Uber CEO: Full Driverless Is More Than 15 Years Away

via Politico Pro, June 11, 2019

By Tanya Snyder

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said today that he doesn’t expect Uber’s ride-hailing service to be fully driverless for at least 15 years.

“No drivers? I think it will be 15-plus years,” he said in an interview at the Economic Club of Washington. “I think it’ll take a long time.”

“There’s this drama about robots replacing humans, and I think the better thing than humans alone and robots alone are robots and humans working together,” Khosrowshahi said. Noting that robots are good at repetitive, predictable tasks, he said, “We’ll get machines to do the simple stuff, then we’ll have humans do the difficult stuff” like navigating roundabouts and unprotected left turns.

Still, he said he thinks that within the next five years, there will be “some driverless vehicles out in the markets in a very, very limited way.”

With the Uber Elevate conference beginning later today, Khosrowshahi also spoke briefly about Uber’s plans for a pooled helicopter transportation service, saying that he expected that a ride from downtown Manhattan to JFK in an Uber helicopter would cost about $200. He said they wanted to price it for “the masses, versus just the elites.”

He said the helicopter taxis will “eventually be driverless” but did not offer a timeline.

View article in PoliticoPro. 

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Rubin: Accelerating St. Louis’ resurgence through sustained tech investment

via STL Today, May 5, 2019

By Donn Rubin

Innovation holds the promise of improving our lives in many respects and has been a defining feature of St. Louis for generations. This characteristic remains just as strong today as the city stands as a model for transforming from an older, industrial city into one driven by a new tech economy and a demonstrated openness to innovation.

It is this history of innovation that has led a national organization that advocates for autonomous vehicles as a way of reducing U.S. oil dependence to select St. Louis to launch an important national discussion on how this new technology might impact communities in the Midwest.

For generations, American prosperity relied on the industrial foundations of our nation’s heartland. Embracing cutting-edge technology, the Midwest powered growth on the domestic front and exported products worldwide. Yet, in the absence of competition, some of the very companies that led St. Louis’ growth in the last century ceased to innovate or increase productivity — and are no longer growth engines for our region.

Now we see sustained investment in startups and in a new innovation economy that has become synonymous with the industrial Midwest’s dynamic future. St. Louis has reestablished itself as a leader between the two coasts and as a city of innovation focused on startups. A bevy of incubators and industry-specific accelerators like Yield Lab (agtech), SixThirty (financial-services tech and cyber) and Stadia Ventures (sportstech) have emerged, along with new funding dedicated to helping entrepreneurs survive their fragile early years. BioSTL’s investment arm BioGenerator has invested more than $22 million to St. Louis-based bioscience startups, attracting more than $800 million in follow-on capital from around the world.

Even though Boston, San Francisco and New York seem to dominate the tech industry limelight, many Midwest industrial cities are hotbeds of crucial research. According to the Brookings Institution, St. Louis, in particular, draws nearly 14 times more funding per capita ($1,350) from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation than the U.S. urban county average of $96.80.

St. Louis will benefit by learning from our past and continuing to innovate across all platforms so as not to be outdone by competitors. We’ve undergone a cultural change and now are known as a city that embraces a wide range of creative entrepreneurs in a wide range of domains.

One such technology to keep an eye on is autonomous vehicles, which hold the promise of significant benefits in safety, mobility and efficiency. National advocacy organization Securing America’s Future Energy tracks the impact of autonomous vehicles technology, concluding that the vehicles have the potential to generate benefits totaling $850 billion per year by 2050. More importantly, the report has proposed that autonomous vehicles might become the next catalyzing technology that produces a step change in American economic productivity, in much the same way as the intercontinental railroad, the Interstate Highway System and the internet — benefits that could be magnified exponentially with St. Louis’ flourishing innovation economy.

Yet, as with any technology that has automation at its core, workers greet the vehicles with a dose of skepticism. While the report anticipates the self-driving cars will have a “muted” impact on the U.S. labor force, diffused over a 30-year period, achieving consensus warrants robust conversations around this burgeoning technology. St. Louis is proud to be at the center of these discussions about vehicle automation and its impact on communities, with BioSTL joining with Securing America’s Future Energy and the Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity to co-host a town hall-style event on Tuesday.

While St. Louis will undoubtedly benefit from sustained investment in innovation, a role as a thought leader and convener around cutting-edge technologies can accelerate St. Louis’ resurgence as a national center for innovation — adding to its status as the leader of the industrial Midwest’s innovation-driven resurgence.

Donn Rubin is the president and CEO of BioSTL, an organization driving innovation and the entrepreneur ecosystem in St. Louis.

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Even With Self-Driving Vehicles, the Future of CDL Drivers is Brighter than You Think

via Baltimore Post Examiner, April 23, 2019

By Susan Melony

There’s a lot that’s promising about self-driving vehicles. They will nearly eliminate accidents, and they will make transportation a lot easier. However, there’s a lot not to love about self-driving vehicles too, especially if your livelihood depends on operating one!

Truck drivers are especially nervous. Self-driving technology will mean everyone with a CDL license will be doomed to sit at home and wonder how they are going to put food on the table.

Or are they?

It turns out, the future of CDL drivers is a lot brighter than you think.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Post Examiner

There’s Currently a Shortage of Drivers

You’d think with all this talk of self-driving vehicles, there wouldn’t be a need for new drivers. The fact is, the opposite is true!

Some of the best trucking companies to work for are posting jobs online on a daily basis. Believe it or not, but there’s actually a shortage of drivers! That means truckers today have more choices than ever before when choosing which companies to work for, and they’re making a lot of money while doing it.

Schools are training thousands of truckers a year, and it’s still projected that there will be a shortage through 2020, ensuring truck drivers aren’t going anywhere soon.

There’s a Great Need for Transport Services

There’s a shortage of drivers because fewer people are studying to get their CDL license. However, the shortage is so large because not only are there fewer people interested in trucking, there is a greater need for trailers to transport items than ever before.

More people are shopping online, and it’s not just for frivolous items. More and more people are shopping online for everyday items too. That means toilet paper not only gets transported to the grocery store, but it is also getting transported directly to people’s homes. The increase in demand for nearly every item to be delivered to everyone’s doorstep means more truckers are needed now than ever before.

It Could Make Driving Easier

A truly self-driving car means there isn’t a need for someone behind the wheel, but the truth is, trucks are more likely to contain self-driving technology that still has to be operated by a driver in the near future. As this technology evolves, it will actually make driving easier, instead of eliminating it altogether.

A few examples of self-driving technology that is integrated into the trucks of today and tomorrow include:

• Backup cameras and sensors
• Self-driving parking features
• Automatic braking systems
• Traffic jam assistance
• Cruise control

Self-Driving Trucks Will Take a While to Implement

There is no denying that the eventual goal of all this technology is to create vehicles that can operate themselves completely. That means truckers will be displaced, eventually, but that future is a lot farther off than you might think.

Self-driving cars won’t hit the road in a noticeable way until 2020. It won’t be until 2045 before most new vehicles that are sold are autonomous. Chances are, it’ll take even longer for self-driving trucks to be the norm.

First, the right laws and regulations have to be in place for autonomous trucks to hit the road. Second, technology is going to be very expensive right at first. It will take at least a few more years before regulations make it legal to operate autonomous trucks and they’re affordable enough to save trucking companies money.

There’s Plenty of Time to Train for a Slightly Different Position

If there’s only one takeaway point that you remember, it should be that drivers have plenty of time before they will find themselves out of a job. That means you have plenty of time to prepare if you plan on working in the trucking industry for a few more decades before retirement.

There are a lot of positions that are perfect for truck drivers, especially with years of experience. They include industries like travel, construction, and technology.

There’s plenty of time to study for the positions this new technology will create too! After all, people will still be needed to maintain the vehicles, and some companies may even utilize remote drivers!

If you’re a truck driver, there’s no immediate need to panic that your job will be obsolete anytime soon. With the shortage of drivers, the increased need for transport services, and the fact that road-ready technology won’t be available in a sustainable way for a while, your skills will continue to be in demand for quite a few years to come.

Read original article here.

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Waymo Plans Final Assembly On Self-Driving Cars in Detroit

via Detroit Free Press, April 23, 2019

Waymo has picked Detroit for final assembly of its self-driving vehicles.

The company, once known as Google’s self-driving car project and now a leader in the push to develop autonomous vehicles, had previously said it was scouting locations in southeast Michigan but did not name a specific city.

CEO John Krafcik revealed Detroit as the company’s choice in a blog post scheduled to publish Tuesday titled, “Making Waymos in Motor City.” It refers to being “up and running” this year.

“Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve found the perfect facility in Detroit. We will partner with American Axle & Manufacturing to repurpose an existing facility, bringing a workforce back to an area where jobs in the automotive industry were recently lost,” according to the post.

A company spokeswoman said the Detroit facility will be where the company integrates Waymo’s self-driving hardware and software systems into Chrysler Pacificas and Jaguar I-Paces for its commercial ride-hailing fleet.

A Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo had said the project would involve the creation of at least 100 jobs with a potential for 400 jobs and a capital investment of $13.6 million. Waymo, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent, had requested an $8 million Michigan Business Development Program grant.

Waymo is to lease and repurpose an existing facility on the American Axle and Manufacturing campus on Holbrooke where American Axle has its world headquarters, Detroit Business office and Advanced Technology Development Center. The company notes that it ended production of front axles there in 2012.

The location was most recently being used as sequencing center for a local parts supplier, and American Axle recently moved back into the facility with business operations in the administrative portion of the building, according to the company.

Chris Son, American Axle vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement that “we are excited to partner with Waymo and be a part of bringing future automotive technology to our Detroit campus.”

There had been some speculation that General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, which is scheduled to be idled in 2020, could be in play, although that offered considerably more space than the 200,000 square feet Waymo was seeking. In addition, GM’s Cruise unit is in competition with Waymo on self-driving vehicle development.

Waymo has billed its project as the “world’s first factory 100%-dedicated to the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, citing the Society of Automotive Engineers, lists Level 4 as high automation, one step below full automation.

“The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. The driver may have the option to control the vehicle,” according to the definition of Level 4.

GM has produced “near Level 4” Chevy Bolts for test purposes at its Orion Assembly Plant.

‘Center of the auto industry’

Krafcik thanked a range of individuals and entities for their assistance in the location effort, including Mayor Mike Duggan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Gov. Rick Snyder, American Axle and even Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock development company.

Both Duggan and Whitmer were quoted in Krafcik’s piece. Duggan said the “announcement by Waymo shows that the city of Detroit remains at the center of the future of the auto industry” and Whitmer noted that “Waymo is continuing the city’s momentum and further cementing Michigan as a leader in mobility and the epicenter of advanced automotive manufacturing.”

Krafcik cited  metro Detroit’s automotive industry strengths as a key reason for focusing on the area.

“We wanted this facility to benefit from a location in southeast Michigan — the heart of the American automotive industry — and its strong talent base. We began looking for a facility that would allow us to quickly get up and running by mid-2019 while offering us the flexibility to continue to grow and expand our operations in Michigan over time and where there was a strong pool of talent across engineering, operations and fleet coordination,” Krafcik wrote.

He noted that “we’re thrilled to join Detroit’s vibrant community, helping to play a role in the future of the automotive industry in the city that started it all.”

The factory will add to Waymo’s presence and connections in southeast Michigan and nearby Ontario. Waymo has about 20 employees in the Novi area and a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which supplies Windsor-made Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

FCA plans

The news is the second announcement this year related to auto manufacturing in Detroit.

Fiat Chrysler in February announced a $4.5 billion expansion in Wayne and Macomb counties, expected to result in 5,000 jobs.

The plan includes a new Jeep plant at the company’s idled Mack Avenue Engine factory and an expansion of the Jefferson North Assembly Plant. That deal is pending the City of Detroit assembling 200 acres to complete FCA’s needed footprint. The 60-day deadline to complete that under the city’s agreement with FCA is this week.

Earlier this month, the city said it was still negotiating the last piece of property needed with the Moroun family. Through its Crown Enterprise real estate arm, the family owns the 80-acre former Budd plant site near Charlevoix and Conner on the east side. Crown currently leases that site to Chrysler for use as a parking lot for new vehicles produced at its Jefferson North Assembly Plant.

Find the original article here.

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Waymo Set to Bring a Motor City Plant Back to Life to Manufacture Driverless Cars

via Fortune, April 23, 2019

By David Welch (Bloomberg)

The birthplace of America’s auto industry and driving culture will soon have one of the world’s first plants making driverless cars.

Alphabet’s Waymo has picked an idled American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings facility in Detroit as the site where it will equip vehicles made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive with self-driving technology. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company will lease the factory and start work on its self-driving vehicles this summer, creating “hundreds” of jobs over time, according to company blog posts.

The move by Waymo gives a small boost to a part of the Motor City that’s been hit hard by industrial decline and manufacturing jobs moving to Mexico. American Axle started downsizing its industrial complex on the border of Detroit and Hamtramck in 2008 and shuttered it four years later. General Motors has also downsized a nearby sedan plant and may close it next year.

Waymo’s cars will be so-called Level 4 autonomous vehicles, equipped with hardware and software allowing the cars to drive themselves without the assistance of a human operator as they follow mapped-out routes in strictly defined areas.

Waymo said it’s chosen a site that allows it to quickly start operating in the middle of this year, and that has a deep local talent pool of engineers and other automotive professionals. In a post from January, the company said another reason it wanted to establish a presence in Detroit was the city’s inclement winter weather.

Snowy conditions are a serious challenge for the laser-based Lidar and other sensors that self-driving cars use to see objects in their path. Waymo said it’ll start working to overcome weather issues in Detroit’s notoriously tough winter months.

GM has a similar operation about 40 miles away in Orion Township, Mich., where it assembles the Chevrolet Bolt electric car. In a separate shop inside the assembly plant, workers install self-driving hardware for autonomous vehicles that are being tested by GM Cruise, the automaker’s San Francisco-based autonomous-vehicle unit.

See original article here.

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