Category Archives: cars

autonomous cars, cars, cities, urban planning

Why Do Many Self-Driving Cars Look Like Toasters on Wheels?

As progress slows toward putting self-driving cars on the road, it’s looking like the vehicles may first be put to use schlepping things rather than people. Packages, after all, don’t complain when the robot takes the longer way around because it’s uncomfortable making left turns across traffic. The nice thing is that both people and packages can comfortably fit into cubes. Zoox, despite its new Amazonian overlords, insists that it’s still focused on robotaxis, though Levinson says “a lot of things are possible with our platform.”

https://www-wired-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wired.com/story/self-driving-cars-look-toasters-wheels/amp

cars, cities, climate change, sustainability, urban planning

How the pandemic changed sustainability goals for Uber and Lyft

The ride-hailing companies have for years touted their services as alternatives to car ownership that could help reduce traffic, car accidents, and emissions. But as the popularity of the services grew, the companies instead worsened congestion in many cities, in some cases accounting for more than 13% of vehicle miles traveled, according to a 2018 study commissioned by the companies. With a large majority of drivers using gas-powered cars, more vehicle miles traveled means more greenhouse gas emissions.  

https://fortune.com/2021/06/22/uber-lyft-sustainability-covid-pandemic/