No more traffic jams at the Maasboulevard? No more time spent searching for parking spots? Yes Rotterdam can!

25

September

2017

5/5 (10)

Anyone who commutes by car in Rotterdam has experienced the crowded inner city and the problem of searching for an available parking spot. Due to the growth of the city and the increase in popularity of Rotterdam, less parking spots remain available in the city centre and people spend more time looking for a parking spot. On top of that, parking prices have risen 33% in Rotterdam over the past five years (Van Staalduine, 2017). A solution for this problem which would not only benefit us living in Rotterdam, but also the environment, are self-driving cars.

Self-driving cars won’t make you lose any time looking for a parking spot. Such a car could drop you off and then start searching for a (free) parking spot for itself (Williams, 2017). In a connected city, this would be easy as all available parking spaces would be known by the car. You’ll lose no time searching for a parking spot, while the parking spot could also be free of charge following your preferences. Furthermore, using self-driving cars would result in less traffic jams and congestion, as it is believed that traffic causes 30% of all urban traffic congestion (Shoup, 2006). As all cars would be interconnected, any delay would be relayed trough the network of vehicles on the road which would then alternate their route instantly in order to avoid traffic (Williams, 2017). Also, following the continuance of the sharing economy, self-driving cars could lead to less vehicles on the road. In theory, people will stop owning cars and consider them as a sort of public transport. Because of the decrease in need of owning a car, less cars will be bought and stay unused at parking spots which would benefit cities and their sights (Williams, 2017).

Implementing self-driving cars will take some time, as self-driving cars are just beginning to be considered legal authorities (Rijksoverheid, 2017). However, its benefits are clear: No more time spent searching for a parking spot in Rotterdam and no more traffic jams at the Maasboulevard. Don’t you think that’s great?

Reference List:

Rijksoverheid. (2017). Minister Schultz opent nieuwe proeftuin voor zelfrijzend vervoer. Retrieved 25 September, from https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2017/06/27/minister-schultz-opent-nieuwe-proeftuin-voor-zelfrijdend-vervoer

Shoup, D. C. (2006). Cruising for parking. Transport Policy 13, 6 (2006), 479-486

Van Staalduine, J. (2017). Parkeren wordt in Nederland steeds duurder – in Amsterdam betaalt u 5 euro per uur. Retrieved 25 September, from https://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/parkeren-wordt-in-nederland-steeds-duurder-in-amsterdam-betaalt-u-5-euro-per-uur~a4511820/

Williams, J. (2017). Would driverless cars be better for the Environment? Retrieved 25 September, from https://makewealthhistory.org/2017/07/17/would-driverless-cars-be-better-for-the-environment/

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Race car vs Robo car: Will AI change motorsport?

16

September

2017

5/5 (3)

For decades, Formula 1 has been the pinnacle for technical innovation in motorsport. A lot of concepts first developed there nhave made their way to road cars. From active suspension through traction control to the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (or KERS). However, there is a new innovation coming from the world of road cars that threatens to radically change Formula 1 and motorsport as whole. I am talking, of course, about self-driving cars. It is becoming increasingly clear that self-driving cars are going to be part of everyday life in the near future, but perhaps they will first take over car racing.

The world’s first racing championship featuring self-driving cars was announced at the end of 2015. It is called Roborace and is backed by Nvidia, which will provide the processing power behind each car with its Drive PX2 super computer capable of 24 trillion AI operations per second. The racing series has already been approved by FIA (the international government body for motorsport). It will consist of 10 teams each racing 2 full-sized driver-less electric cars with top speed of 320 km/h. Each car’s specification will be identical, but every team will be able to develop their own AI algorithms and software. The Roborace events will take place alongside the increasingly popular FIA Formula E Championship, which uses only electric-powered vehicles.

The Roborace racing car was and was unveiled after 1 year of development in February 2017 during the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. However, it remains unclear when the first official race will take place as the AI software is still far from perfect. This was demonstrated during a recent test run in Buenos Aires between two of Roborace’s development cars. One of the vehicles successfully navigated the circuit at speeds as high as 186 km/h and even managed to avoid a dog which had ran onto the track. While the other car crashed out due to misjudging a corner while at high speed.

Nevertheless, Roborace will eventually become a reality. The bigger question is though will motorsport fans even be interested in a driver-less racing championship? There has already been a lot of scepticism in the Formula 1 circles. For most fans, myself included, the drivers are what keeps them interested in motorsports. Whether it’s admiring their skills, being charmed by their personality, or annoyed at their errors, the human element is what brings uncertainty to otherwise technology driven sport. The founders of Roborace claim that they will be able to make the AI drivers the stars by communicating to the audience in real-time their decision-making. But once the AI software is perfected, will there be any uncertainty or variability in driver-less races? And even if there is, will it bring the same excitement without the human element. This is the reason, I think Roborace can never replace Formula 1 as the most popular motorsport. What about you? Do you think Roborace can succeed, even after the initial novelty wears out?

Check out this video if you want to know more about Roborace!

References:

Biesbrouck, T. (2017, July 18). Roborace explained: Where artificial intelligence meets racing. Retrieved from Motorsport: https://www.motorsport.com/roborace/news/roborace-explained-when-artificial-intelligence-meets-racing-932565/

Jager, C. (2016, April 6). Self-Driving F1 Racecar Robots Are Coming In 2016. Retrieved from Gizmodo AU: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/04/self-driving-f1-racing-cars-are-a-thing-and-its-coming-in-2016/

Simon-Lewis, A. (2017, February 27). Roborace unveils Robocar, the world’s first AI-powered, self-driving electric racer. Retrieved from Wired: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/robocar-roborace-ai-driverless-car

 

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Self-driving Ubers hit the road!

18

September

2016

5/5 (1)

This week, Uber launched its most promising project: Self-driving taxi’s!

Don’t get too excited. The first handful of self-driving Ubers is currently only available to the lucky residents of downtown Pittsburgh. In this pilot-stage of the project, the cars come with an engineer on the driver’s seat and a co-pilot to take down observations. Passengers taking this experimental taxi get their ride for free, instead of paying $1,05 per mile.

Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick mentions that in the long run, prices will fall so low that the per-mile cost of travel, even for long trips in rural areas, will be lower in a driverless Uber than in a private car.

And that is where things become interesting!

Imagine every time you need a ride, you push a button on your mobile phone and an autonomous car appears. Who needs a car, when a driverless Uber is more affordable than owning a private car? Technology poses the question of whether it’s necessary to own an automobile. Already, “millennials” appear to value car ownership less than previous generations do.

“That could be seen as a threat,” says Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson. “We see it as an opportunity.” Earlier this year, Uber and Volvo signed a $300 million pact to develop a fully autonomous car that will be ready for the road by 2021. But the Volvo deal isn’t exclusive. Besides, Uber plans to install self-driving kits into existing vehicles. With its a plan to build an autonomous vehicle empire, Uber aims to replace more than 1 million human drivers with self-driving cars as soon as possible.

With the rise of autonomous vehicles and car sharing services, McKinsey recently predicted that by 2050 we can do with 75% less cars!

Has Uber, disruptor of the taxi-industry, given the start signal for the disruption of the car industry?

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-08-18/uber-s-first-self-driving-fleet-arrives-in-pittsburgh-this-month-is06r7on?utm_content=business
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/08/21/stap-jij-straks-in-een-zelfrijdende-uber-tesla-taxi-niet-zo-snel-a1495264

Uber Launching Its Self-Driving Cars This Month


http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/a-road-map-to-the-future-for-the-auto-industry
http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/ten-ways-autonomous-driving-could-redefine-the-automotive-world

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