Are Cities Falling Behind the Smart-Car Revolution?

To really get the benefits from smart, connected and autonomous vehicles, cities will need to make big changes. But they face big barriers to this evolution.

I spoke to experts from the Smart Cities Council, Smart City Works, and the oneTransport initiative to find out whether cities are up to the challenge.

Smart Cities Are All About Community

Local Disasters and Donor Fatigue

My assignment: find out whether Northern California’s fires, which followed Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, were attracting donations that usually went to local charities. The answer: mostly no, or at least not yet.

Here’s how local orgs keep their donors inspired.

The State of Local Giving

 

 

Consumers and Autonomy: State of the Industry

I just returned from covering the Consumer Telematics Conference in Las Vegas. This conference brings together automakers, suppliers, tech startups and investors. The annual meeting is a good way to take stock of how things have changed.

My biggest takeaway is that connected-car data–rather than autonomous driving–was the most important topic. With self-driving pilots underway and most automakers firm in their autonomous development cycles, the energy is now directed toward making the immense amounts of data generated by connected cars usable.

Winning the Race for Consumer Confidence and Data

 

Should your car insurance company coach your driving?

Automakers, insurers and startups would love to think that, by providing feedback on your driving, you’d get better. You’d have fewer accidents and voila, your rates would go down.

Too bad we’re so self-righteous about our driving abilities. (Studies show that about two thirds of us think we’re better-than-average drivers.)

Do you want a beep to annoy you when you speed? A score at the end of each drive? How about a friendly conversation with a live human?

Read about the different tactics they’re trying to get us to drive smarter.

UBI and driver behaviour: what really works?

AI and Automotive: Where we’re at

In the next 10 years, some form of artificial intelligence will be installed in 100 percent of new cars, according to IHS Markit.

This article describes current use cases for AI as well as the hurdles still to be overcome. One interesting idea from Luca DeAmbroggi of IHS is that there might be some kind of external certification process for an automotive AI — like a driver’s license.

AI: The Next Step in Smart Automotive