In 2016, just weeks before the Autopilot in his Tesla drove Joshua Brown to his death, I pleaded with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in vehicles. Neither my pleading nor Brown’s death could stir the government to action. Since then, automotive AI in the… Continue reading What Self-Driving Cars Tell Us About AI Risks
Author: IEEE_Spectrum
3 Challenges to Solve Before We Can Commute by Air Taxi
All over the world, startup companies, government agencies, universities, and airlines are collaborating to launch an entirely new category of aviation based on electric aircraft capable of both vertical takeoff and efficient horizontal flight. In metropolitan areas that struggle with traffic congestion, these aircraft would displace some car commuting and also some short-haul flights. Realizing… Continue reading 3 Challenges to Solve Before We Can Commute by Air Taxi
EV Interference Doesn’t Have to Kill AM Radio
AM radio could very easily fit into the hallowed category of “perfected technology.” It’s been around for over a century, the physics and engineering are very well understood, and there have been no major technological advancements in its design for at least a couple decades. Which is perhaps why it’s so understandable that so many… Continue reading EV Interference Doesn’t Have to Kill AM Radio
Billionaire Brings Tesla Autopilot Rebuke
Yesterday, in a livestreamed event, Dan O’Dowd—a software billionaire and vehement critic of Tesla Motors’ allegedly self-driving technologies—debated Ross Gerber, an investment banker who backs the company. The real challenge came after their talk, when the two men got into a Tesla Model S and tested its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software—a purportedly autonomous or near-autonomous… Continue reading Billionaire Brings Tesla Autopilot Rebuke
Concept Car Tech Makes Wheels Wise to Wellbeing
Concept cars used to be all about looking under the hood. More and more, they’re about looking inside the microchips, and the cool features, services, and competitive edge they can provide. The latest is the H1st Vision, a car so software-driven that its creators barely nodded to its electric powertrain or Renault-based chassis. Those creators… Continue reading Concept Car Tech Makes Wheels Wise to Wellbeing
EV Chargers for All!
When IEEE Spectrum’s editor in chief, Harry Goldstein, needed to replace his 2008 Honda Fit in October 2020, he thought seriously about buying an electric vehicle. Two obstacles stood in his way. One was affordability. Even without a son soon to be entering college, the premium prices of EVs were a turnoff. The other challenge… Continue reading EV Chargers for All!
MIT Unveils a Megawatt Motor for Electric Aircraft
Aviation aims to slash some of its substantial carbon emissions by electrifying aircraft, but the industry’s stringent weight restrictions make this difficult. Building electric motors that match the power-to-weight ratios of jet engines has proven especially challenging, so most efforts have been restricted to smaller aircraft. A new compact lightweight design for a megawatt-scale motor… Continue reading MIT Unveils a Megawatt Motor for Electric Aircraft
Hydrogen Fuel Cells Find Their Groove
Grooves in the kind of hydrogen fuel cells most likely to power vehicles may boost the performance of the devices by up to 50 percent, a new study finds. A fuel cell converts the chemical energy stored in fuels such as hydrogen into electricity. It works by reacting the fuel with oxygen or another oxidizing… Continue reading Hydrogen Fuel Cells Find Their Groove
EV Startups, Running Out of Juice
Imagine an automotive marketplace where one company can build an electric car for US$10,000 less than Ford, the company that merely invented the assembly line and mass production. That company is of course Tesla, as Ford CEO Jim Farley humbly acknowledged in his recent, public pas de deux with Elon Musk. Now Tesla is looking… Continue reading EV Startups, Running Out of Juice
Rimac Nevera EV Sets 23 World Speed Records
A few decades ago, any car with 400 horsepower—say, a 1992 Dodge Viper—came across as 1992-era Arnold Schwarzenegger strong. The McLaren F1’s 620 hp seemed like something from another universe, as did its US $1 million price tag. Today, attainable internal combustion engine cars like the Corvette Z06 or BMW M5 routinely top 600 hp,… Continue reading Rimac Nevera EV Sets 23 World Speed Records