Along for the Ride #251
tesla's abysmal track record, transit funding, and BABIES
Heya friends, happy Friday!
This has been a big week: two of my closest friends had their first kid (yesterday! please send all your advice for being a good friend to new parents ‘cause I’m listening!). I’m so excited to be entering the stage of life where friends have babies and can’t wait to watch this lil bundle of joy grow up. I also can’t wait to start the (sustainable) transportation indoctrination young lol.
OK let’s dive into the news!
Michigan propose 40m AV corridor
Me to me: how did it become so easy to accept 40 miles of AV testing infrastructure, while Detroit has a total of 50 miles of protected bike lanes (that advocates certainly had to fight for).
The new corridor would connect Ann Arbor and Detroit. And yes, it’s not in inner-city streets but rather highways… but if we’re trying to decarbonise our transportation networks then why on earth are we building more infrastructure to make it easier for cars to increase their chokehold on society, as opposed to investing in public transit, walking and biking infrastructure? Why are we not focusing on transit-oriented developments and housing improvements?
Nashville votes in favour of more transit infrastructure
In a glimmer of good news, Nashvillians (what a great name for city residents, so evil villain coded), voted overwhelmingly to approve a $3.1 billion transit plan. Thanks to AFTR reader Alex for the share!
“The transit plan will focus on mass improvements over the next several years, including 86 miles of new or upgraded sidewalks, hundreds of smart signals that can improve traffic flow, upgraded bus stops and transit centers, 24-hour bus service and 54 miles of high-capacity transit corridors.” ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Baidu could expand to Hong Kong by end of year
Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous robotaxi service, will reportedly expand its services to Hong Kong before the end of 2024. They have plans to introduce their latest technology (dubbed RT6) to cities they already operate in China. It is essentially a very cheap AV, and The Verge has a piece about how this should scare the hell out of US AV companies. Verge argues that America’s (more expensive) AV counterparts should be quaking in their boots, but I’m like……. the last thing I want is to be in a cheaper robot car. Granted you’d have to pry the 149 bus in London and my bike from my cold dead hands before I pick an AV ride for myself lol.
Bloomberg discusses the revival of AVs
At the close of 2023, the prospect of the AV industry was iffy: major collisions, broken trust, and a lack of product advancement was the recap of the year. This year, Bloomberg argues that AVs are back on top and have data to prove it—although they note that only a small handful of companies are driving this progress. I’m still skeptical, but I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Pony AI—which predominantly operates in China, but has US offices—IPO’d on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, and their shares fell 7.7% at the close of first day of trading. It’s important to note that Pony doesn’t manufacture vehicles, they make the technology that allows cars to become autonomous. The company has permits to provide robotaxi services in Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has a fleet of over 250 robotaxis as well as over 190 robotrucks.
Part of the drop comes from the Biden administration contemplating additional curbs on sales of semiconductor equipment and AI memory chips to China, which would inevitably constrain Beijing’s tech ambitions in America.
New AV lawsuit lists driver as defendant
After a Tesla in “full self-driving” soared through a stop-sign and t-boned another car (and driver), the injured driver is taking the case to court and suing for $745k. However, the driver is listing the Tesla driver and not Tesla in the case, since the other driver was negligent and clearly not paying attention when behind the wheel.
Despite calling the feature “full self-driving” Tesla’s autonomous program’s fine print mandates that drivers need to stay alert when behind the wheel… which is obviously confusing for most people who spend thousands of dollars every year on a program they don’t read the fine print for. I assume that the Tesla driver didn’t realize that Tesla’s FSD “Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control” is in beta mode either 🙃. Every Tesla driver is just a guinea pig in Elon Muck’s metaverse where he will never be held accountable for hoodwinking customers and stealing their money while he does it.
How drivers engage with emerging vehicle technology
MIT’s Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) Consortium is researching how drivers engage with AVs and other new vehicle technology. Surprising nobody, this consortium is heavily sponsored by over 25 different automakers, insurance companies, and suppliers—each with a vested interest in seeing this technology being adopted by the masses (see list here).
“A recent Mobility Confidence Index Study, conducted in collaboration with J.D. Power, indicated that public readiness for autonomous vehicles has increased modestly after a two-year decline. While this shift is important for the broader adoption of AV technology, it is just one element of the ongoing research within the AVT Consortium.. The study, which surveys consumer attitudes toward autonomous vehicles, reflects a growing interest in the technology — but consumer perceptions are only part of the complex equation that AVT researchers are working to solve.”
Do you trust Elon Musk and his robotaxis to keep you safe? (no.)
“After years of complaints, court cases and crashes, regulators in Washington have stepped up scrutiny of the company’s robotaxi ambitions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched another investigation of Tesla in October, this time on how well its advanced driver assistance system, dubbed Full Self-Driving, copes with reduced visibility. The Department of Justice has also reportedly looked into Tesla’s marketing of these systems. That Tesla has taken to calling FSD “Supervised Full Self-Driving” — a phrase with as much meaning as half-pregnancy — suggests it feels the pressure, as does Musk’s complaint of a campaign of “lawfare.””
Why don’t we want cars to parallel park?
“So it would seem to be the classic use case [parallel parking] for automation: Let the robots do it. For more than a decade now, cars have come with automated parallel parking features designed to help drivers out. US and European drivers do not seem to appreciate the help. “It’s the sort of gadget people try,” says Richard Symons, who sells used electric vehicles and makes YouTube videos about cars in Hampshire, UK. “But most people just say they’re not really interested, and they do the parking themselves.””
My sweet friend Al has built a community and story-telling event series in London called Hekayyatna. Hekayyatna means our stories’ in Arabic. I joined their event last week during the London Migration Film Festival about what we leave behind when we migrate (both forced and voluntary). They are having an end of year wrap on Dec 11 (tickets here!) that I am v sad to miss.
Friends and I went to see Heretic this week. Certainly Hugh Grant at his creepiest. I am usually one to pick movies that allow for happy escapism and this was … not that. It wasn’t bad, but it was creepy and unsettling.
Next week I venture back to Canada!! I will be rolling through Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary (RIP to my carbon footprint this year). Newsletter writing always gets a bit sporadic in December, but I imagine I’ll get a few more editions out before the year’s end.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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Have a safe trip back across the pond!