The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that, since July 2021, 392 car crashes in the United States ocurred while vehicles were using advanced driver-assistance systems. Of these, 273, about 70 percent, were Tesla vehicles running its Autopilot software. During the same period, Honda reported 90 crashes and Subaru reported 10 crashes.
More:
“Teslas running Autopilot involved in 273 crashes reported since last year,” Faiz Siddiqui, Rachel Lerman, and Jeremy B. Merrill, Washington Post
“NHTSA: ‘Self-driving’ cars were linked to 392 crashes in 10 months,” J. Fingas, Engadget
“Pinto Squire,” written and recorded by Tom Heinl, 2003. The Ford Pinto Squire was the faux-wood paneled, 2-door-plus-tailgate station wagon produced from 1972 to 1980. This not the “woodie” the Beach Boys were singing about.
By the end of the 19th century, 38% of American cars were electric. But early car batteries were expensive and inefficient, and the vehicles were twice the price of a gas-powered car. Enter the cheap Model T, and goodbye electric autos. Now that gas-powered cars have warmed the climate, can the market for electric cars heat up again? A TED-Ed video by Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, and animated by Lobster Studio.
The Höga is a modular, assemble-yourself elecric-powered concept for an urban car. If Ikea and Renault had a baby, it might look like this, shipped as 374 pieces, complete with a 3mm hex wrench, for €5,300 ($6,467 USD). This is a thesis project created by transportation design student Ryan Schlotthauer.
Researchers from Tencent Keen Security Lab successful attacked Tesla’s self-driving system, fooling it by placing small stickers near traffic lane markers in the roadway.
“…[T]hey were able to use ‘small stickers’ on the ground to effect a ‘fake lane attack’ that fooled the autopilot into steering into the opposite lanes where oncoming traffic would be moving. This worked even when the targeted vehicle was operating in daylight without snow, dust or other interference.”
— “Small stickers on the ground trick Tesla autopilot into steering into opposing traffic lane,” Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing
This was anticipated by James Bridle‘s 2017 video work “Autonomous Trap 001, a work-in-progress” (above).
2018 Citroën Bastille Day Rally & RendezVous, Washington Square, NYC
On July 15th the annual Citroën Bastille Day Rally & RendezVous toured the streets of New York, starting at Grant’s Tomb on Riverside Drive and cruising down to the Waverly Place side of Washington Square. Most vehicles were the Deux Chevaux (2CV) model, the beloved “parapluie sur quatre roues” (“umbrella on four wheels”). At the same time these fanciers of French cars were on the road, France was winning the World Cup. Quelle ironie!
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“Consumers will soon be able to opt to order their pies, groceries, and on-demand rides to be conveyed via robot (with backup drivers behind the wheel in case of emergency). The county, meanwhile, hopes that the experiment can be a learning opportunity and a signal to other self-driving technology leaders.
‘We want to learn from Ford what it is we need to do to get ready for these vehicles, so that when AVs become a reality, fully, we’ll be one of the first communities to get them,’ said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Giménez. ‘We want to let the world know that Miami is ready to be a testbed.’”
— “Self-Driving Pizza Just Hit Miami,” Laura Bliss, CityLab
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