Category

Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles

May 28
Philosopher Illuminated by the Light of the Moon and the Setting Sun (Dali, 1939)

Designing Self-Driving Cars: Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics Are Not Helpful

By Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues its aggressive foray into nearly every aspect of our lives, from the seemingly human-like (most of the time) interactions with Alexa to fully autonomous cars that in the not so distant future will be able to handle complex navigation and steering scenarios better than most human drivers.

Conversations about robot cars that make split-second life-and-death decisions involving car occupants and pedestrians inevitably invoke Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics that first appeared in his 1942 short story Runaround:

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May 01
The Omnibus (Honore Daumier, 1864)

I Want to Say One Word to You: Batteries!

By Automotive, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Electric Cars: Not So Fast

The future of personal and commercial mobility is undoubtedly electric. But thus far, sales of electric vehicles have been disappointing. A hefty price tag and lack of charging infrastructure continue to stall broad adoption, especially in regions that are afflicted by air pollution and should see high demand for EVs.

Internal combustion vehicles will continue to dominate the new vehicle market for the next five to ten years. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that by 2030, EVs will make up 44% of all new vehicle sales in Europe, 41% in China, 34% in the US and 17% in Japan. India,  owing to a shortage of charging infrastructure and a lack of affordable EV models, will trail these regions, with only 7% of total sales.

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Feb 06
Count von Count

How Many Autonomous Cars Will be on the Road in 2025?

By Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Like Sesame Street’s Count von Count, industry analysts have a compulsive love of counting things.

One favorite item to count has been Internet of Things devices or “things.” This metric has proven elusive, and, as I opined numerous times before, mostly irrelevant, because the mere number of IoT devices deployed globally does not signify the business value they provide. In other words, more devices do not mean greater business value.

Conversely, connected and automated cars (CAVs) is a good example of more-is-better. More connected, safer, and, eventually, autonomous cars will improve the efficiency of urban transportation systems and reduce private vehicle ownership, thereby preventing crashes, easing traffic congestion and reducing carbon footprint.

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Dec 28
The Tortoise and the Hare (J.J. Grandville, 1855)

The Race to Automate Driving: Is Japan’s Silent Strategy the Tortoise to America’s Hare?

By Automotive, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

In a recent tweet, Lex Fridman, a research scientist working on human-centered artificial intelligence at MIT, said: “all of us working in autonomous vehicle research want nothing more than to save lives.”

While AI scientists and engineers share this noble goal, they often differ dramatically in the path they take to reaching it. 

Companies such as Uber’s Advanced Technology Group, Tesla and General Motors’s Cruise take an approach many will consider maverick, perhaps even cavalier: they deploy vehicles equipped with newly-developed autonomous operation capabilities on public roads and test them under real-world conditions, driving millions of actual miles and many more virtual miles using advanced simulation software. Design engineers monitor the performance of the robotic software and update the algorithms inside the vehicle, sometimes remotely and in near real time.

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Dec 24
Airplane Over Train (Natalia Goncharova, 1913)

The Automotive Industry: On the Road to Autonomy — Automotive Industry Snapshot and Predictions

By Automotive, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Value Chain Disintermediation: Electronics and Software are the New Automotive Supply Chain Kings

The auto industry’s century-old drive to gain efficiencies, accelerate production output, reduce waste and recoup working capital through lean techniques has also led to a strong cultural bias towards inside innovation and complex love-hate relationships with a network of select suppliers of mostly mechanical and electrical subsystems.

But today, electronics and software are the key to brand differentiation, customer affinity and market competitiveness. Electronics manufacturers are quickly becoming the new kings of the automotive value chain as the center of gravity is shifting from complex mechanical systems and passive safety features to sophisticated electronics and software. New entrants and outside innovators are redefining the traditional roles in a value chain structure that has changed very little in decades and are changing the familiar landscape.

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