Lifeboat Foundation

Last year Swiss Re and Waymo launched a research partnership to define a standard for assessing the risk of autonomous vehicles. One year after that announcement, they are publishing a study that uses real-world data to compare the safety performance of autonomous vs human-driven vehicles. Notably, this is the first time that a robust and significant liability claims dataset is being used to compare the safety performance of autonomous and human drivers.

In fact, Swiss Re was able to produce mileage-and zip-code-calibrated (human driver) private passenger vehicle baselines, against which Waymo’s third party liability insurance claims data were compared. Swiss Re’s baselines, for the specific areas considered, are extremely significant, as they come from over 600,000 claims and over 125 billion miles of exposure.

The results of the research are exciting both for the insurance industry and the safety community alike: in over 3.8 million miles driven without a human being behind the steering wheel in rider-only mode, the Waymo Driver (Waymo’s fully autonomous driving technology) incurred zero bodily injury claims in comparison with the human driver baseline of 1.11 claims per million miles. The Waymo Driver also significantly reduced property damage claims to 0.78 claims per million miles in comparison with the human driver baseline of 3.26 claims per million miles.

Along with Xpeng and Li Auto, it is one of the top three Chinese premium EV assemblers.

NIO Newsroom.

Continue reading “NIO to slash workforce by 30% as it bets on robots and AI” »

Let’s take a leap into the future, shall we? In 2,123, envision a world where technology is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of our lives. Flying cars might not be the norm, but sustainable modes of transportation dominate the scene, with eco-friendly solutions at the forefront. Advanced medical breakthroughs have extended human life expectancy, and perhaps we’ve even cracked the code on combating climate change. Social structures may have evolved, embracing inclusivity and diversity. It’s a realm where innovation and a collective global effort have paved the way for a balanced and interconnected planet. 🌐🚀🔮

Credit:
IKAROS: Andrzej Mirecki, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: IKAROS_solar_sail.jpg.
Press Conference: ESO, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Press_Conference_at_ESO_HQ2.tif.

Continue reading “What the World Will Be Like in 2123” »

Remember back before smartphones existed, when you had to buy a separate cell phone, camera, music player, calculator and calendar? Well, the Utility Personal Transporter may one day do for electric vehicles what smartphones did for gadgets.

Currently in functional prototype form, the Utility Personal Transporter (UPT) is being developed by Canadian electric mobility company Envo Drive Systems. In a nutshell, it’s a four-wheel-drive electric platform that can be adapted to serve multiple purposes.

Continue reading “Utility Personal Transporter is set to be the smartphone of EVs” »

From lending someone a hand with their car to giving a simple “thank you” to a cashier, acts of kindness — whether big or small — can have a huge effect on both recipients and givers. Ali Rogin reports on insights into the power of these acts.

In recent years, engineers and material scientists have been trying to create increasingly advanced battery technologies that are charged faster, last longer, and can store more energy. These batteries will ultimately play a crucial role in the advancement of the electronics and energy sector, powering the wide range of portable devices on the market, as well as electric vehicles.

Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) are currently the most widespread batteries worldwide, powering most electronics we use every day. Identifying scalable methods to increase the speed at which these batteries charge is thus one of the primary goals in the energy field, as it would not require switching to entirely new battery compositions.

Researchers at Huazhong University of Technology in China recently introduced a new strategy to develop fast-charging LiBs containing a graphite-based material. Their proposed battery design, outlined in a paper published in Nature Energy, was found to successfully speed up the charging time of LiBs, while also allowing them to retain much of their capacity even after they are charged thousands of times.

Last year, Tesla submitted plans to the city of Los Angeles for a charging station equipped with a 24-hour diner and drive-in theater. The electric-car maker plans to build the luxury supercharger station at 7,001 West Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, according to Bloomberg.

Tesla began construction on the project in September, Forbes reported. Musk also provided more details on the project in August after the company’s plans were reportedly approved by the city.

“Our Tesla futuristic diner (Grease meets The Jetsons with Supercharging) in LA should be ready later this year,” Musk wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Leaks from General Motors’ Cruise robotaxi unit reveal some of their plan to rebuild after their failure in San Francisco may involve working in another state like Texas or Arizona, and to continue the pause on deploying their custom-designed robotaxi known as the Origin.

Scaling back and avoiding California and a custom vehicle are, at least for now, the right strategy for Cruise.

That’s high praise in a country where EVs rule the market. With this being said, the Model 3 is still not perfect.