Telsa Seeking to Test Autonomous, Platooning Tech on Public Roadways

Based on emails obtained by Reuters, it appears Tesla's new electric truck will have some autonomous and platooning capabilities. Photo: Tesla

It appears Elon Musk's Tesla electric Class 8 tractor will be designed from the ground up with autonomous platooning capability.

That's the take-away from an email exchange between the Tesla chief executive office and the state of Nevada, as reported by Reuters. Musk is apparently reaching out to Nevada officials in an attempt to get approval for platooning test runs on public highways in the state. Nevada has been an early leader in state-level pro-autonomous vehicle legislation and policy. The report also indicated Musk will meet with California officials next week to discuss his autonomous vehicle and platooning initiatives.

According to the report, Musk references both autonomous vehicle control and semi-truck platooning in the emails – but there are no specific details as to what level of autonomous control the new Tesla truck will have when unveiled. Tesla plans to publicly reveal its electric Class 8 truck next month. The exchange between Musk and California and Nevada officials appears to be the first time the Tesla CEO has mentioned autonomous or platooning capabilities in the new truck.

According to Reuters, Nasser Zamani, a regulatory affairs officer at Tesla, wrote to Nevada DMV officials earlier this year, "To insure we are on the same page, our primary goal is the ability to operate our prototype test trucks in a continuous manner across the state line and within the States of Nevada and California in a platooning and/or Autonomous mode without having a person in the vehicle." No dates for vehicle tests were mentioned in the email exchanges.

Related: Tesla Gets Set to Run with the Big Rigs with Electric Truck

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Microsoft Surface devices fail on reliability – Consumer Reports

The breakage rate for Microsoft Corp's Surface devices is significantly worse than for other manufacturers' laptops and tablets, Consumer Reports said, adding that it was removing its "recommended" designation for Surface products. The non-profit publication surveyed 90,000 tablet and laptop owners and found that an estimated 25 percent of those with Microsoft Surface devices would be presented with “problems by the end of the second year of ownership,” according to a study published on Thursday. “If you are very concerned about how long your products are going to last, it might be better for you to go with a brand that has a higher predicted reliability,” Jerry Beilinson, electronics editor at the consumer goods testing publication, said in an interview.

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Meritor Looks to Electrified Future

Electrification will be the next big step for trucking companies, Meritor CEO says from CNBC.

Meritor, in the midst of a three-year push to unveil 20 significant new products as part of its growth strategy, is also looking to a not-so-distant future where electrification will be a major factor in commercial trucks.

Speaking this week on CNBC's "Mad Money," Meritor CEO Jay Craig talked about the company's history, the success of its three-year M2016 turnaround strategy, its current M2019 three-year strategy, and the importance of longer-term strategy.

"Mad Money" host Jim Cramer, who was interviewing Craig to find out more about not only Meritor but also why Class 8 orders are "on fire," pointed out that Meritor recently hired a chief strategy officer. Craig noted that Meritor's “very satisfied” with its M2016 strategy, a three-year plan it wrapped up last year that nearly doubled the profit margin of the company. It's in the midst of its next three-year plan, M2019. “But what I want to see us do is look more long term, make sure we're setting ourselves up for longer-term strategy as well.”

Speaking later more about those longer-term strategies, Craig noted that while there is work being done on autonomous truck technologies, specifically referencing Daimler's 2015 "Inspiration Truck," for Meritor, what's going on in the world of electrification is more significant.

“We have a big push on electrification right now, we think we're establishing a strong position in that marketplace, as we see the trend of commercial vehicles most likely moving where light vehicles are, more highly electrified.”

As HDT's Jack Roberts pointed out in a recent column, there have been a lot of advances in electrification in the past year or so. Much of it has been in Europe, but with the global nature of the truck ...Read the rest of this story