autonomous vehicles

TuSimple Adds New Autonomous Trucking Routes with UPS

April 28, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Autonomous-driving technology company TuSimple has announced its expansion of autonomous truck service for the United Parcel Service.

The company will increase UPS’ autonomous trips to 20 per week and will also add a new route between Phoenix, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas–with 10 total weekly runs on its original route between Phoenix and Tucson and another 10 on the additional route.

For the Level 4 autonomous driving program, TuSimple is using retrofitted trucks that are able to drive themselves. Still, current regulations require a safety driver to be present in the cab to take over control of the vehicle if needed.

Eventually, TuSimple wants to completely eradicate the need for in-cab drivers and has a goal to demonstrate completely driverless operations by 2021.

TuSimple has been partnering with UPS since March of last year, when the companies launched a new ongoing pilot program. In August, UPS’ venture division, UPS Ventures, invested in the robotic trucking outfit.

Additionally, autonomous trucks achieve a fuel savings of 10% during UPS operations in comparison to traditional truck operation. TuSimple also announced research results in December from the University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering showing its autonomous technology’s reduction of heavy-duty truck fuel consumption.

TuSimple currently has 19 contracted customers and operates over 40 Peterbilt and International trucks with the company’s autonomous tech. UPS chief strategy and transformation officer, Scott Price, said that the company decided to partner with TuSimple in order to further explore the benefits of autonomous driving technology for UPS’ Global Smart Logistics Network, “which aims to improve network efficiencies, safety, and customer service.”

“TuSimple has been instrumental to this initiative,” Price explained, “so it was a logical next step for us to expand the test to additional routes within our North American Freight Forwarding lanes.”

According to the company, its technology can reduce overall shipping costs via tractor-trailers by 30%. It said the driving system has been showing its benefits already, and that UCSD’s research also found that automated driving operates more precisely on its throttle than a human driver, as the sensors can see further ahead. Therefore, the vehicle can stay efficient and avoid slow-moving traffic.

Some analysts say autonomous driving will first become commonplace among commercial operations, such as ride-hailing companies and TuSimple’s partnership with UPS. However, many disagree regarding how soon we will see this widespread commercialization.

“We are still far away from living in the world with a truck with no one in the cab driving on the highway,” said IHS Markit global heavy truck research director, Andrej Divis. “It’s not around the corner.”

However, senior research director at Gartner Inc., Michael Ramsey, said distribution centers, ports, and mines–contained areas without heavy traffic or pedestrians–will find large uses for this technology.

“I think we will eventually see a big impact on trucking and commercial vehicles,” said Ramsey.

In addition to UPS, TuSimple has been raising funds from Chinese tech company Sina, the operator of Weibo (China’s largest microblogging platform), and Nvidia, an American graphic processor manufacturer. The company currently has offices in both Beijing and Shanghai, where it develops technology around image-processing and advanced camera equipment.

The robotic trucking company currently employees around 105 engineers and drivers, and plans to hire hundreds more during the course of a few years.

TuSimple is aiming to transform the multi-billion-dollar trucking industry in the United States by reducing overall costs, carbon emissions, and by improving safety. Company officials are promising a true “depot-to-depot” driverless truck.

The company is excited to have UPS on board with these innovations.

“UPS has been a valued partner of ours since we officially started working together early last year,” said TuSimple chief product officer, Chuck Price. The program “shows the company’s commitment to innovation and exemplifies why UPS is considered a trailblazer when it comes to exploring and implementing cutting-edge technology.

Autonomous trucking has seen a lot of innovative action recently, as the focus on autonomous vehicle benefits becomes more and more prevalent. Alphabet Inc’s self-driving branch Waymo began testing self-driving trucks in Texas and New Mexico back in January, and just announced its first outside investment by Silver Lake Management LLC.

Swedish self-driving truck outfit, Einride, also announced it would be expanding into the states as well as hiring remote drivers in 2020.

$8 Million Granted in Roadway Safety Efforts, Including ND’s Autonomous Crash Truck

March 15, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Commuters are already moving about before dawn on the streets of Washington DC United States Capital City

The state departments of transportation and local governments of 10 different states are receiving part of the Federal Highway Administration’s $8 million in grants for Accelerated Innovation Deployment or AID demonstration programs, as announced January 21st.

These grants will work to accelerate the implementation of new transportation technology, improve traffic management, speed up completion times for bridge projects, and improve overall roadway safety in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and North Dakota.

“These funds will help support our state and local partners across the country in their efforts to deliver more resilient roads, bridges, and highways for the traveling public,” said FHWA administrator, Nicole Nason.

One of these efforts is that of North Dakota, which received $241,687 for its autonomous crash attenuator truck.

A crash attenuator itself is a tool used to lessen crash impact, and is often installed at the end of a guardrail. An attenuator truck, or a “crash truck,” is typically positioned at the ends of work zones to help protect workers from collisions.

“[The attenuator] dampens or deflects that vehicle that’s coming into the work zone,” NDDOT engineer Travis Lutman said. “This is a big box, essentially, that is meant to deflect or absorb the impact of a crash so it doesn’t enter the work zone and hurt anybody.”

As of now, NDDOT uses an attenuator-mounted truck which must be operated by a driver. According to Lutman, the FHWA will be used for new autonomous vehicle tech in order to create a system allowing a driver-operated lead vehicle to communicate easily with an autonomous follower vehicle.

This attenuator-equipped follower vehicle would not need a driver in a work zone, but a human operator would need to aid in transporting the vehicle to and from the zone itself. Lutman said the autonomous attenuator truck would be useful in tasks like crack sealing, lane striping, and bridge cleaning.

The overarching goal of this new system is to increase safety around work zones, especially for the operator of current crash trucks.

“We want to get him or her out of that vehicle, creating a safe work environment for them,” said Lutman.

He also explained that Fargo will be the first city to implement the technology as efforts move forward between North Dakota and Minnesota.

Additionally, in Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Orlando are using their joint $1 million AID grant for a segment of a larger project aiming to better manage traffic flows around downtown Orlando–which will specifically seek to improve “traffic signalization” at roadway intersections throughout the downtown area.

In New York, the state Department of Transportation will work to improve traffic incident management with its $740,000.

With $1 million, the Alabama Department of Transportation and Baldwin County will accelerate bridge construction and next beam ultra-high-performance concrete retrofit in an effort to shorten construction time from 14 weeks to six weeks.

Arkansas will use $313,600 for 3D modeling and paperless construction to enhance Global Navigation Satellite System technology throughout engineering and construction project phases.

Colorado’s DOT will use its $800,000 for Snowplow Signal Priority, allowing prioritized treatment for snowplows at traffic lights in order to help traffic flow more easily during snow removal.

In Iowa, the DOT and the city of Dubuque will develop a next-generation traffic control system in order to link 11 different corridors and act as one large integrated system. The state was given nearly $1 million for the project.

The Minnesota DOT will use another $1 million to improve safety and access along Broadway Avenue in Winona. In Michigan, the Department of Transportation will use $1 million to accelerate bridge construction and employ Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) to decrease traffic delays, currently caused by the construction of its 2nd Avenue Network Arch Superstructure project.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will also use $1 million to implement compacted concrete pavement to improve the surface of Jerseyville’s Hollow Avenue. This concrete differs from standard roller compacted concrete with its high-density asphalt-type paver instead of standard paving. Compacted concrete pavement has a similar surface finish to standard pavement, but will use a tamper screed on its high-density paver. This will compact the road’s surface without the need for roller compaction.

“The grants being awarded today will help advance innovative transportation solutions to improve safety and mobility on America’s roadways,” said FHWA’s Nason.

ATRI Says DOT’s AV Regulation Needs Boosting

February 2, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Finger pressing a push button to start a self-driving car. Composite image between a hand photography and a 3D background.

Less than a week after the Department of Transportation released its updated autonomous vehicle technology guidelines–AV 4.0–the American Transportation Research Institute has published new research highlighting a need to implement an actual comprehensive policy for AV tech in the trucking industry.

The research is titled “Redefining the Role of Government Activities in Automated Trucking” and outlines the government’s lack of structure regarding the industry’s application of autonomous driving technologies, even with AV 4.0 in place.

DOT’s update aims to redefine regulations regarding all self-driving tech and to find legislative needs that will allow for an easy transition of more autonomous vehicles entering the roadways. AV 4.0 has three underlying focuses–prioritizing safety, promoting innovation, and ensuring consistent regulation.

Currently, the guidelines consist of a set of principles that would reach 38 different federal departments and agencies. DOT says it will specify steps that both state and local governments can take to further AV development.

DOT also says AV 4.0 will push for country-wide guidelines as opposed to “voluntary guidance.” However, how exactly that will take place has yet to be explained.

ATRI finds that with so many state and federal statutes being drafted in order to create substantial rules, country-wide autonomous truck regulation will be difficult.

Congress has not yet enacted a federal law governing AV tech development for trucks. As of now, 37 states in addition to the District of Columbia have issued either executive orders or new legislation regarding AV technology: eight states only authorize testing, 11 states and D.C. allow full deployment, and many other cities are planning to implement their own AV regulations.

“Our industry needs states to collaborate on seamless policies and regulations,” said ATA’s Automated Truck Subcommittee Chair, Jeff Reed. “We need more proactive federal guidance on [autonomous truck] development. Government activities at all levels must be dynamic enough to address the constantly evolving technology landscape.”

ATRI’s analysis pushes the Department of Transportation to create legislation clearly defining AV practices for states and municipalities. With at least 50 cities running or planning AV technology pilot tech–heavily focusing on passenger vehicle operations–the DOT has still been hands-off.

The agency also assesses that real-world implementation of AVs will be nearly impossible if rules call for constant control of vehicles by both drivers and onboard engineers. Additionally, DOT’s plans will create further difficulties when drivers begin applying for licenses with autonomous vehicle exemption because testing requirements will vary from state to state, although endorsement is established on a federal level.

“Right now, I don’t believe that we have a solution in place,” said Dan Murray, Senior Vice President of ATRI. “I don’t believe we have the blueprint we need in place, even with the latest U.S. DOT action.”

Because of this, ATRI’s analysis calls the guidelines an “incomplete patchwork” of state regulations, which could hurt the overall development of the technology throughout the trucking industry.

The research also explains that the tech could possibly only come to regular use at a regional level, as it would pigeonhole the potential for establishing autonomous driving into local operations “in locations with favorable regulatory frameworks.”

It also stresses that working with multiple regulations of the same technology would be difficult for many truckers.

According to Murray, the progression of self-driving innovations will become increasingly challenging for the trucking industry if its employees have to make various adjustments when traveling between different states.

“We don’t want the tail wagging the dog when it comes to any aspect of interstate commerce and trucking,” he said.

Autonomous technology viability is clearly almost impossible to sustain right now–a common standard is vital. Although states should ensure safety, federal officials are needed in order to help avoid policies that would delay testing or deployment of these technologies, which may be able to improve safety across the entire industry.

ATRI’s research shows that a standardized framework would allow public confidence to grow regarding self-driving vehicles. Law enforcement would more easily be able to perform inspections on these vehicles–and technicians would be able to perform regular maintenance on them–with technical standards in place.

“It has to come from [the national level],” said Murray. “Local jurisdictions, by definition, don’t have the big picture. We really need the U.S. DOT to come in full-bore and provide not just guidance, but possibly regulations, national policy, and maybe even tie funding to it.”

DOT Updates Driverless Car Guidelines

January 31, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

More self-driving cars and trucks will be taking to American highways throughout 2020 and beyond–and it looks like the U.S. Department of Transportation is working to ensure this momentum continues.

Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced the guidelines of U.S. DOT’s newly released AV 4.0, an updated policy regarding autonomous vehicle technology, on January 8th at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.

The guidelines are titled “Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies,” and Chao explained that AV tech can include everything from automated brakes to lane-departure warning systems to adaptive cruise control.

The department’s goal is to continue development of these innovations while still focusing on safety. AV 4.0 has three underlying principles–prioritizing safety, promoting innovation, and ensuring consistent regulation.

“Safety is always Number One at the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Chao said. However, a Department of Transportation commitment is “remaining technology-neutral” as well as “protecting American innovation and creativity.”

AV 4.0 will consist of a set of regulations and principles throughout 38 different federal departments, agencies, and offices around the country. It will aim to specify particular steps which state and local government agencies and technology experts can take to further the development and implementation of driverless vehicles.

“The federal government is all in for safer, better, and more inclusive transportation aided by automated driving systems,” according to Chao.

This is one of the first big pushes for country-wide guidelines, as annual guidelines since 2016 have been called for regulation along the lines of “voluntary guidance.” Although the federal government does set the safety standards for AVs, states control their own licensing. For example, the Department of Motor Vehicles in California has its had its own regulations regarding insurance as well as how safety officials should be informed of driverless vehicles deployed in the area.

Now, Automated Vehicles 4.0 will be the first system of federal oversight.

Its guidelines also align with the Trump administration’s support of AV tech and possibilities for collaboration–like research resources and federal AV sector investments.

“We quickly realized that the autonomous vehicle question is not one that is housed solely at the Department of Transportation,” said Michael Kratsios, U.S. Chief Technology Officer. “You have a federal government which has come together and said, ‘We want the U.S. to lead in this domain.’”

Although AV technology has been progressing more slowly than expected, the innovation is still moving forward. Google’s driverless car offshoot, Waymo, currently operates in Phoenix as a commercial robotaxi service and also offers driverless rides on Silicon Valley public roads (to employees and guests only).

Additionally, Florida tech companies Beep and Voyage are testing driverless shuttles in retirement communities, and Ford is currently experimenting with a robotaxi service in Miami. In Arizona and Florida, Waymo, TuSimple, and Starsky Robotics are operating automated driving trucks on public highways.

Chao believes AV 4.0 is an inevitable step in traffic safety’s future. She explained that driverless vehicles will be able to improve overall road safety while also reducing traffic congestion and giving more options of mobility for those currently facing transportation setbacks.

“Transportation today is synonymous with innovation,” she said, “and transportation is going to be as instrumental in America’s future as it has been since our nation’s founding. We are preparing for the transportation of the nation’s future.”

However, there are reasons for AV development delays–multiple driverless vehicle-related accidents, such as the incident involving a pedestrian on a highway who was hit and killed by an automated Uber car in 2018. Still, AV manufacturers say they are working to be as responsible and efficient as possible.

These guidelines will focus solely on the development of driverless cars, not on vehicles with some automated capabilities that still require a human driver’s presence and attention, such as ‘Level 2’ automation which includes driver-assist options, like Tesla’s Autopilot and Cadillac’s SuperCruise.

PAVE, a driverless vehicle industry and consumer coalition, was formed in 2019 in order to educate both policymakers and the public on this technology as well as to address any safety concerns.

“Realizing the vast potential of AVs will require collaboration and information sharing, among all institutions involved, said Chao.

Lithium Battery Led to Fiery Death in Tesla Crash, NTSB Says

January 26, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A May 2018 Florida crash involving a speeding teen driver and passenger became deadly after a subsequent fire was caused in part by the Tesla Inc. vehicle’s lithium battery, according to a recent federal investigation.

The 18-year-old driver had been previously cited for speeding, and was traveling at speeds up to 116 mph in a Model S when he lost control on a Fort Lauderdale curve with a speed limit of 25 mph, the National Transportation Safety Board explained in its December 19th report.

The report determined that the fire contributed greatly to both deaths, even though the passenger had already sustained head and torso injuries during the crash.

A passenger in the backseat was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the car upon impact, but survived with various fractures.

This is one of several crashes currently under review by the NTSB involving lithium-based battery-involved fires in vehicles such as Teslas. These highly flammable batteries cause fires that are difficult to extinguish, and can even reignite hours or days after a crash has taken place.

During this accident, firefighters arrived on scene four minutes after the first emergency call, and reported the fire’s heat was incredibly strong and that they could see electrical arcing, according to NTSB’s report.

Responders used between 200 and 300 gallons of water and foam to combat the flames, but the battery still reignited two more times. Additionally, a piece of the main battery came into contact with a metal chain and briefly ignited on its own. Firefighters continued to spray the battery once more after it caught fire while being loaded onto a tow truck.

In another case which occurred in 2019, a Model S Tesla driver lost control on a South Florida road and collided with a palm tree; however, his family’s lawyers said the car’s battery and designs were the cause of his death–not the crash itself.

According to the wrongful death lawsuit, the Tesla’s lithium battery immediately caught fire after the crash, causing smoke and flames to fill the car and suffocate the driver. A crowd had gathered at the scene, but was unable to help.

Why? Allegedly, Tesla’s retractable door handles failed to “auto-present” and disallowed first responders to open the doors and save the driver.

“The fire engulfed the car and burned Dr. Awan beyond recognition–all because the Model S has inaccessible door handles, no other way to open the doors, and an unreasonable dangerous fire risk,” said the complaint. “These Model S defects, and others, rendered it a death trap.”

Tesla has claimed that its Model S vehicle once achieved “the best safety rating of any car test,” which is the reason his family’s attorney, Stuart Grossman, cited for Aman’s decision to purchase the luxury vehicle in the first place.

“These things, they just love to burn,” Grossman said. “The car is so over-engineered. It’s so techy, it makes you want to buy a Chevy pickup truck.”

These are only two Tesla-related deaths in a string of incidents that blame the carmaker’s technology.

In April, parking garage surveillance footage from Shanghai depicted a smoking Model S finally bursting into flames–a video which pressured Tesla to begin an internal investigation.

We’ve reported on other accidents–even deadly ones–related to Tesla’s “Autopilot” automated driver-assistance feature.

“There are a number of these cases,” said Grossman. “What the hell is going on?”

Regarding Awan’s case, as well as others, Tesla has maintained that any high-speed crash may end up in flames regardless of how the vehicle is powered. However, Awan had survived his crash–but would have been able to escape the fire had the doors been operating properly and allowed responders to pull him out.

The lawsuit says the innovative features made the car “defective” and dangerous,” and that the door handles added to the major issue of an “inherently unstable” lithium ion battery.

“Tesla failed to warn users about the scope and extent of the defective and unreasonably dangerous conditions of the Model S,” said the complaint.

After firefighters extinguished the flames in Awan’s incident, the Tesla was taken to a tow yard, where it reignited and burned once again.

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.