83-page auto tech webinar

Hi there,

This week, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced they would delay the release of their national guidelines originally scheduled for this month. But NHTSA head Mark Rosekind also lent support to autonomous tech, saying that lone incidents would not influence their mission to improve road safety. The NHTSA would also remain neutral between incremental developmental processes versus revolutionary ones, he said.

By contrast, this week also saw China’s chief automotive ministry ban all autonomous testing from public highways while their agency finalizes its own regulations. This move, though temporary, is a reversal for auto tech proponents who had considered China’s ability to enforce government policy from the top down an advantage in this field.

We covered regulation — along with auto tech funding trends, the corporations and startups competing in autonomous cars, and more — in today’s webinar on the State of Auto Tech. In case you missed it, here is a link to the 83-page deck and the live recording of the webinar itself.

Private companies chasing autonomous shuttles

Not surprisingly, solving the riddle of fully autonomous passenger cars will be a challenging one. But there are a number of companies applying self-driving tech to buses and shuttles, targeting predefined transit routes or geo-fenced areas.

We profiled five players in this space, who have drawn investors including Y Combinator, Rothenberg Ventures, and CVCs like Airbus Ventures.

Have a great rest of the week, everybody.

Kerry
@kerrygwu