While listening to a recent episode of the Exponent podcast, co-hosts Ben Thompson and James Allworth had a vibrant discussion on one of their regular topics: sustaining versus disruptive innovation. The topic was in the context of whether Apple…

Whether in nature, technology, or business, monocultures are bad. With all the discussion of who is winning the race to get automated driving to market, no one seems to mention the dangers of a monoculture. Many pundits seem to be of the impression…

Ten years to the day after my very first ride in the automated Chevrolet Tahoe that won the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, I was in Las Vegas yet again for the 2018 International CES. In the very same parking lot where I took my first driverless ride, I…

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Google
Fuel Efficiency and Emerging Technologies
Transportation Efficiencies
Autonomous Vehicles
For the first time since Google began work on developing autonomous vehicle technology 7 years ago, the company now has an…

A decade ago, when discussion of modern plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) was just getting ramped up again, one of the big potential selling points was the concept of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration. For a variety of reasons, it never quite caught…

When I was young, maps were printed on paper, either bound into atlases or large sheets that were a puzzle to refold. We plotted routes to get from where we were to where we wanted to be. In-car electronics were largely limited to the AM/FM radio and…

The software that drives automated vehicles (AVs) has made remarkable strides in the decade since the engineers and researchers that participated in the DARPA Grand Challenge turned their attention to commercialization. However, as is often the case,…

Transport and Logistics Innovation
Transportation Efficiencies
Detroit Auto Show
Conferences and Events
For many of us that keep tabs on the automotive industry for a living, the first 2 weeks of January are among the most grueling of the year. The…

Who would have thought that a small, roofless, two-seat, self-propelled machine could inspire a revolution in the way humans move about? Strangely enough, it has happened twice now, first in 1886 when Karl Benz drove his Patent-Motorwagen for the…

For more than 5 decades, many in Detroit and other automotive capitals have considered Ralph Nader to be public enemy number one. Despite the strong feelings against Nader throughout much of the auto industry, the lifelong consumer advocate will be…