Monday, July 24, 2017

Michigan Gets Serious About Autonomous Vehicles: Trolleys #Engineering

American industry has typically focused on electric cars for individuals and that's likely a large part of the reason Michigan had to buy these vehicles from France; America doesn't build them.




The video shows a demonstration of the Navya vehicle in operation in France where it's a part of traffic management in Paris for dealing with two of the biggest problems facing cities around the world:  unmanageable traffic and obsolete, poorly-designed cities.


Navya will build a 20,000 square foot facility for the construction of its self-driving trolley, the Arma. It aims to construct 25 vehicles there this year. It has 45 vehicles deployed around the world already. These robots have a max speed of about 27 miles per hour, but typically travel more like 12 miles per hour (the speed of a typical bike ride). Each one can transport about 15 people.

The plant will be built in Saline, Michigan, a suburban town just south of Ann Arbor with a population of less than 9,000. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation estimates that the plant will support 50 new jobs.

Observer:  Michigan Will Build 25 Self-Driving Trolleys in 2017

That makes jobs for Americans which you likely want to see but the profits go overseas which you perhaps don't mind seeing if you're a good Globalist.  We are not interested in that type of globalism since it's just capitalism piled higher and deeper but now with a mysterious new name.


The Rockhouse is annoyed about this one since we want to hear from the patriots, why did America not build this first.  Why is America building Cadillac Escalades but does not build these.  The answer is for the big bucks but it's short money since they're not investing in the future and only ride what's left of a wave which already crested.  There isn't anywhere else in the world which wants Cadillac Escalades.

America can support the sales of Cadillac Escalades without exporting them but that only solidifies commitment to obsolete technology which further increases the disadvantage relative to a more progressive world (e.g. high-speed trains, subways, etc).


We want to see substantive efforts toward rebuilding the infrastructure of the cities and, failing that, at least develop sensible ways to deal with it.  The Navya looks like an impressive solution for downtown traffic problems and, if'n you're inclined toward gambling, how about a bet on when they ban vehicles from downtown areas and which ones will still be permitted to run there.  The Rockhouse bet is the Navya will be present but the Escalade will be dumped in a car park somewhere.


Related:

There was another article on substantially more impact from air pollution than previously realized.  (Science Daily:  Rush hour pollution may be more dangerous than you think)

Moscow looks at bicycles as another alternative to traffic and pollution problems.  (Phys.org:  Pedal power sways Muscovites despite perils)

Dust storms are another consequence of failing to deal with air pollution.  (Science Daily:  New model projects an increase in dust storms in the US)

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