Auto Industry

GM Adds More Driverless and Hands-Free Vehicle Options to Country’s Growing List

February 17, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Driverless cars and hands-free driving technology are coming to the forefront of the transportation industry, and one major manufacturer is now at play.

In San Francisco, driverless cars are being deployed by General Motors’ self-driving car company, which is working toward creating an automated, robotic ride-hailing service–one that would compete with the likes of Uber and Lyft.

Announced December 9th, Cruise will be deploying self-driving cars without the safety of any human behind the wheel. The vehicles will still be closely monitored, however, by employees at remote locations.

This announcement comes two months after GM’s beginning to operate driverless cars–with a person behind the wheel in case of emergency–on California public streets, a state in which many other technology companies have been testing their AV capabilities.

“We believe self-driving has the potential to upend transportation,” said Dan Ammann, CEO of Cruise.

Still, Cruise has yet to deploy ride-hailing service vehicles to pick up passengers on their own, although California regulators have already approved rules to do so.

However, Cruise will be dispatching up to five driverless cars throughout San Francisco, with passengers consisting solely of Cruise employees, initially. When the vehicles were being tested with someone behind the wheel, the only passengers at that time were other employees, as well.

Although there is no clear launch date for Cruise’s driverless ride-hailing service, Ammann assures that Cruise is progressing toward “a commercial product that everyone can use.”

Although Cruise has been working on this driverless technology throughout the last decade, Waymo, of Google, has yet to announce when it would deploy any driverless cars, although it has a permit to do so and has been progressing steadily. Waymo launched its service initially in the Phoenix area in 2018.

Cruise has tested its technology throughout over 2 million miles of self-driving over the last five years to get to where it is today.

Also on the list of recent tech innovations is the GMC Sierra’s hands-free driver assistance feature, Super Cruise. The Sierra pickup is now the highest-volume GM product to be equipped with the award-winning technology, and is now one of many semi-autonomous trucks hitting the market soon, joining the ranks of the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150, and Rivian R1T.

“We’re putting Super Cruise on a Sierra. [It’s] the world’s first true, hands-free, driver-assistance tech available pretty much across the United States,” said Phil Brook, marketing executive for GMC. It won’t “just be in the big cities, [but] in every state because…it’s such a popular vehicle.”

Similar to Super Cruise is Ford’s Active Drive Assist, a hands-free option made available for GMorder on the 2021 Ford F-150, which is scheduled to enter dealer lots in 2021’s third quarter. Super Cruise will be released first on Sierra’s premium Denali trim and can function while towing.

Right now, the market’s leading semi-autonomous systems are those of both Super Cruise and the hands-free Autopilot of Tesla. Super Cruise can only function on divided highways because GM deems that the safest way to utilize it properly.

Super Cruise and Ford’s Active Drive Assist both use infrared lights along with a camera system to make sure a driver is paying adequate attention to the road, and can allow a vehicle to be operated hands-free on divided highways, thanks to its radar sensors and GPS mapping capabilities.

Super Cruise will only intervene and offer consistent alerts if it finds a driver’s eyes are not paying attention to the road ahead.

The Super Cruise option will be also available on higher-trim Cadillac models in 2021, costing around $2,500 on the Cadillac but less on the Sierra. Ford’s system will cost around $1,600 on the F-150 and Mach E. All brands typically charge monthly subscription rates in addition to initial costs.

According to industry analysts, the take-rate of Super Cruise on the Cadillac CT6 was around 30%, and if that number remains consistent with the technology on the Sierra, nearly 70,000 vehicles with hands-free Super Cruise should be present on the road by 2022.

Levinson and Stefani Help With Publication of New Edition of Auto Injury Case Litigation Book

January 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The 2020-2021 Edition of Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases has just been released, and Levinson and Stefani have contributed to the book.

Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases is divided into two separate volumes and aims to give plaintiff attorneys proper guidance in regards to major automobile injury and death case representation. It also provides specific strategies for using the least expenditure of effort in order to win the largest damage awards as possible.

Volume 1 of the book, Law and Forms, explains how an attorney can build the best possible case by “incorporating litigation strategies that undermine expected defense strategies and affirm [the] case.”

Volume 2, Forensic Science, is medical reference-based and offers data regarding injury mechanism topics. These are meant to “prove causation and damages for a variety of crash types and crash injuries, including epidemiology, injury risk by crash type, injury pattern analysis, biomechanics, and more.”

Levinson and Stefani took the initiative to contribute a section written by Louisville-based attorney Jay Vaughn, who specializes in remote depositions. Vaughn was able to add guidance on this topic in an effort “to help practitioners during the pandemic working remotely,” which will also be “for use even when things get back to normal,” explained Ken Levinson.

In this particular contribution, Vaughn details certain technology basics, a ‘Best Practices’ checklist, court reporter instructions, the sharing and usage of exhibits, and deposition notice samples for Zoom.

The book also features tools such as focus group, trial consultant, and juror interview guidance; ways to construct the best visual aids and prepare effective presentations for a jury; procedures that give step-by-step guidance from a client’s first meeting all the way to a winning judgment; legal resource references for litigating a case to a favorable verdict; air bag, seat belt, and other auto safety-related technical articles; and scientific articles to help attorneys obtain expert and opposing expert critical testimonies.

To purchase an individual volume or the full set of the latest edition of Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases, click here.

Tire Makers Experience Unprecedented Shutdown

May 13, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Tire manufacturing leaders throughout the commercial vehicle market in North America have been halting production as the COVID-19 crisis brings a decline in overall demand.

These companies saw shutdowns begin in late March, which are currently expected to last through April.

“Because of the complexity involved, we are not sharing detailed information on how each individual plant will be affected,” said a Michelin company spokesman. “Michelin North America has never been involved in a widespread shutdown like this in the past.”

Michelin has announced shutdowns at particular facilities, while Bridgestone Americas Inc, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced temporary shutdowns at all plants.

After 2019 saw the tire industry facing a steep decline in original equipment demand, the North American truck cycle ended up in a retreat.

This pandemic is clearly making matters much worse.

When Goodyear originally took steps to close its manufacturing facilities in Europe, it decided to phase out North and South American facility production the following day–affecting an additional 13 tire plants throughout the two continents and roughly 17,000 workers.

“During this unprecedented and extremely fluid situation, Goodyear’s top priorities are the health and wellbeing of our associates and service to our customers,” Goodyear said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring both inventory levels and supply of raw materials and have optimized our warehouse and distribution operations to continue delivery of Goodyear products. All associates who are able to perform their roles remotely have been encouraged to work from home.”

Still, the company remains optimistic about future earnings.

“As we enter the new decade, it’s clear that the inflection point in new mobility is here” said Richard Kramer, Goodyear Chairman and CEO. “Tire technology is rapidly advancing to meet the needs of electric vehicles including range, ride and handling, and durability improvements. Intelligent tires will be integrated in autonomous driving systems.”

However, Michelin reported worrisome mid-February data. Original equipment truck and bus tires throughout the continent had fallen by 21%, and replacement demand by 6%.

In regards to COVID-19 restrictions, Michelin said its affected production does not include critical tires for the sake of economic continuity. Customers will continue to receive support through existing inventories in the company’s distribution and logistics activities.

“While we are facing some supply chain disruption, our components, semi-finishes, and products are still able to circulate,” said Michelin in a statement. “As the situation changes, we will make adjustments to our production accordingly. It is still too early to assess any possible impact this situation could have on our industry long-term.”

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., along with other tire manufacturers, has implemented techniques to further protect employees and customers, including travel restrictions, social distancing rules, remote working, frequent deep cleaning and disinfecting of facilities, and stricter visitor limitations.

Although Cooper’s plants in China have reopened, its European and North American plants have been closing as the coronavirus situation is monitored and adjusted to.

Hankook Tire is currently working to buy back shares in order to boost shareholder value, and plans to purchase around KRW 50 billion of shares over the next six months.

This announcement comes after the company stated it would shut down its Clarksville, Tennessee manufacturing hub, and that its plants in Asia were working to support its facilities throughout the United States. If needed, those overseas plans can provide production assistance, help supply raw materials, and assist with other shipments.

Hankook said in a statement that it is still too soon to tell how much impact coronavirus will have on its business, but for now, all employees and company partners have postponed unnecessary travel, and those who have traveled for personal reasons have been asked to self-quarantine.

“Currently there is a lot of unknown, and it depends on what happens as events unfold in the United States over the next three to four weeks,” said a spokesperson in the statement. “We are already seeing automotive manufacturing plants shutting down worldwide, so we would expect a fall-off in OE demand. It’s a difficult time for everyone right now and we hope that the economic conditions will begin to recover in the second half of 2020.”

The company said it is currently working on methods of enhancing e-commerce and is finding strategies to secure profitability during a decline in the prices of raw materials.

Additionally, a $2 trillion stimulus package has been passed by congress that will include $367 billion for small business, and the Tire Industry Association is one group looking for this aid for its members.

“TIA represents small businesses that cannot switch their core functions to remote operation during this disaster,” said Roy Littlefield IV, Director of Government Relations for TIA. “Tire dealers are staying open under these conditions to especially service trucks, emergency vehicles, and vehicles of medical personnel. Tires and tire dealers are essential to keeping the flow of supplies to stores and hospitals.”

Musk Fights to Keep Tesla Operations Open as Shelter-in-Place Orders are Given

May 5, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Tesla must shut down its global operations epicenter–the famous Fremont factory–due to growing coronavirus concerns, despite Elon Musk’s call to keep business running as usual.

The electric car manufacturer had just released its millionth electric car off the assembly line when the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department deemed the factory not “essential,” and the plant’s employees were told they must adhere to the shelter-in-place mandate that was given on March 17th.

The Fremont Police Department and the Alameda County Public Health Department are responsible for enforcing this order at the plant. This demand will send 10,000 of the Fremont factory’s workers home.

“Tesla can maintain minimum basic operations per the Alameda County Health Order,” said the sheriff’s department.

The mandate’s effect on the factory came one day after Elon Musk severely downplayed the virus and its impact. Musk has been working to keep operations underway in any way possible.

“I’d like to be super clear that if you feel the slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable, please do not feel obligated to come to work,” said Musk in a staff email on March 16th. “I will personally be at work, but that’s just me.”

Musk planned to keep Tesla Inc’s factory and its other operations throughout California open for as long as he could, and the company’s head of human resources explained that Tesla’s manufacturing and energy infrastructure were considered crucial. Both said the factory would continue operations despite the stay-at-home order throughout the Bay Area.

“Tesla and our supplier network will continue operations that directly support factory production, vehicle deliveries, and service,” wrote the company’s North American HR chief, Valerie Capers Workman.

Musk even went so far as to Tweet in early March that “the coronavirus panic is dumb.” The company had, up until that point, said little about how it planned to handle concerns surrounding the virus, although other automakers throughout the country had made much quicker public decisions.

“My frank opinion remains that the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds that of the virus itself,” said Musk in his email. “If there is a massive redirection of medical resources out of proportion to the danger, it will result in less available care to those with critical medical needs, which does not serve the greater good.”

From this standpoint, plant manager Justin Kirkland also wrote to employees on March 16th, saying that they should report to work unless otherwise directed from the company. In another email, employees were told that they would need to use their vacation days if they decided to follow the shelter in place order, and, if they were to run out of those days, they would need to contact human resources.

Only businesses deemed essential are supposed to remain operating, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. However, there is currently no exemption for car manufacturers in regards to the orders that were issued on March 16th, and which took full effect after midnight the following day.

“Tesla can maintain minimum basic operations per the Alameda County Health Order,” said the sheriff’s department in a Tweet.

Businesses deemed nonessential–like Tesla–are still able to continue the “minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’ inventory, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, or for related functions,” as well as the “minimum necessary activities to facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences.”

The order also states that social distancing, or the maintenance of a six-foot separation between individuals at all times–must also take place.

Tesla has not yet released its expected production and delivery numbers for the first quarter. In January, the company stated that its deliveries would most likely “comfortably” exceed 500,000 units for 2020. RBC Capital Markets analysts are now saying that they expect the company to deliver only around 365,000 cars, which would be a decrease from its 2019 total deliveries.

Additionally, Tesla shares fell 7.8% as of March 17th in New York, which eradicated their intraday trading gains for 2020. As of February 19th, Tesla stock was up 119% for the year.

Regardless, Musk continues to reiterate that his main concern is for the lack of medical supplies and care that could come from an unnecessary amount of panic around COVID-19.

“If we over-allocate medical resources to (the) corona(virus),” he Tweeted, “it will come at (the) expense of treating other illnesses.”

Exxon to Reduce Methane Emissions

April 29, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

NEW YORK — In March, ExxonMobil detailed its plans for reducing the amount of methane released into the atmosphere by its operations. Currently, many governments are creating new regulations in regards to greenhouse gas emissions.

Exxon is hoping to be of influence to other companies and regulators regarding how they write rules of this kind. According to Exxon, its procedures have made a 20% decrease in methane emissions among some of the company’s American drilling operations since 2018.

“Our industry has developed high-tech advances to curb emissions, and we also hope this framework will be helpful for governments as they develop new regulations,” said Exxon’s CEO, Darren Woods.

The Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency set new methane emission limits back in 2016, and called for total emissions numbers to decrease by half by 2025. Trump’s administration has been working toward relaxing these rules, and many oil and gas companies are working to fight that regression.

For this purpose, Exxon proposed its “model framework” for regulation of its emissions in all phases of production. Exxon’s plan also asks other companies to replace their energy infrastructure components within production sites that have a “high-leak potential,” to begin improving production technology, and to start conducting new research.

Still, some environmental advocates want Exxon to be more aggressive in its methods of combating global warming.

“The steps ExxonMobil has taken and the commitments the company announced are nowhere near sufficient to get us there,” said the Union of Concerned Scientists’ accountability campaign director, Kathy Mulvey. “We need to see much more ambitious and urgent actions taken by companies like ExxonMobil.”

Methane in the atmosphere can be more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas by up to 86 times over a period of 20 years. When companies drill for oil, they find natural gas, whether it is wanted or not. During extraction, methane is released into the atmosphere–although scientists are still unsure of exactly how much.

With global warming threats so present, many major oil companies are under pressure from their investors to show how they will curtail the issue and adapt to new regulations.

“With the climate crisis upon us, companies can’t afford to ignore their contributions to climate change,” said senior director of the Environmental Defense Fund, Ben Ratner. “In at least one or two parts of [Exxon’s methane] framework, what they are recommending appeared to fall considerably short of what would be considered the best available operational practice and regulatory requirements.”

According to Ratner, Exxon’s framework involves implementing a program of leak detection and repair to fix gas leaks immediately. The company conducts these leak inspections at least once annually, but isn’t leading in this effort. Some other major oil companies have monthly inspections with sensors mounted on drones.

“The truth is, it needs to be much more,” he explained, “and we need to be driving to a world of continuous, real-time monitoring and rapid mitigation of this highly potent greenhouse gas. Once-a-year inspection is not a serious proposal for regulatory requirements that are up to the magnitude of the challenge.”

It is clearly in companies like Exxon’s best interest to meet these expectations. When new regulations are in the works, energy companies typically prefer to be ahead of the curve and collaborate in writing the rules that would control their operations. Increased regulation costs also have the potential to increase the costs of companies’ competitors, allowing companies with more expansive operations to grow their business advantages.

Exxon also believes that it would be preferable for an oil and gas operator to burn off (“flare”) natural gas if venting is needed, as opposed to releasing methane directly into the atmosphere. The company also suggests improving the combustion efficiency of these flares to avoid methane being accidentally released. Still, flaring releases carbon dioxide–which is less potent, but lasts longer within the atmosphere.

This flaring is a major issue, as U.S. gas flaring activity rose by 48% from 2017 to 2018, reaching 1.4 billion cubic feet per day. When natural gas prices fell, flaring amounts surged and pipeline capacity was constrained, causing many producers to pay to have it removed instead of selling it.

Now, Exxon assures that its efforts are aligned with solving these problems. The company’s subsidiary, XTO Energy, has expanded its methane emissions reduction efforts and officially signed onto the industry program Environmental Partnership.

“Our comprehensive initiative is underscored by a technology research and testing effort,” said XTO President, Sara Ortwein, “and includes personnel training, equipment phaseout, and facility design improvements.”

Partially Self-Driving Truck Tested in Illinois While Policymakers Draft Autonomous Vehicles Bill

January 20, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Technology company Autobon AI is now testing its partially autonomous truck in regular traffic on the Jane Addams Tollway.

After successful tests by the Lisle, Illinois company’s co-founder, Krystian Gebis, on the Chicagoland Speedway track in Joliet, Autobon believes its innovative vehicle is ready for the main roadway. Still, a driver will stay behind the wheel.

“The driver still has full control,” said Gebis. “We want to make sure the truck isn’t weaving in the lane and it maintains a safe following distance. We want to make sure it’s very precisely driving.”

Transportation experts are saying tests like these will become more and more common in the near future, as trucks that are at least partially self-driving will hit the road in hopes of countering the current truck driver shortage in the freight industry.

The trucking industry is expected to be a top early implementer of autonomous technology for this very reason.

“There’s a significant shortage of drivers,” said director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center, P.S. Sriraj. “If you have a shortage of drivers, you have drivers working long hours and compromising their safety.”

According to Gebis, autonomous technology won’t be completely replacing truck drivers any time soon, but will provide an avenue for drivers to feel safer and at ease while on the road.

“You want to not have fatigue or stress be a factor in driving,” Gebis sad. “We are thinking of every possible way we can to make the job more enjoyable for drivers.”

However, how exactly these developments will come into play is still in question. Although autonomous driving tech engineers are staying busy, federal regulatory frameworks for automated vehicles is being drafted by transportation leaders as we speak.

Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) confirmed in a hearing with safety agencies that the Senate Commerce Committee is currently collaborating with their House counterparts on the Energy and Commerce Committee to draft a new measure governing automated technology.

“As we continue to develop a regulatory framework, the discussion should also be driven by the potential benefits of [automated vehicles] to improve the country’s transportation systems,” said Wicker. “As technology continues to improve, AVs will be increasingly part of our daily lives. Therefore, it is up to us to ensure that the safety benefits of these vehicles are fully realized.”

Wicker also notes that without a national regulatory framework, other countries may have the opportunity to lead in the AV field.

Still, panel members stress that ensuring the safety of all roadway commuters is the top priority and is what will guide the legislative process this bill. Senators noted that over 36,000 people were killed in roadway crashes last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Over the past three years, more companies have been putting automated vehicles out on the road, and sometimes ending in fatal consequences,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington). “In several of these accidents, the drivers were not paying attention to the roadway and [were] unable to intervene to avoid the crash. What we need to do is continue to learn from these lessons and make sure that we’re putting safeguards in place.”

One of the accidents to which Cantwell refers is 2018’s fatal accident involving Uber Technologies, Inc.’s developmental Automated Driving System and a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona.

Autobon’s Gebis said he has many of his own family members working in the trucking industry, which is what led him to learn about crash-related issues. Because of this, he was able to combine his knowledge of trucking with his passion for robotics and start his company.

Now, Autobon AI has new technology that is able to replace a truck’s wind visor with one equipped with multidirectional cameras, sensors and GPS to aid the truck in responding to road conditions.

The truck’s steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes react to the incoming information from this equipment. The company also has an in-cab sun visor in the works that will have a camera to monitor drivers and make sure they aren’t distracted by fatigue or texting. Then, a remote control operator can check driver behavior and pull a truck over into an emergency lane if necessary.

According to Gebis, Autobon plans to sell this automated technology equipment for installation in trucks, as well as to sell the accompanying services, such as tools for delivery improvement and driver monitoring methods.

“We’re engaging with Autobon to develop a better understanding of emerging vehicle technologies and the way these advances could be used to increase safety on our roads,” said Jose Alvarez, Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway.

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt is wary of past ADS-related accidents, but acknowledges the potential for this technology to help decrease the number of crashes overall.

“A promise of the upcoming ADSes is that such systems will be safer than a human driver,” he said. “Until that promise is realized, the testing of developmental ADS–with all its expected failures and limitations–requires appropriate safeguards when conducted on public roads.”

A timeline for the measure to be put in place has not yet been announced.