China launches Alphaba public self-driving bus project

A small fleet of self-driving public buses has started running on the roads of China’s tech district of Shenzhen, Guangdong.

The four buses are currently on trial, and will run over three stops on a public road about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long.

But where typical self-driving bus projects involve smaller shuttle capsules, the four buses are nearly full-sized buses, able to carry up to 19 passengers.

via China launches Alphaba public self-driving bus project

A Human Driver Crashed Into Las Vegas’s Driverless Shuttle In Its First Hour Of Service

the shuttle, made by the French company Navya ARMA, began a route looping it around Vegas’s downtown. Within an hour, the shuttle was already involved in a crash.

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The crash, apparently, was not the shuttle’s fault.

via A Human Driver Crashed Into Las Vegas’s Driverless Shuttle In Its First Hour Of Service

Project Formula: Russian hoverbike creators take aim at VTOL flying car

orking toward a 5-seater VTOL air taxi. The Formula Project concept from Hoversurf uses fold-away wings and 52 tiny turbine Venturi propulsion units for a combination of VTOL convenience, winged efficiency and a compact form factor.

Source: Project Formula: Russian hoverbike creators take aim at VTOL flying car

Porsche Just Started a $2000-Per-Month Subscription Service In Atlanta

For $2000, anyone can rent a Ferrari for a day, provided you’re comfortable paying double that amount as a security deposit, raising your insurance liability, and limiting the fun to 100 miles. But what if you could drive a Porsche at that price for an entire month, for unlimited miles and with no extra hassle? That’s the new reality—at least in Atlanta.Porsche’s new subscription service, called Passport, operates like Cadillac’s Book program in New York City. It’s a no-contract app-based service that lets you drive multiple Porsche models every month without any commitment, with all fees, taxes, and insurance baked into the price

Source: Porsche Just Started a $2000-Per-Month Subscription Service In Atlanta

Volocopter flying taxi takes unmanned flight over Dubai

Dubai is moving full steam ahead toward a futuristic skyline dotted with modern skyscrapers and flying taxis by kicking off trials of the Volocopter two-seater aircraft. The all-electric 18-rotor vehicle took to the skies for the first time over the city on Monday as the city looks to establish what would be world’s first self-flying taxi service.–– ADVERTISEMENT ––The Volocopter first emerged in 2013 as an audacious electric aircraft, and has gathered quite a bit of momentum in the subsequent years through a series of successful test flights and, more recently, a US$29 million investment from Daimler. Designed to autonomously carry two passengers from point A to point B without a pilot, the Volocopter in its current form can fly for 30 minutes at a time with a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).Dubai announced its plans to trial the Volocopter back in June, and has rebranded it as the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) for its purposes. It is hoped the aircraft will play a role in having autonomous vehicles handle a quarter of all passenger journeys in the city by 2030.

Source: Volocopter flying taxi takes unmanned flight over Dubai

Autonomous Cars Have to Start as Taxis, Says Mercedes-Benz – Motor Trend

At this point, you can safely assume that self-driving cars are coming. Not only are tech companies like Google and Tesla hard at work developing autonomous technology, so are established automakers like GM and Ford. But when self-driving cars eventually do go on sale, it may be a long time before you can put one in your garage.Michelin® Tires – Official Michelin® Tires Sitewww.michelinman.comSelect Tires by Size, Name, Category & Vehicle Type.Speaking to Automotive News, Ola Kaellenius, Daimler’s head of Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said he thinks self-driving taxis are the only way forward. Why? Because privately owned cars would be too expensive. At least in the beginning.“The number of sensors you have to put on the car, the computing power and so on adds tens of thousands of dollars once you get it into production,” said Kaellenius. “Where do you have a business case for something like that? You have it in a robot taxi scenario, where you can take a city or a part of the city and say, ‘OK, I’m going to put a hundred, 200, 300, a thousand … into this area.’”

Source: Autonomous Cars Have to Start as Taxis, Says Mercedes-Benz – Motor Trend

Continental sends out autonomous minibus for a driverless drive | Robotics & Automation News

The company calls the vehicle Cube, short for Continental Urban Mobility Experience, and describes it as a “robo-taxi”.This particular trial of the driverless minibus took place in Frankfurt, Germany. Dr Andree Hohm, head of the self-driving car project at Continental, says: “The trials will be used to identify all the essential technical requirements that enable safe, driverless passenger transport in urban areas.“This helps us to find answers to questions about our product strategy and to deliver leading technology for individual mobility in the future – including driverless systems.”

Source: Continental sends out autonomous minibus for a driverless drive | Robotics & Automation News

Dubai’s autonomous flying taxis will take flight later this year

The crafts are fully electric, with 18 rotors and nine independent battery systems that can pick up the slack to keep the craft in the air if anything fails mid-flight. Volocopter claims the quick-charge battery can be fully juiced in as little as 40 minutes for a max flight time of about 30 minutes. That’s at the standard cruising speed of 50 km/h (around 30 mph) and a top speed of 100 km/h (about 62 mph).

Source: Dubai’s autonomous flying taxis will take flight later this year

Uber takes its self-driving tech north of the border

Uber’s self-driving operations inside the US have had a checkered start, but that hasn’t stopped the company expanding its efforts beyond the border. It has today announced that it will set up a small research outpost in Toronto, Canada that will complement its ongoing work with autonomous vehicle technologies.The research center will be a new branch of Uber’s existing Advanced Technologies Group, which already has offices in San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Uber kicked off self-driving trials in both locations last year, though its momentum suffered a blow when the California DMV banned the trial in that state in December. It has since gotten the necessary permits, but suspended another trial in Arizona following a high-impact crash.

Source: Uber takes its self-driving tech north of the border

Uber puts a Beacon in its cars for easier pick-ups

Spotting your Uber is about to become easier, with the ride-sharing firm set to roll-out its new Beacon feature. The Beacon is an LED light in the shape of the Uber logo that attaches to the inside of a windshield and glows in a color that the rider chooses.If the concept sounds familiar, it’s likely because Lyft announced a similar feature, called the Amp, last month. Whereas the Amp is being limited to only five or six colors as it is rolled out, though, Uber riders will be able to select from what the firm calls “an endless number of colors.”

Source: Uber puts a Beacon in its cars for easier pick-ups

Hyperloop One Just Received Millions to Make Superfast Transport a Reality

DP World Group of Dubai has invested $50 million into Hyperloop One, a company that aims to build a theoretical rapid transit service capable of reaching speeds of 1,200km/h (800 mph).The investment brings Hyperloop One’s total funding to $160 million.

Source: Hyperloop One Just Received Millions to Make Superfast Transport a Reality

A self-driving Uber car went the wrong way on a one-way street in Pittsburgh — Quartz

Uber, the world’s most valuable startup, with a $68 billion valuation, has rushed to be first-to-market with driverless technology. The company showed off its self-driving cars at a media event in Pittsburgh last month before putting four Ford Fusions into service for a small group of local riders. It plans to add 100 Volvo SUVs to the fleet by the end of this year. Uber is betting on truly autonomous vehicles to transform the economics of ride-hailing by eliminating its biggest cost—drivers. The company lost at least $1.2 billion in the first half of 2016, Bloomberg reported in August, with the majority of that spent on driver subsidies.

Source: A self-driving Uber car went the wrong way on a one-way street in Pittsburgh — Quartz

Uber’s Self-Driving Car Passengers Were Signing Their Lives Away

Uber’s fleet of self-driving cars in Pittsburgh are super exciting for anyone interested in the future of transportation—but they could come at a huge risk for passengers riding in the vehicles.A new report from the Guardian, citing documents obtained under public record showed that until June, Uber required anyone riding in one of its self-driving cars to sign a legal document that kept the company free of liabilities in case of their injury or death.

Source: Uber’s Self-Driving Car Passengers Were Signing Their Lives Away

Elon Musk’s Latest Master Plan Tips Tesla Car Sharing | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Once autonomous driving goes mainstream, Tesla owners will have the option to add their vehicle to the shared fleet. “Have it generate income for you while you’re at work or on vacation, significantly offsetting and at times potentially exceeding the monthly loan or lease cost,” Musk said.Instead of gathering dust in your garage or tempting thieves in the parking lot, the Uber-meets-Zipcar concept enables your vehicle to earn money for you while it’s not in use—whether that’s a few hours a day or a few days a week.”This dramatically lowers the true cost of ownership to the point where almost anyone could own a Tesla,” according to Musk.And in cities where demand exceeds the supply of customer-owned cars, Tesla intends to operate its own fleet, promising available rides “no matter where you are.”

Source: Elon Musk’s Latest Master Plan Tips Tesla Car Sharing | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

UberX to pick up at Los Angeles International Airport

LOS ANGELES — Passengers arriving at Los Angeles International Airport will be allowed to leave in an UberX car starting Thursday morning.LAX was a notable holdout against Uber’s cheapest ride-hailing service, as taxi companies lobbied to keep out a potent competitor.

Source: UberX to pick up at Los Angeles International Airport