Alphabet’s Waymo Teams Up With Lyft to Test Autonomous Cars
Alphabet Inc. is working with Lyft Inc. on a plan to test autonomous cars on the road, escalating a fight with Uber Technologies Inc. by partnering with its main rival in the U.S.
Waymo, an automotive business owned by Google’s parent company, is currently holding public trials on its own using Chrysler minivans equipped with its technology in Phoenix. Uber is also testing autonomous cars there and in other U.S. cities.
“Lyft’s vision and commitment to improving the way cities move will help Waymo’s self-driving technology reach more people, in more places,” Waymo wrote in an emailed statement.
A Low-Tech, Low-Cost Solution to Prevent Rear-End Collisions
By Mark Boada, Senior Editor
Billions of dollars have been spent and billions more have been committed to pursuing the ultimate goal of automotive safety: zero accidents.
Whether that goal – literally, not a single crash ever again – is practical, no one denies that future technology will produce a dramatic reduction in collisions, save lives and lessen injuries.
The proof of concept is the success that some of the driver-assist systems that have already been deployed. To date, the most effective system is forward crash avoidance with automatic emergency braking. According to the IIHS, it has proven to reduce rear-end collisions by 40 percent. That’s a remarkable result, especially given that rear-end collisions are the most frequent kind, accounting for some 34 percent of all roadway accidents.
What’s wrong with this picture? Not much, but one nagging question remains: what about the other 60 percent, the rear-enders the technology doesn’t prevent?
Falling in Love
We have been traveling in Norway for the past week and have fallen in love with the country, justly renowned for its stunning natural beauty and gracious people.
On our many walks through Bergen and Oslo, we noted something was missing. In the center of these two main cities, where buses, trams, and bicycles are ubiquitous, the streets are tranquil and traffic noise pollution is dramatically diminished. Why? One good reason is that near-silent electric vehicles and their charging stations are abundant. In fact, a staggering 40 percent of new vehicle registrations in Norway are EVs.
Elon Musk loves Norway, too, and in this article had something to say about Norway’s goal to purge the country of fossil-fuel powered cars by 2025. We think they’ll easily do it.
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Roxanne Emmerich to Speak at AFLA 2017
AFLA is excited to announce that best-selling author and workplace transformation expert Roxanne Emmerich has been added to the program for the Annual Corporate Fleet Conference (AFLA 2017) to be held September 17-20 at the M Resort in Las Vegas, NV.
At AFLA 2017, Roxanne will discuss why almost every business is ‘dead wrong’ with their approach to motivating employees. Specifically, are your people bringing all of their passion, commitment, skills and enthusiasm to the workplace every day? Do you need a way to bring together your fragmented teams to work for one larger vision? Are dysfunctional viruses such as whining, gossip and sabotage contaminating the spirit of winning you want to create?
With a theme of “Your Winning Hand – Align, Advance, Accelerate, Achieve” the conference will feature innovative presentations on hot topics related to the fleet industry.
ELD Compliance, Plus Good User Experience
A new solution from Magellan and Samsung does more than address ELD compliance - it also takes into account improving the user experience for drivers.
