Episodes
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A quick, belated farewell, and an invitation to subscribe to my newsletter Future Perfect covering AI, AVs/EVs, and climate tech. You can give it a read and subscribe over at http://futureperfect.news
Also, for the lawyers amongst you, I'm thrilled to announce the Law Practice of Marc E. Hoag, focused on all things AI and tech including US Copyright law. You can find me at http://marchoaglaw.com
Thank you so much for making Autonomous Cars with Marc Hoag the first organic result on Google for "autonomous cars podcasts," now let's do the same for my Future Perfect newsletter.
Cheers!
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Today's episode is the second installment in my two-part series on Keysight Technologies. Last time I was joined by Henrik Liebau where we discussed a bit of a teaser on Keysight's upcoming autonomous vehicle sensor testing suite in anticipation of their big reveal at CES 2022; today I'm joined by a colleague of Henrik's, Sven Kopacz, where we finally get to unpack and discuss in great detail everything about their incredible new Radar Scene Emulator (learn more and Keysight.com and here).
The RSE is an incredible bit of kit: a technology- and vendor-agnostic platform that enables high quality testing of autonomous vehicle sensor tech including lidar and radar to enable a faster and more cost efficient way for technology suppliers and OEMs to test, validate, and get their AV tech on the roads.
But beyond this big product announcement, Sven and I had a fantastically engaging, wildly meandering talk about all things AV -- and even EV -- as we discussed the challenges, promises, hopes, risks, and needs for the safer future we're all working towards.
On a personal note, a huge thank you to Sven for making this symbolic episode #199 such a special one for me; it's hard to believe we're fast approaching the 4-year mark with this podcast next month with episode #200. If you're a fan, please be sure to drop me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and help me reach 100 ratings. Thanks very much!
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Episodes manquant?
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Keysight Technologies is arguably the leader in electronic design and testing equipment. Spun out of Agilent Technologies, itself spun out of HP -- yes, that HP -- and manufacturing everything from oscilloscopes to digital multimeters, from signal generators to AC and DC power sources; from bit error ratio testers to 5G OTA chambers, not to mention their exhaustive suite of testing and and monitoring software, Keysight provides all the necessary hardware and software testing for OEMs and tier 1 suppliers to develop their equipment reliably, quickly, affordably, and safely. Though they've dipped into the automotive space from many angles including 5G and V2X, battery and charging testing for EVs, and much more besides, their latest foray into the AVs specifically is perhaps their most ambitious to date, and Henrik joined me to tell me all about it... sort of. It turns out their next big thing -- something to do with rapid, high quality, technology agnostic testing -- is officially launching on Wednesday -- i.e., tomorrow -- so we weren't allowed to dive into a lot of detail just yet; so, consider this a bit of a teaser to whet your appetite. I've been promised a full rundown post-CES2022 for a follow-up episode with all sorts of juicy details, stories, and more. But what we did discuss -- for a solid one hour! -- was a fascinating look into the necessities of robust simulation testing; the current challenges facing the nascent AV industry as a whole, and of course, Keysight's role in helping to fast track things, all while zooming out and looking at the bigger picture of an AV future generally. It was a fantastic conversation with Henrik, and, as I write this, I realize it may be the longest episode yet! So I hope you're sitting comfortably -- at home or driving to work -- because Episode 198, Henrik Liebau, Solution Project Manager at Keysight Technologies... begins now. Make sure to check out Wednesday's big reveal at 10am PST by registering here to watch live: https://connectlp.keysight.com/WW-RSE-Launch-Webinar
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So I finally got it. I finally got the (in)famous Tesla Full Self-Driving beta, otherwise known as FSD beta, v10.3.1 to be precise. This is my personal account of testing across three different days in New England, about 40 minutes north of Boston. Day One was a biblical, torrential rain; but days Two and Three were pristinely beautiful and sunny. All three days left me with the same conclusion.
FYI: I'm putting together a video of my FSD beta test; it should be available on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/AutonomousCarsWithMarcHoag.
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Today, I discuss the potential legal issue surrounding Tesla's FSD, specifically, whether it can -- or can't -- be transferred to a future Tesla vehicle, especially considering that none of us have received the very thing we paid for.
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Today: Pouria Paknejad, More on Tesla FSD Beta, etc.
In today’s third installment in the ongoing discussion on Tesla’s imminent, infamous FSD beta deployment, I’m joined by Motiv Mobility advisor, fellow attorney, all-around tech and automotive nerd and guru, and dear friend, Pouria Paknejad, as we thoroughly discuss, dissect, debate, and devour all there is surrounding this polarizing experiment by Team Elon and Co.
Have a listen, and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen; and don’t forget to follow me on all social media @AutonomousHoag and on YouTube, too.
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Today: Tesla’s FSD Beta request deployment
So picking up where we left off last time, I unpack the five metrics Tesla is using to calculate your “Safety Score” to determine whether you’re lucky enough to get access to Tesla’s Full Self Driving beta. I also dive into a few questions and concerns, and try to cover as much as ground as possible.
Have a listen, and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen; and don’t forget to follow me on all social media @AutonomousHoag and on YouTube, too.
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Today: Tesla’s FSD Beta request deployment!
Tesla’s (supposedly) about to finally deploy its infamous Tesla FSD Beta to a wider audience… sort of. Tonight. Maybe. And it’s not really a full deployment, rather it’s a “Request” button which will enable those of us, like yours truly, who already purchased FSD, to — you guessed it — to “request” FSD Beta.
After requesting, Tesla’s insurance system will analyze your last seven consecutive days of driving to determine whether you “qualify” for FSD Beta.
I unpack the ins and outs of what this all means, whether it’s fair — or even legal — and the big elephant in the room question, whether this is a smart thing to do, not to mention, whether it’s safe.
Have a listen, and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen; and don’t forget to follow me on all social media @AutonomousHoag and on YouTube, too.
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Today: VW’s impressive AV plans, Germany’s AV regulation, and Tesla’s FSD beta v9. All this... right now.
VW’s AV plans
VW has pivoted from being the leader is diesel fuel, to a potential leader in the EV space; and now it’s doing the same with its AV initiatives with everything from a software platform to its co-ownership with Ford of Argo.ai.
Germany’s AV legislation
Germany seems poised to pass legislation allowing for driverless Level 4 autonomous vehicle driving on its roads come 2022, provided certain rules are adhered to, including and especially the use of remote backup drivers and assumption of all liability by the operators.
Tesla FSD beta 9
Tesla FSD beta 9 is here and I … discuss it. A bit. Sort of.
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Today: 7/11 installs EV charging stations; Cruise starts driverless passenger rides; Volvo announces a Lidar-equipped Level 4 XC90 for 2022. All this... right now.
7/11 chargers
They're not quite Super Gulp Slurpies -- or whatever 7/11 calls its diabetes-inducing ambrosia these days -- but 7/11 is indeed moving forward with a plan to install some 500 chargers at their various stores across the US. This is a pretty great idea if only to entice folks to stop and buy up more junk food from their stores, except for one problem: the chargers are likely supplied by ChargePoint, which means fairly meager speeds; and considering the average stop at a 7/11 is perhaps five minutes or so, the actual value to an EV owner is next to none, so I'm not sure how this is going to play out for 7/11 down the road.
Cruise starts driverless passenger rides
Cruise has finally received the appropriate permits to start passenger rides with its driverless test vehicles, but crucially, the rides cannot yet be for revenue service until their receive yet additional permits. In contrast, for instance, Nuro is able to do for-revenue deliveries with its little delivery bots, but this is because they're transporting packages and food, not human passengers. Still, this is a great and exciting next step for Cruise.
Volvo's L4 Lidar-equipped 2022 XC90
I've been a fan of Volvo and its impressive Vision2020 mission to eliminate human death or serious injury in all Volvo vehicles, not to mention Volvo's push towards an electric, autonomous future; the next-gen XC90 aims to be their first big step in this direction. The 2022 XC90 SUV will come with Lidar as standard -- a first in the industry, and a really big deal -- and be capable of Level 4 autonomous driving on highways (regulation permitting, and with a software update to activate).
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1. Cruise in Dubai: Cruise becomes the exclusive partner to launch a robotaxi service in Dubai from 2023 to 2030, with the aim of getting 4000 Cruise Origins on Dubai's roads.
2. Tesla's vision-only FSD v9.0: Elon announces that a soon-to-be-released version of Full Self Driving beta, v9.0, will be "vision-only," meaning no radar, and of course, still no lidar, i.e., it will be camera-based only.
3. Mercedes EQS: The new electric S-Klasse, the EQS, is a technological and aesthetic marvel, but it falls short on offering any truly revolutionary semi-autonomous driving technology.
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Today:
1. Xpeng starts a six day autonomous trek across China
2. BMW's larger, curvier iDrive suggests revolutionary AV capabilities
3. Cruise does indeed acquire Voyage, but I'm not entirely pleased with the implications
All this... right now.
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***This episode brought to you in party by The Information. Get 75% off your first month at TheInformation.com/Hoag***
My guest today is Allen Witters, the CEO of T4L -- that's Transportation for Life -- a brand-agnostic electric vehicle subscription service that already has over $3M in pre-orders, and is already eyeing an IPO; they've also got a WeFunder page.
If that sounds a bit much, a bit too sudden, a bit too everything to be true, that's because the T4L team are determined to do their part to expedite the world to an electric vehicle future by removing every obstacle, road block, and hindrance to EV ownership along the way.
First off, T4L is not a car sharing platform; it's a car subscription platform. Second, in case this brings back memories of GM's failed Maven service, say, or Mercedes' recently pulled plug on their subscription service, too, remember that both Volvo and Porsche are still pushing strongly with their respective subscription services. Third, this is an altogether different sort of subscription model more akin to a cell phone purchase.
While there are several subscription tiers available (including a "for life" plan), it's the decidedly cell phone-type plan that I think is most intriguing, wherein you pay for a fixed number of miles and time, and you either use it all or you don't.
What's more interesting is the interplay with third party subscriptions: residential condominiums, or corporate clients, for example, can subscribe to T4L's services and then provide the vehicles to their tenants or employees. To use a somewhat less extravagant analogy, think of hotels that provide bicycles for their guests.
What's most astonishing, though, is that T4L even provides life time electric vehicle charging and will even install the appropriate chargers onsite if needed. And if that's not enough, they're even developing so-called EV experience centers for people to hang out, browse various EVs, and even get a coffee.
There's a lot to unpack here, so fortunately I got about 40 minutes with Allen discussing all the ins and outs of of T4L and their mission, so I hope you're sitting comfortably, because Episode 187 with Allen Witters, CEO of T4L, begins now.
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My guest today is Noel Marshall of the drive-by-wire team over at Schaeffler's US offices. We discuss everything from their Indy Autonomous Challenge; the SAM Car Project; the USDOT inclusive design challenge; and tackle some of the much broader issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, society, and much more besides.
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