Summary Draft 2 & Reader Response Draft 1: Electric Truck Pods

The article “Drone Truck startup Einride unveils new driverless vehicles for autonomous freight hauling”, written by Hawkins (2020), introduces the features and uses of the Autonomous Electric Transport (AET) — a fleet of vehicles aimed to transport cargo autonomously. The AET's design features a polished, white driverless pod with seamless lines while having different components from a typical automobile. It consists of an electric drivetrain, autonomous drive sensors and proprietary telematics hardware that interfaces with the freight mobility platform. These features can be customised based on the consumer’s needs and operational demands. According to Hawkins (2020), the vehicles come in four different versions with similar weight and payload capacity; however, AET 3 and 4 can achieve a higher maximum speed when compared to AET 1 and 2. Additionally, the four variants were designed to operate in different conditions independently. AET 1 was designed to operate inside a set region, whereas AET 2 employs teleoperation to travel outside of the predefined area. Meanwhile, AET 3 was intended to operate under rural conditions, and AET 4 was geared to run on highways. The ground-breaking technology that AETs present have the potential to be a sustainable solution to transport. Autonomous vehicles (AV) can be used to reduce transportation costs and air pollution, though compromising the livelihoods of millions of drivers.

AETs can reduce transportation costs by altering the cost structure and use of trucking and by extension, cost of consumer goods. According to Chottani, Hastings, Murnane & Neuhaus (2018), 65% of all consumable items in the United States are transported by truck. With complete autonomy, operating expenses would drop by approximately 45 percent, thereby saving the country’s trucking sector between $85 billion and $125 billion. For example, companies can reduce transportation costs by decreasing the human involvement in driving. This involves labour expenditures associated with night-time travelling and/or long-distance travelling. Other expenditures associated with human drivers, such as insurance and accident coverage, will also be avoided. For instance, AVs that are level 3 autonomy and above are designed to have high control under certain traffic conditions. This gives the drivers sufficient rest time, and to only resume control when necessary. Since majority of road accidents are caused by human errors, this system reduces the risks involved, thereby decreasing the costs associated with transport.

Another benefit to AVs is their ability to reduce air pollution by having an increased fuel efficiency. For example, human operated vehicles would often brake, accelerate, and be driven at different speeds. Notably, when vehicles accelerate from their stationary points, they would emit hazardous air pollutants due to the energy demand. This includes nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases. In comparison, autonomous vehicles are programmed to operate at speeds whereby the levels of fuel consumption are the lowest. Additionally, they also do not require petroleum-based fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. AVs can adjust their routes to avoid delays and traffic congestions enabling smooth driving that decreases the need for acceleration and minimises the emissions of such gases.

AVs can potentially disrupt the livelihoods of millions of drivers. It was reported that 4 million jobs could be lost due to AVs, impacting the lives of middle-class workers without a bachelor’s degree. However, as the development of AVs progresses, it is predicted that this transition will create more jobs instead. The type jobs include teleoperators, remote assistance drivers and tele-assistants. When AVs are eventually in mass production, these jobs will become increasingly critical to supplement them. As of now, it is too early to reach a stance on whether AVs create a net positive or a net loss on employment.

Despite the many benefits of AVs, it has its drawbacks. Researchers claim that AVs will not be to make a humane decision in times of an accident. The artificial intelligence is only useful for learning the shapes and sizes of objects on the road and interpret what they might be if the image in unclear. The technology has yet to develop the ability to solve ethical dilemmas, such as the classic trolley problem. The dilemma is a situation where an individual is placed in a scenario, and he would need to decide whether to steer a trolley toward one person to save a larger group of people. Hence, until we can resolve this issue, users will not be able to fully trust and utilise AVs.

In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence to prove the benefits of AVs in terms of reducing transportation costs and air pollution. However, the implementation of AVs must be carefully executed, due to the drawbacks mentioned above. Ultimately, the technology has the potential to present the world with a more sustainable way to move around.

 

References

Chottani, A., Hastings, G., Murnane, J., & Neuhaus, F. (2018, December 10). Autonomous trucks disrupt US logistics | McKinsey. Www.mckinsey.com. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/distraction-or-disruption-autonomous-trucks-gain-ground-in-us-logistics

Coppola, G. (2021, August 10). Bloomberg - Are you a robot? Www.bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-08-10/driverless-cars-are-proving-to-be-job-creators-at-least-so-far

Hawkins, A. J. (2020, October 8). Drone truck startup Einride unveils new driverless vehicles for autonomous freight hauling. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/8/21506125/einride-self-driving-truck-pod-aet-reveal

Igliński, H., & Babiak, M. (2017). Analysis of the Potential of Autonomous Vehicles in Reducing the Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in Road Transport. Procedia Engineering, 192, 353–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.061

Robinson, A. (n.d.). 5 Impacts of Autonomous Freight Trucking on Supply Chains - Supply Chain 24/7. Www.supplychain247.com. https://www.supplychain247.com/article/5_impacts_of_autonomous_freight_trucking_on_supply_chains/autonomous_vehicles

Wodecki, B. (2021, October 20). Human Error Causes 99% of Autonomous Vehicle Accidents: Study. IoT World Today. https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2021/10/20/blame-the-humans-idtechex-finds-99-percent-of-autonomous-vehicle-accidents-caused-by-human-error/