Brad Ideas

Robocars & More

Do EVs work in the cold? Read about a long trip in snowy Utah, and how the best place to charge is at hotels, and how that should work

Motional must rely on Hyundai for support, or find a new funder. I recount the history of self-driving projects and what this means going forward.

Cruise has released reports from independent agencies that examined its crash with a pedestrian and the alleged cover-up of dragging. Lots of details

Waymo has asked to serve large reasons in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Perhaps big enough for real experiments in car replacement, which is where robotaxis must go

I outline what sort of data should be disclosed and what methods can assure that robocars are safe and we can understand how safe they are

The biggest self-driving story of 2023 was the fall of Cruise. Here's in-depth analysis of that fall and where they might go

They have $7B to spend, but previous subsidies caused a broken charging network. Here's how to do it better

Vogt founded the company, sold it and returned to the helm. Here's analysis of his fall and what's ahead for Cruise

Read more at Forbes.com in Kyle Vogt Resigns As CEO Of GM s Cruise Robotaxi Unit

Cruise has listed steps they are taking during their shutdown. It's a start, but there needs to be even more

Reports said Cruise cars ask for remote help a few times an hour. It seems bad but it's not about safety, and it turns out it doesn't hurt commercial viability.

Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Reports Lots Of Human Oversight Of Robotaxis, Is That Bad?

A robotaxi dragged a woman after she was hit by another driver. What would happen if the case went to court?

Read more at Forbes.com in An Injury Lawyer Says What GM s Cruise Robotaxi Might Face After Dragging Woman

Cruise has lost trust. They need to be much more open to ever get it back. Here's things they could do to win trust.

Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Suspends Robotaxi Operations, What They Must Do To Fix It

It's good for Uber, but will Waymo want a relationship like this long term?

A person was hit by another car and thrown in front of the Cruise. Then it stopped and dragged her while trying to pull over. The DMV says Cruise hid that.

Poor reliability is the bane of CCS car drivers, but there's also a lot of hassle in using 30 apps on 30 networks.

San Francisco wants to slow down robotaxi testing. That will slow down great benefits for the fire dept. and others, and rob from their future for minor gain today

There is a partial/Annular solar eclipse in the USA on Oct 14. It's nothing like a total eclipse but if you are near it or in it you may enjoy it. But photographing the eclipse itself is not that exciting, so instead photograph the people watching it. In this video I outline some ideas on how to do that.

A recent study detailed ways in which EV charging could cost more than gasoline. But in reality it generally costs much less

GM hopes for a million mile life from the Origin, but will it be obsolete before then? Many factors go into figuring out the right lifetime in miles and years.

Robotaxis offer great benefit to the disabled, and the option to vastly reduce the cost of paratransit for public agencies

Read more at Forbes.com in Cruise Shows Origin Robotaxi With Wheelchair Ramp; Many Disabled Options Possible