Category Archives: 2019 issue

Local Trend. Ordinances on Robot Delivery Services. 5 Bits informed:intel.

The City: San Francisco

The ordinances: Address “cargobots” on city sidewalks and place these 5 limitations:

  • Companies can have 3 robots a piece
  • 9 total robots for the entire city
  • bots will be relegated to low population industrial areas
  • constant human monitoring
  • Speed limit of 3 miles an hour

Lege Trend. +2 States. Statewide Robot Delivery Legislation.

States that have passed statewide robot delivery laws: Idaho & Virginia

The legislation:  No constant human monitoring required. Idaho has a weight limit of 80lbs & Virginia has a limit of 50lbs. 

The business behind the legislation in Idaho & Virginia : Starship Technologies, a delivery-robot company based in Estonia that was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, two of the co-founders of Skype

 

Re-Code | A robot-delivery startup helped write state laws that are locking out competition

Legal Trend Begetting Lege Trend. 3 Points from a Direct Sales Court Win in the Midwest.

Background: The Missouri Department of Revenue granted Tesla the ability to sell directly without using the dealership process. As a result, the Missouri Automobile Association brought a lawsuit in 2015.

The Appellate Court Ruling:

  • The Court said the Autodealers did not have standing to bring suit against the Department of Revenue and that the “association’s challenge sounded more like a competitor seeking to avoid competition than an attempt to defend a larger public interest”
  • Tesla’s…

Polling. 2 Policies Expected for Connected Cars.

Polling of US and UK consumers by  Thales’ E-Security IoT Survey shows that consumers expect connected cars to:

  • necessitate data security policies for consumers for safety
    • 60% say connected cars ” pose security concerns with integrity and malfunctions”
  • necessitate malware and ransomeware protections
    • 46% of US and 52% of UK participants have security concerns on viruses or malware
  • 40% say data security is the most improtant question when purchasing a connected car

ITS…

Anatomy of a State Bill for Direct Auto Sales. Free Market + Vehicle Freedom = legislation.

Wisconsin legislators announced legislation to permit the direct sales of certain EV vehicles in Wisconsin.

The bill’s tagline: Electric Vehicle Freedom Act. 

The press release from legislators:

Representative Brooks and Senator Kapenga Introduce “Electric Vehicle Freedom Act” 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Legislation would let Tesla sell directly to buyers in Wisconsin

TEXAS INTERIM CHARGES. 10 Transportation Charges. Energy. Trade. Tech.

House Committee on International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs 

#2 Transportation Barriers to Trade.  Review the current state of infrastructure at Texas’ international shipping ports and border ports of entry in Texas. Identify transportation-related impediments to international trade and estimate the impact of those challenges, including border wait times, on the state’s economy. Make recommendations for improvements to facilitate international trade and economic growth. (Joint charge…

Anatomy of a Local High Speed Rail Fight in Maryland. 4 Points from the Opposition,

Where: Prince George’s County

The opposition arguments of the local officials: 

  • the high speed rail cuts through neighborhoods 
  • the high speed rail runs too close to schools
  • vow no taxpayer supported funding for the project
  • “eliminate any chance the project can seize land from private citizens” by changing eminent domain laws

WTOP | Prince George’s Co. leaders vow to derail plans for high-speed train

5 Issues that Legislators & Regulators will face with EV Charger Stations.

 

  • ​ Will regulators/legislators allow utilities to rate-base infrastructure costs?
  • Will regulators/legislators permit a shift in costs from private installers and owners onto the general rate base?
  • Can investments be recovered through performance-based regulations?
  • How to incentivize investments by rewarding social benefits without exposing ratepayers to undue risk?
  • Will regulators and utilities adopt the free and open-source Open Charge Point Protocol to support interoperable…

Trend. Rulemaking. Billboards. Texas. Everything bigger in Texas? 3 Key Points from Supporters.

TXDOT proposes billboards rules that permit billboards to 85 feet high.

A Sunset bill author, TX Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville says:

  •  Intent was to only grandfather in existing signs above the 42.5 foot limit. 
  • New billboards would have to comply with current 42.5 foot limit according to Sunset 
  • Existing signs below 42.5 cannot exceed 42.5 feet

What’s the property right issue at play? Existing billboards that were built under 1986 rules that had no height limitations

The…

The Big Loophole in Self Driving Car Regulations and Legislation.

What’s missing from most state and federal self driving car regulations and legislation?  Big Trucks.

Self driving truck economuy is growing and the regulations and legislation are not keeping pace, or so say lawyer sin this field in California, the first state to implement self-driving car regulations.

The Recorder | We Asked California Lawyers for Views on the New Driverless Rules. Here’s What They Said.