News
First Ford driverless cars in 2021
Ford will produce its first driverless cars in southeast Michigan in 2021, says The Washington Post, in a report on the company's plans to invest $50 million in a new autonomous vehicle centre in the state. The company will do so by installing self-driving technology into its hybrid vehicles, reports the Post.
washingtonpost.com
NVIDIA and TRI-AD partner on autonomous vehicle simulation
Chipmaker NVIDIA is to partner with the Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development (TRI-AD) on a collaboration to develop, train and validate self-driving vehicles. The two companies plan to develop an architecture that can be scaled across different vehicle models and types, simulating the equivalent of billions of miles of driving.
"We believe large-scale simulation tools for software validation and testing are critical for automated driving systems."
Dr. James Kuffner, TRI-AD
nvidia.com
Yandex and Hyundai Mobis collaborate on self-driving cars
Yandex and automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis announced this week that they will begin working together to develop software and hardware systems for self-driving cars. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding and plan to create a self-driving platform that can be used by other carmakers or taxi fleets.
yandex.com
Automated vehicles
NYC shuttle service
'Autonomous vehicles are finally coming to the Big Apple', says The Verge, in its report on plans by Boston-based self-driving firm Optimus Ride to deploy an autonomous shuttle service in New York City later this year. The service will run on private roads within the revamped Brooklyn Navy Yard. The report notes that New York State's strict requirements for autonomous vehicle testing, which require the testing company to pay for a police escort at all times, may have limited the number of trials by developers.
theverge.com
NHTSA seeks comments on GM and Nuro petitions
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking public comments on automated vehicle petitions from General Motors and Nuro that seek temporary exemptions for proposed new vehicles that don't meet existing federal safety standards.
“The Department will consider all comments in order to keep public safety a priority while also fostering innovation.”
NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King
nhtsa.gov
Investment
Five of the biggest driverless car investments
As multiple investments in driverless cars start to add up, reaching an estimated $100bn in the last year, Compelo.com takes a look at five of the biggest investments in autonomous vehicle technology over the past 12 months.
compelo.com
Jobs
Waymo to add 'hundreds' of jobs with Mesa service centre
The automated vehicle fleets of the future will need regular cleaning, service and maintenance support. And, in a sign of things to come, Waymo has announced plans to open an 85,000 square foot technical service centre in Mesa, Arizona. The centre will double the company's service and maintenance capacity for its Waymo One cars and see it add 'hundreds' of people to its existing team.
medium.com
Consumer attitudes
UK support for self-driving cars increasing?
Despite recent research showing that the majority of US drivers don't yet feel ready for fully driverless cars, a UK survey has found that the proportion of motorists in favour of full autonomy has tripled in the last 12 months, reports BusinessCar. The survey by Close Brothers Motor Finance found self-driving cars had the greatest appeal among young drivers.
businesscar.co.uk
Mapping
More to do on driverless mapping
"Ordnance Survey’s journey into the world of autonomous driving started a couple of years ago. The agency was involved in some research into the way people interact with self-driving vehicles, and realized there was a lot of debate about whether or not autonomous cars actually need maps at all."
In an interview with TechRadar, Ordnance Survey's Miranda Sharp says that the lack of a consistent, secure way for vehicles to share safety-critical information could defeat the point of driverless cars.
techradar.com
And finally...
Trump reportedly hates driverless cars
A fascinating story from Axios suggests that President Trump views self-driving cars as a menace to society. In conversations both on Air Force One and in the White House, reports the publication, "Trump has acted out scenes of self-driving cars veering out of control and crashing into walls".
The President is not the first person to be apprehensive about driverless cars, with a recent survey finding that many US drivers would be reluctant to ride in a self-driving vehicle. However, points out Axios, the development of autonomous vehicles is something Trump's own administration is encouraging.
axios.com