Industry Reacts To Elon Musk’s Robotaxi Reveal
Industry lukewarm about announcement, Apple cancels autonomous vehicle program altogether
In a much-anticipated announcement, Tesla TSLA 0.00%↑ honcho Elon Musk last week rolled out two autonomous vehicle models, the Robovan and the Cybercab. At the Los Angeles launch, Musk said the fully autonomous Cybercab would cost less than $30,000 and be available by 2026.
In addition, his Robovan autonomous bus, which is capable of transporting as many as 20 people, drew the ire of at least one major industry publication, calling it anti-public transportation.
Not just those in the media thought the announcement was a bust. “I feel like most people--it was pretty much a flop. And it's almost impossible to think he can do it without lidar and probably radar,” said Paul Drysch, PreAct co-founder and CEO, which manufacturers lidar for not only automotive markets, but industrial and other uses.
Richard Bishop, principal at Bishop Consulting and Forbes.com contributor, believes Musk’s announcement was a disappointment and his timelines are unrealistic.
“Elon blew us off. This had the feel of an aspirational initiative, nothing more,” he said. “Clearly the business approach has not been thought through, or there would have been more details. He provided no confidence for anyone wanting to be a customer or buyer of what he aspirationally says he is building. Sure, the vehicle can be built and sold, being operated somewhere in the world where regulations are workable. But for this to be a game-changer for Tesla in any reasonable timeframe is not in the cards.”
In a move just days after the Musk announcement, Apple AAPL 0.00%↑ officially ended its quest to build its own autonomous vehicle. In a macReports article, California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed that the company requested cancellation of its self-driving test permit in late September.
Apple, which earlier abandoned its electric vehicle project, spent $1 billion annually to support its car projects.
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Maps Pioneer MapQuest Is Back With Private Mapping App
For the first time in years, MapQuest has publicly released a new product, Private Maps, which the company says is a mapping app that protects a user’s personal data. Private Maps, which is available for download on Android devices, keeps routes private with no tracking, no sharing of data or ads, the company said.
Features include an Anonymous Mode, which allows a user’s search history to stay on a device and automatically clears when the app closes or on demand. In addition, the app offers a Private Favorites option that lets a user save where they frequent—and is only saved on their device, the company said.
MapQuest, which says the analytical data it uses is collected anonymously, said it is working with Startpage, a private search engine, and HERE Technologies map content on the app.
“Collaborating with Startpage helped us better understand how to create top-tier privacy protections for people who want directions without jeopardizing their online privacy,” said John Chipouras, MapQuest general manager, in a statement.
If anyone wants to know what happened to MapQuest, which was one of the first internet mapping companies, a good reference is James Killick’s recent column, 12 Map Happenings that Rocked our World: Part 10. “Somewhat surprisingly, [MapQuest] still exists. It is now owned by System1 SST 0.00%↑, an internet advertising company. All of MapQuest’s IP and mapping know how has been pretty much discarded. It now seems to rely mostly on technology from Mapbox,” he said.
The company, which says it still is used by millions each month, also operates RoadWarrior, a subscription route planning app that leverages a proprietary algorithm to guide delivery drivers on multi-stop itineraries. MapQuest said its users now have more intuitive navigation because of major product, team and tech investments that include enhanced search capabilities and mapping data.
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TomTom Lowers Sales Expectations
Weighed down by decreasing revenue in both automotive and consumer markets, TomTom [TOM2] said its annual sales expectations will be in the lower range of its financial guidance at $536 to $569 million. In July, the company suspended its 2025 financial targets and 2024 revenue expectations because of a slowdown in worldwide auto demand.
“While the automotive industry continues to face headwinds affecting both 2024 revenue and backlog developments, revenues from our Enterprise business have increased. Since the commercial launch of TomTom Orbis Maps with global coverage, we have seen growing momentum in our Enterprise business,” said TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn.
In the third quarter, TomTom's revenue fell to 140.7 million euros, which missed analysts' goals of 142 million euros. The company’s loss was 4.1 million euros—down from 8.7 million euros last year.
Some company highlights during the quarter include strengthening its partnership with NextBillion.ai and collaborations with GfK, Standard & Poor Global Mobility and IVECO. TomTom also launched a premium Geocoding API tailored to improving last-mile logistics and enhancing customer satisfaction.
In addition, during a meeting with analysts, Goddijn said that trade tensions between China and the West aren’t helping the location market. The Biden administration has not only placed a 100 percent hike on electric vehicles, but has locked in steep hikes on Chinese imported goods. The European Union has followed suit, raising tariff rates with China.
Other Location News
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Top News:
😦 GPS Jamming Is Screwing With Norwegian Planes. “So much jamming is taking place in northeastern Norway, regulators no longer want to know.”
😐 GPS Shows Some Lebanese Citizens in Jordan, Likely Result of Combat-Related 'Spoofing': Experts. “Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran have reasons to confuse GPS-guided weapons used by their adversaries in the region and any of them could be behind these incidents,” one expert told Breaking Defense.”
🛰 ESA Launches Moonlight Program To Build Lunar Comms and GPS Constellation. “The European Space Agency (ESA) has officially launched its Moonlight program, aimed at supporting precise landings, surface operations, and seamless communication between Earth and the Moon.
🙁 Blue Origin Delays Debut Launch of 2nd Human-Rated New Shepard Rocket Due to GPS Glitch.
📌 AT&T Votes for LTE-M to Track Ballot Boxes, Medical Assets and More. “AT&T T 0.00%↑ plans to use LTE Machine Type Communication (LTE-M), as well as other 4G technologies, for many IoT asset tracking tasks. U.S. ballot boxes will use the technology because it offers chain of custody and location tracking.”
🏬 Walmart Makes $1.2 Billion Investment Giving Shoppers 'Geo-Fencing' and 'Wish Lists' To Buy Their Favorite Items. “The tech, now implemented at all of the chain's over 4,600 U.S. stores, helps let Walmart WMT 0.00%↑ stores know when customers arrive at the parking lot to get an online pickup order.”
⚡ GMV GSharp Leads Globally in Precise GNSS Corrections. “Since an update in late August, GMV GSharp has consistently delivered the most precise GPS and Galileo corrections in real time, outperforming all other contributors to the International GNSS Service.”
🤔 How Samsara Targeted Non-Vehicle Market With New 'Asset Tag' Devices. “Samsara IOT 0.00%↑ continues to see notable momentum across its growing suite of non-vehicle-based offerings like asset tags, equipment monitoring, site visibility, connected workflows, and training. With many customers allocating eight-figures-plus annually toward missing and stolen assets, we believe asset tags provide another opportunity for Samsara to deliver substantial tangible value to customers."
Maps:
😮 Google's Partnership With Spothero Brings Parking Reservations to Maps and Search. “SpotHero, a parking startup that lets drivers reserve nearby parking spaces, announced on Tuesday that it has teamed up with Google to integrate its offering into Google Maps and Google Search, allowing users in the U.S. and Canada to reserve parking spots at over 8,000 locations.” And…Google Maps Gets a Feature Apple Maps Has Had For One Year. “Google GOOG 0.00%↑ and SpotHero announced a partnership that will bring parking search and reservation options directly into Google Maps and Search, allowing drivers to do everything without leaving the app.”
🏅 Google Maps Is the Number One Driving App, and Waze Is Not Even Among the Top 10. “Google Maps dominates the rankings without any other navigation app even making the top 10.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🚗 Uber Eyes Cybercab Partnership as Autonomous Vehicle Market Stalls. “Following the Cybercab’s lackluster unveiling last week, Uber UBER 0.00%↑ CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he’d like to partner with Tesla in the robotaxi game. Khosrowshahi said he’d like to get Tesla’s upcoming robotaxis onto the Uber platform, per The Financial Times, as an addition to Uber’s existing partnership with Waymo.
👍 10 Million and Counting: Software Updates Delivered to the BMW Group Vehicle Fleet Reach a New Milestone. “The number of BMW Remote Software Upgrades successfully installed by the BMW Group passed the 10 million mark at the end of September. These upgrades are transmitted over the air to the vehicles and then launched by the customer.”
🚘 Airtel Business Partners With Kia for Next-Gen Connected-Car Platform. “Under the partnership, Kia will use Airtel Business’ IoT Hub solution that offers customized IoT solutions across 5G, 4G, NB-IoT, 2G and satellite networks. The IoT Hub also features advanced analytics and real-time insights from data collected from connected devices.”
😮 BlackBerry QNX Software Embedded in 255 Million Vehicles.
Financial:
💲 OroraTech Heats Up with $27.2 Million Series B. “OroraTech, the Munich-based wildfire intelligence startup, closed a $27.2M Series B funding round yesterday.
✔ Ericsson Reports Third Quarter Results 2024.
🤨 Ken Peterman, Former CEO of Comtech, Endorses Michael Porcelain's Full Slate of Director Nominees. “Ken Peterman, former CEO and Chairman of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. CMTL 0.00%↑ has publicly endorsed current boss Michael Porcelain's full slate of director nominees for the company's 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Peterman is the third former CEO calling for a complete board overhaul to restore stockholder value.”
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Panasonic Logiscend Demonstrates IIoT and Asset Tracking Solutions at IoT Expo
At IoT Expo, Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Company of America demonstrated its Logiscend system with tracking technologies, IIoT devices and RFID for material flow and asset tracking. Logiscend integrates into existing systems, providing real-time tracking and data insights, the company said.
Building on a successful collaboration with a leading automotive manufacturer based in the southeastern United States, Logiscend demonstrated how the integration of IIoT and tracking technologies can streamline production processes, minimize errors, and enhance overall operational efficiency, the company said.
Contact: Betsy Sagges, betsy.sagges@us.panasonic.com, na.panasonic.com/us.
Fleetio Partners with Razor Tracking for Vehicle and Asset Management
Fleetio has been with Razor Tracking, a fleet telematics software company, to enhance. The company says the partnership will feature Razor Tracking's ability to automatically sync telematics data from agricultural equipment to heavy machinery with Fleetio. Some its customers include John Deere, Case IH and New Holland.
Contact: Clark Maxwell, Fleetio, cmaxwell@fleetio.com, www.fleetio.com.
Azuga Unveils Equipment Tracking System
Azuga has launched of its Equipment Tracking system for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Azuga Equipment Tracking features ease of installation and advanced tracking technology, the company said. Other features include motion detection and low battery to ensure oversight of equipment status and location, the company said.
Contact: Tami Strand, Azuga, tamistrand@azuga.com, (858) 997-1234.
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Garmin Launches Integrated Flight Deck
Garmin GRMN 0.00%↑ has introduced G3000 PRIME integrated flight deck yet that features all-touchscreen displays and an open system architecture. Now FAA TSO certified, G3000 PRIME is marketed to Part 23 turbine, military and advanced air mobility (AAM) markets, the company said.
G3000 PRIME features a 14-inch touchscreen primary display units (PDU) with edge-to-edge, sunlight-readable, fingerprint-resistant glass, the company said. In addition, taxiway routing has been improved to provide automated route guidance on the 2D navigational maps and 3D Synthetic Vision Technology, the company said.
Contact: Mikayla Minnick, Garmin, (913) 397-8200, media.relations@garmin.com, www.garmin.com.
Petnow Rolls Out Pet Tracking App
Petnow launched its pet tracking app at CEATEC 2024 in Japan this week. The Petnow app allows users to identify their dogs and cats by recognizing unique biometric patterns, such as a dog's nose print or a cat's facial features, the company said.
The app also features a location-based service that helps owners track and reunite with lost pets, the company said. Its technology is centered on the identification of pets using biometric patterns, the company said.
Contact: Petnow, www.petnow.io.
People
Intelligent transportation systems pioneer Harry Vocolla, 84, passed away on Oct. 7, 2004. Vocolla led Navigation Technologies’ (now HERE Technologies) efforts to develop the first in-vehicle navigation platform. This technology was adopted for most navigation systems worldwide and in today’s smartphones.
Harry Vocolla (Legacy.com). Harry conceptualized, served as one of the founding members, and later the chairman of ITS America. “As a widely respected leader and advocate in the industry, ITS America extends our deep gratitude for Harry’s work as a founding member of ITS America, past chairman on the ITS America Board of Directors, and board for the ITS World Congress. Harry led the way to a brighter future of transportation for all through his generous efforts in the industry, and we are certain his triumphs will carry on far into the future,” the association said in a LinkedIn post.
MapLibre has announced that its first coordinator, Oliver Wipfli, is stepping down this month. Meena Chandrasekar and Ramya Ragupathy will take over the coordenator’s responsibilities, the company said.
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