DriveU.auto

58% of consumers prefer remote driving to autonomous driving according to a recent survey by McKinsey & Company. While we obviously believe in the merit of #teleoperation and remote driving, this research more than anything conveys the public’s misunderstanding of these technologies, the way they operate, and related terms. What the response patterns reveal is that consumers still trust humans more than machines when it comes to safety. Respondents believe that humans will be better in emergency situations, will make better decisions and in general provide a sense of safety and control. But the reality is that in driverless operation on public roads, including that of remote operation, the vehicle is in charge of emergency operation and immediate safety. The vehicle systems are in charge of identifying emergency situations and preventing them. Remote operators are *not* safety drivers. For more on remote operation terminology and use cases, see the link in the comments. #remoteoperation #remotedriving DriveU.auto Doron Elinav Dor Tzabari

An autonomous overnight travel pod? I rechecked the date to see it’s not April 1st when I first saw the title of this item 😉 That’s the thing about innovation—ideas that seem outlandish at first become reality a few years later.  While I’m not sure about the practicality of this specific concept, many autonomous vehicle applications seemed futuristic only a few years back. Today - they are viable businesses. Just look at delivery robots and autonomous mining trucks. You can find additional examples and a deeper look at #AV ROI in a recent article by DriveU.auto. (Link in the comments) #autonomousvehicles #autonomoustrucks Doron Elinav Dor Tzabari

Several announcements over the past few weeks got me thinking about the autonomous vehicle tech stack and business models. Nuro announced that it is pivoting from making delivery vehicles to licensing its AV software. With this move, Nuro is joining others such as  Wayve and Mobileye focusing on AV software. In another major announcement, Waymo and Uber announced they are extending their partnership into two more cities. The interesting part is that Waymo services will be offered exclusively via Uber, who will also operate the fleet. This is a move away from Waymo’s end-to-end service model. Cruise also announced it will partner with Uber, ahead of its return to commercial driverless rides. Are we seeing the emergence of a tiered tech stack - or more accurately, a business stack - in the AV space? Components and vehicle bodies have long been sourced from external vendors. Are we now also seeing the breakout of autonomous software, fleet operation and customer service? In a recent article, Brad Templeton analyzed the non-exclusive version of the Waymo - Uber partnership. Brad hypothesized that ownership of the customer is where the value lies, and that without ownership of the customer, the #AV operator's profitability will hinge on travel-mile unit economics.  Waymo has clearly been taking steps to bring these down significantly. What do you think? Are we heading towards a tiered AV business stack? #driverless #autonomousvehicles DriveU.auto Doron Elinav Dor Tzabari

Reducing carbon emissions in yard operations and ports serves a dual purpose. The first is to meet carbon reduction goals, the second is to reduce the impact of pollution on nearby communities.  In April, the US government approved grants totaling $148 million to combat pollution at ports caused by trucks. Among other things, the grants aim to reduce truck idle time, a key contributor to pollution from diesel trucks.  (link in the comments 👇) #autonomousvehicles #decarbonization #autonomousterminaltrucks DriveU.auto Doron Elinav Dor Tzabari

Something’s up. That’s what I thought when I saw several press releases on the same topic - the integration of autonomous robots with elevators (links in comments 👇) These announcements highlight two important points: 1️⃣ The most common driver for implementing autonomous vehicles of any form factor is efficiency. The more complete the operation, the higher the efficiency gain and value - a delivery robot that can use an elevator, provides more value than the one that stops at the curbside. A Terminal Tractor that can communicate with gates has more value than one that can operate only in specific sections. 2️⃣ Autonomous vehicles operate with an existing environment containing management software, other machines, infrastructure and even humans. In trial and early deployment, these integrations can be managed on a case-by-case basis. As deployments grow in size and scope, more standardization and possibly openness are a must. The fact that the industry is starting to discuss (and issue statements about) integrations and interfaces may be a signal that its progressing to more advanced stages in the realization of autonomous vehicle operations. (Shout out to Alex Roy who I believe was the first to make the analogy between #AVs and elevators a LONG time ago). #autonomousvehicles #operationalefficeincy DriveU.auto Doron Elinav Dor Tzabari Image: Hyundai Group via Korea IT Times

Congratulations Coco on the newly announced partnership with Uber! Such an important milestone, which highlights the progress in executing on your vision to provide sustainable local delivery, everywhere. Proud to support you on your journey! Zach R. Sahil Sharma Brad Squicciarini Robert Zehner Vasily Goldobin Kyle Hertz Doron Elinav DriveU.auto #autonomousvehicles #deliveryrobots #futuretransport