This Week in Driverless Cars: 29 February — 6 March
Welcome to This Week in Driverless Cars, your weekly independent briefing on the autonomous vehicle industry.
This is the online version of our weekly newsletter. You can subscribe for our compact industry briefing, by dropping your email in here: http://tinyletter.com/twidc (no spam; no selling; no bullshit)
1. Google Driverless Car Crashes in CA, as Stats Show Fear Is Top Hurdle For Industry
The news was dominated this week by reports that one of Google’s driverless cars “crashed” into a public bus in California.
The word ‘crash’ — while good for headlines — is a bit overdone. In reality, the two vehicles brushed against each other, with Google’s car moving at 2mph and the bus at 15mph.
This is the first reported crash of an autonomous car, and it threatens to paint the industry in an unflattering light as it tries to convince the public of the safety of its vehicles.
3 in 4 Americans would be “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car
Google explained that its autonomous car “thought” the bus was going to slow down. It didn’t. The company claimed that the Google employee in the car also thought that there was space to pull out, and the crash would have happened even if a human had been behind the wheel.
Google said it has already made changes to its programming.
This is in the same week as it was revealed that 3 in 4 Americans would be “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car, and that only 1 in 5 would trust a car to drive itself.
The industry still obviously has some way to go.
2. Driverless Lorries to Hit UK Roads This Year
These concerns don’t seem to be stopping business interest in autonomous vehicles though.
It was announced this week that driverless lorries would be tested on roads in the United Kingdom by May this year.
Reports said the tests would take place on a quiet stretch of motorway in the North of England.
Driverless lorries would be tested on roads in the United Kingdom by May this year
The details of the tests were vague other than a UK Government spokesperson saying that “[w]e are planning trials of HGV platoons — which enable vehicles to move in a group so they use less fuel — and will be in a position to say more in due course.”
The global logistics business has come under cost pressure over the last few years, and making fleets driverless could stop more companies from going bust.
3. BMW To Overhaul Firm, Targets “Most Intelligent Car”
BMW came out swinging this week, saying that it will take the fight to the technology firms currently developing driverless cars by manufacturing the “most intelligent car” ever.
BMW Board member Klaus Froehlich said: “Our task is to preserve our business model without surrendering it to an internet player. Otherwise we will end up as the Foxconn for a company like Apple, delivering only the metal bodies for them.”
The firm said that it would reimagine its company as a software company as much as a hardware one.
Froehlich said he wanted software engineers to make up as much as 50 percent of the firm employees. They currently make up only 20 percent of the workforce.
4. Driverless Cars Will Lead to More Pollution, Finds Study
How can efficient driverless cars produce more pollution than laggard human-powered ones?
According to researchers, the allure of driverless vehicles will entice more people back on to the road — and away from public transport.
In fact, a new study estimates that there could be up to a 60 percent increase in car energy consumption by 2050 because of people opting for driverless vehicles over public transport.
Dr Zia Wadud, associate professor at the University of Leeds, said: “Car owners might choose to travel by train to relatively distant business meetings because the train allows them to work and relax.”
“The need to drive is part of the cost of choosing the car, just as standing on a cold platform is part of the cost of the train. If you can relax in your car as it safely drives itself to a meeting in another city that changes the whole equation.”
5. Driverless Cars To Power Your Home?
And finally… could a driverless car power your home?
Yes, if we can believe a new concept that is being pushed by Nissan and architecture firm Foster + Partners.
A new video explains the concept: driverless vehicles could become moving stores of renewable energy.
Driverless vehicles could become moving stores of renewable energy
After driving you to work, your car may drive itself to the nearest available recharging point — recharging itself with renewable energy, of course.
By the time you need to go home, your car would be full charged and ready to take you back.
The excess power in the car’s battery could then by used to power your lights and utilities.
— Matthew North, Editor, TWIDC
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