The speed bumps on the road to the self-driving car future

The speed bumps on the road to the self-driving car future

by | Apr 28, 2016 |

STEVE MERTL Apr. 26, 2016 A sense of inevitability has set in around the introduction of automated vehicles (AVs). Some automation, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-departure correction, is already available on many cars. Tesla’s Model S even offers a fairly advanced auto-pilot feature. The idea of driverless cars makes enthusiasts queasy but proponents say safety, environmental and economic benefits will become obvious so quickly that the adoption rate will outstrip even that of information technology. To read the full article, visit:...
How the Daily Commute Is Going to Change

How the Daily Commute Is Going to Change

by | Apr 26, 2016 |

By ALEJANDRO LAZO April 24, 2016 The modern commute may be heading for a big upgrade, thanks to carpool ride-sharing services and advances in automotive electronics and smart transportation systems. Ride-sharing firms Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are experimenting with carpooling services that are changing how people get to work. Both companies, best known for providing a fleet of private drivers that can be matched to individual passengers through their smartphones, have introduced technology that groups strangers as passengers—thus saving commuters money—by using algorithms that match distances and times of trips with other people going to similar places or in similar directions. Read the full article at:...

Are Uber and Lyft helping or hurting the environment?

by | Apr 8, 2016 |

Kate Galbraith Thursday 21 January 2016 Are on-demand ride services like Uber and Lyft good or bad for the environment? It’s an increasingly urgent question as the services proliferate, but the answer is currently unclear . The companies have held their data close and are only now beginning to share, making it hard to assess critical questions like how people would have gotten to their destinations if Uber and Lyft did not exist. To read the rest of the article,...
Self-Driving Cars May Get Here Before We’re Ready

Self-Driving Cars May Get Here Before We’re Ready

by | Feb 12, 2016 |

By RACHEL ABRAMS JAN. 21, 2016 SOMETIME in the future — although no one quite knows when — your morning commute may look something like this: Open an app, summon a car and wait for the arrival of a driverless vehicle that will whisk you to work like a ghost chauffeur. For many of the automakers and technology companies gathering at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, the big question is not whether such an event could become a reality, but whether we are ready. The short answer: We are not. To read the rest of the article,...
In shadow of Uber and Lyft, car sharing tries to shape a future in Tampa Bay

In shadow of Uber and Lyft, car sharing tries to shape a future in Tampa Bay

by | Feb 12, 2016 |

By: Justine Griffin, Friday, January 8, 2016 The first time Ray Chiaramonte saw a Zipcar in Tampa Bay was just a few weeks ago, in the parking lot at WestShore Plaza. He noticed the car-sharing company’s bright green decal and Zorro-like “Z” symbol on the side of the vehicle. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow, we finally have this here in Tampa,’ ” said Chiaramonte, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority. Car-sharing companies have been in Tampa Bay since before anyone was using the words Uber or Lyft. But the rollout of the business model — which lets users rent a car by the hour or the day usually online or through an app — has been slow to catch on. To read the rest of the article,...