In this episode of PAVECast, we interview Anita Kim, Director of Government Affairs and Policy at TORC Robotics. Anita gives listeners insight into TORC's recent activities, including a road tour that engaged first responders throughout Texas. She highlights the importance of collaborating with first responders and other ways they're preparing stakeholders for the future of autonomous trucking.

Learn more about Torc at https://torc.ai/, and read more about their Texas Road Tour here.

With every new deployment of autonomous vehicles, new obstacles and learnings emerge. For those who develop the AV drivers, for operators, and for insurers, assessing and pricing the associated risk remains a challenge.

In this episode of the PAVECast, we’ll dig into this and hear from multiple perspectives: from an AV developer on ensuring transparency of risk; from an AV operator on assessing risk from multiple AV developers; from an insurer on understanding  the risk of an AV deployment request. Finally, an insurtech expert will outline how they quantify AV deployment risk to ensure evidence-based and consistent assessments.

Lukas Neckermann  is joined by Rebecca Marsden of OXA, Stefano Lassa of SCOR, Hans Fridberg of Holo and Alex Gerodimos of Simulytic.

Earlier this year, UK-based Oxa teamed up with Beep to deploy autonomous passenger shuttles in Jacksonville, Florida. The project was carried out in partnership with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Florida State College at Jacksonville as part of a larger program to enhance local public transit options. Following their first successful deployment, Oxa and Beep launched a second deployment at Lake Nona, a development in Orlando led by Tavistock Development Company.

In this episode of the PAVECast, we talk with the CEOs of Oxa and Beep, along with special guest Juan Santos of Tavistock. We discuss the Oxa Driver software, the company’s partnership with Beep, and how their deployments are helping expand public transportation in Jacksonville and beyond.

To date, most autonomous vehicle testing has been conducted in urban areas, making it difficult to address the safety concerns of rural driving. But a joint effort between DriveOhio, TRC, and Youngstown State University is working to change that. The team is working to demonstrate how connected and automated vehicles could improve safety for drivers, passengers, and other travelers in rural settings. Join us to hear how they’re harnessing big data to examine roadway safety, how their findings can be used to reduce fatalities, and what the future of AVs looks like in rural areas.

Guests include Andrew Wallace of DriveOhio, Dr. Jay Kerns of YSU, and Dr. Punit Tulpule of TRC. They are joined by YSU graduate students Christoffer Splain, Vince Hepola, Christopher Bluhm, Felix Kina, and Emmanuel Asamanyuah, as well as undergraduate students Tyler Wood, Anthony Micco, and Nick Winsen.

CCAM (Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility) is not just about self-driving cars but has many public and shared transport applications as well. However, automated or semi-automated driving presents challenges to several groups of passengers, especially in scenarios where no driver is present. This PAVECast will explore existing public transport services in Europe using CCAM-enabled vehicles: What were the successful use cases? What barriers were encountered with respect to accessibility, in particular with potentially vulnerable groups? How were staff deployed (safety driver, on-board assistant or remote operator) and why? 

Guests will include experts from the SINFONICA project, which is creating strategies, methods, and tools to engage CCAM users, providers, and other stakeholders develop public and shared transport services using CCAM that are inclusive and equitable for all citizens. Invited guests from outside the SINFONICA project will also give their perspectives in a discussion session.

Along a 39-mile stretch of Michigan’s I-94, MDOT and Cavnue are developing the world’s first Connected & Automated Vehicle (CAV) corridor. Nicknamed the “world’s most sophisticated roadway,” the project was launched in 2020 to maximize the benefits of automated vehicles by outfitting existing infrastructure with smart road technology.

In recognition of Digital Infrastructure Week, tune in to this special episode featuring stakeholders from the I-94 corridor. We’ll discuss the project's goals, lessons learned, and future outlook. We'll also examine how initiatives like this can inspire other digital infrastructure enhancements nationwide.

Guests include:
Simon Stachnik, Vice President of Project Delivery at Cavnue
Elise Feldpausch, Connected Vehicle Technical Specialist at MDOT

In this episode of the PAVECast, we interview Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Tune in to hear President Riccobono's insights on the history of NFB, the advocacy work they do for blind individuals, and how autonomous vehicles can help create more accessible mobility options. 

President Riccobono also shares the origins of the Blind Driver Challenge, a project initiated by NFB in 2004 to explore the possibility of creating technology that would allow blind individuals to drive independently. We discuss the evolution from blind drivers to driverless cars, and the importance of including blind individuals in the development and testing of AV technology to ensure authenticity and effectiveness.
 
Learn more about the NFB: https://nfb.org/

Autonomous Vehicles are increasingly benefiting from artificial intelligence (AI) for AI-driven perception, situational awareness, and decision-making components.

Nevertheless, AI may demonstrate unfairness, bias, and sensitivity to unexpected inputs. Developing transparent and reliable AI stands as the next imperative in technology evolution, encompassing crucial attributes like robustness, privacy, explainability, accountability, and ethics.

Join us for a stimulating discussion on autonomous mobility and AI where we discuss building trust beyond the hype. We'll delve into the heart of the technological revolution reshaping transportation as we explore the intersection of autonomous mobility and artificial intelligence.

Guests Include:
Margriet van Schijndel – de Nooij,  Eindhoven University of Technology
Bernhard Lambernd, PwC

Join us for a conversation with Jessica Johnston, Senior Director at the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Tune in for insights on aging, independence, equity, and NCOA's role in supporting older adults through these changes. We also discuss how AV technology and advancements in transportation could positively impact the lives of older adults.

Learn more about NCOA: https://www.ncoa.org/

Across the globe, there has been a push toward electric vehicles, and for good reason: EVs are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than their internal combustion engine counterparts. In recognition of Earth Month, this PAVECast explores how electrification can help automated vehicles create a more sustainable transportation system.

Guests include:
Avery Ash, Executive Director, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility
Spencer Reeder, Director of Governmental Affairs and Sustainability, Audi of America
Hilary Cain, Senior Vice President of Policy, Alliance for Automotive Innovation