TechCrunch Mobility: How do we know when an AV is safe enough?

TechCrunch Mobility：我们如何判断自动驾驶汽车（AV）是否足够安全？

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One of the stickier problems for autonomous vehicle developers, regulators, and the public is determining when self-driving technology is safe enough for the road. So far, that question has largely fallen to industry to answer — companies that are applying their autonomous vehicle technology to self-driving trucks, robotaxis, and maybe someday personally owned passenger vehicles. 对于自动驾驶汽车开发商、监管机构和公众来说，一个棘手的问题是：如何确定自动驾驶技术何时才算足够安全，可以上路行驶。到目前为止，这个问题主要由行业自行回答——即那些将自动驾驶技术应用于自动驾驶卡车、自动驾驶出租车（Robotaxi），以及未来可能应用于私家乘用车的公司。

Today, there is no standardized test for judging how well an automated driving system performs in the real world. We require people to pass a driver’s test before getting a license, but there isn’t an equivalent test or system for autonomous vehicle technology. So how do we know whether an AV is a safe driver? 目前，还没有一套标准化的测试来评估自动驾驶系统在现实世界中的表现。我们要求人类在获得驾照前必须通过驾驶考试，但自动驾驶技术却没有相应的测试或系统。那么，我们如何判断一辆自动驾驶汽车是否是一名“安全驾驶员”呢？

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it’s working on an answer. Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) already govern the vehicle automakers sell today. But those FMVSS rules weren’t designed for vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack traditional, and federally required, equipment like pedals, steering wheels, and design features like side mirrors and rearview mirrors. 美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）表示，他们正在寻找答案。联邦机动车安全标准（FMVSS）已经规范了当今汽车制造商销售的车辆。但这些 FMVSS 规则并非为特斯拉 Cybercab 或 Zoox 自动驾驶出租车这类车辆设计，因为它们缺乏踏板、方向盘以及侧视镜和后视镜等联邦法律要求的传统设备和设计特征。

The NHTSA is working on a federal automated vehicle framework that it says will put safety at the foundation without stifling innovation, or as Administrator Jonathan Morrison put it this week, force the agency to play “whack-a-mole” with policy decisions or try to predict how the technology will evolve. That’s a tricky recipe to get right. NHTSA 正在制定一套联邦自动驾驶汽车框架，该机构称这将以安全为基础，同时不会扼杀创新。正如局长乔纳森·莫里森（Jonathan Morrison）本周所言，这能避免该机构在政策决策上陷入“打地鼠”式的被动应对，或试图去预测技术将如何演变。要实现这一目标并不容易。

The agency took a notable step toward that goal this week by reaching an agreement with SAE to launch ASCEND, a government-industry initiative aimed at speeding up the development of data-driven AV performance standards. 本周，该机构朝着这一目标迈出了重要一步，与国际自动机工程师学会（SAE）达成协议，启动了 ASCEND 项目。这是一项旨在加速制定数据驱动型自动驾驶性能标准的政府与行业合作计划。

“Our top priority for this consortium is ADS competency, which will inform and accelerate a corresponding federal motor vehicle safety standard,” Morrison said at the AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh. “Ultimately, our ADS performance rulemaking will provide federal leadership in this space. By delivering an AV competency standard, we hope we’ll be able to address the burgeoning past patchwork of inconsistent state and local level requirements, and continue to encourage American innovation and promote the safe deployment and development of these vehicles on the road.” “我们这个联盟的首要任务是自动驾驶系统（ADS）的能力评估，这将为相应的联邦机动车安全标准提供依据并加速其制定，”莫里森在匹兹堡举行的 AI Horizons 峰会上表示。“最终，我们的 ADS 性能规则制定将在该领域发挥联邦领导作用。通过提供自动驾驶能力标准，我们希望能够解决过去各州和地方层面不一致的零散要求，并继续鼓励美国创新，促进这些车辆在道路上的安全部署与发展。”

There is no timeline yet for when this consortium will produce ADS standards. But I bet the AV industry is already weighing in. 目前尚无该联盟何时出台 ADS 标准的时间表。但我敢肯定，自动驾驶行业已经开始参与其中了。

Deals!

交易动态！

Will Wall Street invest in a pure-play robotaxi company? We’re about to find out. Autonomous vehicle company May Mobility plans to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. in a deal that could raise more than $300 million at a valuation of $1.4 billion. 华尔街会投资一家纯自动驾驶出租车公司吗？我们很快就会知道答案。自动驾驶公司 May Mobility 计划通过与特殊目的收购公司（SPAC）ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. 合并上市，这笔交易估值达 14 亿美元，有望筹集超过 3 亿美元资金。

There are other publicly traded companies working on autonomous vehicle technology: Aurora and Kodiak, which are both focused on self-driving trucks; Rivian; and Tesla. And while Waymo is not (yet) publicly traded, its parent company Alphabet is. It’s the same story for Amazon-owned Zoox. But May Mobility, which operates autonomous Toyota Siennas in three locations, says it will be the first public company in the U.S. focused entirely on autonomous ride-hailing vehicles. Senior reporter Sean O’Kane notes this will also be a test of May Mobility’s “asset-light” and “partnership-first” approach to autonomy. 还有其他从事自动驾驶技术的上市公司：专注于自动驾驶卡车的 Aurora 和 Kodiak，以及 Rivian 和特斯拉。虽然 Waymo 尚未上市，但其母公司 Alphabet 已经上市。亚马逊旗下的 Zoox 也是如此。但 May Mobility 表示，它将成为美国第一家完全专注于自动驾驶网约车的上市公司，目前该公司在三个地区运营着自动驾驶丰田 Sienna。资深记者 Sean O’Kane 指出，这也将是对 May Mobility“轻资产”和“合作优先”自动驾驶模式的一次考验。

Other deals that got my attention … 其他引起我注意的交易……

Beep & Freebee: Autonomous vehicle company Beep has merged with Freebee, an on-demand public transportation firm based in Miami. The combined company will be called Beep and will be led by Beep co-founder Kevin Reid as chair and CEO. Beep 与 Freebee： 自动驾驶公司 Beep 与总部位于迈阿密的按需公共交通公司 Freebee 合并。合并后的公司将沿用 Beep 名称，由 Beep 联合创始人 Kevin Reid 担任董事长兼首席执行官。
Lucid & Bolt: Lucid Motors struck a partnership with European mobility platform Bolt to “deploy at least 25,000 fully autonomous vehicles” built on the EV maker’s upcoming midsize EV architecture, which is supposed to be smaller and cheaper than its current offerings. Lucid 与 Bolt： Lucid Motors 与欧洲出行平台 Bolt 达成合作，计划“部署至少 25,000 辆全自动驾驶汽车”。这些车辆将基于该电动汽车制造商即将推出的中型电动汽车架构打造，预计比其现有产品更小、更便宜。
R3 Lithium: R3 Lithium, a battery recycling startup based in Georgia, raised $15 million in a Series A round that included funding from TDK Ventures, Integral GlobalTech Partners, and Axial Partners. R3 Lithium： 总部位于佐治亚州的电池回收初创公司 R3 Lithium 在 A 轮融资中筹集了 1500 万美元，投资方包括 TDK Ventures、Integral GlobalTech Partners 和 Axial Partners。

Notable reads and other tidbits

值得一读及其他简讯

Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity teams with the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI boarded two U.S.-bound oil tankers after hackers reportedly compromised at least one of the ship’s networks and took control of its navigation, propulsion, and cargo systems. 网络安全： 据报道，黑客入侵了至少一艘驶往美国的油轮的网络，并控制了其导航、推进和货物系统。随后，美国海岸警卫队和联邦调查局（FBI）的网络安全团队登上了这两艘油轮。
GM UI: GM unveiled a new user interface for its full-size pickups, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, a makeover that includes picture-in-picture displays for Apple CarPlay and Android Automotive. 通用汽车用户界面： 通用汽车为其全尺寸皮卡车型（雪佛兰 Silverado 和 GMC Sierra）发布了全新的用户界面，此次升级包括为 Apple CarPlay 和 Android Automotive 增加了画中画显示功能。
Joby Aviation: An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation’s autonomy technology flew more than 3,100 miles across the United States without a human pilot taking control at any point. Joby Aviation： 一架搭载了 Joby Aviation 自动驾驶技术的飞行器横跨美国飞行了超过 3,100 英里，全程无需人类飞行员进行任何干预。
ShinyHunters: ShinyHunters hacking group published hundreds of thousands of files from a Florida state database of vehicles and driver information. ShinyHunters： 黑客组织 ShinyHunters 发布了佛罗里达州车辆和驾驶员信息数据库中的数十万份文件。
AM Radio: U.S. automakers may be forced to build AM radio into new vehicles within the next year after the House overwhelmingly approved the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. EV makers have eschewed AM receivers because the electromagnetic interference generated by electric motors can affect the frequencies used by AM radio. AM 收音机： 在众议院以压倒性多数通过《每辆车配备 AM 收音机法案》（AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act）后，美国汽车制造商可能被迫在未来一年内将 AM 收音机安装到新车中。此前，电动汽车制造商一直避免安装 AM 接收器，因为电动机产生的电磁干扰会影响 AM 收音机的频率。