Tag: Autonomous

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak: ‘I do not believe in auto driving cars’ — it’s not possible yet

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak: Tesla makes so many mistakes
12:30 PM ET Tue, 13 Nov 2018 | 03:35

Technologist Steve Wozniak told CNBC on Tuesday he had once hoped that Apple would build the first self-driving car.

But the Apple co-founder said, “I do not believe in auto driving cars” at this point. “I don't really believe it's quite possible yet” that cars will be able to drive themselves without a steering wheel, he added.

Wozniak said on “Fast Money Halftime Report” that roads are not prepared for autonomous vehicles because they are built by imperfect humans who are “not as good as nature and mathematics and even evolution.”

However, Wozniak does support of advancements in “assistive driving” technology that can allow cars to “spot red lights, and stop signs and avoid some of the accidents today.”

But he warned that people should “not to lose sight of the fact you're not going to get a car that drives itself.”

Wozniak — who owns a Tesla and said he enjoys driving it — warned that the so-called Autopilot feature does not actually self-drive the car.

“Tesla makes so many mistakes,” he said, but didn't elaborate. “It really convinces me that auto piloting and auto steering car driving itself is not going to happen.”

Wozniak said he kept upgrading his Tesla and then “gave up” on the idea of autonomous driving. “I said, 'It's really not going to happen,'” he recalled.

Tesla was not immediately available to respond to CNBC's request for comment on Wozniak's interview.

Ford plans construction on Michigan Central Depot by year's end

Ford plans construction on Michigan Central Depot by year's endFord Motor Co. expects to start construction on its Michigan Central Station renovation before the end of 2018, the automaker said Thursday.
The automaker will work with design firm Quinn Evans Architects and architects at Christman-Brinker on the project expected to be completed some time in 2022.
Ford in June confirmed it purchased and had plans to restore the blighted train station. It bought the building for $90 million, and after the restoration is complete, the automaker plans to move its electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle teams to the facility.
Around 2,500 Ford employees will work out of the building. Another 2,500 entrepreneurs, technology companies and partners related to Ford's expansion into Autos 2.0. will also be housed there. The station will be the “centerpiece” of Ford's planned 1.2-million-square-foot Corktown campus.
Both firms Ford hired have offices in Detroit in addition to other cities around the country. Quinn Evans has a history of work on historic preservation and landmark preservation projects, including the Michigan State Capitol restoration. Christman-Brinker is a newly-formed joint venture between two Detroit companies. Together, the companies have worked on the new Little Caesars World Headquarters, the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University and multiple schools around Detroit.
“Quinn Evans Architects and Christman Brinker have a strong track record of working together on restoring historic buildings, so we felt they were the right partners to help us begin this transformation project,” Todd Brooks, program manager at Ford Land, the company’s real estate arm overseeing Ford’s Corktown campus, said in a statement. “They share Ford’s passion for redeveloping Detroit’s landmark train station, ensuring the local community benefits from our presence and building the future of the transportation industry right here in Detroit.”
The automaker has spent most of the last several months sealing the blighted building from the elements.
Ford estimates construction and restoration efforts will cost $740 million and will require 2.5 million man-hours, 51 percent of which must be done by Detroit residents. The automaker has committed $5 million for workforce training, education and development to help address a shortage of skilled trade workers in Detroit.
ithibodeau@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Ian_Thibodeau
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Ford hits the road in Miami, in a big bet on autonomous vehicles, ride sharing and delivery services

Ford's autonomous vehicle fleet
10:04 AM ET Fri, 16 Nov 2018 | 02:45

Ford is road testing its autonomous vehicles in partnership with the city of Miami, as the legacy automaker hopes to capitalize on the emerging technology in ride-share and business delivery.

The automaker has been testing a Ford Fusion equipped with autonomous vehicle tech, or AV, in Miami since February. It chose the city because of its congestion and the unpredictability of the traffic there. Tests are also being done in three other cities: Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

Ford has said it plans to begin selling self-driving cars by 2021, but it is also testing out ways it can use these vehicles to carry people and things. Sherif Marakby, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles, told CNBC the company is focused on profitability and scalability.

“We're laser focused on profitability,” said Marakby, who said autonomous vehicles provide transportation at a lower cost than current vehicles. “While the vehicle is expensive, initially we're deploying it in service so the cost per mile for transportation for a person or a business is going to be lower and will be profitable for us,” he said.

Ford has said it plans to invest a total of $4 billion into AV technology through 2023.

On Wednesday, the company announced a partnership with Walmart and Postmates to collaborate on a delivery service that will one day use autonomous vehicles.

During a test ride with CNBC, Ford used a car that was autonomous, however, it did travel along a predetermined and pre-programmed route. Ford also manned the vehicle with a safety driver, whose hands hovered over the wheel, which the company said was a “precaution.”

Source: Ford
Ford AV Argo autonomous vehicle test car

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Alphabet, will launch its first AV service by the end of the year and expects to attract business customers. General Motors' Cruise says it will have an autonomous ride-share service by next year.

Some analysts have said Ford is lagging behind in self-driving technology, but Marakby pushed back on that notion.

“I want investors and I want everyone to know that we are developing an autonomous vehicle service that means a whole lot more than the car,” Marakby said. “What that means is … when we launch these cars it's not just going to be the car. It's going to be an app. It's going to be the cloud … The autonomous car will know where to go when someone orders it.”

Ford is phasing out its manufacturing of most cars and increasing production of trucks and SUVs. Marakby said Ford's ride-share vehicle will be designed for that business.

“We feel that what we're building is an autonomous vehicle mobility service and we think the future is going to continue to have more and more of these transportation methods,” he said.

WATCH: Ford is using bionic suits to help employees work safer

Ford is using bionic suits to help employees work safer
6:24 PM ET Fri, 20 April 2018 | 02:20

Careem has signed an MOU with The Oman Technology Fund to inspire…

And as the leading internet platform in the region we are excited to be able to support a likeminded partner in OTF and the Government of Oman to share in a vision together and help enable Oman to utilise our technology and platform to work across several sectors in the country.

This partnership will give us opportunity to demonstrate how the Careem platform can support governments in their forward-thinking ambitions and help enable Oman to become one of the leading smart cities in the region.

Be it through the introduction of drone technology or cost-effective and environmentally-friendly autonomous vehicles, this represents a significant step into the future and sets an exciting forward-thinking precedent for a new form of public-private-partnership for the region.

The MOU also includes the possibility of the OTF entering joint ventures or other strategic partnerships with us, including making an investment in Careem on behalf of Oman’s sovereign wealth funds. We are excited to be..

ZF the System Supplier for Material Handling

New joint venture allows ZF supply turnkey solutions for material handling vehicles Collaboration with Chinese Anhui Heli Co., Ltd. strengthens ZF’s presence on the forklift market. The joint venture opens up ZF’s access to the world’s largest and fastest-growing lift truck market in China. Additionally, ZF completes its extensive product portfolio with new products and… Continue reading ZF the System Supplier for Material Handling

Lidar startup AEye raises $40M Series B led by the Taiwanese government’s investment firm

Lidar technology developer AEye will scale its operations globally through manufacturing partnerships after raising a $40 million Series B. The round was led by Taiwania Capital, the investment firm created and backed by Taiwan’s National Development Council, and included returning investors Kleiner Perkins, Intel Capital, Airbus Ventures, and Tychee Partners. This brings the California-based startup’s… Continue reading Lidar startup AEye raises $40M Series B led by the Taiwanese government’s investment firm

Autonomous Car Firm Aurrigo Shares Successes From UK Autodrive Programme

The race to build a future of self-driving cars has ramped up, with multiple companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Tesla, Toyota, and others joining in and UK private transport firm Addison Lee reporting last month that driverless cars will become a regular phenomenon by 2021. Sputnik spoke with Miles Garner, sales and marketing director at Aurrigo,… Continue reading Autonomous Car Firm Aurrigo Shares Successes From UK Autodrive Programme

Apple’s Mysterious Car Project

Apple's been busy working on an autonomous driving system.

Rumors have been circulating for the past several years about a secret car project that Apple is working on. The project is called Project Titan. Apple hopes this could launch the company into the autonomous vehicle market, reports The Motley Fool. Reports show that the company has pivoted from developing its own Apple branded cars to developing an autonomous driving system.

Some rumors state that Apple will be scaling back and perhaps has even scrapped its car ambitions. What does that leave for the latest news about Apple’s Project Titan? According to MacReports, this past July, Apple had permits to drive 66 autonomous vehicles on California’s roads. Records from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show that Apple has also been approved for 111 “safety drivers.” For those who are unaware what a safety driver is, a safety driver is the individual behind the wheel of these autonomous cars as they are being tested in order to take over if something does go wrong. Apple has thus far tested 27 autonomous vehicles.

John Gruber of technology blog Daring Fireball recently confirmed for followers that Apple’s former VP of Mac hardware engineering is returning to the company. Allegedly this return is due to his work on Apple’s Project Titan. Gruber was previously in charge of Tesla’s Model 3 production since 2013. Because of this, rumors have been going around that Apple is striving to develop its own vehicle to compete with Tesla. It seems as though they are, however, focusing on the autonomous driving system despite major setbacks in the past, as cited by The Motley Fool.

Apple’s management has spoken up about the Titan Project recently, breaking their reigning silence on the secretive work. Apple CEO Tim Cook told Bloomberg in 2017 that even though the initial purpose of autonomous systems is self driving vehicles, there are in fact other uses.

“Clearly, one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars, there are others. And we sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects. It’s probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on. So autonomy is something that is incredibly exciting for us. But we’ll see where it takes us. We’re not really saying from a product point of view what we’ll do. It’s a core technology that we view as very important.”

Cook did not precisely say what Apple has in store for its autonomous technology use. Besides the fact that it confirmed Apple was working on self-driving car hardware, a document filed by Apple also said that 5,000 employees know about the car project and that 2,700 of those are “core employees.”

THE KEOLIS AUTONOM SHUTTLES PUT INTO SERVICE WITHIN THE RENNES CAMPUS 1 ON OPEN ROAD

16 November 2018 THE KEOLIS AUTONOM SHUTTLES PUT INTO SERVICE WITHIN THE RENNES CAMPUS 1 ON OPEN ROAD From Friday, November 16, students and staff of the Beaulieu campus of the University of Rennes 1 can move around the campus using one of the two AUTONOM SHUTTLES. An AUTONOM SHUTTLE service on open roads KEOLIS,… Continue reading THE KEOLIS AUTONOM SHUTTLES PUT INTO SERVICE WITHIN THE RENNES CAMPUS 1 ON OPEN ROAD

VW wants to be the most profitable electric car company in the world

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The Volkswagen logo is displayed at Serramonte Volkswagen on November 18, 2016 in Colma, California.

Volkswagen announced it's to spend 44 billion euros ($50 billion) on new plants, electric cars, autonomous driving and mobility services.

The war chest is to be spent in the four years between 2019 and 2023 and represents about a third of the company's total outlay allocated to the four-year period.

“One aim of the Volkswagen Group's strategy is to speed up the pace of innovation. We are focusing our investments on the future fields of mobility and systematically implementing our strategy,” Herbert Diess, the CEO of Volkswagen, said in a press release, issued after a Supervisory Board meeting Friday.

VW CEO: We will be most profitable electric car firm
12 Mins Ago | 02:22

Diess told CNBC's Annette Weisbach that he expects the German carmaker to be the most profitable maker of electric cars thanks to its economies of scale. The auto group said it wanted to improve productivity by focusing its electrification strategy within Germany, while pushing some traditional engines to multi-brand factories in eastern Europe.

German plants in Emden and Hanover will be converted to build electric vehicles, while the Volkswagen Passat family will now be built in the Czech Republic. A new location in Eastern Europe will be built for some Skoda and SEAT cars.

VW Group added that it wanted its automotive division to lower its capital expenditure ratio to 6 percent of revenues from 2020 onward.

VW CEO: Politicians are beating auto firms up
11 Mins Ago | 02:06

Diess said VW's previous “bad behavior” meant that his firm had been “beaten up” by politicians in Germany and abroad but he hoped that relations were improving.