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Seems normally sorta-sane Texas is taking a big step forward in driverless vehicles.\u00a0 Taxis? Californee already done that (and after too many wrecks, pulled them.) Self driving Teslas? I hear it’s a great feature…provided it works. Bet we could populate another column like our FGS with how many articles I have seen where Teslas on whatever they call autopilot have wound up getting bent. Battery fires which need 10-20 times as much water to extinguish? Old hat.<\/p>\n
Heck, in Texas we do it BIG. None of this namby pamby nonsense for us.<\/p>\n
Driverless trucks with no humans on board will soon cruise Texas highways if three startup firms have their way, despite objections from critics who say financial pressures, not safety, is behind the timetable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
They ain’t talkin’ F150s, chum.<\/p>\n
After years of testing, Aurora Innovation, Kodiak Robotics\u00a0and\u00a0Gatik AI\u00a0expect to remove safety drivers from trucks that are being guided by software and an array of sensors including cameras, radar and lidar, which sends pulses of light that bounces off objects. The companies have already hauled cargo for big names such as Walmart Inc., Kroger Co., FedEx Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc.<\/p>\n
\n\nAnd trucks pose severe dangers, opponents say, because they will be traveling at highway speeds and weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, or more than 15 times as much as General Motors Co.\u2019s\u00a0troubled\u00a0Cruise driverless robotaxi.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cWe are concerned about the lack of regulation, the lack of transparency, the lack of comprehensive data collection,\u201d said Cathy Chase, president of\u00a0Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The list of opponents also includes the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the 1.3 million member union that represents drivers and warehouse workers.\u00a0\u00a0 Bloomberg<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\nI’m not shocked that the Teamsters are agin’ it. But that they are testing something in Texas which even ecopower-crazy California says is Not Ready For Prime Time?<\/div>\nOr shall we mention how easily car electronics keep getting hacked?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs my wife observed – you know all those lawyers who advertise on TV? “Been in an accident with a big rig? Call me, day or night?” You just know they are pre-ordering next year’s Lambo and leaving a trail of drool behind them like 10 foot garden slugs…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"