Tag Archives: driverless cars

And now a few words from our city transportation planner

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t know we had one, did you? Well, we do, his name is David Fields, and he had a few things to say to Chron reporter Dug Begley in a recent Q&A: As you look at upcoming plans and projects … Continue reading →

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Nuro set to roll out

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come. Self-driving delivery vehicles that carry no humans will hit Houston roads next month. Nuro, a San Francisco technology company, is planning to deploy its next-generation autonomous delivery vehicles in Houston after receiving federal approval. … Continue reading →

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It’s the year 2020…

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But where are the flying cars? And hyperloops? And other things we were promised? Uber will deploy flying cars When Uber Technologies Inc. pledged to deliver on a promise of the Jetsons, it gave itself just three years to do so. The … Continue reading →

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How Nuro is mapping Houston

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story. On the muggy streets of suburban Houston, amid McMansions, bright green lawns and stately oak trees, a futuristic race is quietly afoot. The contestants are not people but late-model Toyota Priuses outfitted with an array of sophisticated … Continue reading →

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More driverless trucks

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Look out on I-45. When Don Burnette worked at Otto, a self-driving truck startup, his team hit some pretty big milestones. It recorded the first shipment of cargo delivered by a self-driving truck: 50,000 cans of Budweiser in 2016. It … Continue reading →

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Add HEB to the autonomous grocery delivery trend

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In San Antonio, at least. Maybe in Houston later if it goes well for them. Customers near an H-E-B in suburban San Antoni0 can soon get their eggs, fruit and tortillas dropped off by a vehicle with no one at … Continue reading →

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Uber’s vision for the future

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like this is more wishcasting than real planning. Still, some of it may happen, and if nothing else we should be aware of what it’s all about. When Uber envisions the future, it not only wants to put … Continue reading →

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What if we didn’t expand I-45?

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an awful lot of money that comes with a ton of negative effects and which, if the I-10 expansion is any guide, will have short-lived positive effects. So maybe we should just, like, not do it? A massive remake … Continue reading →

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Here comes the driverless pizza delivery vehicle

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta admit, this has me scratching my head. There goes another high schooler’s job: Domino’s Pizza Inc. plans to test unmanned pizza delivery in Houston later this year. The chain, known as a technology leader in the restaurant industry, is … Continue reading →

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Metro’s driverless shuttle finally debuts

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to have good weather. TSU’s Tiger Walk isn’t just for pedestrians anymore. The region’s first autonomous shuttle to carry passengers debuted Wednesday along the tree-lined walk, the center of the Texas Southern University campus. Operated by Metropolitan Transit Authority, … Continue reading →

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DART to study driverless buses

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means in practice. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has joined a national association of transit and transportation agencies to explore how autonomous buses could shuttle people around cities in the future. The Automated Bus Consortium plans to research driverless buses and run pilot … Continue reading →

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The driverless shuttle at TSU is ready to roll

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I spotted this on Twitter earlier this week. You may have heard the term autonomous vehicles. These are vehicles that can guide themselves down the road on their own. This technology is being adapted for public transportation. A 2017 statute … Continue reading →

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The timeline for driverless cars

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We know they’re coming, but how long it takes them to get here really matters. For Elon Musk, the driverless car is always right around the corner. At an investor day event last month focused on Tesla’s autonomous driving technology, the … Continue reading →

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How secure is the future of ridesharing?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just a couple of recent stories that got me thinking. Item One: Uber’s business model isn’t all there: While there’s optimism about elements of the core business, the company lost more than $3 billion on operations in 2018, revenue growth slowed … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Kroger driverless grocery delivery car

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to order some groceries, in certain selected ZIP codes? Kroger, the nation’s largest grocer, has launched a self-driving grocery delivery service in Houston, the latest salvo in a hyper-competitive grocery market that has supermarket chains investing heavily in … Continue reading →

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Here come the driverless trucks

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to a freeway near you. Self-driving 18-wheelers will soon cruise next to you down Interstate 10 and other major Texas freeways. TuSimple, a California-based autonomous truck start-up, has been mapping routes and plans to haul commercial loads from Arizona … Continue reading →

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Driverless car pilot ends in Frisco

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’d love to know what we learned from this. For about eight months, a fleet of bright orange self-driving vans have been rolling around Frisco. The autonomous vehicles — and the pilot run by Silicon Valley-based Drive.ai — will be permanently parked on … Continue reading →

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Driverless grocery deliveries

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to Houston. Some local shoppers soon could see their produce pull up in a Prius in one of the first forays into autonomous vehicles in the Houston area, a move observers said is sure to spur more robot … Continue reading →

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Driverless taxis have arrived

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

In Phoenix. Google offshoot Waymo announced it is launching the nation’s first commercial driverless taxi service in this and other Phoenix suburbs. The 24/7 service, dubbed Waymo One, will let customers summon self-driving minivans by a smartphone app, a la … Continue reading →

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Metro’s autonomous vehicle pilot to start in January

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes, TSU. Last spring, METRO announced a plan to run an autonomous bus along TSU’s Tiger Walk, a shared-use path that cuts across the campus. Now, the transit agency said it will start a pilot program in January. METRO CEO Tom … Continue reading →

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Autonomous cars in Arlington

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants a robot to drive them to a Cowboys game? Arlington visitors and residents will soon be able to request an autonomous vehicle on demand in the city’s entertainment district. The city approved a one-year contract with Silicon Valley-based … Continue reading →

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The autonomous cars/mass transit debate

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Seems to me this should be a “both-and” rather than an “either-or”, but you know how I get. Autonomous vehicles that will outperform buses, cost less than Uber and travel faster than cars stuck in traffic today are two years … Continue reading →

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San Antonio looking at driverless car pilot program

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Driverless cars could be sharing the road with San Antonio motorists in the not-too-distant future. The City is requesting information about a potential autonomous vehicle pilot program that would inform how driverless cars are eventually used and regulated. “As … Continue reading →

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Waymo moves forward on a self-driving car service

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready, because they’re coming. Waymo, the driverless-technology company spun out of Google, has agreed to purchase as many as 62,000 minivans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for use in a ride-hailing service set to begin commercial operations later this year. … Continue reading →

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Who’s gonna clean up that self-driving car?

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a question I hadn’t pondered before. Who will clean self-driving vehicles? I found myself wondering this recently as my son and I tidied the family car after a road trip. We’d been driving for only five hours, but we … Continue reading →

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Self-driving car service coming to North Texas

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Coming to the city of Frisco in July, a public-private venture pairing up with a California-based outfit called Drive.ai, for something that’s a little like shuttle service and a little like mass transit on a small scale. The initial service … Continue reading →

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Metro will pilot automated vehicle shuttle at TSU

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

from the inbox: Texas Southern University students may have another transportation option on campus in the fall semester: an autonomous shuttle. Today, METRO’s Board of Directors gave the nod to the autonomous vehicle (AV) project, a first for the agency.  Although the … Continue reading →

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Downtown of the Future

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s very futuristic. City planners’ ambitious 20-year vision for downtown Houston includes more of everything that has transformed the central business district into a more vibrant destination. More apartments, restaurants and shops. More walkable parks and attractions. More innovative startups … Continue reading →

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Help Metro figure out its Regional Transit Plan

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your chance to get involved and shape the direction of transit in the greater Houston area going forward. What is your vision for transit service in the Greater Houston region? METRO needs your help in creating a bold vision … Continue reading →

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Signings and vetoes

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott does his thing. Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed 50 bills that were passed during the regular legislative session, his office announced Thursday. That’s several more than he vetoed following the last session and the most a governor has … Continue reading →

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Senate passes “driverless car” bill

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is a first. Texas took a step toward self-driving vehicles zipping up and down its highways and streets under a first-of-its-kind measure approved Thursday by the Texas Senate. Approved by a 31-0 vote, Senate Bill 1622 would implement minimum … Continue reading →

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Once again with driverless car legislation

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Third time’s the charm, right? State Rep. Charlie Geren isn’t about to let Texas get left in the dust when driverless vehicles start easing their way into everyday life. Especially since car manufacturers need somewhere to test them and could … Continue reading →

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Ready for driverless cars, Houston?

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well, they’re coming, ready or not. Researchers, business leaders and elected officials are about to turn Texas into the biggest laboratory for connected cars in the nation, with the likeliest place to spot a self-driving car in Houston along the … Continue reading →

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Uber moves driverless car pilot to Arizona

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This happened right before Christmas, so I’m just catching up to it now. The day after California regulators shut down Uber’s self-driving car program in San Francisco, Uber on Thursday packed up its autonomous vehicles and hauled them to Arizona, … Continue reading →

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