Autonomous Vehicles

• Land

• Air

• Sea

Investors conducting due diligence regarding companies operating in the autonomous transport sector are confronted with opaque visions emanating from journalists, pundits, technology companies and automobile manufacturers. For most of the last decade a perception has grown that most transport, whether land, air, or sea, will deliver on multiple promises, such as:

1.      Safety beyond human capabilities;

2.      Decreased congestion;

3.      Reduced labour costs by replacing human drivers; and

4.      Decreased carbon footprint.

These perceptions are commonly held, but they are yet to be realised. Outside select industries, such as agriculture, mining, cargo movement at ports, low-speed AV shuttles, package delivery and long-haul trucking, the autonomous transport sector remains an expensive Research & Development endeavour mostly devoid of a solid business case to deliver on any of the perceptions concerning it.

Through decades of experience in commercial and corporate law combined with hands-on experience in deploying autonomous vehicles with Uber Advanced Technology Group and in consulting with regulators and autonomous transport companies, Mitchell L. Gingrich, the Founder and President of Autonomous Consulting, is recognized as a global expert.  Autonomous Consulting is your partner in due diligence by utilising its unique Clear Path Metrics™ to:

1.      See beyond the perceptions of autonomous transport through analytical inquiry sharpened in practising law focused on commercial and corporate transactions;

2.      Assess and analyse the suitability of said companies’ business case;

3.      Advise and recommend companies for investment via readily comprehensible metrics focusing on areas such as, Legal, Financial, Technology, Competitiveness, Commercial Readiness, and Ripeness of Opportunity; and

4.      Monitor milestone achievements post-investment.

Clear Path Metrics™ are akin to a client receiving a bespoke toolkit for understanding, evaluating, and monitoring opportunities in the autonomous transport sector. Autonomous Consulting partners with its clients in tailoring A Clear Path to the Future™ with respect to each evaluation. Adding an expert and independent voice to the discussion advantages investors without expending the time, effort, and energy in developing this high-level expertise in-house.

For millennia, man has harnessed the power of nature to grow food. Tools eased the burden of taming the ground and training the growth of fruits, vegetables and grains. The industrial revolution introduced mechanized tools by which man could leverage his agricultural efforts. A further leveraging through the pairing of software with agricultural tools is igniting an agri-tech revolution.

Components of autonomous systems, such as GPS, GNSS, sensors and LiDAR, are already utilised to enhance traditional agricultural implements. Ultimately, fully autonomous systems will be handling nearly all aspects of agriculture. Our firm’s agri-tech consulting expertise is facilitating this developing sector, and we anticipate New Zealand will lead the world in integrating software with agricultural implements.

Our firm’s expertise delivers bespoke insights and solutions when evaluating autonomous transport options. The air transport industry provides some of the most relevant guidance for how we can manage the advent of autonomous vehicles in our public areas. Demonstrating high levels of autonomy, airplanes utilize multiple redundant systems, especially a pilot and co-pilot. Beyond these redundancies, aviation regulators oversee a safety system with initial and ongoing certifications for pilots, airplane maintenance and data safeguarding. Applying these principles to drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is sensible.

Large container ships and oil tankers ply the seas daily. Autonomy is ready for the seas and will be arriving at a port nearby soon. Similar to the systems already in place for airplanes and UAVs, autonomous shipping also requires a robust safety and regulatory system. Our firm applies its experience and knowledge across all aspects of the AV transport universe so that safe and reliable transport of goods and passengers can be assured.

Developing regulations for transport industries is no small task. Our firm’s core competencies enhance the outcomes for government agencies, as well as for those pursuing the best path to test and commercially utilize their AV technologies in public areas. Keeping government up to speed with the rapidly changing AV sector is a hallmark of our firm.