Sunday, March 31, 2024

Cruise recalls all self-driving cars after grisly accident and California ban Self-driving cars

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Of course, bureaucracy and politics could drive the whole thing right off the road. Cruise is trying to recapture some of that early magic with this vehicle. But it’s also attempting to be more pragmatic and attuned to the realities of growing and scaling a real business. In October 2018, Honda announced its plan to invest $2.75 billion in Cruise over 12 years. The company has also raised money from Japan’s SoftBank Vision Fund and T. Our Cruise Car® low speed vehicles range in price based on buildout, features, and region.

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GM was responsible for the base vehicle design and the electric powertrain, while Honda helped create the interior’s “efficient use of space,” Vogt says. Meanwhile, Cruise handled the sensing and computing technologies, as well as the experience from the rider’s standpoint. Its official name is “Origin,” and Kyle Vogt, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Cruise, is clearly excited to be showing it off.

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We have temporarily paused driverless service in all markets while we evaluate how to best serve our riders and the communities where we operate. The DMV said it met with Cruise the day after the crash but received additional footage 10 days later after “another government agency” told the DMV it existed. While the Cruise vehicle did initially brake as the company reported, the longer video showed the car began moving again toward the side of the road. The October incident wasn’t the first time Cruise’s technology has caused problems. Even as Cruise expanded to new cities in the second half of 2023, its robotaxis were routinely malfunctioning in cities like San Francisco and Austin, disrupting the flow of traffic, public transit and first responders.

Driving cities forward

But it then pulled to the right to get out of traffic, pulling the person about 20ft (six meters) forward. The pedestrian was pinned under one of the Cruise vehicle’s tires and was critically injured. General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit is recalling all 950 of its cars to update software after one of them dragged a pedestrian to the side of a San Francisco street in early October and a subsequent ban by California regulators. In an interview with The Post last month, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said the criticism of driverless cars and the incidents involving his company were overblown.

Cruise cars consider multiple paths per second, constantly choosing the best ones for unexpected events and changes in road conditions. The DMV and others have accused Cruise of not initially sharing all video footage of the accident, but the robotaxi operator pushed back – saying it disclosed the full video to state and federal officials. A big part of Cruise’s strategy moving forward, as outlined in Tuesday’s blog post, involves reforming and establishing updated incident response and crisis management protocols to ensure more efficient and transparent responses in the future. The company says it will also work on improved engagement with first responders to facilitate trainings in each precinct it plans to operate in.

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In San Francisco, city officials have no say over whether — or how — the cars are deployed on their streets. This is just one example of how difficult it is to get an accurate picture of the performance of driverless cars. "When there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can immediately suspend or revoke permits," the DMV wrote in a statement. Majority owned by General Motors since 2016, Cruise combines a culture of innovative technology and safety with a history of manufacturing and automotive excellence. Cruise has received funding from other leading companies and investors—including Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart.

Watch: Driverless taxi torched by mob in San Francisco

In December 2016, Google stunned the world when it revealed that it had put a blind man in one of its egg-shaped autonomous test vehicles and sent him out for a short ride around Austin, Texas. Google’s Firefly vehicle, audaciously designed by YooJung Ahn, is widely considered to be the first car tested publicly without a steering wheel or pedals. We’re reintroducing a small fleet of manually-operated vehicles to begin mapping with trained safety drivers behind the wheel. In documents filed with NHTSA, Cruise said its automated driving system was designed in some cases to pull over and out of traffic to minimize safety risks and disruption after a crash, with the response dependent on the characteristics of the crash. But in certain circumstances such as a pedestrian positioned on the ground in the vehicle’s path, pulling over is not the desired response. In the crash, another vehicle with a person behind the wheel struck a pedestrian, sending the person into the path of a Cruise autonomous vehicle.

Safety

There is no obvious front to the vehicle, no hood, no driver or passenger side windows, no side-view mirrors. "Cruise is so solid even on narrow streets — the steering wheel has no jitter, totally smooth each block." Sometimes it's schadenfreude about a big hyped thing that falls flat. Sometimes it's just a sense that the tech we all depend on may be harming us in ways we don't understand and can't control. Utility vehicles for specific needs; ICON® EV’s commercial line over-delivers on every contract – and at a lower cost than the competition. Learn how our data visualization tool shaped the future of autonomous driving.

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Cruise cars tell their wheels and other controls how to move along the selected path and react to changes in it. The result is a ride that’s safe, efficient, and natural-looking to other drivers. The company said in documents posted by US safety regulators on Wednesday that with the updated software, Cruise vehicles will remain stationary should a similar incident occur in the future. Moving forward, Chiu, the San Francisco city attorney, said officials are still working on their request to appeal Waymo’s permits to operate their robotaxi service in the city.

While Waymo says it drives tens of thousands of trips a week, even the most tech-savvy people I talk to have yet to ride in one. Learn the basics of how a Cruise car navigates city streets safely and efficiently. GM recently paused production of the Origin, a fully autonomous van designed for Cruise to carry multiple passengers. The company is expected to resume production at a Detroit-area factory once Cruise resumes autonomous ride-hailing.

Just as the light turned green at a chaotic intersection in downtown San Francisco that October night, a pedestrian stepped into the road. A human-driven car rammed into the woman, causing her to roll onto the windshield for a few moments before she was flung into the path of the Cruise driverless car. On Thursday, just two days after the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise’s driverless permits, the company said it would suspend all driverless operations in the country to examine its process and earn back public trust. That approval was a pivotal moment for the self-driving car industry, as it expanded one of the biggest test cases in the world for the technology. Cruise’s plan to test its vehicles in New York City — arguably the most difficult driving environment in the US — went nowhere. In July 2019, the company announced that it would miss its goal of launching a large-scale self-driving taxi service by the end of the year.

On one of my trips, this happened on a particularly tight, winding San Francisco street. As my Waymo and I negotiated with each other, we ended up blocking multiple cars, including a minivan whose driver started honking at us in frustration. Or maybe it's simply for people who would rather not interact with another human when they're in a taxi. Which is what David Margines, Waymo's director of product management, says is the service's chief appeal for customers right now.

Meanwhile, Cruise is starting up again, but this time with humans in the driver's seat. Elon Musk has promised to unveil his robotaxi this summer, and while your doubt about anything Musk says is well warranted, you never know. So I think that one way or another, we are going to make some version of this standard for many of us in the not-far-off future.

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In aggregate, the three Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands reported 82% occupancy for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Royal Caribbean Group brands, by contrast, reported 96% occupancy for the same quarter. The lowest rates tended to be Norwegian's "Sail Away" category, where the cruise line picks your room location. Entertainment is one of the core areas where Norwegian excels, and if you're the kind of person who loves nights out with live music and lively performances on your vacations, you're going to love the line. Norwegian thus appeals both to cruisers who like a giant resort vibe and those who prefer something more modest. The key, depending on your tastes, is getting on the right ship in the fleet.

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Norwegian has also thoroughly done away with the concept of big main restaurants with fixed seating. Norwegian appeals to vacationers who want a big-resort experience at sea with lots of options for dining and entertainment. In that, it's similar to Royal Caribbean — perhaps its closest competitor.

How to book

The line's biggest vessels offer multiple entertainment venues, from theaters to comedy clubs; a wide range of deck-top attractions; large casinos; full-service spas; and even virtual reality attractions. You'll also find a seemingly endless array of bars, lounges and nightspots. Onboard you won’t have a dining time or pre-determined table, you can choose to eat whenever you want, with whomever you want, and at a variety of complimentary or specialty restaurants onboard.

The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line ships and itineraries

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These offers are usually time restrictive but are especially useful for families looking to share a stateroom. View award-winning vacations sailing from your backyard and discover deals you won't have to go great distances for with our collection of cruises near you. The result of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' strategy over the past year has been noticeably lighter occupancy levels on the ships of its various brands, as its higher pricing kept some customers from booking. As we wrote about in November, starting rates for Bahamas voyages at Norwegian were running 120% and 93% higher, respectively, than starting rates for Bahamas sailings on Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships. As recently as October, Carnival was offering last-minute space on close-in departures for as little as $26 a day while Norwegian's lead-in pricing was much higher.

The biggest two of them, on Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima, are nearly 1,400 feet long and sprawl over three decks. The Galaxy Pavilion on Norwegian Encore is the biggest of them all. Among added features, it includes a 45-minute escape room experience laced with special effects. Themed around a Spanish galleon, it's designed to be played by up to six people at a time.

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Meet The Fleet Built for Freestyle Cruising

Norwegian is the world's fourth-largest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 19 ships that together offer 56,780 berths. Register with Cruise.com to get access to exclusive rates, discounts and special offers. We know the destinations you'll be visiting and what there is to see, do and experience. We offer you a variety of excursions to choose from, in every port you'll visit.

Deal watch: Norwegian Cruise Line drops rates as low as $37 a day for close-in departures

You'll pay $15 per person for an eight-lap romp on the go-karts. Norwegian ships also all have Mandara Spas, which can be quite big on the bigger vessels, and there are fitness centers on every ship. There's nothing quite like Galaxy Pavilion in the cruise world. If you know you want to eat at several extra-charge restaurants during a single voyage, you can buy one of several dining packages that offer meals at a discount. You might even find Starbucks stores on some ships (the one-year-old Norwegian Prima has two!) and there are Starbucks products on every Norwegian vessel. Also, some ships have private restaurants just for passengers staying in The Haven.

Cabin Type

Additionally, the Garden Villas on Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star include private outdoor dining areas and steam rooms. At the high end, the accommodations are aimed at affluent travelers who, for whatever reason, prefer the megaship experience to that of a luxury ship, and they truly are among the most spectacular accommodations at sea. However, unlike Royal Caribbean, Norwegian hasn't retained any of the trappings of old-style cruising. There are no formal nights, as you'll still find on Royal Caribbean ships, or dress codes.

Slip away for a night or two at sea on a weekend cruise.

Pricing changes over time, but the fastest "premium" service on Norwegian vessels recently was priced at $39.99 per person per day, if you bought it in advance. Norwegian also offers a less expensive plan that doesn't allow video streaming for $29.99 per person per day if purchased in advance. For those with money to burn (pricing on Norwegian Encore recently was $99 per person for a day pass), the Vibe Beach Clubs are lovely, secluded deck-top hideaways. However, there's a downside for everyone else on board the ships that have them, which is that they take away from the deck-top lounge space available to everybody else. One notable outlier among the smaller ships is the 2,186-passenger Pride of America.

Reserve your 7+ day vacation today with reduced deposit per person. Currently, these fares are eligible for free excursion credits, bringing your total vacation price down even further. However, you could save more overall by choosing a slightly higher fare that's eligible for the line's latest "Free at Sea" promotion. Lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits.

This is a more draconian policy than you'll find at most lines. Most lines allow passengers to bring at least a bottle or two of their own wine on board at no charge. There are also Howl at the Moon dueling piano bars on some Norwegian ships, and there's the lively Q Texas Smokehouse found on Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy (a music-and-food concept that pairs live music with barbecue). Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Epic, for instance, have the Cavern Club, a reproduction of the British club that gave rise to the Beatles.

You'll get things like priority check-in and discounted spa treatments performed while ships are in port. Instead, you can travel with a state-certified birth certificate or other proof of citizenship and a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification. That said, Norwegian strongly recommends that all travelers bring a passport. The go-kart tracks (now on Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy) are quickly becoming Norwegian's signature can-you-believe-this-is-on-a-ship attraction, and they truly are impressive.

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