Category

Automotive

Jan 31
Problème d’eau. Où trouver l’eau

Batteries, Coffee and T-Shirts: Sustainability in the Automotive Industry

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

One of the strongest arguments for the broad adoption of electric vehicles is, of course, that they do not pollute. Considering that transportation, including cars, trucks, airplanes, trains and ships, produces about one-third of greenhouse emissions in the U.S., this is a powerful argument.

Astute analysts point out that the environmental penalty of generating the electricity needed to charge EVs must also be taken into account when calculating the net impact of electric vehicles. Indeed, the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the U.S. produce nearly as much pollution as transportation, making  up some 28% of greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, countries that generate electricity from renewable sources do much better. For instance, Costa Rica is generating 95% of its electricity from hydro, geothermal, solar and wind.

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Jan 17

Electric Vehicles: Who Cares About Acceleration?

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

Market studies show that travel range and purchase price are top of mind considerations for prospective electric car buyers. So why are so many journalists, bloggers and the automotive press so enamored with performance metrics and can spend hours comparing acceleration and top speed figures?

Seriously, how many EV owners care if their car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds, while the Porsche Taycan in “Launch” mode can do the 0-60 mph sprint in 2.6 seconds?

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Jan 14

Famous Last Words: I Wouldn’t Ever Sit My Butt in a Self-driving Car

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

In a 2018 Medium article, the author, a self-described as high-performance driving instructor, professional driver and race car driver, proclaimed: “A self-driving car will never be able to make the split-second decisions that can save a life.” She continues: “I wouldn’t ever sit my butt in a self-driving car. I will never trust them. Ever.”

The article was written in 2018 and the author was probably right then. She is probably right today, despite the usual hoopla about self-driving cars at CES 2020.

But I suspect the author’s statement will go down in history as yet another “famous last words.”

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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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