1. 在美国乘坐无人驾驶卡车是一种怎样的体验?

    图森内部算过一笔账,美国卡车司机的工资是每英里0.8美元,图森的无人驾驶系统可能只要每英里0.3美元。

    图森科技的软文。

  2. 焦点分析 滴滴做不了的顺风车生意,哈啰出行能做成吗?

    2月22日,哈啰出行宣布在全国上线顺风车业务。在此之前,哈啰出行已经从2018年12月开始招募顺风车司机,官方称20天招募了100万司机。

    顺风车是个不亏钱的生意。但是如果嘀嗒希望借顺风车进入打车市场,可能也不会那么容易。

    首先,哈啰能够获取的单量未必会有想象中那么多。据滴滴内部人士透露,在顺风车事件之前,滴滴该业务的平均日单量也只有两三百万单,高峰阶段的日单量能到达五六百万单。不过这是在滴滴如此大的平台加持下达成的,前期已经做过了大量的补贴、新业务探索等用户教育阶段,所以哈啰顺风车未必会有滴滴那么大的盘子。如果单量不够,就意味着盈利能力非常有限。

    哈啰出行想要在滴滴的休眠期弯道超车,实现自身商业模式平衡,打法可能还要野蛮一点,更靠近滴滴,但那样一来,又将面临政策风险。

    此前,嘀嗒出行为了确保“顺风车”的真实性,对司机每天可接单数进行限制,抽成更低。但这样保守的打法,让这家最早做顺风车的公司,很难出现爆发式增长。而哈啰出行也面临和嘀嗒一样严苛的政策环境,至少在上线初期,未必能够使展开手脚。

    春节 + 竞争对手受管制

  3. Self-Driving Trucks Will Always Need People

    远程驾驶 + 5G

  4. A Waymo employee reveals what it’s like to create the unique voice of self-driving cars

    Imagine that you’re sitting in a Waymo One self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivan in the Phoenix area, enjoying your autonomously piloted ride, when the vehicle makes a turn you didn’t expect.

    This is nothing new for anyone who has ever hailed a taxi. In New York, where I work, if a cabbie takes a route I disagree with, I can immediately start a conversation about why we should go my way. And for now, Waymo One has human monitors at the wheel.

    But the company’s plan is to transition to a fully driverless service. No one behind the wheel. Instead, a screen for passengers to use for interactions with the technology.

    “We started to think to think about how we would communicate how we could interact better with people,” Knox said. “We knew that we had to have components of a customer support organization.”

    The way it works is that if an issue arises in a Waymo vehicle, assuming there is no human driver, a passenger would press a button in the vehicle to connect with an agent. (Currently, passenger concerns expressed to the human monitoring the system in the driver’s seat can be referred to the Rider Support team.)

    一个39人的团队,负责关注Waymo运行过程中的乘客的顾虑。Waymo one确实是进入商业运营测试阶段。这种运营是把自动驾驶当作出行方式来寻找问题,而不是仅关注软硬件问题在哪。在这种“新出行”中,乘客有什么顾虑(出行费用多少?时间多快?走哪条路?自动驾驶系统是否关注到了环境的情况?),如何与乘客交互(显示屏,语音等)。突然想到,也许在玻璃上框出环境的情况是自动驾驶很好的交互,被框出的行人,说明自动驾驶系统理解了这个行人的情况。

  5. Automated vehicles open way to slash cost of road congestion

    “There are several ways that automated vehicles can reduce congestion, but the main one is that it would allow cars to safely travel more closely together,” he will say in a speech to the Cities Symposium in western Sydney.

    如果自动驾驶车辆靠的很近,车内隐私将会需要某种遮挡方式。

  6. Waymo首席科学家MIT开讲:驯服自动驾驶的长尾挑战【PDF+视频】

    长尾问题也是可以慢慢解决的。

  7. 特斯拉Model 3国内终交付,马斯克称2020年实现完全自动驾驶

    “我们车型进入中国市场的成本很高,有进口税、运输费等等。我们在美国国内的劳动力成本已经偏高,而且我们也未曾获得任何电动汽车的税收减免。”马斯克在今年一月份时曾对外表示。

    马斯克表示,人们对Model3的需求是非常高的,主要问题在于价格是否能接受。“如果价格能进一步降低,需求会极大。”为此,特斯拉也拿出了较大的诚意。先是一再降价,后期还推出”春节礼包“将辅助驾驶Autopilot功能直接免费,相当于为车主节省了4.6万元。记者从北京特斯拉多家直营店处了解到,年后现场看车订车的人日益增多,北京地区订单或已破千。

    特斯拉在中国价位确实比较高,这一点musk看的是正确的。然而2020年实现完全自动驾驶,真的难说。

  8. 光靠跑数据是不够的,长沙智能研究院(CIDI)要用“车路协同”让无人卡车真正上路

    CIDI的CEO马潍博士告诉36氪,让车辆在路上经年累月地跑数据,顶多能在99%的程度上实现自动驾驶,但要想让无人车安全上路,就一定要解决最后1%的问题。于是,CIDI决定另辟蹊径,做车路协同。“车路协同”指的是智能网联汽车和路侧单元之间的通信和调度,相当于有一个智能警察在路边引导和监测自动驾驶车辆。

    马潍表示,他们只做重卡和专用车,不做乘用车,原因主要有三个:

    从市场规模来说,虽然国内重卡商用车保有量只有600万辆,乘用车是2多亿辆,但卡车是生产工具,其使用率比乘用车往往多近10倍。乘用车一天可能只跑1-2个小时,但卡车可能一天要跑20个小时。

    从事故率的角度来说,牵涉卡车的交通事故比乘用车多。“我国重型卡车的保有量只占机动车的10%,但是重大致死事故却占比50%。”马潍说,卡车的智能化可以在很大程度上减少交通事故。

    从技术研发的角度来说,虽然乘用车和商用车所用的感知技术很相似,但在决策、规划和控制方面,二者差别很大。

    另一种解决长尾的方式。长尾问题能否靠单车智能解决仍然是一个问题。

  9. BMW makes interacting with your car’s AI systems more natural

    This new system, dubbed BMW Natural Interaction, will launch in the 2021 BMW iNEXT electric SUV.

    The company promises that this technology will allow for more intuitive interactions with the car’s systems. If you’re in a conversation, for example, you may want to use a gesture and gaze control to turn down the volume, open the sunroof or adjust air vents. But if you are driving down the autobahn at 220kmh, you may want to use your voice instead.

    车内语音交互。然而自然语言在2021年能否达到这个水平?

  10. Ford partners with geocoding startup what3words

    Under the partnership, drivers will be able to connect to the free what3words app — on an iOS or Android device — to their vehicle via their SYNC 3 infotainment platform. Drivers can find the three-word address on website contact pages, guidebooks and business cards. Drivers can enter the addresses via voice or text input and receive directions through the vehicle’s navigation system.

    新地图交互,三个单词定位容易记忆。

  11. 最前线 Uber断臂印度外卖业务,IPO前要止损开源

    Uber计划将Uber Eats在印度的外卖业务出售给对手Swiggy,目前双方协商正在进行。此次交易以股权交换的形式进行,Uber将获得其10%的股份,交易或将在接下来的几周完成。对此消息,Swiggy和Uber暂不予回应。

    外卖业务在印度是个吃力不讨好的业务。主要体现在订单数市场份额远低于对手,投入回报比不高两方面。

    2018年,UberEats共覆盖了印度37个城市,月均订单数为900万。此次的收购商,Swiggy则覆盖80个城市,订单数为2000万左右。被称为“印度版大众点评”的Zomato的城市数为150个,链接80,000家餐厅,月均订单量为1400万。

    据印度《经济时报》,Uber某高管消息称,其印度外卖业务每月成交的900万订单中,公司需投入 2500 万美元。值得注意的是,Uber在印度的外卖并不设起送价,每单业务中仅抽取0.23美元的利润,在同等价位下,比英国所收取的30%佣金低得多。

    Uber的战略是什么?有必要死磕吗?当年Uber退出中国的选择对吗?

  12. Elon Musk has until March 11 to respond to SEC contempt motion

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk has until March 11 to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    解释之后,股价会有波动,我想是上涨。

  13. Here’s why you’re getting all those sweet Uber and Lyft discounts

    In its final weeks as a private company, Lyft is reaching for every inch of the rideshare market it can get.

    According to a report from The Information, Lyft’s discounts were extended to roughly one-third of riders’ recent trips and helped Lyft gather an additional 4 percent of the U.S. rideshare market. Lyft now holds 34 percent of the market, while Uber claims the remaining 66 percent. The additional percentage points will give Lyft a leg up as it launches its road show, the final step ahead of its Nasdaq IPO, expected in April.

    Devoted Uber riders may have noticed discounts, too. The competing ride-hailing giant also unleashed a hefty dose of discounts to keep riders on its app. Uber, of course, is also in IPO registration, expected to debut on the public markets in the first half of 2019, likely one or two months after Lyft.

    Lyft占美国34%市场,估值200亿,准备3月份上市;Uber占美国66%市场,估值1000亿,准备上半年上市。Lyft上市之后会涨还是跌?

  14. Report says VW to invest $1.7 billion in Ford self-driving unit Argo

    Volkswagen will invest around $1.7 billion in Ford’s self-driving subsidiary Argo, according to a new report.

    It’s unclear at this point how this proposed partnership would affect Volkswagen’s partnership with self-driving startup Aurora, which was announced in January 2018. Volkswagen reportedly tried to buy Aurora outright later in 2018, but was rebuffed.

    Aurora recently announced that it secured $530 million in financing from the likes of Amazon, Sequoia, and others. It appears Volkswagen may now be considering a different self-driving route.

    等到十年后回顾这段历史,肯定是波澜曲折。

  15. Model 3开始在中国大量交付,造梦者马斯克又要启航火星了

    2月22日凌晨的冷雨中,一艘载有1837辆特斯拉纯电动车的滚装船“晨蝶号(Morning Cindy)”靠泊上海外高桥港区的海通国际汽车码头,其中包括最新款的特斯拉Model 3型车。这是用于客户交付的特斯拉Model 3车辆首次大规模到达上海港。

    一个多月前的1月7日,上海有史以来最大的外资制造业项目——特斯拉超级工厂在临港产业区正式开工建设。马斯克要在上海超级工厂建造一款“真正实惠”的Model 3。有分析人士称,一旦特斯拉Model 3全部本土化之后,将免去关税门槛,减少进口关税,仅有16%的增值税,其售价很可能在30万元以内。

    在30万以内就很便宜了。

  16. Apple self-driving car layoffs hit 190 employees in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale

    Apple will lay off 190 employees in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale in its self-driving car division, the company said.

    The layoffs were disclosed, along with new details, in a letter this month to the California Employment Development Department. CNBC reported last month that layoffs were occurring in the self-driving car division, known as Project Titan. Tom Neumayr, an Apple spokesman, confirmed that the letter to the state referenced the same layoffs.

    Most of the affected employees are engineers, including 38 engineering program managers, 33 hardware engineers, 31 product design engineers and 22 software engineers. The layoffs will take effect April 16, according to the filing.

    苹果不打算做了吗?

  17. 宁德时代这波全球化操作,我打80分

    2019年2月14日,“宁德时代(SZ:300750)将在德国建世界上最大的电池工厂”的消息登上了各大社交媒体首页,引起业界极大关注。

    宁德时代将在德建厂已不是新鲜事儿了。早在去年7月,宁德时代就“官宣”:将投资2.4亿欧元,在德国图林根州埃尔福特市设立电池生产基地及智能制造技术研发中心。此生产基地主要研发、生产锂离子电池,供应宝马、大众、戴姆勒、捷豹路虎、PSA等欧洲车企。

    面对不同技术路线的分叉,如何选择?

  18. 瓜子母公司“开着”二手车从软银那儿拉来了15亿美金

    瓜子二手车拿到了软银的钱,数目还不小,15亿美元——

    2019年2月28日,瓜子二手车、毛豆新车网母公司车好多集团正式宣布,已完成15亿美元新一轮融资,投资方为软银愿景基金(SoftBank Vision Fund)。

    这本钱主要用于:

    加大产品技术研发投入;

    加强市场营销、线下门店布局;

    持续投入新业务。

    二手车市场竞争激烈,我想因为美国二手车市场是很发达的。中国应该有点不一样,但是否最终会一样?

  19. 特斯拉周五需支付9.2亿美元债务,或陷入现金危机

    根据提交给监管机构的文件显示,特斯拉有9.2亿美元的可转债将于3月1日到期,转换价格为每股359.87美元。特斯拉的股价已经好几个星期没有超过359美元,周二收于297.86美元。

    如果特斯拉股票达到上述转换价格,这些债券就可以转换成特斯拉股票,该公司就不需要用现金支付债务。但在本周股市没有大幅上涨的情况下,这家电动汽车制造商将不得不以现金支付这笔债务。

    特斯拉还有其他压力需要应对。在2018年最后一个季度,特斯拉将1.8亿美元的Solar City债务推迟至1月,然后再推至2019年4月,并选择支付更高的利率。

    主要还是得创新,昨天大家都在等着Model Y,说明对特斯拉还是抱有期望的。就像等苹果新款一样,但是如果出得太慢,就会错过时机了。

  20. 真正的共享:Uber和Lyft计划给部分司机股权参与IPO盛宴

    据华尔街日报报道,打车服务公司Uber和Lyft 计划为部分司机提供参与自家公司IPO的机会。

    据知情人士透露,Uber和Lyft公司都将为其长期服务和高度活跃的司机提供现金分红,并允许他们将现金转为IPO股票。

    对于符合条件的司机来说,这将是一次少有的绝佳机会,因为普通投资者通常都以IPO的价格购买公司股票,而这些司机也只是合同工。

    坐等他们上市,各买一股。

  21. The $35,000 Tesla Model 3 has arrived — but it comes with a price

    The long-awaited $35,000 Tesla Model 3 has finally arrived, three years after CEO Elon Musk promised to bring the electric vehicle to market at that price point. But that cheaper Model 3 comes with a dramatic shift for Tesla.

    Tesla said that to achieve this lower price it will shift all sales globally to online only, meaning the company will be closing many of its stores over the next few months. The stores that remain, in high-traffic locations, will be turned into information centers, Musk said on a call with reporters. There will be some layoffs as a result. Musk later said they would be hiring more service technicians.

    是个好的策略吗?至少直面问题,削减开销了。

  22. BMW, Daimler to partner on self-driving tech development

    BMW and Daimler announced on Thursday that the two are planning a “long-term strategic cooperation” covering autonomous tech. The two will focus on boosting driver-assist systems first, largely focused on highway-driving assistance and automated parking. The hope is that these systems will reach the market by the mid-2020s.

    是时候梳理一下车厂之间的关系了。

  23. How to Prepare Students for Jobs in the Self-Driving-Car-Industry

    That is for engineer, but not necessary for other AV Jobs

  24. 让高铁的时速,超过600公里吧!

    只有提高标准,才会遇到新的问题,才会去解决新的问题。

  25. 特斯拉终于推出了基础版Model 3,售价3.5万美元

    据外媒报道,特斯拉终于推出了它承诺已久的售价3.5万美元(约合人民币23.4万元)的基础版Model 3。

    这实现了伊隆-马斯克(Elon Musk)早在2006年发布的“绝密总体规划”。

    该汽车制造商现在正在生产几个新版本的Model 3,它们具有更短的行驶里程和新的内饰选择。

    特斯拉介绍称,Model 3基本版能达到220英里的续航里程,最高时速为130英里,并能在5.6秒内从0英里加速到60英里每小时。

    真的很便宜了

3. 一个万亿美元规模的出行市场新机遇

**鲁特.布里奇斯《无人车的革命》、《我们自动驾驶的未来:天堂还是地狱?》**