In this issue, we catch up with an old friend whose idea of retiring is service, service, and more service. While the autonomous vehicle world is in turmoil, credible companies displayed shared, electric, autonomous shuttles at CES2023 that could impact the way some of us get around in some places in a few years. Finally, we have some great Valentine’s Day tips from a former greeting card product manager.
Connected Beyond Broadband – Matt Polka’s TIS22 Exit Interview
The name ACA Connects reflects the work of its members in building networks that connect Americans. The connections they provide to the communities they serve go beyond the bits and bytes that flow through their networks. Their local presence enables the human connection that really matters. For 25 years, Matt Polka reflected the work of his members by helping them connect to each other and to the folks in Washington.
Automotive Grade Autonomous Electric Shuttle – #CES2023
With double wishbone suspension, a premium interior, and a cabin that attenuated the din of the CES2023 crowd, HOLON’s autonomous electric shuttle promises a comfortable ride for up to 15 passengers through city streets. The HOLON mover is purpose-built to move people in fixed geographic areas with speeds limited to 37 MPH (60 km/h). It is the type of vehicle ideal for community-specific on-demand transportation networks.
From A to ZF – An End-to-End Autonomous Mobility Approach
“It’s proven to work, and it works really well today,” states Tony Sapienza. Speaking in the above interview Sapienza, Head of Communications for North America at ZF Group, is talking about their latest generation autonomous, electric shuttle which made its debut at CES2023. As a proof point, Sapienza points to the 62 million road miles that the underlying autonomous mobility hardware and software stack have already driven.
Autonomous Mobility – Beyond the Amusement Park
For decades, Orlando amusement parks have provided a tangible look at the future. Oceaneering has been building the future seen at amusement parks in its Orlando manufacturing and test facility for decades as well. Oceaneering’s expertise goes well beyond the amusement park and includes products that serve aerospace, maritime and cargo logistics, and government and defense industries. At CES2023, Marc Volger, Senior Autonomous Software Engineer ONS Orlando OEC, provides an overview of the ZF-designed, Oceaneering-built autonomous shuttle.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- “Regardless, it will be an interesting ride because the path isn’t clear and the destination may not be what we thought at the beginning of the journey. “ This is in response to Bern Grush’s LinkedIn post asking what will be the model for autonomous vehicle adoption. It still feels like the early days of broadband to this author and AV adoption may take a similar path.
- Here is a preview of a conversation with Gary Johnson of Paul Bunyan Communications and the TechXpo event they are producing on April 22nd, 2023.
- Looking forward to returning to RTIME from February 19th-22nd
- And the ACA Summit from February 28th to March 2nd
The Korner – Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute – #TIS22
This is your warning not to be in the back of the line on Valentine’s Day. This is one takeaway from the above conversation with Dawn McMorrow, NCTC Marketing Director. As a former product manager for a famous greeting card company, McMorrow brings a unique perspective to the holiday that ranks only behind Christmas and Halloween in terms of consumer spending.
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