autonomous vehicles

Autonomous trucking’s triangle-shaped problem goes to court

Autonomous truck maker Aurora Innovation Inc. is suing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after the agency denied its request for a five-year exemption from the placement of roadside warning devices in favor of cab-mounted warning beacons (CMWBs).

The filing, submitted Friday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, argues that the ruling is unlawful, “because it is arbitrary, capricious, [and] an abuse of discretion and otherwise not in accordance with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/autonomous-truckings-triangle-shaped-problem-goes-to-court

Reverse stock splits: Often a path to oblivion

The reverse stock split, a form of financial engineering that artificially boosts a company’s stock price, often sounds a death knell, especially for startups that exhausted funds in mergers with special purpose acquisition companies.

The widespread carnage of failed advanced technology startups, especially in electrification and autonomy, is remarkable. With a few exceptions, companies opting for a reverse split end up on a path to oblivion.

All hat, no cattle

According to the independent Financia...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/reverse-stock-splits-often-a-path-to-oblivion

Co-founder wants TuSimple liquidated

TuSimple co-founder Xiaodi Hou has started a second autonomous trucking startup. But he is suing his former company, urging that TuSimple be liquidated and $450 million returned to shareholders, of whom he is the largest.

Suits on 3 coasts

In separate filings in courts in San Diego and Delaware, Hou claims his co-founder, Mo Chen, and CEO Cheng Lu are trying to move TuSimple’s $450 million to China. TuSimple moved its business there and has shifted its business from autonomous trucking to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/co-founder-wants-tusimple-liquidated

Third-party validation: Table stakes for driverless trucking

In light of Aurora Innovation’s decision to push out commercial driverless trucking until next spring, it’s worth revisiting how third-party validation is becoming a price of entry for autonomous technology. Much of the public still fears it and would-be users know little about it.

Gatik and Outrider look outside for building confidence

Middle-mile autonomous business-to-business logistics leader Gatik and distribution yard autonomy startup Outrider understand their word about safety may not be...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/third-party-validation-table-stakes-for-driverless-trucking

Are hydrogen combustion engines delayed or DOA?

Guidehouse Insights has published an extensive report on the global prospects for internal combustion engines powered by hydrogen. You can spend $3,950 to buy the full report and its 43 charts tracking markets for H2 ICE. Or, you can read one of the author’s perspectives below.

Hydrogen ICE study: Not that great a solution

Except for some vocational use cases in North America, a forgiving regulatory environment in Europe and a drive for energy independence in India, the idea of using gaseous or...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/are-hydrogen-combustion-engines-delayed-or-doa

Autonomous trucks in the long run

Aurora Innovation is the latest autonomous trucking developer to announce longer routes than hub-to-hub operations in Texas. It helps make the real-world case for long-promised over-the-road driverless trucking that could dramatically reduce the cost of freight shipping.

Aurora said this week it will begin driver-supervised routes from Fort Worth and El Paso, Texas, to Phoenix next year. It plans to go driverless by the end of 2025.

‘Real benefits of AV start to be unlocked’

“This is where you see...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/autonomous-trucks-in-the-long-run

TuSimple plans to settle federal fraud lawsuit for $189M

Autonomous driving technology provider TuSimple on Monday agreed to a $189 million settlement after being accused of defrauding shareholders. According to reports, all defendants denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement.

The case, filed in federal court in San Diego, centers on claims that TuSimple inflated its safety record and failed to disclose that three company insiders were governing a Chinese trucking competitor, Hydron.

According to court documents, the autonomous tech provider...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tusimple-plans-to-settle-federal-fraud-lawsuit-for-189m

J.B. Hunt, Kodiak break 50,000-mile mark on autonomous lane

J.B. Hunt Transport Services said Wednesday it has surpassed an autonomous trucking milestone, completing more than 50,000 miles using Kodiak Robotics’ driverless trucks. The two companies teamed up with Bridgestone to move car tires between South Carolina and Dallas.

J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT) uses its own equipment to move the tires from a Bridgestone (JPX: 5108.T) plant in Graniteville, South Carolina, to a Kodiak hub near Atlanta. Using two-person safety driver teams, the Kodiak trucks...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/j-b-hunt-kodiak-break-50000-mile-mark-on-autonomous-lane

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