Autonomous vehicle technologies offer incredible potential: they could make our highways safer, they could offer new mobility options for people who can’t drive, and they could help create a more equitable transportation system for those who are not well-served by our current system.During the month of May, we are highlighting places where AVs are in use — today — being deployed, tested, and used for public good. We want to look at examples of the technology being used to serve food deserts, to expand access to rural communities, to offer new accessibility options, and more.We are starting with the Trenton MOVES initiative, which is the first large-scale urban transit system in America based entirely on self-driving shuttles. The shuttles, which carry four to eight passengers, serve traditionally underserved Trenton neighborhoods, where 70% of households have limited access to a single automobile, or no access at all. Our panelists will detail the program, describing how it works, the results it has achieved, and their vision for the future.Guests:Dr. Alain Kornhauser – Professor, Princeton University & Initiator, Smart Driving CarsJerry He – Executive Director, Corporation for Automated Road Transportation Safety (CARTS)

Autonomous vehicles hold the promise of the greatest transformation of American transportation since the dawn of the auto age. One test of that promise: Can the AV industry avoid, or even counteract, the ways in which the current transportation system has allowed and even accelerated racial inequality and injustice, from under-served rural communities to city centers divided by expressways? In this PAVEcast episode, we will explore what lessons AV developers have learned from the last century of transportation when it comes to fighting rather than exacerbating inequality, and we’ll discuss how to ensure Black Americans are part of the discussion about AVs and share in the economic opportunities they offer.Black transportation leaders will join this panel to share their hopes and fears about autonomous vehicles, and we’ll discuss what lessons the past can provide for the future of transportation.Guests:Henry L. Greenidge, Esq. – EVP, Tusk StrategiesDr. Nadia Anderson – Director, Federal Affairs, INRIXDr. Shelley Francis – Co-founder & Managing Partner, EVNoire, Co-founder & Executive Director, EVHybridNoire

Autonomous vehicles may bring about many changes in society, but one question we hear frequently is what this technology may mean for the job market.Students wonder what classes they need to take to be prepared for AV-related jobs, while current workers may worry that their job could be altered or eliminated by automation. In this PAVEcast episode, we’ll talk to people across the industry to hear their story of working in the AV ecosystem, and we’ll discuss the trends they see for the future.Guests:Dr. Till Hartmann – Director of Research, Perceptive AutomataDr. Nick Goodnight – Associate Professor of Diesel and Construction Technology, Ivy Tech Community College – Fort WayneIndu Vijayan – Director of Product Management, AEye, Inc. & Founder of Women in Autonomy

Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft have taken the mobility world by storm since 2010, greatly expanding traditional taxi services that have been operating for decades. As autonomous vehicle technologies enter the scene, what does that mean for ridesharing?In this PAVEcaset episode, we discuss the impact that AV technology might have on the future of ridesharing. Our panelists will talk about the possibilities this could open up, what that means for passengers, how to scale the technology, and what they predict for the future.Guests:Bert Kaufman – Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, ZooxSergio Avedian – Senior Contributor, The Rideshare GuyMollie Cohen D’Agostino – Policy Director 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, Institute of Transportation Studies at UC-Davis

As autonomous vehicle technology becomes an increasingly visible piece of the transportation future, states are actively preparing for an autonomous future. There are countless questions they need to answer: What do these new technologies mean for infrastructure, first responders, or public transit systems?  What new policies or regulations are necessary?We’ve invited officials from Maryland and Texas to join us for a discussion about what AV technology means for state transportation departments. They’ll share the changes they have seen so far and what they foresee in the future. Guests:Darran Anderson – Director of Strategy and Innovation, Texas DOTNanette Schieke – CAV Program Manager, Office of Innovation Maryland DOT

PAVE and the University of Michigan’s Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) share a common goal of providing education on automated vehicles. We are excited to have Dr. Henry Liu, Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan and the Director at the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) join us for this exclusive PAVEcast episode.Guest: Dr. Henry Liu, Director at the University of Michigan's Center for Connected and Automated TransportationCCAT Website: https://ccat.umtri.umich.edu/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/UMichCCATTwitter: https://twitter.com/UMichCCATYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/CenterForConnectedAndAutomatedTransportation/McityWebsite: https://mcity.umich.edu/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/um-mcity/Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMichMcitYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfJr7b987wY32I6QtIW0g2g

Do you have a question about autonomous vehicles you want answered? Maybe you’ve seen examples of self-driving cars on tv and want to know how realistic they are? Or you want to know if there are places where you can get pizza delivered in an autonomous pod?PAVE has assembled some leading experts to answer all of your questions.In this episode, we’ll ask our panelists to address some of the most common questions, misunderstandings, and misinformation about autonomous vehicle technology. They will deconstruct where the confusion comes from and provide the hype-free facts.GuestsBryant Walker Smith – Associate Professor of Law, University of South CarolinaAnuja Sonalker, Ph.D – CEO & Founder, STEER

One of the most common questions we hear about autonomous vehicles is “when will AVs be here?” … and the honest answer is: “well, it depends on where ‘here’ is!”In this conversation, we will discuss why a better question may be “Where will AVs be?”In this PAVEcast episode, we’ll explore the concept of the operating domain. We’ll talk about what makes some domains particularly suitable for AVs, what operating domains look like for today’s AVs, how mapping plays into these issues, and more!GuestsSven Beiker, PhD – Managing Director, Silicon Valley MobilityCarter Stern – Senior Government Affairs Manager, CruiseModeratorTabitha Colter - Director of Operations, PAVE

Arlington RAPID, one of the first programs in the United States to integrate on-demand, autonomous vehicles (AVs) into an existing public transportation service, has provided more than 28,000 trips in its first year to residents, university students, and visitors around Downtown Arlington and The University of Texas at Arlington campus.Since March 2021, the city has operated Arlington RAPID (Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration) in partnership with Via, May Mobility, and UT Arlington through a grant provided by the Federal Transit Administration. The pilot program offers shared rides in autonomous vehicles, operated by May Mobility, through Arlington’s on-demand public transit system, Via Arlington. With a 98% rider satisfaction rating, it’s clear that the Arlington community embraced the pilot program.In March 2022, the North Central Texas Council of Governments awarded the City of Arlington a new grant, which will enable RAPID to expand service and operate at least  through 2024.In celebration of the anniversary of its launch, PAVE’s Tabitha Colter sat down with UT Arlington, the City of Arlington, Via Transportation, and May Mobility to reflect on lessons learned, how AVs fit into the future of mass transit, and much more. Guests:Ann Foss - Office of Strategic Initiatives, City of ArlingtonDr. Sharareh Kermanshachi - Associate Professor, UT ArlingtonFawna Tucker - Customer Success Manager, May MobilityMeghan Grela - Associate Principal, Via Transportation

Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science focused on enabling robots and computers to perform tasks usually done by humans. This is a complicated concept, but it is critical to understanding how an autonomous system in a vehicle can work.This discussion will look at the relationship between AI and AVs. We will demystify some of the key concepts of AI, we’ll discuss the role it plays in an autonomous vehicle system, we’ll look at how an AI-driven vehicle differs from a human-operated one, and more.PanelistsMohammad Musa – Founder and CEO, Deepen AIPatrick Musau – PhD Candidate, Vanderbilt UniversityDave Tokic – VP Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, AlgoluxModeratorTabitha Colter - Director of Operations, PAVE