Driverless cars could become a reality in San Francisco by 2023
Nina Bai Oct 15, 2018 Anyone who owns a car in San Francisco knows the agony of giving up a good parking spot. Every day, the nearly half a million cars registered in the city vie for about 280,000 street parking spaces. So try to imagine a future San Francisco where parking isn’t a problem, where personal cars are a rarity and people rely on a fleet of self-driving vehicles to get around. The average car in the United States today spends just one hour a day on the road. But self-driving cars would be driving eight or more hours a day, so you’d need only an eighth of the number of passenger vehicles in the city, says Kara Kockelman, professor of transportation engineering at the University of Texas-Austin, who models such hypothetical fleets in American cities. “You’ll get really good service,” she adds. By her estimate, within a city like San Francisco, a self-driving car would take less than a minute to show up and rides would cost a dollar a mile. When these autonomous vehicles (AVs) aren’t transporting passengers, they could be delivering packages, take-out pizza, library books. All in all, fewer cars would spend fewer hours parked on the streets, hypothetically freeing up thousands of parking spaces… Read the full article...
Uber and Lyft are driving toward IPOs
Emma Jacobs Oct 18, 2018 Uber and Lyft already compete in ride-hailing, ride-sharing, bike-sharing and e-scooters. Next year, they’ll be competing for investors, too: Both companies are reportedly planning initial public offerings for early 2019. For years, the companies have subsidized rides to keep costs low for customers. That fueled their growth, which in turn pumped up their expected valuations: as much as $120 billion for Uber and $20 billion or more for Lyft. But thanks to those subsidies, neither company is profitable. “Frankly, it will probably be a fairly long road before they are,” said Jeff Schuster, president of Americas operation and global vehicle forecasting at LMC Automotive. So the hype around these IPOs “has to be about prospects for a very different model for the future.” In that model, fewer people would own their own cars and would instead rely on a range of on-demand transportation options, especially self-driving vehicles… Read the full article...
An Interview with Susan Shaheen, the “Mother” of Shared Mobility
Lily Maxwell Oct 13, 2018 Lily Maxwell, smart cities content writer for iomob.net, interviews Susan Shaheen Ph.D., a pioneer in future mobility strategies. She was among the first to observe, research, and write about changing dynamics in shared mobility and the likely scenarios through which automated vehicles will gain prominence. She is an internationally recognized expert in mobility and the sharing economy. As the “mother” of shared mobility and someone who is well-known for working in sustainable transportation — what inspired you to work in this field? My desire to work professionally in the area of the environment and technology goes back to high school. Sustainability, recycling, and climate change were not as popularized back then, and I clearly remember thinking: why does it have to be so hard for people do the right thing and support the environment in their choices? When I went to college, I took as many environmental classes as I could, before completing a master’s degree in public policy, where I specialized in environmental policy. Then I went to Washington DC to “save the world”, but I soon realized that I wasn’t even close to saving the world from a policy perspective. So I decided that I need a higher degree and came to California… Read the full article...
SAE International Publishes Set of Definitions for Shared Mobility Terms
SAE International Oct 3, 2018 SAE International announces it has published new definitions for shared mobility terms – “Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Shared Mobility and Enabling Technologies – J3163™.” A consequence of the ever-growing and -evolving landscape of shared mobility is the lack of standardized terms and definitions. The shared and digital mobility industry is challenged with discrepancies in use and definition of terms, which often create ambiguity and confusion for policymakers, regulatory agencies, and the broader public. J3163™ defines shared mobility as “the shared use of a vehicle, motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, or other travel mode; it provides users with short-term access to a transportation mode on an as-needed basis.” J3163™ includes definitions for shared modes (e.g., carsharing, bike-sharing, ride-sourcing, etc.) and enabling technologies. “J3163™ brings together a taxonomy and definitions for the rapidly evolving area of shared and digital mobility. A common set of definitions, which crosses business models and international boundaries, is needed,” Susan Shaheen, PhD, Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center and Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley; and document co-sponsor of J3163™, said… Read the full article...
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