fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Musings by Sateesh
By: Sateesh Hegde
Tags: Startup, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Growth, SaaS

Do you know ‘The Bandwagon bias’?

Oxford dictionary defines ‘The bandwagon effect is a phenomenon whereby the rate of uptake of beliefs, ideas, fads, and trends increases with respect to the proportion of others who have already done so.

We tend to hop on the bandwagon during our strategy meetings, hiring process, etc. We will not open up and stress the concerns when many people support an opinion and tend to jump on the bandwagon of followers ( of that opinion).

This is a very common phenomenon when the CEO or boss states his or her opinion on the subject.

This herd mentality prevents us from

1) Critical thinking

2) Creativity

4) Making the best possible decision

5) Stops brainstorming

7) Thinking at a 360-degree angle.

Next time, when you see the people jumping on bandwagon, challenge yourself, and challenge the entire team to push back each other’s ideas to come up with new perspectives.

How to foster a growth mindset in your company culture?👌

1) When here the conversations about a fixed mindset, remind them that they are capable.

Examples of the fixed mindset are

“ It is not possible now”. I am too old to understand coding”

“ Leave it. There is no point in pursuing further. The client will not come back”

2) Identify the obstacles to learning and root out the obstacles. Encourage learning.

Examples of the words you use,

“How can I support you to succeed?”

“What you need to achieve the goal?”

3) Praise and reward efforts.👏👏👏👏

Encourage, encourage, and encourage. Celebrate the small successes.

4) Encourage mentorship.

Mentoring by experienced employees helps a lot and this can encourage employee bonding as well.
Musings by Sateesh
By: Sateesh Hegde
Tags: Startup, Marketing, Growth, SaaS, Business

Everyone liked my colleague in my last company. He hardly spoke anything in the meetings, never said no to the boss. He was considered to Mr. Cool. All the employees and management liked him very much.

In my case, I was considered to be bossy and aggressive. Often conveying my views critically during the meetings. I said ‘NO’ many times.

I was asked to ‘go’ for mentioning during the meeting that as a company we had no competitive edge to position the product in the market. I was trying to be assertive and it was considered to be aggressive. Probably, the way I conveyed and time and the context was not right. Probably my choice of words was not right.

I was not aware of how to be assertive and I paid the price.

There is a great difference between being aggressive and being assertive.

Assertive — You respect other’s rights and needs and be considerate about your rights too’.

Aggressive- Without much regard for other’s interests, stressing your own opinions and interests.

However, there is a thin line between the two and often we confuse between the two.
Bulut Bilişim kavramlarından IaaS PaaS SaaS Nedir? Kullanım Alanları Nelerdir?
By: Beyza Canbay
Tags: Bulut Bilişim, Iaas, Paas, Cloud, SaaS

IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS: Common Examples of Each

Today, the IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS debate is more relevant than ever in modern technology companies. With good reason…
Musings by Sateesh
By: Sateesh Hegde
Tags: Startup, Marketing, Growth Marketing, Growth Hacking, SaaS

Marketing in Early Stage SaaS companies.

Marketing as a function has many roles. In every company the role and definition of marketing changes.

For early-stage SaaS companies, ‘a must-have marketing functions are as follows.

1) Growth Marketing — This is more of coordinating with product teams and exploring what works and what not works. Identifying ‘aha’ moments and trying to expand these moments for growth.

Launching the product and different features, testing various channels, tracking what works, moving the prospects in the growth funnel, Identifying Distribution channels; demand gen; inbound; supporting sales outbound efforts; website optimization is the broad functions.

2)Product Marketing

Owning products and communicating the product features to the customers.

Owning product launches, GTM strategy, Customer Feed Back, and pricing strategy.

3) Content Marketing

Attracting and Engaging customers through content, creating attractive content, brand voice, managing bloggers.

Managing a content calendar and managing voice and brand. Managing various social media posts.

I thought of writing this since there is a lot of confusion about Growth Marketing.

Embrace Growth Marketing.

Do you ever think that every word you have written on your website, every blog you write, the content you create, and every customer you answer is also marketing?

In many organizations, marketing is the function of the ‘Marketing Department’.

It is not.

We can not look at Growth Marketing in silos.

The product features, the User Experience, the Customer Journey, the value proposition, the customer success, everything contributes to marketing.

It is the function of everyone in the organization.
3 Proven Ways to Fail With Your SaaS Product
By: Fredrik Holm
Tags: Startup, Startup Lessons, Founders, SaaS, Software Development

1. Building the wrong product

Scratch your own itch — probably one of the most common tips for finding out what to build. And while I think this is perfectly good advice, you need to validate your idea before pursuing it.

What if the problem is rare? Or, even worse, you’re the only one thinking this is a problem? Sure, there might be a long tail market for your concept, but is it worth your development efforts?

Some years back, when I had just released an invoicing and time-tracking application, a potential customer replied to my pitch with this line:

“This is not a problem I am having.”

That hurt. And it hurt even more the second time, not to mention the third.

Make sure that there is a market for what you are building. Ask around and survey the market. Try to find a way of just dipping your toes into the water before committing.

One way to circumvent this problem is to break into an existing market.

“If others have succeeded in selling to this market niche, it should be possible for me as well.”

These are my words, and while I still stand by them, there is (at least) one big caveat: what if that market is on the verge of disruption?

My first product offering was a CMS, and while it wasn’t spectacular in any way, it did what it was supposed to do. And it exceeded the competition well enough to carve out a tiny market share.

Then came WordPress and a host of other free CMS systems. And during the following year, the demand plummeted.

Don’t invest all your savings in building the equivalent of American Quarter Horse 2.0 when a Henry Ford is lurking around behind the scenes.
Musings by Sateesh
By: Sateesh Hegde
Tags: Marketing, Growth, Sales, SaaS, Business

Twist in the story!

I was in my twenties and I had attended the workshop. This was a Management Development Workshop( MDP).

The trainer started a story as follows.

“There were two stones near the river and one day, a sculptor started carving both the stones to build a temple. Stone A could not bear the pain and prayed the god to stop the pain. God agreed and instructed the sculptor, not to carve stone A. After several years, one day, the same sculptor came near the river to wash his legs, and stone A asked about stone B. The sculptor said that stone B is no more a stone but a god. He added that people worshiped stone B. Stone A felt bad about its situation but what to do, NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

During the MDP, I thought “ Yes, to come up in life, you have to be carved with problems and tough times”.

After 25 years, I thought of meeting the same stones. I met stone A and found that it does not have any regrets that it could not become a god. It is enjoying the company of villagers who wash the animals, and the cool breeze.

I met stone B and it seems to be dis-illusioned. It is feeling lonely at the top as a god and fed up with the tight schedule of prayers and events at the temple.

Alas, stone B wants to go back to the riverside again.

I am literally confused.
Ep.112: Your B2B Startup: Revenue Growth Despite Uncertainty?
By: Scott Sambucci
Tags: Enterprise Sales, Podcast, B2B, Sales, SaaS

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Tom Pisello.

Listen to this podcast here on the Startup Selling Podcast.

Known as the ROI Guy, Tom is the host of the EVOLVERS podcast series, author of the book Evolved Selling, founder of the Evolved Selling Institute, and Chief Evangelist for sales enablement platform provider Mediafly.

Tom is a successful serial entrepreneur, founder of several firms focused on business value sales and marketing, and a Gartner veteran.

Some of the key topics that we discussed in this episode are:

The linkage of ultra running with running a startup.

Lessons from the trail and applying it to selling.

Challenges in the marketplace in a post-COVID world.

Shifts in the selling environment.

Paying attention to your internal economy.

Changes and ways you can think about measurements and sales forecasting.

The importance of sorting versus selling in your prospecting and outbound.

Keeping control of your sales process.

Link & Resources:

Tom Pisello on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tompisello

The Evolved Selling institute: www.evolvedselling.com

Evolved Selling Book: www.evolvedselling.com/evolved-selling-book

Evolvers Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/2K9MRd11NQuIitXsoCKbYX

Evolved Selling Institute on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/evolved-selling-institute/?viewAsMember=true

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.
The Importance of Truly Global Content with Ucha Vekua
Tags: Startup, Subtitles, Writing Tips, Content Marketing, SaaS

The Importance of Truly Global Content with Ucha Vekua

Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash

Creating content for social media is getting more popular every day. Especially in a given situation that 2020 has brought to us, people usually work from home and try to create new things online. Therefore, creators need more online tools than ever to make their content exciting and more engaging.

Subly is a tool for content creators and businesses to subtitle their videos automatically, edit & style easily, saving them time and budget. This helps creators to concentrate on creating more and improving engagement with their audiences.

Recently, I had a very nice chat with the Head of Marketing, Growth and Partnerships at Subly — Natalie Williams. We talked about the product of Subly, team, core objectives, and the challenges they have faced so far. It was an exciting and insightful conversation, and I would like to share more with you!

Soo, let’s get started!!!

Here’s what we talked about:
The transition from a software engineer to an engineering manager pt2.
By: Aleksej Klebanskij
Tags: Leadership, Engineering Management, SaaS, Software Development, Productivity

In pt1 I wrote about context switching, planning, and allowing yourself to fail.

In this article, I would like to focus on how to create a safe environment and how to listen.

As a manager, you are responsible for your team and the work they deliver. Now, what does that exactly mean? It means that your responsibilities morph from individual contributions and go beyond things you used to craft — your actions become more influential. You are spreading yourself thin. Your work starts to manifest itself through other people’s work.

You are not focusing solely on the software anymore but instead trying to optimize the system (software + people + processes). Here are two things you can do to start optimizing the system.

Create a safe and collaborative environment

In the beginning, as a new leader, I thought it’s somewhat expected of me to take responsibility and make decisions autocratically. It was tough to stay silent during the meetings and to let people make the decisions — I thought as a leader, I should be the one who is always talking, making suggestions, and every knowing every little detail.

I realized that my job is to organize and facilitate the discussion:

Keep the discussion focused on the issue.

Don’t let people hijack the conversation.

Ask the right questions.

Define actionable, and together with the team elect responsible people.

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash

There will be moments when you need to make an autocratic decision, but it should be rather an exception than a rule. In the ideal case, you should expect your team to come to you with the most challenging questions as the rest could be handled without your involvement.

In other words, your goal is to create a safe environment where people are sharing their ideas, giving each other feedback: both positive and constructive, and are empowered enough to make decisions.

Start listening

Listening skills are so underrated nowadays. Modern media doesn’t promote it either: look at the way tv series characters talk — unless it’s a European art-house movie, rarely do you see people make pauses when they speak. One character says something, and the other replies instantly.

Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash

In real life, however, it’s fine to make pauses, reflect for a second or two, and think about what you will reply. Also, listening actually means listening. According to the dictionary, it’s:

To give attention to sound or action

Suppressing your urge to say something is not listening, and being silent until someone speaks is not listening. It’s paying attention. You’d be surprised how people will react when they realize you are actually listening and paying attention to what they are saying.

To be continued.
Which Logistics Challenges Are Most Critical For Your Customers?
By: Akın Arslan
Tags: Logistics Technology, Tirport, Logistics, Transportation, Visibility

Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) is no longer just a great thing for logistics companies to have; in 2021, it will be necessity.

By digitizing the supply chain, you’ll significantly improve the ability of business leaders to make timely decisions using demand forecasts and better manage inventory, suppliers, transport and storage.

Most of the manufacturers and B2B companies expect the same level of visibility and delivery updates that consumers get for ordering something as inexpensive as a pair of products online. These major global shifts make supply-chain digitization in 2021 no longer optional. Companies have two to three years to digitize their supply chains, or they’ll face severe business consequences and problems.

Source:Supply Chain Hot Trends 2020

This real-time data is now more in demand by customers and carriers than ever. Supply chain visibility is real-time insight into supply chain materials, orders, suppliers and component information. This real-time data analytics is critical for improving supply chain planing. Real-time visibility helps logistics companies for boosting performance; making time-sensitive decisions; and reducing errors.

TIRPORT is one of the leading logistics technologies in the world. It provides visibility that promotes quick response to change by allowing companies to use real-time transportation data. TIRPORT’s augmented Intelligence supported technologies offers logistics companies an extraordinary visibility experience in their daily End-To-End operations.

By the power of TIRPORT technologies your customers can easily monitor their freight’s journey to them, also they can access instantly to real-time, location-based loading/unloading reporting.

End-To-End Visibility With TIRPORT

Implementing proven End-To-End Logistics Operation Management Visibility helps keep operation costs low and provide peace of mind with track and trace capabilities. As new trends continue to emerge in the supply chain, successful providers will continue to adapt their technology to anticipate these challenges and prepare their customers for change.

The need to know where products are, whether they are on the way to the warehouse, store, or customer; is critical to ensure a positive customer experience. The rise of visibility solutions at the container level is helping to drive the transportation execution market to new heights.

Logistics companies that use fully integrated supply chains are now reported to see 40% much more efficiency than those without integration.

Getting real-time visibility across all tiers in the supply chain can significantly increase operational speed to market, reduce capital expenditures, saves cost and manage risk.
Finally, It’s Here! Just in Time for the New Year and the Massive Timetable Shakeup! HCMT getting ready for service!
By: Max Thum
Tags: Modern, Melbourne, Trains, Hcmt, Transportation

Touch Sensitive Door Sensor — This was a confusing feature to be added to the HCMT… and yes, I said touch-sensitive door sensor as the HCMT doesn't contain a physical button to press to open the doors.

Throughout the day, the customers who aren’t used to the train, they might’ve needed to bang against the door buttons to make them work and do its job of getting the doors open… right? but strangely, this doesn’t work this way. According to an MTM employee who told us that ‘the train has a 1.5-second delay’ before the doors can release and lightly tapped on the touch-sensitive door sensors.

The touch-sensitive sensor won’t work unless the train carriage wasn’t aligned (which will show red) and will only open if the door is aligned with a platform (lights up green). It’s clear with the feedback given to MTM during the test trip, there are a few places for improvement like the stickers informing the customer how this works.

One thing to note, ASDO and the Touch Sensitive Door Sensor were having a few teething problems at a few stations (Pakenham Platform 1) as the train thought otherwise lol. This can be overridden by the driver and that hopefully can be resolved.

ASDO (Automatic Selective Door Operation) — The addition of ASDO is a good addition to assist drivers with ease and assurances that the HCMT won’t see any passengers accidentally getting out at a station that isn’t covered by the 7 car long platforms.

Running — Much better than Xtraps, around the same as Siemens very quiet to the point where conversations can be had on the train without yelling Traction motor is very quiet from inside, louder outside and a tad bit bumpy between Dandy and Pakenham at speed. The HCMT also rides really well over Skyrail sections where track conditions are pristine with the new modern designs are much more consistent to the current design standards.

The train simply accelerates like a rocket during the Dandenong to Pakenham sections due to the 115kph limit. Hopefully, the line is upgraded to better make use of the 130kph speed that the HCMT can achieve.
Rajahmundry- The cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh, the best weekend getaway from Vizag
Tags: Travel, Tourism, India, Visakhapatnam, Transportation

Rajahmundry- The cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh, the best weekend getaway from Vizag

Rajahmundry is one of the perfect destination for you when you want to experience the rich culture of Andhra Pradesh. This beautiful place is home to some amazing historical and religious sites which is why it’s known as the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Rajahmundry can be the best destination for one to learn the rich culture and traditions of the state and one can also explore the nearby cities and places for short holiday trips.

Rajahmundry has a tropical type of climate, so the summers are very hot along humid. So, travellers mostly choose November to February for visiting this amazing place. This time, the climate is cool and the weather remains soothing so one can travel around comfortably.

Once you start your journey from Vizag to Rajahmundry, Nakkapalle will be the perfect location to take a break as this place also offers some beautiful scenes and religious significance.

After reaching Nakkapalle, visit Upamaka cave temple which is a very famous Hindu pilgrimage where thousands of tourists come every year. You will also enjoy the towering hills and the trees around this place.

Best tourist attractions in and around Rajahmundry

To avoid the natural beauty of Andhra Pradesh, nature lovers love to visit this place to experience the presence of the beautiful beaches and pilgrimage sites. There are beautiful hillocks one can explore in Rajahmundry.

The list of amazing places is absolutely incomplete without taking about Kotilingeshwara Temple. This is one of the notable places that attracts thousands of travellers every year. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple has its own charm that mesmerises every person. So, if you are looking for a perfect pilgrimage centre, this temple is a must-visit.

Rajahmundry is located on the bank of Godavari River and you can also visit Godavari river beach to experience the calmness. This can be the perfect place to spend some relaxing and peaceful time with your loved ones. Beach lovers will cherish this spot for its stillness and amazing beach views.

Kadiyapulanka is a hamlet surrounded with lush greenery and hills which is popular for its horticulture. Pleasant weather, beautiful hills and a peaceful environment are the main attraction in this place.

Pattiseema is an another small village you can visit near Rajahmundry. This place is significant for the Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple. The location of this temple and the serene atmosphere add extra beauty to this place.

Several other places around Rajahmundry will keep up going on with the journey.

How to reach

Rajahmundry has its own airport and from there you can get a direct cab to reach your destination.

Rajahmundry is well accessible from other cities via rails. From Visakhapatnam railway station , it will take you 3 hours to reach Rajahmumdry.

The road conditions are also good. You can easily take the road from Visakhapatnam or Vizag.
5 Smart Ways To Handle Difficult Drivers (Droppers)
By: Seth Odei Asare
Tags: Ride Hailing, Technology News, Transportation, Driver

Nothing makes a road trip more frustrating than having to tolerate a rude, unprofessional, and difficult driver (dropper). What even makes it more frustrating is that you have to put up with the driver till the end of the trip. While most droppers are expected to be welcoming and professional, there are few drivers who are rude and difficult to commute with.

However, here at GoDropping, we always urge our drivers to be more polite, professional, service-oriented and ensure that riders’ safety and satisfaction remains their leading priorities.

So, just in case you encounter a rude or unprofessional dropper, here are 5 smart ways to handle difficult droppers.

Know your rights as a rider;

It is important that before you request a ride, you know your rights and the privileges you’re entitled to as a rider. Some drivers tend to cheat or refuse to do their jobs well when you’re ignorant of your rights. So, know your rights and make sure you don’t get cheated.

2. Stay polite;

Drivers have emotions too, so when you notice any sign of aggression or rudeness from a dropper try as much as possible to stay polite and always check your attitude, even when you’re provoked. You should also know how best to communicate with the driver and avoid conversations that will cause more conflicts.

3. Call the police if you believe that you are in danger

If you’re in a GoDropping vehicle and the driver’s (dropper’s) attitude is making you feel very uncomfortable and you believe that you’re in danger, it’s advisable you can contact the police or ambulance using the S.O.S feature on the App.

4. Be in control of the conversation;

The best way to handle a difficult driver (dropper) is to be in control of the conversation. If you notice any sign of aggression or rudeness from the driver you can decide to stay quiet and not initiate further conversation.

5. Report the driver;

At the end of the trip, you can always report your experience with the driver using the GoDropping App, by giving a low rating for droppers. (i.e. the lower the number of stars, the lower the rating) To report a dropper, click on the menu option on the App and use the support option to give us your feedback or complaint.

So, there you have it, 5 smart ways to handle difficult droppers. Here at GoDropping, customer satisfaction and safety remain our leading priorities, so whenever you ride with GoDropping you’re surely in safe hands.

GoDropping: Be in control.
Work From Home (WFH) sebagai New Normal di masa depan
By: Ahady Farrel
Tags: Adaptasi Kebiasaan Baru, Covid 19, Perencanaan Kota, WFH, Transportation

Daftar Pustaka

DeRossette, Zachary Glenn. (2016). Variation in Job Performance Among Telecommuters. A thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University. San Francisco, California.

Goulias, K. G., & Pendyala, R. M. (1991). Innovations in transportation: the case of telecommuting.

Grimes, S. (2000). Rural areas in the information society: diminishing distance or increasing learning capacity?. Journal of rural studies, 16(1), 13–21.

Saxenaa, Samitra dan Mokhtarian, Patricia L., .(1997). The Impact of Telecommuting on the Activity Space of Participants. Geographical Analysis, Vol. 29, №2, April 1997, The Ohio State University Press.
แทรม หรือ บีอาร์ที ดีกว่ากัน? ตอนที่ 2
By: Sorathun Maitrawatthana
Tags: Phuket, Brt, Thailand, Tram, Transportation

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From Sea to Shining Sea: America’s First Highway
By: Victoria Laine White
Tags: History, Transportation

1823 — First American Macadam Road. Painted by Carl Rakeman for the Federal Highway Administration, date unknown. Courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration

Transportation systems have been a catalyst for economic progression throughout American history. Such incitements like that of the National Road, better known as Route 40, changed the livelihood of those dispersed among its passage. Authorized in 1806 by Congress under President Thomas Jefferson, construction began in 1811 and by 1818 the road reached Wheeling, Virginia. As construction continued, settlements among the road were founded creating commerce between westbound and eastbound travelers. Popularity of the National Road stayed consistent for decades following its completion in 1834 because of its rise in establishments that provided reconcile for passing travelers.

Yet, with time brings change and favor for the road began to diminish during the 1870s when the American railroad system blazed westbound. Until the rise of automobiles beginning in the 1920s, the National Road saw a tremendous decrease in usage. Four years shy of the Great Depression, the route officially became part of United States Route 40 in 1926, establishing it as a coast-to-coast highway. As decades waned on the once popular road system fell victim to the rise of interstate highway systems that changed transportation in the United States indefinitely.

I​n current times, the National Road is considered a vessel into the past that displays what once was innovation at its finest. Historic stone bridges present a glimpse of forgotten craftsmanship of engineers and mile markers show a tradition that was copied from our European ancestry. Traveling along the first federally funded highway in the United States beckons tribute to hardworking peoples of the past and sacrifices to the progression of society.
BREAKING: Clear Majority Favour Ottawa Bank Street O-Train Line
By: Clinton Desveaux
Tags: Transit, Urban Planning, Ottawa, Canada, Transportation

The 4.5 km Bank Street O-Train line which has captivated people throughout the city, was the clear winner from an Ottawa poll released today. It was picked above all future transit options.

Results were overwhelming showing support for the Ottawa Bank Street O-Train line with over 50% support from poll respondents. The poll gave the option to vote in 4 popular choices that have been the focus of Ottawa O-Train planning. The Bank Street O-Train line had more then twice the support of the next closest choice. Respondents had 24 hours to vote in the poll.

Shane Seguin Webmaster Rail Fans Canada

The poll was commissioned by the group Rail Fans Canada. When asked for comment from the organization, its webmaster, Shane Seguin responded “I was expecting to see these results, but was expecting Montreal Road option to be higher.”

“The Bank Street O-Train Line would allow people to connect to Lansdowne. For the people who live in Ottawa South East it would be a way to give them access to the downtown.” Shane Seguin goes on to say “the people who live in the core are seeing development to the suburbs and obviously the city core of Ottawa is having this discussion right now.”

Map created by Antoine Sauvé

“Anything to get Vanier Montreal Road and Bank Street on par with the service that is being built and expanded across the city would be a well deserved improvement in the region.”

For more information on the Bank Street O-Train Tunnel see previous news links below:

Bank Street O-Train Tunnel Video from YouTube

Clinton P. Desveaux can be reached via email: ClintonDesveaux@gmail.com
The Rise of the Electric Vehicle Sector
By: Vested Finance
Tags: Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Ev, Electric Car, Transportation

This article was originally published here. You can find more content like this on our blog.

Government policies accelerating adoption of EVs

The secular shift towards electrification of transportation has begun. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, transportation accounts for a quarter of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and road transportation makes up 72% of that.

In an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to develop industrial capabilities for the future, major global economies have set aggressive targets for CO2 emissions and EV adoption. From a policy perspective, Europe and China have led the way.

England and France both plan to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2040, whileGermany is currently offering financial incentives for consumers who adopt EVs. China has adopted aggressive requirements that mandate car makers to produce/import at least 12% of EVs as part of their fleet. It has also provided tax exemptions and credits for the purchase of EVs.

Meanwhile, in the US, with the election of Joe Biden as the 46th US president, it is expected that the US government will ramp up introduction and implementation of regulatory and fiscal policies towards increasing adoption of electric vehicles and other sustainable technologies.

Decreasing battery cost

However, even with an increase in regulatory and fiscal policies aimed at accelerating EV adoption, widespread adoption will only occur when cost parity between EVs and internal combustion vehicles has been achieved. That cost parity milestone is US $100 per kWh

As of 2020, the average price of battery cells is about US $137/kWh, 80% lower than 2013 (see Figure 1). According to a Bloomberg survey, we are close to achieving the aforementioned breakeven milestone of US $100 per kWh (expected in 2023).

Figure 1: Historical volume-weighted average cell and pack price split of battery per kWh. Data is from Bloomberg

Projected increasing demand

As a result of the regulatory pushes from European countries and China, it is expected that the adoption in these regions will precede that of the US. However, due to the global nature of the automotive supply chain, OEMs and their suppliers will prepare for the shift toward EVs and away from ICE vehicles regardless of where they are based, further reducing the cost basis for consumers globally.

Figure 2: Global EV car stock. Data is from IEA

Between 2010 and 2019, the global EV car stock increased from 200,000 to 4.8 million. This figure is expected to continue to increase. EV shares of total vehicle sales is currently at 2.7% (in 2020) and is expected to increase to 58% by 2040.
Is an iCar coming soon?
By: Salman Hasan
Tags: Future, Cars, Tech, Apple, Transportation

Apple Car Concept. Inhabitat.

Is an iCar coming soon? Apple may be planning to develop its own car that would release by 2024. Bad idea! says Barrons. The logic being that car making is a capital intensive manufacturing process with lower margins. On top of that, the field is intensely competitive. So what’s cooking in Tim Cook’s brain? maybe there will be a pathbreaking auto product much like Tesla was or even an iPhone. Exciting times ahead? let's hope so!
How Santa Uses Mobility-as-a-Service on Christmas Eve
By: Ruxandra-Theodora Mazilu
Tags: Santa Claus, Christmas, Technology, Mobility As A Service, Transportation

Mobility-as-a-Service is a consumer-centric model for people transportation. It helps fleets increase efficiency and flexibility. And managers gather data and insights faster and easier. So, why would Santa be using MaaS?

Depending on the MaaS platform, we can have the following data available:

the fastest route to a specific place;

performance reports on previous trips;

if a vehicle has to go in service;

the reason a vehicle has to go in service;

the battery/fuel level;

the costs;

behavior in traffic;

team’s status.

I bet he uses his own MaaS solution. Check out his performance and you’ll see. You can spy on his Christmas Eve journey around the world Google’s tool. They even record his journey live on Youtube. And, if you want to analyze the situation more, they have his previous trips available there too.

Remember when Helsinki shook the world in 2017 with Whim? According to them, it’s “the first all-inclusive MaaS solution commercially available on the market”. You have to take a step back guys, Santa has been on this trend for at least a few decades!

During the past years, the popularity of MaaS solutions has been increasing. Due to this, PwC predicts the number of cars will decline by 2025. And that’s amazing news! But if we want to speed up the process, we should ask Santa to lend us his platform. It looks like it’s better than everything currently available on the market.

There are other things we can do until Santa shares his solution with us. Like tracking him on Christmas Eve to see what kind of features he might have and start working on them too. Imagine implementing his technology in the public and private sectors. We could assure high performance at low costs. Avoid risks and emergencies related to either our drivers or assets. In-depth performance analysis and an insightful overview of…anything! Sounds like the dream of any fleet manager.
Toyota’s solid-state battery push!
By: Salman Hasan
Tags: Future, Technology, Cars, Transportation, Lithium Battery

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

Toyota’s solid-state battery push! The Japanese auto giant is planning to launch a solid-state battery prototype in 2021. Here’s why we should care (from Autoblog)-

Solid-state batteries are more compact, charge faster, safer, and possess more energy density than the traditional Li-ion batteries. They use a solid electrolyte rather than a liquid or gel polymer electrolytes found in Li-ion units. That means they require less physical space to produce the same amount of energy and are less prone to fire when damaged. It’s estimated that a solid-state car could have a range of 1000 kilometers (621 miles) and take 10 minutes to charge. Toyota leads the solid-state battery patent count, owning over 1,000 related to the technology.

This battery can revolutionize the EV car industry. Wonder where all the Lithium will come from?
Introducing Xos Financing to Help Fleets Transition to Fully Electric
By: Dakota Semler
Tags: Trucks, Electric Vehicles, Finance, Sustainability, Transportation

Xos Delivery Vehicle financed with Xos Financing

Climate change has remained an eye-opening concern in 2020 with rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and California and the entire west coast coming off the worst wildfire season to date, to name a few. Our mission at Xos Trucks is not only to combat climate change by removing carbon from our supply chain with fully electric vehicles but to help fleets lower their overall costs by offering electric trucks that are reliable and affordable. To make this vision a reality, fleets need to have the financial resources and tools to invest in an electric future. We recognize making this investment is not easy, especially when margins are already so thin. That’s why we’re launching a new service today.

In an effort to bring our innovative technology to market as fast as possible, we’re proud to introduce a comprehensive financial solution that allows fleets to purchase electric trucks, charging equipment, and infrastructure with financing terms that meet their unique operational and financial needs.

Introducing Xos Financing.

In partnership with DLL Group, a leading global equipment and technology asset finance partner owned by parent company Rabobank, we’re introducing full-service leases with attractive residual values that allow for competitive lease payments. It’s our goal to help fleets realize the cost savings found with EV solutions immediately, even with a potential premium cost of a zero-emission electric truck. With savings found in reduced energy, field, and maintenance costs, the full-service leases offered through this partnership allow for fleets of all sizes to make the move to fully electric vehicles with a lower cost of ownership than traditional diesel trucks.

As one of the world’s largest finance providers and the #1 vendor finance provider in the U.S. for the 11th consecutive year, DLL Group is the ideal partner for us. In DLL Group, we have found an experienced team that actively operates in more than 30 countries located in North America, Europe, and South America. They service nine industries including transportation, agriculture, clean energy, construction, food, healthcare, industrial, office equipment, and technology. DLL is the first of a network of partners that Xos will unveil over the coming months.

Xos Financing is available immediately, and you can learn more by visiting www.xostrucks.com/financing. We’re thrilled to announce Xos Financing as a first-of-its-kind electric fleet-as-a-service and help fleets nationwide make the transition to fully electric.

This is just the beginning. As we look to the future, we’re excited to introduce additional financial tools that will help our customers bring Xos’ electric fleet-as-a-service to market.
Karachi Transport
Tags: Pakistan, City Of Lights, Karachi, Transportation, Politics

Karachi is one of the few big cities in the world. Port Industry, trade, investment are also a practical picture of Islamic brotherhood and fraternity. Karachi was initially the capital of Pakistan but now it is not only the capital of Sindh but also the economic sharing partner of the province.

phrlozara

The city of international repute has its own standard identity in all fields around the world. All the locals and non-locals living in this city are worried about the problems facing this city. Often the closure of sewerage lines causes water to flood the roads, which not only affects the flow of traffic but also nearby shops and markets, disrupting business life. However, the beauty of the city has been tarnished by encroachments under the auspices of the “mafia”.

karachi

Karachi ranks first in the worst traffic system in the world

This is the role of the mafia in getting the number. With the help of government agencies, the buses whose entire structure has been destroyed are still running on the roads. It seems that it has been decided not to provide transport to this city with a population of tens of millions.

this situation karachi

After Prime Minister Imran Khan came to power, it was thought that the fate of this city might change, but in a battle between two elephants, this city is being completely destroyed. The Orange Line project was started at a cost of billions of rupees which has not been completed yet. The pace of work seems to be very slow.

The problem of Karachi is becoming very serious and the MPAs and MNAs elected from Karachi do not have enough time to go and see the problems of this city and try to solve it. We ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay special attention to this city and play his role in beautifying it again.

https://phrlozara.blogspot.com/
2020. What a year.
By: Andreas Wendel
Tags: Autonomous Vehicles, Trucking, Self Driving Cars, Transportation, Self Driving Trucks

2020. What a year.

It was quite the year, for humans and robots alike. Over the course of 2020, the Kodiak Driver has seen a lot on the middle mile, from extreme weather and complicated construction to the occasional wannabe The Fast and the Furious stunt driver. To close out the year, we thought we’d share 10 tough scenarios the Kodiak Driver saw in 2020.

10. Aggressive driving

Haven’t we all missed a turn? Before flooring it, remember you can always get on at the next entrance.

9. Construction zones

Navigating construction is one of the toughest challenges for autonomous vehicles, as we explored in this post in August. Kodiak’s unique lightweight mapping solution allows our trucks to navigate ever-changing highways and the most complex construction.

8. Emergency vehicle on shoulder

Moving over a lane for a vehicle on the shoulder is the safest thing to do. But it can be difficult to do safely in a crowded construction zone.

Earlier this year we shared how we use simulation to train the Kodiak Driver using a vehicle on the shoulder as an example. Read about it here.

7. Bad weather

Heavy rain challenges even the best drivers, human or robot.

6. A guy walks into… a lane

A construction worker stepped in front of a Kodiak truck. No joke.

This is a classic example of a case where our Safety Driver did the right thing by playing it safe and disengaging the vehicle. We can rely on simulation to test the Kodiak Driver’s capabilities in challenging scenarios like this one.

5. Forced merges

Forced merges in heavy traffic are especially difficult for Class 8 trucks, which cannot speed up and slow down as quickly as passenger cars.

4. Driving without lane markings

Self-driving vehicles use lane markings and other visual cues to place themselves in the world. But when those lane markings disappear, that doesn’t mean the Kodiak Driver can’t keep on truckin’.

3. Yet more aggressive driving

We wouldn’t recommend cutting off a lane changing truck, but the Kodiak Driver handled it just fine.

2. House on a truck

We passed a lot of houses in 2020, but this is the only house that passed us.

1. Too Fast, Too Furious

And here it is, the craziest thing we saw all year: someone passed our truck on the shoulder, at night, going 93 mph.

In this case, our Safety Driver followed protocol and disengaged the vehicle, but in re-simulation we saw the Kodiak Driver handle it just fine.

2020 has had more than its fair share of bumps in the road, but it was an incredible year of progress for Kodiak. We can’t wait to show how far we go in 2021!

Happy holidays, and safe and sound journeys!

Andreas Wendel, VP of Engineering
Spring Market Size Worth $33.3 Billion By 2027
By: Gaurav Shah
Tags: Construction, Spring, Agriculture, Transportation, Automotive

The global spring market size is expected to reach USD 33.3 billion by 2019, registering a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to gain prominence over the forecast period owing consistent growth in the demand of springs from the different end-use verticals such as automotive and transportation, agriculture and forestry, and construction. Also, the adoption of heavy industrial machinery in developing countries to optimize the manufacturing process is also expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

Industrialization and trade have strengthened each other. Trade has provided access to critical industrial inputs such as raw material and updated technologies such as robotics and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) for countries which are incapable of producing them. Increased demand for exports has spurred technological development and industrial production. In turn, the introduction of new industrial technologies such as use of 3D printers in manufacturing has shaped the pattern of manufacturing sector and hence increasing the demand for springs from robotics as well as from manufactured products.

Europe accounted for more than 25.0% of the global revenue generated in the market in the year 2019. Rising government investments to boost electric vehicle production/sales is anticipated to promote regional growth over the coming years. In Asia Pacific, the market is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period, owing to substantial growth of manufacturing sector in countries such as China and India.

However, the market is depended on demand from its end users such as automotive and manufacturing. Therefore, the onset of financial crisis is expected to adversely impact market growth. Also, prices of raw materials such as metal and alloy have rapidly fluctuated, hampering market growth. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of domestic and international market participants has made the market highly competitive. The competitive environment in the market has forced the vendors to sell the products at low prices. This has deeply impacted the profit margins of the market players and has also restricted further research and development in the market. However, frequent adoption of new manufacturing methods, and adoption of customized products is expected to accelerate the growth of the spring market over the coming years.

Click the link below:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/spring-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:
Tesla’s Full Self Driving Software Is Too Expensive… For Now
By: The Green Texan
Tags: Electric Vehicles, Future, Technology, Cars, Transportation

Photo by Bram Van Oost on Unsplash

Tesla raised the price again of their full self driving software. It is now $10,000 up from the $8,000. For most people this is a lot of money for something that is in beta.

The promise that Tesla makes is that one day soon you’ll be able to hop in your car and it will drive you from door to door, drop you off and then go park itself. That is an incredible promise and very ambitious task that they have laid out. They are making great progress but they’ve been selling this promise for years, it still isn’t here, and it might not be for years to come.

Some weeks back they released the beta full self driving software to a few favored Tesla YouTubers. The reviews so far have been very positive but the release notes state that it can do the wrong thing at the worst time. That’s quite scary and tells you that the software is no where near prime time. They will need to test this software for a long time before it’s safe to release it to the general public. This also doesn’t consider the regulatory aspect that could and most likely, will, slow down the release even further.

So you maybe wondering what’s my point? My point is that Tesla is asking customers for shell out $10,000 for something that doesn’t work and may never work. After all, regulators could say that it’s not allowed to be used on the streets or Tesla could discover that they need additional hardware for it to truly work. Tesla has also said they will continue to raise the prices when they add new features. I could see the price rising to $15k in the near future or even higher. At what point does the cost get too high for normal people to be able to afford it?

I’d imagine that most people don’t have $10k to $15k to spend on software that might not truly work. Until full self driving is truly ready and legal Tesla shouldn’t offer the service for that high of price under that name. That’s just my opinion though and I know many will disagree.

-The Green Texan