Tag Archives: transport

Tesla Semi Truck Chaning the Transportation Industry and the World

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Back in 2017, Tesla Semi Truck was presented by the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk as an innovation in the transportation industry. Again sticking to the idea of a sustainable future, the company had an idea to create a semi-truck that would be eco-friendly and simultaneously outweigh the performance of usual combustion engine-based lorries in every possible way. For example, it was stated that the vehicle would be capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in mere 20 seconds with a full load, which is claimed to be 37 tons! Though, 5 years passed before one of the first such lorries would be released on the market. Recently, tesla has presented ready trucks labeled with Pepsi-Cola logos.

Tesla Live. Tesla Motors official Twitter page.

Yet, the data regarding the credibility of Tesla’s previous claims was not provided. However, if they turn out to be true or at least 50% true, the product could revolutionize the transportation network. Although the cost that a company would have to bear in order to purchase one of these is unknown, the fact that the vehicle is electric most likely provides a possibility for an immense economy in terms of fuel expenses for logistics businesses, especially considering the ones like FedEx or UPS. Just to compare, the average fuel consumption of a semi-truck in 2022 as found by research at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions is around 30 to 40 liters of diesel. “According to the Spanish observatory of road freight transport costs report published in October 2019 by the Ministerio de Fomento, an articulated vehicle with a payload of 25,000 kg that travels around 120,000 km annually will have a fuel expenditure of more than 40,700 euros” (Bridgestone Mobility Solutions B.V., n.d.). Meaning that in just a year of the vehicle’s exploitation the costs for its fuel would come close if not overcome a third of the vehicle’s own monetary worth. That’s why an electric Semi Truck would shift the whole industry. The expenses connected to fuel would diminish by thousands of euros and the potential losses that would be connected to slower recharge times would be equalized by the fact the vehicle is moving simply faster. Even if the vehicle costs more in the beginning, considering the long-term perspective it would be cheaper for companies to use them.

Another important factor to look at is that the ownership of a such vehicle by a company would promote the company itself, and would also contribute positively to its Corporate Social responsibility. Moreover, the environmental impact would decrease with time. Sounds like a perfect solution to many problems at a time:

  • The companies are interested in these semis because it is financially beneficial for them.
  • The human race overall is interested in decreasing the negative influence we put on nature.
  • The economies are interested in quicker and cheaper transportation.

Just by the provision of a single new product, a revolution in an industry might make a shift in the whole world’s operation. Nonetheless, as it often happens, the beautiful picture portrayed on the internet and on TV may not be so true. The fact stays that the majority of electricity that is produced in the world still comes from coal. In other words, if we would transfer to electric trucks the majority of energy used by them would still come from a source that destroys the climate. Moreover, another threat that electric trucks can bring to play is the massive batteries that have to be carried in order to overcome more than 800 km on a single charge. The way in which batteries are produced is not fully eco-friendly and the largest issue with them is recycling when their lifetime passes. There yet was not invented a sustainable way to do that.

In conclusion, the Tesla Semi Trucks seem like an innovative product that should set a new trend in the logistics sector. With time, it might stimulate other car manufacturers to develop an electric semi truck of their own, thus spurring the growth and competition in the space, that in turn could lead to a reduction in prices for such transport. Furthermore, with the global transition to renewable sources of energy, the vehicles would not only preserve millions of dollars for corporations but would also save millions of lives suffering from global warming.

Share your thoughts on Tesla Semis and its impact on the environment and the economy below! I will be happy to hear different ideas 😀

References:

Average and Median MPG For All Types of Pickup Trucks. (2022, August 22). GizmoDriver. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from https://gizmodriver.com/average-and-median-mpg-for-all-types-of-pickup-trucks/

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Amazon has obliged drivers in the US to agree to collect data from cameras in vans – otherwise, they will not be able to deliver packages

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The company installed the cameras in February 2021, explaining that they were needed for safety.

Drivers of Amazon’s delivery service in the US must now sign a “biometric consent” form in order to continue working for the company [1], The Verge writes on March 24.

It involves agreeing to collect data from cameras installed in delivery vans. Drivers must agree to the use of “certain technology, including cameras” as a “condition of delivering packages for Amazon,” [2] according to Vice.

The drivers in question are those who rent Amazon vans under the Partner Service Delivery programme. According to Vice, about 75,000 drivers could be affected.

What kind of data the company will collect depends on what kind of equipment is installed in the vans, The Verge suggests. But the agreement implies a wide range of data to be collected. This includes cameras using facial recognition to confirm driver identity and connect to an account, according to Vice.

Among those collected, for example, is data on the van’s movement, including speed, acceleration, braking, turns and distance travelled, “potential traffic offences” such as speeding or unbuckling a seatbelt. As well as “potentially dangerous driving behaviour” – when the driver is distracted from the road or falling asleep.

The company says it installs the cameras for “safety” and “to improve delivery”. But some drivers have already refused to sign the agreement.

  • Amazon installed [3] artificial intelligence cameras in vans rented by drivers participating in the Partner Service Delivery programme in February. They have built-in software that can detect 16 different safety issues, including if drivers are distracted, speeding, braking sharply and more.
  • In early March, senators from five US states wrote to Amazon [4] saying that the use of surveillance cameras in delivery vans “raises important privacy and worker oversight issues that Amazon must respond to”.
  • In September 2020, human rights activists had already spoken out about the hard work at Amazon – for example, the company has an electronic employee monitoring system, there are cameras in warehouses and drivers’ locations are constantly recorded.

Sources:

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/24/22347945/amazon-delivery-drivers-ai-surveillance-cameras-vans-consent-form

[2] https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8n3j/amazon-delivery-drivers-forced-to-sign-biometric-consent-form-or-lose-job

[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/amazon-using-ai-equipped-cameras-in-delivery-vans.html

[4] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/03/senators-question-amazon-about-cameras-monitoring-delivery-drivers.html

#technews #transport #amazon #ai #privacy #security

Tagged , , , ,

China’s futuristic elevated bus

Reading Time: 2 minutesActually, it is called Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) and its concept was presented at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May. At the time developers had only miniature model to show but claimed that they could build the bus till August. Surprisingly they did and showed working version of their TEB on August 2nd during its first test drive on 300 meters’ track.

TEB2TEB1

Testing in Qinhuangdao, China was about to evaluate its aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, breaking system and power consumption. The tested compartment is 22 meters long, 7.8 meters wide, 4.8 meters high and can carry up to 300 passengers.

TEB is electrically driven elevated tram/bus hybrid allowing it to transport people over the cars(traffic).

TEB

The project seems to be successful as based on what developers say it will be finished in one year. Moreover, already several countries reached out to ask about the possibility of licensing their own versions. Among those countries were France, Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

What is your opinion on this project? Can you imagine it being used in European capitals or do you know about better alternatives to improve public transport and to overcome traffic jams?

 

Sources:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/02/c_135558764.htm

http://www.vox.com/2016/8/5/12371012/transit-elevated-bus-china

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/02/china-has-actually-built-that-elevated-bus-that-travels-above-car-traffic/

Tagged , , ,