Driverless Tucker Ellis LLP

Any vehicle. Any time. Any environment. Universal autonomy is Oxbotica’s goal. On this episode of Driverless, Zach Adams and Tod Northman speak with Oxbotica’s Carolyn Coates, head of in-house legal for the UK-based autonomous driving software company. Founded in 2014 by Oxford professors, Oxbotica builds software for real-world application by drawing on principles of physics, robotics, maths, and artificial intelligence. Carolyn explains how she helps Oxbotica navigate the regulatory and legal framework of autonomous vehicles and describes some of Oxbotica’s current initiatives.

Proponents of autonomous vehicles tout myriad possible benefits, ranging from dramatically increased safety to increased mobility for people who are currently unable to drive. However, autonomous vehicles will not come without tradeoffs. Cleveland State University Professor Robert A. Simons, Tucker Ellis associate Jeffry Carr, and Tod Northman, a transactional lawyer at Tucker Ellis, discuss ethical challenges that AVs will raise as the technology improves, in the first of a two-part discussion.

Calling itself the “world’s first post-car real estate developer,” and armed with venture capital cash from the Silicon Valley, Culdesac has teamed with an experienced Phoenix metropolitan area real estate developer to launch the first car-less residential project in the United States. Based on urban planning principles derived from European cities such as Brussels, where cars are de-emphasized, Culdesac is “building spaces for the post-car era.” Culdesac Tempe’s residents “will be able to live life from their doorsteps, rather than seeing it through their windshields.” Host Zach Adams analyzes the planned community with Robert Simons, Professor in the Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and Tod Northman, a business lawyer at Tucker Ellis; they explore how the project fits within the trends of autonomous vehicles and micro mobility.

Driverless vehicles will reshape urban development. Robert A. Simons, Professor at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, delves into the myriad factors, such as drivers foregoing ownership of vehicles to use shared vehicles and reduced travel times, that will change parking and land use in America's urban core. Professor Simons' book, which covers both technical and behavioral issues arising from autonomous vehicles, is scheduled to be released in spring 2020. He shares some of the salient lessons from his research.

Autonomous vehicle developers, such as GM and Waymo, have submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that encourage the agency to establish new guidelines for autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel and gas/brake pedals. NHTSA asked automotive manufacturers and other autonomous vehicle technology companies to submit comments regarding changing regulations to include specific framework for AVs. Several commenters encouraged new rules for vehicles without a traditional steering wheel or brake and gas pedals in their comments. Host Zach Adams, litigator Jon Feczko and transactional lawyer Tod Northman discuss whether the absence of federal government regulation is delaying development. Jon and Zach suggest that we wait for public support for AV increases; Tod believes that NHTSA’s continuing current work to promulgate regulation is critical.

25 – Sustainable and Affordable Mobility and Power for All
Host Zach Adams digs into global mobility with Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird, the founder of Afreecar LLC, which aims to provide solar-powered vehicles to African villages. Dr. Borroni-Bird’s particular interest is the fusion of technology and design, producing for example a “skateboard” vehicle. This far-ranging discussion covers the future of mobility. Before founding Afreecar, Dr. Borroni-Bird has worked at Waymo as Chief Engineer, Future Programs, and had a half-time appointment at MIT Media Lab, with a focus on the development and commercialization of a solar-powered mobility hub that could be applied to all communities around the world, ranging from sub-Saharan African villages to affluent megacities. Before that, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Qualcomm's VP of Strategic Development, where he focused on reshaping transportation around the convergence of wireless power and wireless communications. He also served as GM’s Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts and EN-V Program (Electric Networked-Vehicle, left). He was named one of Automotive News’ Electrifying 100 in 2011. Before the EN-V, he led GM’s Autonomy, Hy-wire and Sequel “skateboard” concepts. Before joining GM, he led Chrysler’s gasoline fuel cell vehicle development and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame as a Young Leader in 2000.

Further Reading

https://afreecar.org/about/

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sae/18AUTP01/index.php#/28

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/05/23/the-father-of-the-skateboard-chassis-dr-chris-borroni-bird/#2bc6d9c07b30

https://www.drivesweden.net/sites/default/files/content/resource/files/afreecar_-_chris_borroni-bird__0.pdf

Show Notes

1:00 - Chris’s unexpected path to Autonomous Vehicles.
3:30 - GM Autonomy, Design in Technology-Fusion, and Chris’s vision for the intersection of technology and design.
6:21 - The potential functional and safety benefits of electric skateboard-type vehicles.
9:15 - Crashworthiness of electric vehicles.
10:47 - Chris’s time at QUALCOMM and the promise of V2X communications.
15:51 - The costs and benefits to manufacturers for deploying and subsidizing V2X technology.
18:21 - Chris’s time at Waymo.
20:01 - The birth of Afreecar.
24:11 - The “solar kit,” its flexibility and its potential applications.
29:31 - Realizing Afreecar’s altruistic mission.