Along for the Ride #239
back from chicago and bopping around
Heya friends, happy Friday Monday!
This season of my life feels particularly busy (in a good-ish way), but if I was a psychic, I would guess that for the next two-three months this newsletter’s schedule might bop around a little. So if you get the odd Monday newsletter, or it skips a week or two, I promise it’s just a phase 😆 (I sound like a parent talking about a toddler and not a newsletter, but you get the point!). And with that… if I owe you an email, I apologize..! My inbox is currently a swamp, and it is not personal.
Somewhat relatedly, I am going to be in London later this month..! I typically try and meet up with folks when I make these trips but I am sadly going to hunker down this time around, but I promise I’ll be back in London again soon for coffee chats and all the croissants.
OK time for this week’s news:
Japan makes plans to allow AVs by March 2025
In less than a year Japan plans to allow AVs to operate "on at least 25 public road routes, according to statements made by the Prime Minister. This article didn’t really extrapolate on what that means / how vehicles will be permitted, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
San Francisco Mayor promises to hold AVs accountable
After school crossing guards told news agencies that AVs almost hit them while guiding children and their families along crosswalks.
“In May, NBC Bay Area surveyed 30 school crossing guards stationed at more than 20 different schools across San Francisco and found nearly 25% reported being nearly hit by a Waymo driverless car, over the past year, while guiding families along crosswalks.”
It’s important to note that AV companies are not required to report on close calls, so none of those incidents will make any official reporting.
Fatal Tesla crash took place when vehicle was in “autopilot”
The family of a motorcyclist killed in a 2022 crash involving a Tesla operating using “Autopilot” is suing the company, claiming that its technology is defective. The motorcyclist was traveling in front of a Tesla traveling at 80 mph, when he was hit and suffered fatal injuries. This incident joins a growing list of Tesla fuck-ups related to their autopilot and FSD programs. Earlier this week, Washington state police determined that a Tesla that killed another motorcyclist in April of this year was operating on FSD at the time of the crash. If one thing seems certain, it’s more lawsuits in Tesla’s future.
Uber secures partnership with BYD
The partnership is set to bring over 100k electric vehicles to Uber’s platform—and marks a major deal between American and Chinese businesses that notably excludes the US. BYD vehicles will be made available to Uber drivers in Europe and Latin America with lower vehicle pricing and financing, before expanding to the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Polestar says they won’t release AVs until the tech is safety proven
What a stance to take! Polestar says they won’t offer an AV until the business is 100% certain the technology is safer than human drivers. They are still working on the technology, but have no plans to bring it to the masses until its expected to improve safety. According to Polestar’s CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, “you would not push [autonomous driving'] out when you are not 100 percent sure that it is actually safety enhancing. Others are pushing it out first and taking a certain edge, but of course that is something we would not do.”
Does anybody else remember 2021 when it seemed like every month multiple companies IPO’d all at once? I don’t think this trend is back per se, but every IPO announcement reminds me of it.
WeRide, a Silicon Valley start-up founded in 2017, has filed for IPO in the US. The company was founded by Tony Han who was the former Chief Scientist of Baidu's Autonomous Driving Unit. They work on a wide range of L4 vehicles including cargo vans, personal vehicles, and shuttle buses.
Evolving policy and safety challenges of AVs
Brookings Institute has put out a piece oriented towards policymakers to help them keep up with developments in the AV industry. There’s lots of pull quotes, but this one was my favourite:
“Of course, it is a mistake in logic to jump from the fact that people drive drunk to the conclusion that a computer system that cannot get drunk will be better than a human driver. Monkeys don’t get drunk either, but no one thinks we’d be safer in cars driven by monkeys.”
How ebikes help reduce car dependency
“Electric bikes (e-bikes) can play a vital role in sustainable transportation and reducing car dependence. However, questions persist regarding the extent to which e-bikes contribute to replacing and complementing car use and other modes, especially from dual-mode ownership (households with both cars and e-bikes) perspective.
E-bikes can lead up to a 19% reduction in car mode share in dual-mode ownership households compared to car-only households;
E-bikes encourage a greater variety of non-commuting activities compared to car-only households;
E-bikes have a minor negative effect on public transport mode share, while e-bikes enhance mobility for older people.”
How bike infrastructure is slowing down cars in Bogotá
“In 2020, Bogotá, Colombia introduced extensive bike lanes along important corridors previously exclusively designated for motorized vehicles. Rigorous statistical analysis and modeling were employed to measure the changes on speed levels of road traffic, on both, the treatment group with modified roads as well as on the control group with non-modified roads within the study area. Findings revealed a maximum speed reduction of 4.5 km/h (equivalent to a 19 % decrease), for users on modified roads.”
The Quiet Power of Car-Free Neighborhoods
“Researchers have found that about half of urban noise is attributable to motor vehicles. In some places the share is higher, such as in Toronto, where traffic produces about 60% of the background din. And silencing that cacophony can lead to flourishing street life — in North America as well as in Europe… Were traffic to be tamed, the resulting quietude could stimulate business activity, attracting people from elsewhere to visit the neighborhood and compelling them to linger (and shop) while they are there.”
Experts doubt Tesla’s robotaxi future
“Mr. Robinson noted that robotaxis, while eliminating drivers, would require plenty of human labor. Cars will need to be cleaned, maintained and repaired. A driverless taxi service would have to employ customer service agents, engineers who remotely monitored cars and technicians who fixed and retrieved vehicles that had problems. “It’s a slightly better taxi,” Mr. Robinson said. “I don’t think it’s as disruptive as people think it is.””
Chicago is a great city in so many ways, although I did have an overwhelming sense that drivers might unintentionally kill me when I biked most places. My friend Scott organized a very full few days of activities including a boat tour with the Chicago Architecture Center, catching the Georgia O’keefe exhibit at the art institute and a symphony show at Grant Park. There were some great walks around Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Witcher Park and multiple bike rides along the Lakefront. Big fan.
I was today years old when I learned that Akon (of “smack that” fame) is building a whole city in Senegal?? It’s literally called Akon City. 😆 Currently a single arched concrete block juts out of a field in Senegal where he first laid the foundation stone for his $6 billion metropolis four years ago. It’s now rife with drama as it’s not being built?? Anyways. Please share your thoughts.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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