New Flyer debuts new Xcelsior AV autonomous bus

[BusHunter]

2 weeks ago New Flyer announced it would be producing a new autonomous bus, the Xcelsior AV. It's new tech, and it's very interesting how it can drive, using radar and LIDAR technologies along with it's drive by wire tech, which is what a plane uses on it's autopilot. Sounds like it would work, but I'd be interested how it functions in non typical actions like a passenger emergency or bus detour. Then it would have to think and understand and reason like us humans. Wonder how it functions for fare evasion? As you can see in the demonstration video, there is still someone behind the wheel, so I don't know if that is protective measure or not. This person would still have to have a CDL, so what are they accomplishing? I guess as testing proceeds the driver will be eliminated, but I'd feel more safe if the bus travels in a dedicated ROW, like in my bus that thinks it's a train thread. Here's a few links that explains the tech along with the New Flyer demo video.

 

https://www.newflyer.com/bus/xcelsior-av/

Demo Video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doQWFY64u7g

[NewFlyerMCI]

On 2/13/2021 at 9:07 AM, BusHunter said:

2 weeks ago New Flyer announced it would be producing a new autonomous bus, the Xcelsior AV. It's new tech, and it's very interesting how it can drive, using radar and LIDAR technologies along with it's drive by wire tech, which is what a plane uses on it's autopilot. Sounds like it would work, but I'd be interested how it functions in non typical actions like a passenger emergency or bus detour. Then it would have to think and understand and reason like us humans. Wonder how it functions for fare evasion? As you can see in the demonstration video, there is still someone behind the wheel, so I don't know if that is protective measure or not. This person would still have to have a CDL, so what are they accomplishing? I guess as testing proceeds the driver will be eliminated, but I'd feel more safe if the bus travels in a dedicated ROW, like in my bus that thinks it's a train thread. Here's a few links that explains the tech along with the New Flyer demo video.

 

https://www.newflyer.com/bus/xcelsior-av/

Demo Video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doQWFY64u7g

The person behind the wheel probably functions similar to how rail operators did when WMATA had full ATC enabled on the Red Line. I remember reading about this bus on Mass Transit Mag, they called it ahead of its time, since the legislation doesn't exist to allow it to operate on the streets or something like that.

[BusHunter]

On 2/14/2021 at 8:02 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

The person behind the wheel probably functions similar to how rail operators did when WMATA had full ATC enabled on the Red Line. I remember reading about this bus on Mass Transit Mag, they called it ahead of its time, since the legislation doesn't exist to allow it to operate on the streets or something like that.

I wonder if that applies in Nevada and Arizona which are legal for cars. I dont know about buses

[artthouwill]

9 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

I wonder if that applies in Nevada and Arizona which are legal for cars. I dont know about buses

I don't know about any self driving vehicles.   How will they react in bad weather, especially snowy and icy conditions?  How about erroneous computer data or defective sensors?  What if the vehicle is involved in a collision?  Must there always be someone behind the wheel to take control away from the vehicle?

Planes are basically flying computers, but pilots still have to input lots of preflight data and sometimes have to manually fly the plane.  Even though jets are ahead in this curve, I don't expect self flying passenger planes (without pilots) to ever happen.

[NewFlyerMCI]

https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/vehicles/hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicles/press-release/21208163/new-flyer-new-flyer-unveils-automated-heavyduty-transit-bus

Here was the article I read about it

[BusHunter]

18 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I don't know about any self driving vehicles.   How will they react in bad weather, especially snowy and icy conditions?  How about erroneous computer data or defective sensors?  What if the vehicle is involved in a collision?  Must there always be someone behind the wheel to take control away from the vehicle?

Planes are basically flying computers, but pilots still have to input lots of preflight data and sometimes have to manually fly the plane.  Even though jets are ahead in this curve, I don't expect self flying passenger planes (without pilots) to ever happen.

Well have to wait and see but a bus that is autonomous I would think would have to be way more expensive due to all the computers on board. Plus you have icing issues in the bad weather not only does it affect the control of the bus, how do they keep all the seeing eye cameras from freezing up. If it can't see its blind. Planes have crashed from clogged peto tubes, those are tubes that help determine air speed. They are supposed to be covered when the plane is laying over and not flying. So one wrong stat can be fatal. 

Then theres the human aspect, driving is the leading profession in a majority of us states including Illinois. Do they really want to do that to the working class. They could start a recession cause that's alot of jobs, good paying jobs. It could be a good thing though. Just think if your car went out to make the weekly wage and you could work your way to bigger things like a semi, you could have a better life with more free time to live versus work. But it could be bad mentally if you couldnt occupy your time. It's going to be a world of machines though that's the future.