NTSB calls for action on automated vehicle tech
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NTSB calls for action on automated vehicle tech
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has written to its sister agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, calling for stronger federal requirements for the design and use of automated driving systems on public roads, reports CNBC. Citing the release of Tesla's beta version of its Level 2 Autopilot system, NTSB chief Robert Sumwalt wrote that the company was testing a highly automated AV technology on public roads with limited oversight or reporting requirements. "NHTSA's hands-off approach to oversight of AV testing poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users," wrote Sumwalt.
DoE seeks to reduce vehicle energy consumption
The US Department of Energy has announced funding for four projects seeking to help passenger vehicles operate more efficiently and reduce energy consumption. The funding is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy's NEXTCAR programme, which focuses on reducing vehicle energy consumption through connected and automated vehicle technologies.
“The same nifty features that are making cars easier to drive can also make them way more efficient, use less gas, and save drivers money at the pump.”
Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm
Could autonomous tech have done better?
Waymo has shared the results of a study looking at how its autonomous technology would have performed in scenarios that led to fatal crashes by human drivers. The tech company simulated how its Waymo Driver self-driving system might have behaved in each scenario and found that the vehicle would have avoided (82%) or mitigated (10%) of the crashes.
News in brief
Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng has announced plans for a long-distance "navigation-assisted autonomous driving expedition" later this month, covering nearly 4,000 km across six provinces in China
Perceptive Automata Co-founder Dr. Sam Anthony has co-authored a new paper that seeks to establish a new framework for thinking about ethics and safety for self-driving cars
Lidar developer Luminar has partnered with Zenseact, the software company owned by Volvo Cars, to deliver a full-stack autonomous system, for series production vehicles
Baidu Apollo has won a joint bid to construct a 5G intelligent driving project in Chengdu
Self-driving truck company Plus will turn to NVIDIA's DRIVE Orin for compute power for its autonomous vehicle platform
AV tech company Argo AI will test and develop its vehicles at Munich Airport's new innovation centre, LabCampus
Autonomous delivery robot developer Refraction AI has raised $4.2 million in new seed funding to accelerate its development
Driverless tech firm Motional has been named to Fast Company's annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2021
A team of Princeton researchers has developed a special wristband to help driverless cars detect people from further away, reports the BBC
Zoox interview
Zoox CEO Aicha Evans was interviewed by Bloomberg this week to discuss the Amazon-owned company's plans to offer mobility on demand, and its likely timeframe as it seeks to commercialise its fleet of self-driving electric vehicles.
"It's not next year, but it's a lot sooner than people imagine," said Evans.