Welcome to the Ride AI Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and new developments at the intersection of technology and transportation.

Here’s What You Need to Know Today

It’s a reality check moment for the autonomous vehicles industry as a majority of Americans are distrustful of self driving cars. The picture is muddled because the AV tech in vehicles like Teslas isn’t actually self-driving yet, simply an assistive autopilot requiring oversight from humans who are increasingly distracted behind the wheel.

The data for fully autonomous vehicles —such as robotaxis from Waymo and GM’s Cruise before it was shuttered— paints a more positive picture. These fully self driving taxis were involved in accidents at the rate of roughly one per 60,000 miles (96,560 km), the vast majority of which were low-speed collisions caused by other (human) drivers.

GM’s Cruise robotaxis may be in limbo but the company’s hands-free driving assistance system is expanding to cover 750,000 miles (~1.2M km) of roadway in the US and Canada. Named “Super Cruise”, the software works on pre-mapped highways and uses interior cameras to enforce driver attention to the road.

A dystopian future where AI takes all of our jobs makes for an exciting movie plot, but in reality humans working with AI is our way forward. This excellent writeup details how artificial intelligence can effectively augment, but not replace, the work of human air traffic controllers.

The latest McKinsey Technology Council Report is a wealth of knowledge on trends in the mobility sector. While many technology trends are currently active, Applied AI stands above the rest in both popularity and potential to disrupt multiple aspects of the personal mobility ecosystem.

FiberLight, a provider of fibre-optic infrastructure, is investing $20M to provide 10- and 100GB connectivity to a 92 mile (148 km) section of State Highway 130. Located near Austin TX, the resulting network will provide infrastructure for deploying and managing autonomous vehicle fleets.

A new autonomous vehicle could soon be used to deliver aid in dangerous conflict zones. Developed in a partnership with the UN and the German Aerospace Center, these sturdy transporters have massive off-road wheels and can operate either fully autonomously or in tandem with a remote human driver.

Geeley has successfully launched its second dispatch of 11 low-earth orbit satellites, whose primary purpose is to provide high-precision positioning and imaging for autonomous cars. Geeley’s satellites also support network connectivity for consumer electronics devices, and the company plans to have 72 in orbit by 2025.

A Kansas state bill aimed at reducing highway accidents involving stationary vehicles triggered an unexpected debate when some senators tried to add an amendment banning autonomous delivery trucks in the state. The amendment was heavily rejected, signaling that the Kansas Senate has a favorable view of technological advancements (and their potential to increase safety).

Autonomous truck manufacturer TuSimple is going private, closing the chapter on two rough years on the Nasdaq exchange which were highlighted by frequent boardroom strife. It was an unexpected fall for TuSimple, recognized as the first AV trucking company to demonstrate driverless operation on an open highway, as well as the first to IPO. The company is still relatively flush with cash and heavily shifting focus away from the US to China and Japan.

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