On Thursday, June 13, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that “removes unnecessary obstacles that hinder the development of autonomous vehicle technology.”
The bill, CS/HB 311: Autonomous Vehicles, removes barriers to the advancement of autonomous vehicles, and establishes a statewide statutory framework.
“Signing this legislation paves the way for Florida to continue as a national leader in transportation innovation and technological advancement,” Governor DeSantis says.
Mobility
Mobility
Argo AI, Ford launch third-generation self-driving test vehicle
Argo AI and Ford have announced the launch of their third-generation self-driving test vehicle, the new Ford Fusion Hybrid.
The vehicles will be deployed in all five cities that Argo AI and Ford are operating in, which now includes Detroit.
The vehicles are equipped with new technology that’s a step closer to production specification, as well as modifications that are designed to make sure that they operate safely in a variety of conditions.
The vehicles are also equipped with a significantly upgraded sensor suite, which includes new sets of radar and cameras with higher resolution and higher dynamic range.
Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Hampton Roads Transit join Automated Bus Consortium
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) have joined the Automated Bus Consortium (ABC), which is a national consortium of transit agencies examining the feasibility of deploying autonomous buses in select areas of the country, including Hampton Roads.
EasyMile launches driverless shuttle capable of being remotely supervised
EasyMile has announced the launch of its new EZ10 electric driverless shuttle, which is the first such vehicle in the world ready to operate without an on-board attendant, according to EasyMile.
With most driverless operations including one or two attendants on board the vehicle, EasyMile has spent the last eight months conducting one of the first deployments in the world that relies purely on a remote supervisor. The shuttle is supervised by a fully trained supervisor from a remote control center, who uses a real-time data stream to monitor the autonomous vehicle, and ensure communication with passengers.
Local Motors brings global fleet challenge for autonomous shuttle to Atlanta
Local Motors has announced that Atlanta, Georgia will be the next site for its global fleet challenge for the company’s autonomous shuttle, Olli.
The entry window for the challenge opened on Tuesday, June 4, and entries will be accepted through July 31. Once a winner is chosen, engineers from Local Motors will map Olli’s autonomous route.
The state of Georgia has been open to the potential of autonomous vehicle technology. Peachtree Corners, an Atlanta suburb, is currently working on its autonomous vehicle test track, and just a few years ago, Georgia’s former governor signed a bill into law that allows self-driving vehicles to operate on public roads.
Lyft, Aptiv complete 50,000 self-driving rides
A year after launching their self-driving program in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lyft and Aptiv have announced that they have successfully completed more than 50,000 passenger rides.
Through their work with the State of Nevada, City of Las Vegas, Clark County, and Regional Transportation Commission, Lyft and Aptiv have grown their commercial operation to provide access to over 2,100 hotels, entertainment venues, restaurants, and popular destinations throughout the Las Vegas Strip and downtown area, including City Hall and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Milrem Robotics delivers THeMIS UGVs to Royal Netherlands Army
Milrem Robotics recently delivered two of its THeMIS UGVs to the Robot and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Unit of the 13th Light Brigade of the Royal Netherlands Army.
The robots were delivered for the Army's Concept Development and Experimentation Project, which examines how to take advantage of the possibilities new unmanned platforms provide for increasing combat power and decreasing risk to soldiers.
The THeMIS UGVs were delivered in transport configuration together with initial spare parts and accessories. Milrem will also provide operator and maintenance training, tactical deployment know-how and life cycle support and upgrades during a two-year period.
TuSimple, United States Postal Service partner to test autonomous technology
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has awarded self-driving truck company TuSimple a contract to perform five round trips, for a two-week pilot, hauling USPS trailers more than 1,000 miles between the Postal Service’s Phoenix and Dallas distribution centers.
During the duration of the pilot, a safety engineer and driver will be on board the truck to monitor vehicle performance and to ensure public safety.
For TuSimple, the company is expanding its autonomous operations beyond Arizona, as it debuts its self-driving technology in Texas. TuSimple will run a series of its self-driving trucks for 22 hours each, which includes overnight driving, along the I-10, I-20 and I-30 corridors to make the trip through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Drive.ai uses external communication panels to talk to public
With no driver at the helm, self-driving vehicles are posed with the challenge of effectively communicating with their surroundings.
Drive.ai has addressed that challenge head-on, equipping its self-driving vehicles with external communication panels that convey a variety of messages to properly communicate with drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and everyone else on the road.
“Our external communication panels are intended to mimic what an interaction with a human driver would look like. Normally, you’d make eye contact, wave someone along, or otherwise signal your intentions,” Drive.ai CEO Bijit Halder tells AUVSI via email.
Driverless electric truck begins daily freight deliveries on public road in Sweden
According to Reuters, a driverless electric truck has begun daily freight deliveries on a public road in Sweden.
These deliveries are a “world first” according to the truck’s developer, Swedish start-up Einride, and logistics customer DB Schenker.
“This public road permit is a major milestone ... and it is a step to commercializing autonomous technology on roads,” Robert Falck, Einride’s CEO, tells Reuters.
“Since we’re a software and operational first company, a partnership with a manufacturing company is something that we see as a core moving forward.”