WCA September 2018

From the Americas

of indifference, companies pushing for adoption of this disruptive technology are joining forces to study the “human impact” of robot cars. The Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity (PTIO) comprises most of the major companies that are building and testing self-driving cars. They include legacy automakers like Ford, Toyota, and Daimler; tech giants like Waymo (née Google); the on-demand private driver services Uber and Lyft; and logistics specialists like FedEx and the American Trucking Association. Similar in its filing status to a chamber of commerce, the new organisation is permitted to accept donations and to lobby the government. This information was provided by Andrew J Hawkins, who covers transportation for The Verge – a New York-based multimedia outlet founded in 2011 to examine how technology will shape the future for a massive mainstream audience. (“Waymo, Uber, Ford, and Others Are Joining Forces to Explore the ‘Human Impact’ of Self-Driving Cars,” 21 st June) “[PTIO] has its work cut out for it,” wrote Mr Hawkins. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the Department of Labor, over 3.8 million people in the USA operate motor vehicles for their livelihood. This includes truck driving, which employs about 1.7 million people and is the most common paid occupation in 29 of the 50 states. According to a 2017 report from Goldman Sachs Economics Research cited by Mr Hawkins, the expectation is that self-driving trucks will be among the first autonomous vehicles to hit the road. When autonomous vehicle saturation peaks, American drivers could see job losses at a rate of 25,000 a month, or 300,000 a year.  Setting goals for its first six months, the PTIO pledged itself to: 1) begin to develop a well-rounded and data-based understanding of the impact and implications of autonomous vehicles on the future of work; 2) solicit the expertise, concerns and aspirations of a variety of interested parties; and 3) begin to foster awareness of existing and near-term career opportunities for workers during the transition to a new autonomous vehicle-enabled economy.  But Mr Hawkins questioned how much independent thinking can be expected of big companies working on autonomous car technology. For some of these companies, he noted: “This isn’t their first time at the coalition rodeo.” In 2016, Ford, Google, Uber, Lyft and Volvo formed the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a group that lobbies on behalf of the autonomous vehicle industry. Colorado moves to adopt California’s stringent rules on auto emissions, thus giving a boost to electric cars In June, Governor John Hickenlooper directed Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission to begin the legal process

of bringing the state into the coalition of states that follow California’s air quality rules, rather than those of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the Clean Air Act, California is allowed to set stricter emissions requirements for cars than those imposed by the EPA. Other states are permitted to opt for California’s standards or to follow the looser federal guidelines. They cannot set their own. With Mr Hickenlooper’s move, Colorado joins 12 other states that follow California’s tighter emissions standards. California requires a certain percentage of cars sold in the state to be zero-emissions electric, and the “electric car mandate” is widely credited for the development of today’s generation of electric cars. Colorado already has the largest incentives for electric cars of any state (a $5,000 tax credit alongside as much as $3,000 from one of the state’s largest utilities), but it has been a challenge for automakers to sell electric cars outside of California and Oregon. Colorado acted in response to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s announcement in May that he would rescind the agency’s tightening emissions standards, which are tied to rising fuel economy standards. Under the new proposal, federal emissions and fuel economy standards would be capped at 2021 levels through to 2026.  “As a state historically tied to the oil and mining industries, Colorado’s move stands out,” wrote Eric C Evarts of Green Car Reports , noting that Colorado is the only mid-continent state to sign on to California’s clean car standards. “Like southern California, the populated Colorado Front Range is a region that has had historic prob- lems with smog accumulation.” (“Colorado Moves to Follow California’s Low-Emissions Air-Quality Rules,” 20 th June) Environmental groups were quick to praise Colorado’s decision. Noah Long, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Green Car Reports , “With the Trump administration abdicating leadership on cleaning up tailpipe pollution and saving consumers money on gas, states need advanced vehicle standards to ensure their citizens get to drive the cleanest, most affordable cars on the market. This action will help ensure Coloradans still get clean air and cleaner cars.”  With Colorado opting to follow California’s lead in emissions controls, those states favouring stricter rules edge closer to a stand-off with the EPA. The agency has also threatened to cancel the waiver that allows California to set its own emissions standards, a right it has had under the Clean Air Act since 1970.

Dorothy Fabian Features Editor

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2018