good old-fashioned carsickness is coming up as a worthy consideration for automakers designing autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen has announced that it has set scientists in Wolfsburg, Germany, on the task of studying motion sickness in autonomous cars and developing anti-puke solutions (our term, not VW’s).

Continue reading… “Volkswagen is testing anti-vomit technology for autonomous cars”

Automation, Automobiles, drones, Science & Technology News

Your BMW may someday be cleaned by an aerial drone

June 22, 2019

As the auto industry contemplates the shift from sales to services, automated logistics like this new BMW car-cleaning drone are coming into focus.

Automakers have been talking about a shift from new car sales towards a more service-oriented business model for some time, but for many of these car companies such a shift has proven difficult. One reason for this emerged in recent news about the General Motors Maven car-sharing experiment, in which the massive automaker struggled to manage direct consumer relations that have traditionally been handled by dealers. But what if the shift toward services took advantage of maturing automation technology, like car washes provided by autonomous flying drones? That’s a possibility that BMW seems to be looking into, according to recently-published patent application documents.

This new application envisions an automated system by which an unmanned aerial drone can be reserved or summoned to automatically wash a car. The drone would be able to recognize the target vehicle, determine that all windows and doors are closed and send an alert if they are not, detect the level of dirt, remove any objects that prevent cleaning as well as take before and after photos to be sent to the customer. The washing process would involve pre-washing, washing, drying and waxing, although the patent application does not specify details for how the washing would take place. The drone could be located in the vehicle it would clean, essentially making it a self-cleaning vehicle, or it could be placed in another vehicle that would act as a home base for drones that clean other vehicles.

Continue reading… “Your BMW may someday be cleaned by an aerial drone”

Analysis, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla Navigate on Autopilot drives itself poorly, Consumer Reports finds

June 22, 2019

Tesla says it has improved its self-driving Navigate on Autopilot system with its latest software update. Consumer Reports begs to differ.

Last month, Tesla updated its Navigate on Autopilot software to allow its cars to change lanes automatically, without prompting or warning the driver. This gives the system the ability, for example, to navigate highway interchanges by choosing the appropriate lane. The system fulfills Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s promise to develop a system that can drive itself from highway on-ramps to off-ramps without intervention (though several system warnings note that the driver still has to pay attention, and it will shut off if the driver doesn’t hold the steering wheel for too long.)

Only, Consumer Reports says that the system does a poor job changing lanes and that watching over the system and correcting its mistakes is more work for drivers than just driving themselves.

Continue reading… “Tesla Navigate on Autopilot drives itself poorly, Consumer Reports finds”

Automobiles, Business, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

‘The pain is just beginning’: After 38,000 layoffs, Wall Street wakes up to ‘peak car’

June 21, 2019

What goes up must come down, even in car-loving America.

Global demand for cars will decline 3% in 2019, analysts predict.
There have been at least 38,000 job losses among automakers in the past six months.
One stark example: Commercial vehicle exports from the UK collapsed by 89% in April.
The decline in car sales has already wiped 0.2% off global gross domestic product, according to Fitch Ratings.
The world may have already passed “peak car.”

For the auto business, “the pain is just beginning,” according to the Nomura analyst Masataka Kunugimoto and his team. “We now expect global auto demand to be down 3%,” year on year, in 2019, he told clients recently.

Continue reading… “‘The pain is just beginning’: After 38,000 layoffs, Wall Street wakes up to ‘peak car’”

Automation, Automobiles, City Planning, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

A new look at autonomous-vehicle infrastructure

June 21, 2019

What infrastructure improvements will promote the growth of autonomous vehicles while simultaneously encouraging shared ridership?

Imagine a future in which fleets of autonomous buses and shuttles effortlessly navigate through city streets to their designated stops. Ridesharing services dispatch shared autonomous vehicles (AVs) to pick up multiple passengers traveling along similar routes. Robo-taxis drop off passengers at subway stops for the next legs of their trips. Some traditional car owners decide that they no longer need personal vehicles because shared-mobility AVs fulfill their needs. Road congestion drops because there are fewer vehicles.

Now imagine an alternative future in which everyone who once owned a traditional car instead has an AV. Many people without licenses also purchase AVs for their personal use, even though they haven’t had a car for years or never owned one. Passenger-miles traveled increase by 25 percent.1 AVs circle while waiting for their owners to finish shopping or running errands if no parking spaces are available, or else they run a variety of errands, ranging from delivering groceries to picking up dry cleaning, themselves. City streets become even more gridlocked.

Continue reading… “A new look at autonomous-vehicle infrastructure”

Automobiles, Great New Product, Science & Technology News, Transportation

No more flats: Michelin and GM to bring airless tires to passenger cars by 2024

June 15, 2019

Plenty of things can go wrong when you’re driving a car, though thankfully the vast majority of trips go without a hitch.

Tire punctures, for example, are a real headache, but thanks to a collaboration between Michelin and General Motors (GM), the deflating experience could soon be a thing of the past.

Following years of research, Michelin announced this week that it’s ready to hit the road with UPTIS, its “unique puncture-proof tire system,” and is partnering with GM for real-world trials using Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles. Testing starts this year and if all goes well, airless tires could be coming to a passenger car near you as early as 2024.

Continue reading… “No more flats: Michelin and GM to bring airless tires to passenger cars by 2024”

Automobiles, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Autonomous taxis will become a $2 trillion market, UBS says

June 14, 2019

The global autonomous taxi market could be worth over $2 trillion on an annual basis by 2030, according to estimates from UBS analysts cited by Bloomberg.

In formulating its estimates, the bank utilized its Evidence Lab to run a simulation of an autonomous taxi fleet in New York City using a “complex algorithm that performs dynamic optimal route generation and passenger-vehicle assignment considering vehicle capacity and rider demand.”

What does this mean: The rise of a new multi-trillion dollar transportation industry will likely reshape how consumers travel and automakers operate.

Continue reading… “Autonomous taxis will become a $2 trillion market, UBS says”

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News

Autonomous cars : Consumer excitement soars despite barriers

June 12, 2019

Consumers believe autonomous cars will take on a larger role in their daily lives, going beyond the act of driving to also have autonomy in running errands and completing chores.

Consumer preference for riding in self-driving cars is set to double within the next five years. While only 25% of consumers would prefer to ride in a self-driving car over a traditional vehicle in 12 months’ time, over half (52%) say driverless cars will be their preferred mode of transport by 2024.

These findings have been published in Capgemini Research Institute’s report “The Autonomous Car: A Consumer Perspective.” The positive response from consumers suggests that they see huge benefits with autonomous vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency (73%), reduced emissions (71%) and saving time (50%). Such is the sense of optimism and anticipation, over half of the consumers (56%) say they would be willing to pay up to 20% more for an autonomous vehicle over a standard one.

Continue reading… “Autonomous cars : Consumer excitement soars despite barriers”