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Videos showing Tesla’s Smart Summon feature doing bizarre things have gotten the NHTSA’s attention (TSLA)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into Tesla‘s Smart Summon feature, Reuters‘ David Shepardson first reported. Smart Summon allows Tesla vehicles with the most robust version of the Autopilot driver-assistance system to drive in parking lots without anyone in the car. NHTSA is aware of reports related to Smart Summon and is… Continue reading Videos showing Tesla’s Smart Summon feature doing bizarre things have gotten the NHTSA’s attention (TSLA)

Indian antitrust watchdog throws Hyundai-Kia-Ola deal in doubt

BANGALORE — The Competition Commission of India, an antitrust watchdog, has thrown into disarray a plan by South Korean automaker Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motor to invest $300 million in ride-hailing unicorn Ola. In response to an application sent by the three companies seeking approval, the regulator asked Ola’s parent ANI Technologies to outline the impact on competition… Continue reading Indian antitrust watchdog throws Hyundai-Kia-Ola deal in doubt

Dana and Valeo Collaborate to Supply Complete 48-Volt Electric Vehicle Systems

MAUMEE, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) and Valeo today announced a global collaboration to develop and supply 48-volt electric-vehicle systems for new-mobility applications, including low-speed electric and hybrid e-AWD vehicles. The first system is scheduled to launch in early 2020 with a major European automaker on series-produced cars. The joint… Continue reading Dana and Valeo Collaborate to Supply Complete 48-Volt Electric Vehicle Systems

NewMotion and Chargepoint sign networks sign UK roaming partnership

NewMotion, Shell’s charging network subsidiary, and ChargePoint have announced a roaming partnership that will enable EV drivers in the UK to access both charging networks without the need to create a new account. ChargePoint users will gain access to NewMotion’s public charging network both in the UK and across Europe. The agreement also includes the… Continue reading NewMotion and Chargepoint sign networks sign UK roaming partnership

Malaysia proposes $20 mln fine on Grab for abusive practices

FILE PHOTO: A Grab logo is pictured at the Money 20/20 Asia Fintech Trade Show in Singapore March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Anshuman Daga/File Photo KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s competition regulator has proposed a fine of 86 million ringgit ($20.53 million) on ride-hailing firm Grab for violating the country’s competition law by imposing restrictive clauses on… Continue reading Malaysia proposes $20 mln fine on Grab for abusive practices

Ford Van Sales hit All-Time Third-Quarter Record on 65,288 Sold; Total Pickup Sales Best in 14 Years; Expedition Sales Strong, Up 48 percent; Lincoln SUVs Deliver Best Performance in 16 Years

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility… Continue reading Ford Van Sales hit All-Time Third-Quarter Record on 65,288 Sold; Total Pickup Sales Best in 14 Years; Expedition Sales Strong, Up 48 percent; Lincoln SUVs Deliver Best Performance in 16 Years

Demand for Porsche Taycan prompts automaker to add 500 more jobs

Demand for the all-electric Porsche Taycan sports car has prompted the German automaker to add 500 more jobs at its headquarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The move, which will boost jobs dedicated to the Taycan by one-third (to 2,000), is designed to give Porsche the flexibility it might need to boost production. “With the Taycan, we are… Continue reading Demand for Porsche Taycan prompts automaker to add 500 more jobs

Tesla Ramps Up Quest For Driverless Cars With Acquisition Of DeepScale

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Autonomous Vehicles

Published on October 2nd, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Ramps Up Quest For Driverless Cars With Acquisition Of DeepScale

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October 2nd, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Don’t think of self-driving cars as autonomous. Think of them as horizontal elevators. No one thinks it’s strange to get on a modern elevator, press a button, and be whisked to the floor of your choosing. Only if you are 85 years old and remember the days of elevator operators do you think self service elevators are at all unusual.

Credit: DeepScale

Autonomous cars can reduce congestion in world cities, eliminate most motor vehicle injuries and deaths, and free us up to play Tetris on our touchscreens as over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go. They also may prove to be hugely profitable for the companies that operate them.

No company on Earth has a more single-minded emphasis on self-driving cars than Tesla. You might think it has the best and brightest minds in the world of robotic transportation on its payroll, but apparently there are other companies out there who have people with equal or greater skill. Tesla has just acquired one of them, a company known as DeepScale.

According to CNBC, DeepScale was founded by Forrest Iandola, who obtained a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley, “where he worked on deep neural nets that could work on mobile devices with relatively small amounts of memory.” DeepScale’s technology is designed to help automakers use low wattage processors — the kinds that are now standard in most cars — to power very accurate computer vision. These processors work with sensors, mapping, planning, and control systems to allow cars to make sense of what’s going on around them.

On his LinkedIn page, Iandola announced he has joined Tesla as a senior staff machine learning scientist. “I joined the Tesla #Autopilot team this week. I am looking forward to working with some of the brightest minds in #deeplearning and #autonomousdriving,” he said.

CNBC points out that Tesla has suffered a brain drain of sorts in its self-driving unit recently. In May, Stuart Bowers, who headed the company’s self-driving program, departed for greener pastures after Elon Musk critiqued him and his group for not getting the results Musk wanted fast enough. Subsequently, according to The Information, 11 other members of the team — about 10% of the total — left Tesla as well after telling Musk they could not meet the timelines he demanded of them.

Sources tell CNBC that Tesla has acquired DeepScale in its entirety, although no details about how much Tesla paid for the tech startup have been revealed. Reportedly it had raised nearly $20 million in funding from prominent venture capital groups.

Tesla has not been shy about acquiring companies it thinks will help it achieve its mission of converting the world’s transportation system to electric vehicles. Previously it bought Grohmann Engineering, one of Germany’s most highly regarded engineering companies. More recently it acquired Maxwell Technologies, a company with vast experience with supercapacitors.

Elon Musk is relentless at pushing his people to achieve impossibly difficult results in unbelievably short periods of time. With DeepScale now in the fold, expect dramatic progress toward full self-driving cars to occur quickly — or else!

About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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Faraday Future Announces New Plan for Product Delivery and Unveils Futurist Testing Lab

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Faraday Future Appoints Dr. Carsten Breitfeld as Global Chief Executive Officer

AUTO INDUSTRY VETERAN BRINGS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATIONDR. BREITFELD TO FOCUS ON DEVELOPING INDUSTRY-LEADING TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS AND ONGOING FUNDRAISING EFFORTSFF FOUNDER YT JIA RESIGNS FROM CEO POST TO ASSUME ROLE OF CPUO (CHIEF PRODUCT & USER OFFICER)DR. BREITFELD AND YT JIA TO ESTABLISH A STRONGER GLOBAL TEAM ACROSS PRODUCT, TECHNOLOGY… Continue reading Faraday Future Appoints Dr. Carsten Breitfeld as Global Chief Executive Officer