brad's blog
Can EV charging be a business?
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2021-01-25 12:38Gas stations are a business -- they sell gasoline at a profit. But EV charging isn't like that, and almost no EV charging stations are run with the primary goal of selling electricity at a profit to customers.
Some want the business, but will it work? Is this a temporary or permanent situation?
I explore that in my new Forbes site article at Can EV charging be a business?
MobilEye details their unusual strategy.
Submitted by brad on Tue, 2021-01-19 14:48People don't talk as much about MobilEye (Intel) in the self-driving race, but their strategy is different and interesting, and they are the most established in working with automakers. I have an article discussing some elements of their strategy include a very different approach to sensor fusion and mapping, among other things.
Read my new Forbes site column at MobilEye's strategy to win self driving
Aptera's new car is incredibly efficient, but the solar panel on it is convenient, not green
Submitted by brad on Tue, 2021-01-05 13:19
Aptera, which has been trying for many years to make a successful efficient electric car, is now taking orders for a vehicle which uses only 100 watt-hours/mile to travel, compared with 250 for a Tesla Model 3 and more for others. That's a big deal.
Robocars 2020 year in review (Video and Story)
Submitted by brad on Sun, 2020-12-27 20:37It was a much bigger year for Robocars than anybody expected. At the start of the year everybody felt we were in a "robocar winter" with things slowing down and pulling back. Instead, the year showed big milestones and huge valuations.
This year, in addition to my traditional text review, I have done it as a video for those who prefer that. The video can be seen below on Youtube:
Go out soon to see Jupiter and Saturn
Submitted by brad on Sun, 2020-12-20 15:11
Zoox reveals their secret vehicle
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2020-12-14 10:50The biggest week in Robocar history
Submitted by brad on Wed, 2020-12-09 15:21Waymo Vs. Uber Vs. Tesla Vs. Amazon Vs. Others: Who Will Sell You Your Robotaxi Ride?
Submitted by brad on Tue, 2020-12-08 14:08So which app will you open to call a ride in the robotaxi world? Uber now will link with Aurora -- but is Uber's position in the ride-selling world unassailable? Will Waymo/Google, Cruise, Amazon/Zoox, Tesla or others win the day? I look at competitive factors in the race to replace selling cars with selling rides.
Uber ATG And Aurora Merge To Staggering $10B Valuation
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2020-12-07 16:34Uber's self-driving unit (ATG) has been merged/sold to Aurora, a high flying startup with a combined valuation of $10B, but a big drop for Uber and climb for Aurora. I outline the odd nature of the deal in this new article as the robocar news just keeps on coming. It's not winter any more.
See a new Forbes site article at Uber ATG And Aurora Merge To Staggering $10B Valuation
Amazon/Zoox Custom Vehicle Design Revealed Early And Leaks Some Details
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2020-12-07 06:19
Zoox (now a unit of Amazon) has been secretive about their custom vehicle design, with a reveal set for Dec 12. It was photographed out in the wild yesterday, though, so I have written a new Forbes site column about their design -- similar to a few others, but with diferent LIDAR design and other goodies.
We should rethink the ethics of vaccine challenge tests to be more like those of a battle
Submitted by brad on Sat, 2020-12-05 15:44
As vaccine approval nears, you've no doubt heard proposals to speed up vaccine testing with what is known as a "challenge" trial, where you deliberately infect volunteers with the virus. This approach is controversial, but has been around for some time. There are already organizations collecting volunteers, and tens of thousands have signed up.
AutoX begins no-safety-driver taxi pilot in Shenzen
Submitted by brad on Thu, 2020-12-03 17:19It's only with special guests and staff, but AutoX has followed Waymo in starting a robotaxi service with no safety drivers on board, with all 25 of their vehicles in Shenzen. It means they are getting very confident in their system.
Read more details in a new Forbes site piece at AutoX begins no-safety-driver taxi pilot in Shenzen
How to end gerrymandering - but why it won't do as much as you hope
Submitted by brad on Tue, 2020-12-01 12:36
When robocars must be perfect, and when they need not be
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2020-11-30 12:06A recent Waymo tester has been challenging Waymo cars to pick him up in unusual pickup spots. Some of the times, the problem is probably being solved by a remote human operator giving advice to the car. What many do not understand is that this is not a flaw, but probably the simplest and cheapest way to solve the problem.
Read more at When robocars must be perfect, and when they need not be
Cheap, fast, surprisingly good Covid testing using scratch-n-sniff
Submitted by brad on Wed, 2020-11-25 14:59It occurred to me, learning that 80% of Covid infected patients lose their sense of smell (Anosmia) that it should be possible to build the cheapest and most effective Covid screener (for use at entrances to schools/airports/buildings/restaurants) with a simple "scratch-n-sniff" card. These cards, which cost pennies, would come with a set of scratch squares, and under each would be boxes with the names of possible scents. A QR code would (encrypted) have the answer. You sniff, check the boxes and then a phone or other device scans your answer.
Mercedes "Automated Valet Parking" disappoints
Submitted by brad on Mon, 2020-11-23 09:29Promised for years, you can finally do automated valet parking if you have a 2021 Mercedes S class and park in one garage at Stuttgart airport. First demonstrated at Stanford in 2009, this feature is long overdue, and this implementation is quite disappointing, doing little more than save the driver a few minutes of walking.
I go into the details of what robotic parking could and should do, even today in a new article on Forbes.com at:
The Electoral College: Why it is, Why it's hard to fix, and why it's not as big a deal as you think
Submitted by brad on Sat, 2020-11-14 14:19
As we do every 4 years, people are lamenting about the crazy system of the electoral college. It is archaic and should be replaced, but that's far more easily said than done.
Preventing the chaos of super-close elections
Submitted by brad on Fri, 2020-11-13 10:56
When elections are close, they get chaotic. If the flip of a single vote, at the tie-point, can cause a massive change, like who runs a country, things can go nuts. People will do everything, from legal battles all the way up to the supreme court, to voter suppression, to voter fraud, to fake claims of voter fraud, all to move the needle a tiny bit around that tipping point.
Honda to ship "Traffic Jam Pilot" within 5 months -- limited full self-drive in a consumer car
Submitted by brad on Wed, 2020-11-11 13:50Honda has announced they have approval for, and will ship a "Traffic Jam Pilot" in the Honda Legend by March 2021. This is a big deal because one of the key differences between driver assist (like Tesla "full" self driving) and a robocar is whether the car takes responsibility. While they will call it level 3, level 3 doesn't really exist. This is a self-driving car for a specific problem area - traffic jams.