It was 1965 and my sister told my family a joke. She said, “Recently a group of people boarded an airplane. After being seated an announcement came over the loud speaker. ‘This is a recording. You are being transported on the first ever automated airplane. There is no pilot. All flight systems are computer controlled from takeoff to landing. All aspects have been checked and rechecked many times. Nothing can go wrong (tick) nothing can go wrong (tick) nothing can go wrong (tick)…’”
If you do not understand the punch line, talk to someone over the age of 50.
You are not expected to laugh, given recent events. Those two Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft were operating in autonomous mode, which according to news reports, could not be defeated. These incidents killed many people and will have a devastating effect on Boeing and its employees.
There will be many lessons upcoming for those advocating for autonomous personal vehicles and trucks, if they care to listen.
Here are some recent news items that caught my eye.
News item: “All new cars sold in the UK and Europe are to be fitted with devices to automatically stop drivers exceeding the speed limit under sweeping changes to vehicle safety rules that the EU has provisionally agreed.” (The Guardian)
News item: “The electric vehicle maker’s $7,500 tax credit began winding down under current legislation as Tesla exceeded the 200,000 limit cap in 2018. By year-end 2019 the tax credit will expire completely. If passed, the proposed legislation, the “Driving America Forward Act,” would extend the vehicle cap to 600,000 at a rate of $7,000.” (businessinsider.com)
News item: “U.S. sales of the Tesla Model 3 plunged 74% in January compared with December, according to a consumer website, lending credence to rumors that sales of the vehicle have fallen off a cliff. The California-based carmaker sold 6,500 Model 3s in the U.S. in January, compared with 25,250 the month before and 1,875 in January 2018, according to InsideEVs.” (Los Angeles Times)
News item: “Tesla has started deliveries of the long-promised Model 3 for $35,000 to a happy few customers, but the delivery of the promised vehicle is expected to be short lived. After Tesla announced that it is moving away from the promised base version of Model 3 at $35,000 last week, the automaker confirmed that it would start deliveries this weekend with a software-locked version of the Model 3 Standard Range Plus.” (electrek.co)
News item: Referring to the Tesla Model 3. “The available driving range starts at 240 miles for the base Standard Range Plus Battery ($40,700) model to 325 for the rear-wheel drive Long Range Battery model ($50,700).” (Car and Driver)
News item: “The average household income of a Tesla Model S owner is … $153,313.” (hedgescompany.com)
I would love to comment on these news items, but I am sure you get the point without any further help from me.
Alan Horowitz, Whitefish Bay, April 18, 2019