Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Lessons From the #Tesla Crash
A recent fatal crash in Florida involving aTesla Model S is an example of how a new technology designed to make cars safer could, in some cases, make them more dangerous. These risks, however, could be minimized with better testing and regulations.
Tesla says that the wrecked car’s assisted-driving system, called Autopilot, did not detect a white tractor-trailer when — against a bright sky — it turned in front of the car. The driver, Joshua Brown, who died in the crash, also did not hit the brakes, possibly because he was distracted.
More than 35,200 people were killed in car crashes in this country last year, up 7.7 percent from 2014. People caused most of those accidents. Driverless cars could help reduce that toll substantially, but those vehicles are still years away. In the meantime, many car companies are trying to improve safety in other ways. For example, some systems, primarily found in luxury cars like Teslas, can slow or stop cars when drivers are not paying attention.
Tesla’s electric cars are not self-driving, but when the Autopilot system is engaged it can keep the car in a lane, adjust its speed to keep up with traffic and brake to avoid collisions. Tesla says audio and visual alerts warn drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and watch the road. If a driver is unresponsive to the alerts, the car is programmed to slow itself to a stop.
Such warnings aren’t sufficient, though; some Tesla drivers, as shown invideos on YouTube, have even gotten into the back seat while the car was moving. Such reckless behavior threatens not just the drivers but everyone else on the road, too.
It’s not surprising that technology that helps drivers can lull them into thinking they need not pay attention at all. Chris Urmson, who heads Google’s driverless car project, said in a TED talk last year that when his company tested a driver assistance system some drivers became so dangerously distracted that Google pulled back on that concept. It has decided to focus its efforts on fully self-driving cars instead.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should study how automakers can minimize driver distraction. This will become more urgent as advanced systems become available in cars made for the mass market.
A recent fatal crash in Florida involving aTesla Model S is an example of how a new technology designed to make cars safer could, in some cases, make them more dangerous. These risks, however, could be minimized with better testing and regulations.
Tesla says that the wrecked car’s assisted-driving system, called Autopilot, did not detect a white tractor-trailer when — against a bright sky — it turned in front of the car. The driver, Joshua Brown, who died in the crash, also did not hit the brakes, possibly because he was distracted.
More than 35,200 people were killed in car crashes in this country last year, up 7.7 percent from 2014. People caused most of those accidents. Driverless cars could help reduce that toll substantially, but those vehicles are still years away. In the meantime, many car companies are trying to improve safety in other ways. For example, some systems, primarily found in luxury cars like Teslas, can slow or stop cars when drivers are not paying attention.
Tesla’s electric cars are not self-driving, but when the Autopilot system is engaged it can keep the car in a lane, adjust its speed to keep up with traffic and brake to avoid collisions. Tesla says audio and visual alerts warn drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and watch the road. If a driver is unresponsive to the alerts, the car is programmed to slow itself to a stop.
Such warnings aren’t sufficient, though; some Tesla drivers, as shown invideos on YouTube, have even gotten into the back seat while the car was moving. Such reckless behavior threatens not just the drivers but everyone else on the road, too.
It’s not surprising that technology that helps drivers can lull them into thinking they need not pay attention at all. Chris Urmson, who heads Google’s driverless car project, said in a TED talk last year that when his company tested a driver assistance system some drivers became so dangerously distracted that Google pulled back on that concept. It has decided to focus its efforts on fully self-driving cars instead.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should study how automakers can minimize driver distraction. This will become more urgent as advanced systems become available in cars made for the mass market.
Nytimes.com
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016
#VW to pay owners up to $10K, buy back up to 475,000 diesel cars
In what is being called a ground-breaking agreement, Volkswagen will pay $14.7 billion not only to compensate owners for its polluting "clean" diesel-powered cars, but for environmental mitigation and to set up a fund to promote zero-emissions technology, the government announced Tuesday. genesis mining promo code
Owners of the 475,000 Volkswagen vehicles with 2-liter diesels covered under the settlement will receive payments ranging from $5,100 to $10,000. In addition, Volkswagen will either repair their cars to bring them into compliance with emissions laws or buy them back in order to scrap them.
"We're getting VW's polluting vehicles off the road and we're reducing harmful pollution in our air, pollution that you never should have been emitted in the first place," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy at a press conference. She called it a "groundbreaking settlement."
VW has admitted to inserting software in VW and Audi cars with 2-lliter engines going back to 2009 that allows them to beat emissions tests. The case reflects "one of the most flagrant violations of environmental and consumer laws in our country's history," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told reporters.
She said that VW could face additional actions as well. A case is still pending against the automaker over its 3-liter diesel vehicles. Plus, she says the Justice Department is "aggressively" looking at possible criminal prosecutions involving "multiple companies and multiple individuals."
In addition to more than $10 billion for the owners and the cars, VW will pay $2.7 billion in environmental mitigation and another $2 billion on clean-emissions technology. The total could climb even higher as other cases against VW, including one from states' attorneys general, come to conclusion.
In any case, 85% of the cars have be fixed or off the road by July, 2019.
Under the agreement, Volkswagen will buy back cars at prices tied to last September before the scandal became known and resale values plummeted. The automaker will not be allowed to ship them to other countries to avoid scrapping them. For those owners who elect to keep their cars, VW still hasn't disclosed how it will go about repairing them or how much their performance will be affected. Some may not be repairable.
The amount of the payment to owners, which would be in addition to the buyback price, will depend on a number of factors, such as type, age of the vehicle, number of miles and others. The goal, say those involved in crafting the agreement, was to make sure those who trade in aren't favored over those who elect to have their cars fixed.
Owners of the 475,000 Volkswagen vehicles with 2-liter diesels covered under the settlement will receive payments ranging from $5,100 to $10,000. In addition, Volkswagen will either repair their cars to bring them into compliance with emissions laws or buy them back in order to scrap them.
"We're getting VW's polluting vehicles off the road and we're reducing harmful pollution in our air, pollution that you never should have been emitted in the first place," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy at a press conference. She called it a "groundbreaking settlement."
VW has admitted to inserting software in VW and Audi cars with 2-lliter engines going back to 2009 that allows them to beat emissions tests. The case reflects "one of the most flagrant violations of environmental and consumer laws in our country's history," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told reporters.
She said that VW could face additional actions as well. A case is still pending against the automaker over its 3-liter diesel vehicles. Plus, she says the Justice Department is "aggressively" looking at possible criminal prosecutions involving "multiple companies and multiple individuals."
In addition to more than $10 billion for the owners and the cars, VW will pay $2.7 billion in environmental mitigation and another $2 billion on clean-emissions technology. The total could climb even higher as other cases against VW, including one from states' attorneys general, come to conclusion.
In any case, 85% of the cars have be fixed or off the road by July, 2019.
Under the agreement, Volkswagen will buy back cars at prices tied to last September before the scandal became known and resale values plummeted. The automaker will not be allowed to ship them to other countries to avoid scrapping them. For those owners who elect to keep their cars, VW still hasn't disclosed how it will go about repairing them or how much their performance will be affected. Some may not be repairable.
The amount of the payment to owners, which would be in addition to the buyback price, will depend on a number of factors, such as type, age of the vehicle, number of miles and others. The goal, say those involved in crafting the agreement, was to make sure those who trade in aren't favored over those who elect to have their cars fixed.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
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