Industry Snippets
IVsource.net
15 August 2000

Due to infighting between DOD (defense), DOE (energy), and other US government departments, the 21st Century Truck initiative is having some difficulties.  The program was initiated by the US Army Tank and Automotive Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, Michigan; yet, rumor has it that when the program reached a sufficiently high profile, Energy Secretary and perpetual news magnet Bill Richardson decided the program belonged in his department.  21CT, as it it called, may be up to a $2.5B effort, with a primary focus on improving fuel economy and cutting emissions.  Army officials have argued that intelligent vehicle systems for safety and operational efficiency are key to achieving fuel economy and emissions goals; if DOE takes over, this IV emphasis may decrease dramatically.

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NADS Preparing to Hit the Virtual Road

After many years of development, the National Advanced Driving Simulator is expected to become operational in October of  this year in Iowa (USA).   This high fidelity simulator will open the door to new types of testing and is expected to play a central role in understanding the effects of in-vehicle devices on driving performance.

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Jaguar ACC System Hitting the Brakes

The Jaguar 2000 XKR automobile has been one of the first to offer adaptive cruise control.  Interestingly, although for many years automakers asserted that it was too risky to employ braking, this Jaguar system does just that.  It controls both throttle and brakes and is characterized as performing "limited" collision avoidance.  The system has also integrated GPS and digital maps, so that if the driver takes an exit ramp, the system is aware of it and does not accelerate as if on the open highway with no vehicles ahead. 

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PACCAR Pounces on SafeTRAC

PACCAR, manufacturer of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in the US, is now offering the SafeTRAC lane departure / drowsy driver warning device on Kenworth Trucks as a factory option.  This has been a fast-track process, as initial discussions between AssistWare and PACCAR occurred only in early 2000.

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Aberdeen Supporting Volvo's Op Test

Volvo Trucks North America has selected the US Army's Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland (northeast of Baltimore) to develop the data acquisition system to be used in its IVI operational test.

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Congress Weighs In on USDOT's  IVI Program

While legislation is not yet final, it appears that Congress will designate $30M for the IVI program in 2001.  It recommends that USDOT pursue an additional operational test on collision avoidance for passenger vehicles, for either road departure, lane change, or intersection crashes.  From another angle comes a potential hold on FMCSA's work in drowsy driver countermeasures -- the exceedingly hot topic of "hours of service" regulations for truckers is creating a call for a moratorium on all work even remotely related to this area.  The intent is to provide time for industry and government to better understand one another's positions.

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Hart Named As FMCSA Chief

Clyde Hart has accepted the position of Administrator for the USDOT’s newly created Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.  DOT Secretary Slater persuaded Hart to transfer over from the US Maritime Administration, where he was serving in a senior position.

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Autonomous Shadow Vehicle Unveiled

California State University in Sacramento has prototyped an autonomous shadow vehicle for use in highway maintenance operations.  Shadow vehicles are placed at the end of moving work zones and pull shock-absorbing trailers to mitigate damages and injuries of highway vehicles running into the work zone due to inattention.  In current operations, the driver of the shadow vehicle has what is generally agreed upon as the most dangerous job around.  Autonomous systems employ a follow-the-leader approach and allow the shadow vehicle to be unmanned.  The system was demonstrated last month to Caltrans officials.

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