Self-driving startup Pony.ai announced an agreement with Bosch, a global supplier of technology and services, today to explore the future of automotive maintenance and repair for autonomous fleets. One of many opportunities in the autonomous driving space is the continuous operation of a fleet, and the reduction of downtime. Pony.ai and Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division […]
FCA and Waymo Announce Expanded Autonomous Driving Partnership
Companies sign exclusive agreement to develop Light Commercial Vehicles to support rapid growth in delivery service demand. FCA and Waymo announced today that they have taken the next significant steps in the expansion of their autonomous driving technology partnership. Waymo, that started as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, will now work exclusively with […]
Ford Announces Hands Free Driving System
Ford Motor Company today announced its Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology, a collection of available driver-assist features, and adds new offerings including Active Drive Assist, that will allow for hands-free driving on more than 100,000 miles of divided highways in all 50 states and Canada. Active Drive Assist begins rolling out on select 2021 model year Ford […]
IIHS Research Indicates Self-Driving Vehicles Could Struggle to Eliminate Most Crashes
Driver mistakes play a role in virtually all crashes. That’s why automation has been held up as a potential game changer for safety. But autonomous vehicles might prevent only around a third of all crashes if automated systems drive too much like people, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. […]
AAA Study Says One in Ten Drivers Would Trust Self-Driving Cars
A new AAA survey on automated vehicles reveals that only one in ten drivers (12%) would trust riding in a self-driving car. Even more Americans – 28% – don’t know how they feel about the technology, signaling consumers are stuck in neutral on the road to accepting self-driving cars. AAA believes consumer sentiment of automated […]
NTSB Says Tesla Crash Investigation Demonstrates Limitations of Today’s ADAS Systems
Board warns of insufficient federal oversight of partial driving automation systems. Issues nine safety recommendations for regulators, technology companies and auto industry. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting Tuesday during which it determined the probable cause for the fatal March 23, 2018, crash of a Tesla Model X in Mountain […]
NHTSA Grants Low-Speed Driverless Delivery Vehicle Safety Exemption to Test Up to 5000 Vehicles on Public Roads
Nuro plans to begin public testing in Houston, Texas within weeks. NHTSA announced February 6 that it granted Nuro’s request for a temporary exemption from some low-speed vehicle standard requirements. The exemption will allow the company to deploy up to 5,000 of its 2nd generation low-speed, occupantless electric delivery vehicle, the “R2.” Unlike a conventional […]
J.D. Power Study Finds Consumers Lack Confidence in Self-Driving and Electric Vehicles
Consumers continue to lack confidence in the future mobility technologies that automakers are eager to bring to market. According to the J.D. Power 2019 Q4 Mobility Confidence Index Study conducted using SurveyMonkey Audience, the Mobility Confidence Index remains 36 (on a 100-point scale) for self-driving vehicles and 55 for battery-electric vehicles for a third consecutive […]
Most Americans Believe Vehicle Ownership Is Good Investment But New Transportation Options May Change Views
A new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC) shows that motor vehicle ownership is considered a good investment by most adults, but that attitudes toward ownership are challenged by the availability of transportation alternatives such as Uber and Lyft. Two-thirds of all respondents surveyed for the study (66 percent) either strongly or somewhat agreed […]
Mercedes-Benz and Bosch Pilot Automated Ride-Hailing Service in San Jose
Mercedes-Benz and Bosch announced the start of a pilot project for automated ride-hailing service in San Jose, Calf. Their pilot project for an app-based ride-hailing service using automated Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles has now been launched in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose. Monitored by a safety driver, the self-driving cars shuttle between West San […]