New Push on Autonomous Vehicles

As I got set to write this post on Sunday night, I saw a tweet recommending that I go to bed early and get plenty of rest so I can wake up early and do my part in what may be the least productive week at least in American history, if not the world’s.

Maybe we’ll get lucky, and the contours of the results from the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday will be clear enough, quickly enough, that we’ll be able to focus on normal activities and not be distracted by legal fights and protests, but I’m not counting on it. My younger daughter, in her third year of law school in DC, got an email from the administration over the weekend recommending that she stock up on food, medicines and any other essential supplies as though she were going to be snowed in for a week. That feels about right.

So, I’ll just lob in one, quick thought and hope I get to you before we all disappear into Twitter and cable news for however long it takes. The thought is this: While autonomous vehicles have faded from the discussion since an Uber killed pedestrian Elaine Herzberg in March 2018, I think AVs are being positioned for a resurgence... continue reading >