Have you ever wondered what would happen if the cops organized their own Cannonball Run? I’ve been wondering since I was ten years old, and that was the real reason I wanted to be a cop. After all, they can drive as fast as they want. Right? Law enforcement is supposed to be the enemy of all things Cannonball, so you can imagine my surprise when two men who claimed to be officers from California hit me up last year on Facebook, asking what I thought about what they were doing.

Ten seconds later I’m watching a live video from a page called Cannonball Memorial Run.

It was true. There were cops driving cross country. And it’s happening again, on Thursday, September 28th, leaving the Santa Monica Pier at 0800hr PST.

And this time I’m riding along to witness the whole thing.

How can they get away it? Because it’s for a good cause. The Cannonball Memorial Run (CMR) is a non-profit foundation founded by Sergeants John Bannes and Jason Hendrix of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. Yes, the same department involved in that horrific terrorist attack in 2015.

The SBSD has seen a lot of action, yet Hendrix, Bannes and their team are just like you and I once they’re off-duty. They’re fans of the original Cannonball Run film and race, and huge car guys. Hendrix would much rather talk about his Mustang GT350 than having suffered multiple gunshot wounds as a young officer.

Their goal? To raise money for the families of officers killed in the line of duty. Their plan? To drive from California to Washington DC, stopping briefly at 13 different agencies that lost officers over the last 12 months, to raise awareness about the financial issues facing the loved ones of the fallen. The car? There will be two rented Chevy Tahoes full of off-duty cops.

Really.

If the whole thing sounds crazy, trust me, it’s not as crazy as how and why they reached out to me last December.

“Is it cool with you if we use the Cannonball name?” asked Hendrix, wind noise nearly drowning out his voice the night he called me from the road. He sure didn’t sound like a cop.

Or maybe he did.

“No one owns the Cannonball Run,” I said, “except maybe Brock Yates, who founded it. But he’s dead. I guess if it’s in the spirit of it, it’s ok. What exactly are you doing?”

I still wasn’t sure I wasn’t being catfished.

“We’re driving cross country,” Bannes said, deadpan, sounding exactly like the cop he claimed to be.

“How fast?” I said.

“The speed limit!” exclaimed Hendrix.

Laughter in the background. I scanned the comments on their Facebook Live. Every one was from an officer or apparent family member, all offering words of encouragement.

“But why?” I asked, incredulous.

“Because,” said Hendrix, “I almost didn’t come home one day 21 years ago, and I knew what my family might have gone through. I didn’t want anyone else to have go through that. But 150 officers die a year. You know what happened in Dallas—”

“Murdered,” Bannes said in the background.

“—and these are men and women from all over,” said Hendrix, “of all colors, just doing their jobs.”

“And financial help never comes fast enough. For their wives. For the kids.”

“Husbands, too, you know,” said Hendrix.

That’s their point. Those 150 officers and their families are people like anyone else, but like all first responders, every time one of them goes to work it might be the last time they come home. No help is ever fast enough when an officer doesn’t come home because they were shot, or hit by a drunk driver, or killed in a single car accident, as thirty-five already have this year from the stress of racking up mile after mile between calls.

Which is why — although I’ve spent almost my entire adult life trying to avoid police — I accepted their offer to ride along this year to document their effort.

We Americans have so many freedoms, we often take them for granted. We can speak out. We can disagree, but in an era when too many would have us focus the differences between us, these chasms are instantly filled when tragedy strikes. At least I hope so.

In my efforts to seek glory on our highways, I made every effort to stay — literally and figuratively — below police radar, and succeeded. But a veteran Cannonballer once told me that even if you get away, if the police knew you were there, you failed. In that sense, I failed more than once, pulling officers off of more important duties all those years ago.

Which means I was in some small way responsible for the stress officers go through every day, and it’s my responsibility to go along to hear and tell their stories for a change.

The CMR will cover 4,000+ miles in 72 hours, from Santa Monica Pier to the National Fallen Officer Memorial in Washington, D.C.. Monday morning a patch presentation will take place at the office of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Yes, that Jeff Sessions, which means I’ll have to wear a suit instead of my traditional Polizei 144 jacket.

If you want to witness the start, be at Santa Monica Pier by 0745 AM on Thursday morning. The Sunday night finish in DC will depend on traffic and weather. If you want to meet up at any of the checkpoints on the way, here’s the list. The CMR and I will be publishing more precise ETAs for each of the 13 stops once we’re on the road. I can say from experience that no driveplan survives once cars start moving, but who knows? With two SUVs full of off-duty law enforcement driving cross country, and dozens of police agencies lined up to meet us along the way, this might go a lot faster than expected.

Or maybe not, if everyone who’s promised to convoy with us shows up. Will every law enforcement agency on the way be happy to see us? That depends on how fast we’re going, and where the on-duty boys stand between the letter and the spirit of the law.

It’s a good thing I won’t be driving.

I’ll be publishing more details Wednesday, and live location & video updates on TheDrive’s Facebook Page after departure.

You may donate to the Cannonball Memorial Run here.
You can follow the CMR online and on Facebook.

Alex Roy is Editor-at-Large for The Drive, Host of The Autonocast, co-host of /DRIVE on NBC Sports and author of The Driver, has set numerous endurance driving records in Europe & the USA in the internal combustion, EV, 3-wheeler & Semi-Autonomous Classes, including the infamous Cannonball Run record. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

That pesky thought experiment known as The Trolley Problem has been making the rounds again, and once again I’m reminded of the disconnect between the clickbait media, mobility “experts” and the real world. What’s the problem? The traditional definition of the Trolley Problem—like those of the SAE Automation Levels meant to classify self-driving cars—is both stupid and wrong, and masks real world solutions for improving safety today.

In the context of self-driving, the Trolley Problem sets up a scenario where a fully autonomous vehicle approaches, say, a mobility expert herding a group of blind children out of a burning conference building where—yup—they had been listening to an Uber-sponsored lecture on the merits of Level 4 autonomy. There is no time to stop or steer around them. The only option is to run them over or steer into the building, killing the vehicle’s occupants.

What should the car do?

Run them over, obviously, as I’ve already explained in great detail. No one will ever get into a self-driving car that doesn’t favor its occupants. There is either no Trolley Problem, or there will never be self-driving cars.

The real problem? Everyone who debates the traditional Trolley Problem. The Trolley Problem never existed except as a time-wasting diversion from solutions right in front of us, partially technological, but mostly in our minds. There is only one choice, and that is to redefine the Trolley Problem by broadening its scope to include the real world factors leading back to the traditional definition, and eliminate them.

Luckily, companies like Michelin are already doing that.

The Michelin Pilot Experience

Last month, in a display of courage rare in the auto sector, Michelin invited me on a press trip to test their new flagship PS4S against Pirelli’s P-Zero Nero GT at a Monterey airstrip. I didn’t need to go to be convinced. I’ve been loyal to the brand for 20+ years, having used Michelin’s best on almost every endurance driving record where I paid for the tires.

Jalopnik unfairly skewered Michelin for an invitee list that included a variety of influencers—you know, those YouTubers with little knowledge, huge followings, and car collections paid for by their parents. I was guilty of joining in with a video mocking one of them for his regurgitation of marketing drivel it was unclear he understood. In hindsight it became clear that both Jalopnik and I had completely missed the point.

Whoever was responsible for the Michelin event is a genius.

Whatever your opinion of influencers, kids like Shmee150 are—as Lenin put it—useful idiots in the service of a greater good. As much as I want to believe that influencer glorification of horsepower and specs merely inspires their underage audiences to greater heights of irresponsibility on the road, this isn’t necessarily true.

Take a good look at this $1.9M Koenigsegg Regera and what do you see? Michelin’s best.

If Michelin, by inviting influencers to experience and appreciate the difference between tires, can raise state-of-the-art tire technology to the level of glorification now dominated by engine technology and carbon fiber, they are doing more to improve safety than all the self-driving pundits will in the next ten years. Ok, maybe fifty.

Cars—human or self-driven—need tires. The decision tree that starts at the house and ends in a crash depends on countless forks. Any technology that leads away from an impact is a good one.

Although Michelin’s demonstration was very convincing, the real issue isn’t Michelin vs Pirelli, it’s that the next generation of human drivers appreciate that tires are part of performance, that even within brands there are levels of quality, and that everything counts in large amounts.

I would never own a car at any price without the best possible tires I could afford. The very best tires are the cheapest upgrade one could ever make to a car. Do you love your wife? Your husband? Your kids? Get better tires. That Michelin is marketing them as a performance upgrade to the Youtube crowd isn’t cynicism, it’s both wise and moral. Tire manufacturers are the firefighters of the automotive industry. It is impossible to argue against them, or anything they do to improve their products. There is no greater demonstration of trickle-down theory than track-to-street improvements in both performance and safety. When it comes to tires, performance is safety.

Which brings us back to the so-called Trolley Problem.

The Real Trolley Problem

The real Trolley Problem requires thinking outside the box, above and beyond the traditional problem. In order to avoid the unwinnable scenario, wise choices are necessary before events are in motion. It doesn’t matter who or what is in control. Every disaster is a wise a choice avoided. Actually, it’s a series of wise choices, most of which are easier and cheaper at the outset.

Self-driving cars? Between now and ubiquity we can expect a long slog, but before we relinquish our control over machines, it is our responsibility to accept reality as it is. Physics is a harsh mistress, but also fair. Physics tells thousands of times a day what will happen in an avalanche of if/then examples we often choose not to see. If we make choices that enhance our control over outcomes, we increase our agency over life itself, which is the ultimate sum of outcomes. If we choose to believe we never had agency, then life was never worth living, because we never understood the rules governing life and death.

Ergo, self-driving cars.

We don’t need to wait for self-driving cars to improve safety. Except for AI, all the component technologies of self-driving are here for us to use. Until 100% of human drivers are using winter tires in the winter, the shortest and cheapest path to reducing road fatalities is right before us. Until 100% of teens buy new tires before engine upgrades, there is work to do, and companies like Michelin are doing it.

Don’t even get me started about licensing, but that’s another story.

Alex Roy is Editor-at-Large for The Drive, Host of The Autonocast, co-host of /DRIVE on NBC Sports and author of The Driver, has set numerous endurance driving records in Europe & the USA in the internal combustion, EV, 3-wheeler & Semi-Autonomous Classes, including the infamous Cannonball Run record. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

It's no secret that cold weather can reduce the effectiveness of a battery, regardless of the application. A new study by AAA confirms that electric cars are no exception to reduced range in the cold, noting that it is especially exacerbated when owners crank up the heat to keep themselves warm.

In an effort to be brand-agnostic, the AAA used five different vehicles as their test subjects:

• 2017 Tesla Model S 75D
• 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf
• 2018 Chevrolet Bolt
• 2018 BMW i3s
• 2018 Nissan Leaf

Each vehicle would be placed on a dynamometer (typically used to chart vehicle power output) in a climate controlled environment. During each battery-draining run, they altered the temperature in the room surrounding the vehicle in order to understand the effects that different climates have on range depletion.

First, the organization obtained a baseline range reading on each vehicle at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. AAA would then test the car in both 20 degree and 95 degree weather, with and without the use of the car's built-in HVAC systems.

In 20 degree weather, the average range of the car fell by 12 percent without the use of heat. When the cabin heater was flipped on, the tests showed that range dropped an astounding 41 percent.

"It would easily use double the amount of power for that 15-mile trip," Jason Hughes, a notorious member of the Tesla community known for modding his cars and refurbishing spare Tesla parts, told the Associated Press. "It's definitely an issue. If you want to go somewhere far in the cold, you're going to be using more power."

Higher temperatures unsurprisingly cut into range as well when the air conditioning is in use, finds AAA. However, the results note that the amount of range zapped by turning on the heat far outweighs the range lost when using air conditioning. When tested at 95 degrees, range only dropped 4 percent from baseline. When the AC was blowing cool air, the range feel by around 17 percent.

Tesla in particular has been under fire as of late due to its best-selling premium mid-size sedan, the Model 3, not being equipped with a battery heater. Its big brothers, the Model S and Model X, are offered with the equipment as standard and use it to help to bring the cells up to temperature, improving both charging and range. To combat range lost by using a cold battery and interior heat, Tesla offers a feature called pre-conditioning which helps to warm up the cabin, and subsequently, the battery, before driving. This is extremely useful for owners who leave their cars plugged in overnight so that they are not wasting precious range while commuting.

Though the northern hemisphere is just over halfway through winter, the cold weather will still be around for several weeks. AAA recommends that as the temperatures are still cold to pre-condition the cabin while plugged, as it may help to help combat some range loss in extreme temperatures.

On Tuesday, the motorsports community learned of the passing of Dr. Robert Hubbard, inventor of the HANS (Head and Neck Support) device. He was 75 years old.

An official statement was released which announced Dr. Hubbard's death by stating, "Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends. Bob's invention truly changed the world of auto racing safety and he was a kind-hearted person who would help anyone in need. He will be missed greatly."

Dr. Hubbard was a professor of biomechanical engineering at Michigan State University until his retirement in 2006. He developed the safety restraint device after many discussions with Jim Downing, his brother-in-law, who was a successful sportscar racer.

The HANS device was first adopted by the National Hot Rod Association in 1996 following the death of Top Fuel racer Blaine Johnson. However, the device was not mandated by the sanctioning body until 2004 after the death of Darrell Russell, the 2003 Top Fuel Rookie of the Year. Just prior to this, other racing series and sanctioning bodies were bolstering the trend to prevent unnecessary driver fatalities.

Following the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., Neil Bonnett, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. from basilar skull fractures, NASCAR mandated the usage of HANS and the similar Hutchens device in October 2001. CART made the HANS device mandatory at oval tracks in 2001, later making them compulsory at all circuits, while Formula 1 mandated the HANS device in 2003 after an extensive test was conducted by Mercedes-Benz from 1996 to 1998. The results were subsequently shared with the FIA as well.

ARCA adopted the HANS device in October 2001 after the death of Blaise Alexander from a basal skull fracture.

Starting in the 2005 season, both World Rally Championship and Australian V8 Supercar Series made the HANS device compulsory for all participating drivers.

Since making the HANS device mandatory in all major forms of motorsports around the world, countless drivers have been able to walk away from horrific crashes, owing a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Hubbard.

On Wednesday, Tesla announced a reduction in production hours for higher-priced Model S and Model X vehicles, following statements that the automaker would instate severe job cuts to ramp up consumer affordability of Model 3 sedans, Reuters reports.

As expected, the announcement had a significant impact on the company’s stocks, with shares falling 4.2 percent to $286.09 per. The automaker has found itself in the difficult position of either raising vehicle prices and thereby losing customers, or instead, cutting production costs and subsequently laying people off.

“As a result of this change and because of improving efficiencies in our production lines, we have reduced Model S and X production hours accordingly,” a Tesla spokesperson told Reuters via email. “These changes, along with continuing improvements, give us the flexibility to increase our production capacity in the future as needed.”

Next week’s earnings call will surely reveal further, more specific details on the company’s conundrum and whatever strategies it’s considering to employ and willing to publicly share.

Ultimately, much of the automaker’s business decisions in the past few weeks have been the result of Tesla’s electric vehicle tax break beginning to come to a close. From Jan. 1 onward, the reduction in this tax credit added $3,750 to the price of each vehicle. The U.S. tax credit will be cut in half once again starting in July, making the automaker's need to reduce costs on Model 3 production stronger by the day.

With a reliance on bringing the company’s new Gigafactory in Shanghai to fully operational status, and maintaining trust in the brand’s capabilities to reach ambitious benchmarks in established timeframes, Tesla is in a precarious situation this year, which some analysts posit could “make or break” the company. For now, the auto industry lies in wait, anticipating the carmaker’s next business moves and analyzing their ramifications. Stay tuned.

Lexus is the latest automaker to experiment with a subscription service, although the Toyota luxury brand isn't using that term. The program is called Lexus Complete Lease, and it has some features of a traditional lease, but it also copies existing subscription services by bundling the cost of a car, insurance, and maintenance into one flat fee.

The Lexus UX crossover is the only vehicle available through the program. Customers who sign up for the mandatory two-year, 20,000-mile term pay a single monthly fee that includes insurance and scheduled maintenance at 5,000-mile intervals. Also included are what Lexus calls "connected services," such as SiriusXM satellite radio. Lexus did not list pricing.

The program is only available in seven states: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It's being run through Lexus dealers, which also handle maintenance on participating cars. A Lexus press release said the automaker had signed up nearly 80 dealers to participate.

Keeping dealers involved will likely make things easier for Lexus. Dealers are highly suspicious of any program or service that might allow automakers to sell cars directly to customers, potentially threatening dealer business. A group of California dealers is petitioning to block the Care by Volvo subscription service. Increased dealer involvement is also a priority in the Book by Cadillac subscription program reboot.

Despite the potential for conflict with dealers, several automakers are experimenting with subscription services. Most are small-scale pilot programs, however, while Lincoln operates a subscription service with used cars. Jeep will likely be next to give the concept a try. It's partnering with Avis to launch a pilot program in Boston later this year.

The NHTSA has announced a rollback of a 2012 proposal that would have required the mandatory installation of Electronic Data Recorders (EDR) on cars and trucks. These data recorders can be used to help law enforcement reconstruct what happened after a serious crash. The information contained in the data recorders includes vehicle speed, throttle and brake pedal position, and steering angle.

The first time NHTSA made a regulation for data recorders was in 2006, stating if an EDR was installed in a vehicle it was required to collect data and ensure the availability of data after a crash. The National Transportation Safety Board first recommended EDRs be placed in cars after a 2003 collision that resulted in the deaths of 10 people at a Santa Monica, California farmers market. In the aftermath of that collision, law enforcement and safety officials had difficulty determining what exactly caused the incident and what lead up to it.

A spokesperson for the NHTSA told The Drive, “The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is withdrawing its 2012 proposal to require the mandatory installation of Electronic Data Recorders (EDR) on all light vehicles because nearly 100 percent of manufacturers voluntarily equip EDR’s as standard equipment. NHTSA is working on a proposal to update pre-crash recording requirements in accordance with the FAST Act.”

The FAST Act required the NHTSA to determine the appropriate period for an electronic data recorder to store data prior to the collision incident. It also stated that the owner or lessee of a vehicle is the owner of the data on the recorder and it may not be retrieved without their consent or a warrant from the court with jurisdiction.

In a statement to Reuters, the head of the consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety Jason Levine said the decision to withdraw the proposal “seems especially problematic as the need for uniform crash data elements to assist crash investigators only increases with every iteration of advanced safety technology.”

Aston Martin announced that it will debut its new, electric Lagonda All-Terrain Concept at the 89th annual Geneva International Motor Show in March.

To tease the upcoming convention’s attendees appropriately and tide the rest of us over until then, the automaker has released the first sparsely detailed photo and revealed a few key details.

Most importantly, the Lagonda All-Terrain is poised to be the brand’s very first zero-emissions luxury vehicle put into production, and fall in line with the automaker’s three core series of sportscars: Vantage, DB11 AMR, and DBS Superleggera.

Aston Martin relaunched the Lagonda sub-brand last year and graced the Geneva International Motor Show with a surprise debut of the Lagonda Vision Concept. This year, the company is seemingly keen on maintaining that momentum by not only bringing the All-Terrain model to Switzerland’s international guests but doing so with the promise of actually putting it into production.

“The ways in which automotive brands reveal new product has changed beyond recognition in recent years, but there’s still something compelling about the unique atmosphere of a great motor show,” said Andy Palmer, Lagonda president and Aston Martin Group CEO.

The vehicle’s finish is the company’s own in-house “Cosmos Orange,” with subtle carbon fiber detailing on both the interior and exterior with orange graphics and anodized interior switches. Aston Martin has supposedly developed this model with equal parts performance- and luxury-car tenets in mind.

“The Lagonda All-Terrain Concept offers explicit clues regarding what will be the first Lagonda model to enter production, and further demonstrates how Lagonda’s zero emission powertrain enables us to create spectacular cars that will radically redefine their sectors of the market,” said Palmer. “I’m expecting the Aston Martin Lagonda stand to be busier than ever, and very much look forward to seeing the crowd’s reaction first-hand."

For those of you lucky enough to attend this year’s Geneva International Motor Show from March 5-7, you might want to head on over to Hall 2, Stand #2229 to get a glimpse of this yet mysterious-looking luxury car yourself. One thing is already fairly clear: the design we can discern looks mighty promising.

Lyft wants more drivers to use electric cars in order to reduce the environmental impact of its ride-hailing service. In a blog post, the company said it will add "thousands" of EVs through a rental program for drivers. Riders will also be able to request an electric car or hybrid through a new feature called Green Mode.

Electric cars will be added to Lyft's fleet through an expansion of the Express Drive program, which offers car rentals to Lyft drivers. The program originally targeted Lyft drivers who don't own cars or just don't want to use their personal vehicles for ride-hailing. But now, Lyft hopes to use Express Drive as a tool to get more of its drivers into electric cars.

Rentals include unlimited mileage, a maintenance plan, and insurance. At launch, unlimited charging is also included in the weekly rental rate, Lyft said, adding that electricity will come from 100-percent renewable sources. Because electricity is cheaper than gasoline or diesel, Lyft expects drivers to save "thousands of dollars per year" even if they do eventually have to pay for charging. Electric car rentals are currently available only in Seattle and Atlanta, but Lyft plans to introduce them in other regions throughout the year.

Lyft passengers in Seattle can also request a hybrid or electric car with the new Green Mode feature. Green Mode will gradually become available in other parts of the country, Lyft said, although its utility in any given city will depend on the number of hybrid and electric cars in the local fleet.

Last year, Lyft claimed that its operations were carbon neutral, but that's because the company was investing in environmental projects to offset the carbon emissions of cars in its fleet. Now Lyft is attacking the problem head-on by trying to get drivers to switch from internal combustion to electric power. Rival Uber has also discussed plans to add more electric cars and is even charging an extra fee in London to help fund the switch.

The efforts by Lyft and Uber show the limitations of the companies' shared business model when it comes to policy changes. Having freelance drivers supply their own cars saves Lyft and Uber lots of money, but it also means they can't make sweeping changes to the cars in their fleets, like taxi companies or traditional for-hire car services can. Because Lyft and Uber don't own cars, the electrification of their fleets could take a long time.

As part of Thursday's Toyota Sequoia TRDPro reveal, a nugget of relief snuck its way into the company's Chicago Auto Show announcement.

Alongside all of the beefed-up offroad equipment that will be added to the go-anywhere SUV, Toyota will also fit the Sequoia TRDPro with an updated infotainment system that features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. Additionally, this same multimedia setup will at last be available on lower trim models of the Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner, meaning you don't have to spend $50K+ to get what's essentially standard equipment across the rest of the segment.

While this may seem like minor news at first glance, the updated multimedia system fixes the glaring flaw that many have quibbled over in Toyota's truck and SUV lineup for years. Others have long offered features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their middle-of-the-road vehicles, but somehow, Toyota hadn't caught onto this trend until now.

Screen sizes will vary between the models, though it'll undeniably be a considerable upgrade over the teensy outgoing unit.

Pair this nifty tech with extremely capable 4x4 bits and bulletproof reliability, and Toyota is once again in the conversation when considering an everyday offroader. The Tacoma already sells (and resells) in huge numbers, so it's not like it was hurting for more; however, this at least brings the truck, along with the rest of the aforementioned models, up to speed with the likes of Chevrolet and Ford.

“Equity is not just about your cap table,” the MC reminded the audience at last week’s Micromobility California Summit, held across the bay from San Francisco in Richmond, California's Craneway Building. More than 600 attendees had poured into what was once the largest Ford factory on the west coast to take stock of the fastest-growing trend in mobility. We were gathered together under Horace Dediu - the analyst who predicted the explosion of the iPhone - to celebrate his next forecast: the disruption of the transportation system by the new wave of micromobility and with it, the market for miles (see Niedermeyer’s excellent wrap up of the event here).

But let’s not talk about miles, let’s talk about people.

The large, airy industrial structure the Summit inhabited was drenched in transportation history, serving as a beacon of disruptive innovation and the democratization of personal mobility. It was also home to the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which honors the first women working in war industry and lauds the new social constructs formed to resolve the challenges they faced. One such obstacle was the women worker’s need for childcare, which ultimately led to the establishment of the early childhood development profession and the opening of child development centers. Though the potential parallels between the rise of the car and the emerging micromobility movement are clear, what's less obvious is whether the growth of small electric vehicles would bring about similar social progress.

Some early signs suggest there is a lot of work to be done. After taking my seat in the third row of lecture-style seats I took a half-selfie with the audience behind me for my first tweet of the day. It instantly received a comment: "Says great things about your industry when a snapshot of your conference shows women outnumbered by men ~20:1 and not a black person in sight.”

Dediu's keynote unpacked his predictions that were framed as an “unbundling” of the automobile, just as we unbundled from the personal computer to mobile phones. The gist of his beautiful graphs was that moving from inefficient geometries to smaller, human scaling not only delivered freedom but significant market potential. Here, in Dediu's myriad data points, was the massive opportunity: to create a more perfect alignment between our real needs and our chosen tools of mobility.

But if the economic opportunity that micromobility presents can be made clear with numbers alone, the social opportunities take considerably more imagination. Ursula K. LeGuin insisted that when a sci-fi author imagines the future, they are engaging in a thought experiment about the possibilities of technology and the subsequent impact on society. In fact, predicting futures and situating them in the present-day status-quo of gender relations, essentially ignoring the social mutations that tech creates, are deemed to be the “Galactic Suburbs” of the genre.

Alex Roy, Director of Special Operations at Argo AI [and columnist at The Drive! -Ed], commanded attention during his high-energy talk on Universal Basic Mobility. He urged the audience to view mobility as not only a human right but as the number one path out of poverty. Roy went on to posit that the only “trolley problem” is that trollies are underfunded and that all modes lead to transit. Meanwhile, Twitter was heating up with more comments about the lack of women in attendance. Regina Clewlow, CEO of Populus, a data-driven mobility platform for cities, tweeted, “this was primarily due to demographics of the VC/ startup community (92% of VCs are men, investing in 98% of companies led by a male CEO)”

Outside during a break, I spotted two African-American women, wearing high-viz shirts standing over their personal bicycles looking at the rows of e-bikes parked outside. I greeted them and encouraged them to come into the conference to learn more. They were curious but apprehensive as they looked inside, “it’s all men in there.” They declined with a smile, bid me goodbye and rode off. The potential for UBM and the democratization of mobility that micromobility presents won't become more than just potential unless more diverse voices are part of the conversation, particularly the voices of those who are poorly served by the current car-dominated paradigm.

Will our mobility future reflect the make-up of the Micromobility Summit, driven by profit and almost devoid of women and diversity? Will it be incubated in the galactic suburbs, doomed to repeat the mistakes of our transportation past? Will we not only take time to consider the inequities created as new technologies were deployed at the outset of the last century but go further, stitching them directly into our thinking as we redesign the system?

Solving such structural deficiencies takes an enormous upheaval across industries and and require us to dislodge long-held cultural beliefs. This is never an easy lift. I cannot claim to have the ultimate solution, but I can offer a handful of suggestions that can lead us towards a more inclusive future:

• Follow the Reilly Brennan Policy: No manels. Do not participate in or create panels that don’t include diversity. Refer to Brennan’s list of Emerging Women Startup Leaders in Transportation, Mobility & Autonomous Vehicles, add to it or create your own list of diverse experts.

• Offer “advocate” rates at events to eliminate financial barriers from participation.

• Flex the Alex Roy rule: As a white male, energetically facilitate meaningful connections, offer opportunities, and mentor.

• Adopt the Leslie Richards Rule: The Secretary of PennDOT insists any firm that requests a meeting with her bring at least one woman from their team. Practice it. Daily.

As we stand at this inflection point gazing out over the new frontier of mobility, let’s decide to not only extract value from miles and solve inequities in our cities but also steer well clear of the galactic suburbs.

Courtney Erlichman is a subject matter expert and consultant on transportation technologies, connected and automated vehicles, shared-use mobility and smart cities. She has run multiple USDOT research groups, co-founded an automated road condition survey company called RoaodBotics, and currently serves on the state of Pennsylvania's autonomous vehicle task force.

Year, Make, Model: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition

Top Line: As promised, Mazda took the wraps off of a special edition of its much-loved MX-5 at the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday. It celebrates the roadster's 30th birthday at the very same auto show where the O.G. Miata first debuted in 1989.

What's New: To celebrate three decades since the world first clapped eyes on the NA Miata, Mazda has given its latest special edition sports car an exclusive coat of orange paint imaginatively dubbed Racing Orange. The vitamin C theme extends inside with orange trim gracing the seats, door cards, dash, and shift knob. Peeking behind the wheels are orange brake calipers (Brembos up front, Nissins in the rear).

Speaking of wheels, the 30th Anniversary Edition also gets forged Rays ZE40 RS30 aluminum wheels that were apparently developed exclusively for this car. Of course, it wouldn't be a special edition motor vehicle without a badge that sets it apart from its less special stablemates and the 30th Anniversary MX-5 is no different.

Quotable: "After 30 years and with more than 1 million examples sold, Mazda feels that the MX-5 is no longer its own creation," reads Mazda's press release. "It belongs to the fans around the world who have supported the development of the model."

What You Need to Know: The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition will be limited to 3,000 units consisting of both soft- and retractable-fastback RF hardtop models.

On top of the exclusive cosmetic goodies, Mazda will throw in Recaro seats, Bilstein dampers for manual transmission examples, a nine-speaker Bose stereo, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Can't have any non-Anniversary Edition owners one-upping you on the equipment front now, can we?

Bugatti has just announced that it will create a new special edition of the Chiron hypercar commemorating 110 years of the company's existence. The manufacturer plans to produce exactly twenty of these "100 Ans Bugatti" models, and all of them will come in the red, white, and blue colors of the French flag. This car seems to be as much of a celebration of Bugatti's French heritage as it is of the brand itself, incorporating the nation's flag into its badging and trim.

“With the limited Chiron Sport ‘110 Ans Bugatti,' Bugatti is ushering in the 110th anniversary of its foundation. At the same time, we are underlining our origin and our French roots in Molsheim,” says Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann in a press release.

In 1909, Frenchman Ettore Bugatti built his first car, the Type 10. It was a light, powerful car designed entirely in the name of performance. In the decades that followed, Bugatti would create a variety of luxury, sports car, and racing models. The manufacturer's success would, unfortunately, grind to a halt during World War II when occupying German forces seized Bugatti's production facility.

Ettore Bugatti was able to reclaim the factory in 1945, but fell prey to pneumonia and passed away only two years later. The manufacturer tried to carry on without its founder, but financial trouble would force Bugatti to close its doors in 1956. Thirty years later, Italian Romano Artioli would purchase the name and go on to produce the EB 110 supercar in the early '90s. This second iteration of the brand also saw difficulties and soon went out of business, plunging Bugatti back into obscurity.

Into the 21st century, a new Bugatti under Volkswagen ownership revealed the world-class Veyron. This new car was excessive in all facets, with an 8.0-liter W-16 engine boosted to 1,000 horsepower by four turbochargers. In 2016, a follow-up model known as the Chiron debuted, with the same W-16 now making 1,480 horsepower.

Now, 110 years after Ettore Bugatti expressed his automotive passion, the company is paying homage to him with this limited model. Aside from the unique color scheme, the anniversary edition will also be getting the regular Chiron's optional Sky View glass roof as standard. Metal components, such as the car's exhaust and spoiler mechanism, have also been anodized with a matte black finish.

Bugatti has not released specific pricing info for this model, but it's sure to be a notch or two above the Chiron's already three-million-dollar price tag.

Land Rover's smallest SUV gets a big update, adding new technology and heaps of luxury.

The new Evoque has an optional mild-hybrid powertrain, a first for a Land Rover vehicle. The system uses a 48-volt hybrid system that replaces the alternator and uses the belts from the engine to help capture energy lost under braking. The battery for the system is stored under the floor in the Evoque which helps keep its center of gravity low. This new mild-hybrid system will be used to help give a bit of extra power to the engine as the vehicle accelerates.

The Evoque maintains its transverse engine layout with either a 2.0-liter turbo powerplant producing 246 horsepower or the mild-hybrid with 296 horsepower mated to a ZF nine-speed transmission. Power is sent to the ground through standard four-wheel drive with several higher-tier trims receiving a more advanced system.

“When the Range Rover Evoque made its debut back in 2010, it transformed the world of compact SUVs; the new model is set to continue that remarkable journey,” said, Gerry McGovern, Land Rover chief design officer. “This characterful vehicle combines refinement and fun to create that all important emotional reaction that will turn heads and make people smile.”

The powertrain is not the only feature receiving major advancements. The 2020 Evoque is the first of Land Rover's SUVs to receive the ClearSight Gound View technology which allows the driver to "see through" the hood of the vehicle. This tech was first demonstrated in 2014 and has been further developed since then. Range Rover is also making use of new rearview camera tech, allowing drivers to flip a switch on their rearview mirror to enable a high definition view of what's behind the vehicle.

While Land Rover isn't the first to implement this tech, it has made significant improvements to the system as the Evoque's camera has been designed with a protective lip to prevent mud and water from covering the lens, along with a hydrophobic coating to repel water spray.

The interior also features the optional Land Rover InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system with two 10-inch touch screens, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a full-color heads-up display. The infotainment features integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 4G WiFi hotspot that can support up to eight devices, and serves as a hub for the Evoque's camera systems. As for the rest of the interior, it includes optional Click and Go rear seat tablet holders with charging capabilities and six USB slots throughout the cabin for all your charging needs.

Land Rover has implemented its Smart Settings technology for the first time in the Evoque, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to learn the driver's habits over time. The technology recognizes the driver from their key fob or phone and will adjust the seat, steering wheel, and even temperature settings. It will also learn the driver's media preferences and regularly dialed phone numbers depending on the time of day or week.

The Evoque can also pre-heat or cool the cabin through the InControl Remote smartphone application. The baby Range Rover has the ability to receive wireless updates to improve the infotainment and other vehicle systems throughout its lifetime.

To help keep occupants safe, the Evoque features standard Lane Keep Assist, Emergency Braking, and Driver Condition Monitors. These are just a few on the long list of active safety features.

The Evoque boasts a standard Active Driveline system on the P300 models with electronic torque vectoring to balance the engine torque across the front and rear axles with cornering to maximize grip and steering confidence. However, the Evoque isn't focused solely on road-going performance.

With 8.3 inches of ground clearance, up to 25 degrees of approach angle (with the Tow Eye cover removed), and 30.6 degrees of rear departure angle, it's the most capable compact SUV in its segment according to Land Rover. An optional active suspension called, Adaptive Dynamics, can monitor ground conditions every 100 milliseconds to adjust the dampers for a composed ride on and off the beaten path.

“The new Evoque delivers the versatility and refinement required for modern city living, while still providing the all-terrain capability our customers expect from a Land Rover,” said Pete Simkin, chief program engineer of the Range Rover Evoque. “We’ve engineered the new Evoque from the ground up, scrutinizing every element to ensure we exceed the customers’ expectations.”

Land Rover's Terrain Response 2 system is standard for the first time on the Evoque. The system features five driving modes—General, ECO, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow, and Mud and Ruts—to help set up the vehicle for every situation. There is a new auto mode for the Evoque that allows the vehicle to select the appropriate profile for the conditions at hand. The Evoque also has increased wading depth, up to 23.6 inches, which can be monitored with the optional Wade Sensing ultrasonic sensors in the mirrors to measure the depth of the water. On top of the driving modes, the Evoque also features Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control, and All-Terrain Progress Control to help drivers tackle any off-road obstacles.

This time around, Land Rover focused on making the Evoque more sustainable with up to 72.8 pounds of natural and recycled materials used in its production. Cabin materials made from wool and eucalyptus are available, and efforts were made throughout the development of the Evoque to reduce water usage.

“The way we make our vehicles and the materials that go into them are of vital importance to everyone at Jaguar Land Rover,” said Chris Thorp, Responsible Business Director, Jaguar Land Rover.“The use of recycled and natural materials in the new Evoque along with the addition of hybrid powertrains not only enhances its appeal but also underpins our approach to sustainable luxury.”

The 2020 Range Rover Evoque goes on sale in spring of 2019 with a starting price of $42,650 for a base model while the range-topping R-Dynamic HSE trim starts at $55,800. For early adopters, a First Edition featuring an exclusive Nolita Grey is available with the standard engine starting at $56,850.

On Tuesday, Germain Racing announced that it will enter a second Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the 2019 Daytona 500 along with the No. 13 car driven full-time by Ty Dillon.

The No. 27 Chevy driven by Casey Mears will be built and staffed on track in collaboration with Jay Robinson, owner of Premium Motorsports. Pat Tryson will lead the team as crew chief. This year will mark Germain Racing's 11th season as a full-time competitor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

"I have considered running a second car in the Daytona 500 for years," said Bob Germain in a team press release. "My immediate focus is still on our No. 13 team and the full season that Ty Dillon will run."

Germain continued, "The Daytona 500 is a race that our team, sponsors, and fans are all passionate about and I am too. In a race where anything can happen, having a second entry is an exciting opportunity. Casey has been a part of our Germain Racing family for years and I'm grateful that he's willing to get behind the wheel for me again in this one race."

This will be Mears' first time behind the wheel of a Cup Series car since he vacated his seat to make way for Ty Dillon in the No. 13 three years ago

Over 14 years as a full-time competitor in the Cup Series, the 40-year old native of Bakersfield, California has run 488 races and accumulated three poles, 13 top-fives, and 51 top-10s. His only victory in NASCAR's top series came in the 2007 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway while driving the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Model: 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro

Top Line: Toyota's largest three-row SUV gets some serious off-road goodies and new technology like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Toyota Safety Sense-P that attempts to bring the ancient nameplate into modern times.

What's New: Several performance-enhancing components in addition to technology offerings. Regarding the former, the larger-than-life body now sits on TRD-tuned, aluminum-bodied internal bypass Fox shock absorbers for better handling off-road. According to Toyota, these external-bypass shocks allow the shock’s fluid to bypass the piston through regulated ports as it moves through its travel, providing a cushioned ride during normal, everyday street-driving but then turning progressively firmer over rough trail conditions.

Off-road enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Sequoia's new hardware features 2.5-inch Fox shocks in the front, which boast seven compression zones and two rebound zones. The rear employs 2-inch-diameter Fox piggyback monotube shocks, which rock 47mm pistons (15mm larger than non-TRD) and stronger shock rods that are 3.2mm larger in diameter.

Things remain the same under the hood, with the 5.7-liter i-FORCE V-8 sending 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. Furthermore, the engine produces 90 percent of its torque at a low 2,200 rpm, helping it conquer large obstacles on the trail. Towing capacity is rated at 7,700 pounds.

The new Sequoia TRD Pro also gets a few enhancements in the looks department, primarily driven by a new front fascia that features the traditional TRD Pro grille, which spells out Toyota in vintage style, instead of the brand's logo. LEDs replace the outgoing halogen headlights, and the same are used for the Rigid fog lights below. A TRD-branded skid plate and cast aluminum running boards add to the overall outdoorsy look along with a sporty roof rack.

When it comes to rolling stock, the Sequoia TRD Pro rolls on TRD 18- by 8-inch black BBS forged aluminum wheels wearing P275/65 R18 tires, which complement the new trim-exclusive Army Green color that's available in addition to the regular palette.

Perhaps one of the most noteworthy updates of the seven-passenger SUV is the addition of Toyota Safety Sense P, which includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, lane departure alert with sway warning system, dynamic radar cruise control with full stop technology, plus automatic high beams and blind spot monitoring.

Lastly, Sequoia TRD Pro, in addition to 4Runner and Tacoma, receive upgraded multimedia systems with 8-inch infotainment touchscreens that include Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. Other non-TRD variants also get the Apple and Android systems, but the screen sizes will vary, claims Toyota.

Quotable: "The 2020 Sequoia joins a roster of TRD Pro vehicles that includes the Tacoma mid-size and Tundra full-size pickups and 4Runner SUV," said Toyota in a statement. "Introduced in 2014, the TRD Pro lineup emerged from Toyota’s rich off-road racing heritage. The TRD Pro badge signifies a vehicle that’s capable of going where ordinary pickups and SUVs fear to tread, while still retaining the comfort for daily driving."

What You Need to Know: Along with the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Sequoia is a dying breed of vehicle that offers superior capabilities on and off the road. While the Sequoia is outdated in many ways, it still remains one of the hardcore, body-on-frame SUVs that many people are looking for in a vehicle.

Year, Make, Model: 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Topline: The Jetta GLI is more capable (and refined) than ever thanks to handmedowns courtesy of the Golf GTI and R. Riding on the new MQB platform, it's also got the agility to back it all up.

What's New: Volkswagen completely overhauled the Jetta in 2018. Now, the spicier GLI or, more affectionately known as "the GTI with a trunk," is back for 2019 packing plenty of performance goodies borrowed from the Golf GTI and R.

Like the previous generations, the new GLI sedan has the heart and soul of the GTI and ups the performance threshold with more power and sharper handling. The 2019 GLI is powered by VW's ubiquitous 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine which produces a healthy 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual as standard, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is available as an option. GLI models fitted with the DSG also come with an automatic stop/start system.

In order to differentiate the GLI form the lesser Jetta models, VW has fitted the performance sedan with aggressive front and rear bumpers, 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, a black honeycomb grille, rear spoiler, and dual chrome exhaust tips. Standard features in the GLI consist of front and rear LED lighting, 10-color customizable ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, front assist, blind spot monitor, and rear traffic alert. Optional features in the GLI include Volkswagen Digital Cockpit with unique GLI graphics, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated leather seats with memory and lumbar support for the driver, DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) adaptive dampers, and Beats Audio sound system. A 35th Anniversary Edition features unique black wheels with a red stripe in addition to a black roof, mirror covers, tail spoiler, and 35th Anniversary badging inside and out.

Peek into the cabin and you'll find the steering wheel, shifter, armrest, and floormats highlighted by splashes of red. Cloth seats come as standard in the base GLI, but leather can be found in higher-optioned models.

The Jetta GLI gains the same 13.4-inch diameter ventilated front brake discs found in the Golf GTI and R. Like the GTI, the Jetta GLI is fitted with VW's VAQ electronically controlled, torque-sensing, limited-slip differential and variable ratio electric steering. DCC adaptive dampers are standard on the 35th Anniversary GLI models.

The GLI comes standard with four driving modes: Normal, Sport, Eco, and Custom. Jetta GLI models equipped with the adaptive dampers and the 35th Anniversary model gets a fifth "Comfort" mode.

Like the standard Jetta, the GLI features a host of active and passive safety systems. Safety features like forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, and automatic post-collision braking system are standard.

Quotable: "Volkswagen has long been synonymous with small, sports cars," said Scott Keogh, VW Group of the Americas CEO. "The redesigned 2019 Jetta proved once more that its combination of design, technology, and value continues to resonate with buyers. The 2019 GLI takes the Jetta platform and adds performance features from the Golf GTI and gives buyers a true sports sedan."

What You Need To Know: The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI will start arriving at dealerships in spring 2019.

For peace of mind, all VW Jetta GLI models will come standard with six-years or 72,000 miles limited bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Images of what appeared to be a bright yellow submarine – with no sign of any Beatles on board – under tow off San Clemente Island, near San Diego, California, have recently been making the rounds online. As it turns out, the craft in question was actually a unique U.S. Navy test target with the same general size and shape as a North Korean Sang-O-class submarine.

H.I. Sutton, author and expert on all things military that operate underwater, originally suggested that the target submarine might have been an actual captured Sang-O that had outlived its usefulness for technical exploitation and ended up in a destructive test in a post on his website on Feb. 6, 2019. He has since corrected that piece, replacing it with a great, in-depth profile of what was actually known as the Weapon Set-To-hit Threat Target (WSTTT).

The Navy began work on the WSTTT in San Diego in the 2002 Fiscal Year and had the mock submarine completed and delivered to the service's Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) sometime between 2003 and 2004. The resulting craft was a full-size steel surrogate of a diesel-electric submarine, with the full program costing approximately $11 million in total, according to Sutton.

The immediate impetus for building the target submarine was to support the development of the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, as well as improvements to the Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo. Personnel could submerge the craft for testing and then raise it back up to recover it afterward. In 2004, the Navy released a pair of pictures showing a tug towing the WSTTT into position and crews then submerging it in place for just such a test in the Pacific Ocean near San Clemente Island.

"The platform allows unarmed ASW [anti-submarine warfare] torpedos to impact it without any explosion," a caption for one of the pictures in the October 2004 edition of All Hands, the Navy's official magazine, explained. It's not clear how much damage the target would still sustain from the physical impact of a warhead-less torpedo.

By every indication, the approximately 115-feet long target submarine is a dead ringer for a Sang-O, but it is unclear why the Navy chose this particular design to base the target on. It's certainly not a bad choice as it is the most numerous type in North Korean service and is capable of operating as a small, littoral attack submarine, as well as a platform for inserting special operations forces and clandestine operatives.

In 1996, South Korea had captured one of these boats after it ran aground near the coastal town of Gangneung. The incident touched off a nearly 50-day manhunt. South Korean police captured one North Korean commando, who later defected.

The rest of the infiltration team on the submarine apparently executed the boat's crew, before attempting to continue with their mission. South Korean troops killed 13 more North Koreans in nine separate incidents, losing eight of their own in the process, while a 14th individual apparently escaped back to North Korea. The Sang-O is now on public display at Tongil Park near Gangneung.

North Korean submarines continue to represent a significant threat to the South Koreans, as well as their American allies. One of North Korea's submarines, such as one of the Sang-O-class boats, was likely responsible for the sinking of the South Korean Navy's Pohang-class corvette Cheonan in 2010, which resulted in the deaths of 46 of the ship's crew.

Basing the WSTTT on a known threat would have certainly have given the U.S. Navy an opportunity to make the evaluations of the Mk 54 and improved Mk 48s more representative of potential real-world operations, as well as offer a chance to simply see how well either weapon might work against a Sang-O-sized target.

Whatever the case, the Navy's time experimenting with the WSTTT turned out to be relatively brief. In 2006, she sank for real within the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE) near San Clemente due to an unspecified malfunction during a test of a Mk 54 torpedo, according to Sutton. The next year, the Navy made plans to salvage it, but scrapped those plans due to budgetary constraints, according to an article in the July 2009 issue of Faceplate, the official newsletter of U.S. Navy divers and salvors.

In January 2009, a Navy salvage team aboard the USNS Navajo had used the Deep Drone remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to inspect the wreck and assess its material condition in case the service wanted to make another attempt to raise it. There's no indication the Navy has made any attempt to retrieve the WSTTT.

In 2011, the Navy took delivery of an entirely new target submarine called the Mobile Anti-Submarine Training Target (MASTT) from U.K. firm MSubs, which is now part of the U.S.-based Submergence Group. Around 75-feet long and weighting 65 tons, the electrically-powered MASTT is the largest known unmanned underwater vessel and is superior to the WSTTT in almost every respect and notably has the ability to operate under its own power.

Personnel can maneuver it and change its depth remotely, making it even more flexible. With its lead-acid batteries fully charged, the unmanned target submarine has a maximum underwater range of more than 65 miles and a submerged cruising speed of around three-and-a-half miles per hour.

After receiving the MASTT, the Navy first sent it to the Acoustic Research Detachment (ARD), which is situated along a lake in landlocked Bayview, Idaho, for 11 months of testing and evaluation. This unusual and secretive facility is a key facility for the development of new Navy surface ships and submarines and you can read about it in more depth here. In 2012, the MASTT went to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in San Diego for additional tests, which is where the Navy had kept the WSTTT before it sank.

The MASTT completed its final assessment in 2015. The unmanned submarine spent seven hours underwater during that 12-day evaluation, the longest it had ever been submerged, according to an article from CRUSER News, the newsletter of the Naval Postgraduate School. It also performed its longest single trip on the surface, covering approximately 15 miles.

"This was the first time MASTT was operated without Original Equipment Manufacturer support," the test director for the Fleet Assessment, who the article did not name, told CRUSER News. "The team demonstrated the ability to independently operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the MASTT system while at-sea. They also showed they could rapidly reprogram the vehicle and change run parameters to meet customer requirements."

During the evaluation, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer and P-3C Orion patrol aircraft both demonstrated their ability to track the MASTT as if it were an actual threat submarine. There is no indication that they launched any practice or live weapon at the unmanned submarine during this testing, though.

The Navy does not appear to have purchased any more target submarines since then, but this could change in the near future. The service is growing increasingly concerned about submarine developments around the world, especially among potential opponents such as Russian and China. Both of those countries are developing increasingly hard to detect diesel-electric designs with advanced air-independent propulsion systems, as well as nuclear-powered types. Many of these submarines are also available for export, expanding the potential pool of future submarine threats.

In November 2018, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Charles Richards, the Navy's Commander, Submarine Forces, announced his intention to establish a dedicated aggressor submarine squadron to focus on mimicking those potential threats in order to help train American attack submarine crews. Since the Navy does not presently operate any diesel-electric submarines of its own anymore, it might decide to purchase new manned or unmanned types to support these training exercises down the road. It could also hire firms such as MSubs and the Submergence Group to actually operate these submarines during drills, akin to the U.S. military's growing use of contractor-owned and operated aircraft in aerial training exercises.

The Navy's yellow target submarine, however, looks set to stay right where it lies on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near San Clemente Island.

Contact the author: jtrevithickpr@gmail.com

No survey of modern automotive manufacturing can possibly overlook the “lean” techniques and cultural values developed in Toyota’s Production System, so it was inevitable that The Magical Mystery Plant Tour would visit a Toyota facility to learn about the latest developments in the endless process of kaizen (continuous improvement). In fact, the tour itself embodies one of the key principles of TPS: genchi genbutsu, or “go and see,” an admonishment that keeps managers and designers in touch with the realities of the shop floor.

Before we could see we had to go, and so we boarded a flight for Tokyo’s Narita Airport and settled in for more than 12 hours in the air. We were greeted in Tokyo by grey skies, a light drizzle and my co-organizer for the tour Bertel Schmitt. We boarded a train to Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station where we changed to a Shinkasen bullet train and sped off south to Nagoya.

Our first stop in Toyota City, the company’s headquarters and manufacturing complex on the outskirts of Nagoya, was the Takaoka plant. Built in 1966 for the first-ever Corolla, Takaoka is now equipped with two main assembly lines: #1, a traditional “volume” line building 903 RAV-4 and Harrier (Lexus RX) crossovers per day and #2, a newer reconfigurable “flex” line building 617 RAV-4s, Prius, Prius C and Prius V vehicles per day.

One of the key goals for the tour was to showcase the diversity of auto manufacturing factories and cultures as well as the fundamental values that all share, and as soon as the first tour at Toyota City began we knew were accomplishing that goal. Dearborn is hardly an inefficient plant, but its cash-printing F-150 puts more emphasis on maintaining uptime than lean efficiency. By contrast, Toyota showcased its utter commitment to the lean manufacturing principles that it innovated and has been evolving for decades.

Densely-packed in all three dimensions, Takaoka #1 was as different from Deaborn Truck as Tokyo is from Detroit. Though its 60 second takt time is slightly slower than Dearborn’s 54 seconds, workers move much faster to perform multiple processes before walking back up the line to the next vehicle. Almost every workstation featured some form of karakuri kaizen, simple unpowered mechanical contraptions that use the weight of tools, parts, springs and magnets to automate non-value-added functions like staging parts and returning tools to the ready position [stay tuned for an in-depth look at karakuri kaizen, which tour attendees agreed was one of the highlights of the entire trip -Ed].

But even this dense, ultra-efficient line was just the beginning: moving to Takaoka’s #2 flex line showcased the latest developments in Toyota’s production philosophy. Developed in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, the flex line does away with overhead-mounted tool systems and even entire stretches of fixed conveyors and introduces forklift-mobile workstations so capacity can be increased or decreased by as much as 30% in just one weekend. By stripping the line to its barest and most mobile essentials, the flex line allows Takaoka to respond quickly to shifting market conditions and avoid the punishing overcapacity that plagued every automaker in the last downturn.

Compared to the built-up clutter and massive tooling at so many of the assembly lines we saw during the tour, the ruthless minimalism of the Takaoka #2 flex line holds an important lesson: surviving the lean years of an economic downturn, rather than "hypergrowth" during the fat years, is the ultimate test of an automotive manufacturer. It's obvious that the bankruptcies and bailouts of 2008 taught Toyota hard lessons that gave birth to this new, ultraflexible line, whose true value would only be realized the next time demand either crashed or changed suddenly. Efficiency, Toyota's manufacturing experts explained, isn't simply about the sheer number of vehicles you can build with a given amount of money and time; it's about constantly optimizing production to match the actual "pull" of demand in the market.

Takaoka’s lean efficiency and unprecedented flexibility reinvigorated the ongoing discussion among the tour’s attendees over sashimi at the end of the first day, with the more experienced sharing their knowledge and insights with curious newcomers. The contrast with Dearborn led to conversations about the ways in which the unit economics of each product and market drives changes in the manufacturing system, with lower-margin mass market cars requiring lower capital expenditures and more dedication to lean efficiency than high-margin trucks. The reconfigurable flex line inspired discussions about the cyclical nature of the industry, the perennial challenge of sudden overcapacity and the Darwinian selection for strategies that prioritize survival in downturns over any other consideration.

One of the core values that came up again and again in these discussions was the fact that Toyota’s lean principles kept leading back to an emphasis on human workers. This surprised many of the tour’s attendees, many of whom had been under the impression that labor is a more significant contributor to the cost of each new car than it really is. A human worker’s innate quality-assessment capabilities, supreme flexibility ability to suggest kaizen improvements and even develop their own karakuri kaizen automation makes them the core of Toyota’s lean manufacturing regime. At a time when technology and automation have been elevated to mythical status in the imaginations of nonexperts, it shocked many of our tourists to learn that automation is often seen as overly expensive and inflexible.

These lessons were hammered home the next day when we visited Toyota’s Global Production Center, where workers learn and develop skills ranging from fundamentals like bolt torqueing to advanced kaizen analyses and techniques. The attention to detail, emphasis on fundamentals, and belief in the human capacity for improvement that was evident throughout Toyota's production facilities all comes together in Toyota's training programs, which treat even the simplest task as an art form to be mastered. If, as Elon Musk says, companies are a "cybernetic collective," it's just as important that each human component be "up to spec" as it is that every part of a car conforms to its proper specifications.

But rather than simply imposing top-down standards on workers, Toyota sees its people a source of insight into how the broader system can function more efficiently and create higher quality. As Executive Vice President and former line worker Mitsuru Kawai explained, automation had actually led to a loss of basic skills among Toyota’s workers especially as it globalized its production outside of Japan, demanding a reinvigorated advanced training regimen for an elite vanguard of line workers who would then pass their monozukuri (craftsmanship) skills on to their colleagues. But, Kawai said, this wasn’t simply a rejection of automation: in order to live up to the TPS principle of jidoka or “intelligent automation,” Toyota needed workers with advanced skills in order to identify the best opportunities and techniques for automation.

The best of the best of Toyota's deeply-trained workers can be found in a small assembly area on the edges of Toyota's Motomachi plant, where the Lexus LF-A supercar was once built. Here, without a single robot in sight, elite practitioners of monozukuri hand-build a car that is so important Toyota calls it "the future": the hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai. Even tasks that are automated in almost every factory around the world, like the process of applying adhesive to a windshield before installation, is done completely with human hands. Eventually, Toyota says, these cars will move into a larger production area, automation will be brought in, and volumes will ramp up as the cost of fuel cell stacks comes down. But until that day, the expert human labor in this workshop are doing more than building Mirais: they are developing a deep understanding of how the car is made in order to inform the processes and automation that will someday make the Mirai a mass-market vehicle.

Toyota's human-centric philosophy resonated deeply with many of the tour’s attendees, who contrasted it with the values of the high-tech sector. Plant managers at Ford had told them that automaking would always be a “human business,” but the training and techniques at Toyota illustrated this reality in a deeply profound manner. For the investors in the group this lesson was especially eye-opening: accustomed to being dazzled by visions of the vast untapped potential in technology, they were amazed to find that Toyota seemed to see the same untapped potential in their human workers. It’s a lot harder to put a valuation on skills and culture than software and robots, but having seen Toyota’s “cultural technology” in action they reported a fresh appreciation for the potential of human labor in manufacturing.

At a time when many automakers are perceived by investors as being behind the technological curve and struggle to attract strong market valuations, this development suggests that there may be a way through the industry’s stock market doldrums. Rather than just trying to adopt the tech sector’s techno-futurist playbook, our Toyota City visit suggests that there’s an opportunity for automakers to develop a greater appreciation for human abilities they all rely on. Anyone who takes the time to genchi genbutsu can see that making the future better isn't just a question of developing new technologies and hoping they solve our problems; it's about making ourselves better.

The 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the kind of vehicle where you never forget the moment you first laid eyes on it. Enormous and extravagant, it boasts a presence that's arguably even more awe-inspiring than the automaker's ultra-luxurious sedans. The Cullinan's front end is traditional Rolls, but the surprisingly modern hatchback tail is as glamorous as the streets you're likely to find it on: Fifth Avenue, Rodeo Drive, Michigan Avenue, Champs-Élysées.

Considering I'm more of a street-taco kind of guy than a canard à la presse eater, my idea of getting to know Rolls-Royce's first-ever SUV didn't involve a glamorous zip code. When I was handed the keys to one for a few days, I had a far more proletarian mission for this ornate vehicle: to uncover if a $330,000 SUV ($410,000 as tested) could serve the needs of the masses who can't afford oceanfront real estate. So I decided to do the least-fancy thing ever—or at least, something 99.9 percent of luxury car owners will never do: skip the five-star resort, and sleep in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

I'm not talking about a rest stop cat nap, either. I'm talking about a full-fledged camping adventure, one that involved living out of the Cullinan for a couple of days without human interaction—and most certainly without having Uber Eats deliver Cristal and caviar.

First Stop: Walmart

Have you ever gone to a Walmart in a bad part of town while driving a Rolls-Royce? I have. Three times. Once in a Dawn, once in a Wraith, and most recently in the Cullinan. Needless to say, I parked far from the entrance in order to minimize the chances of rogue shopping carts wreaking havoc on the glitzy Andalusian White paint.

Wally World was for stocking up on supplies. Firewood, check. Sleeping bag, check. Lawn chair, check. Blanket, bottled water, food—check, check, and check. After wrangling the last poncho off the shelf (rain was expected in SoCal when I was there, so people were freaking out), I made it out of Walmart happy to find my towering Brit unscratched.

One of the three unlabeled buttons on the leather-wrapped key fob causes the Cullinan to graciously open its two-piece tailgate. The large hatch swings upward like a swan gently landing on a lake, while the bottom partition folds down to provide a loading dock of sorts to make sure one doesn't scratch the $11,000 bespoke paint. With 21 cubic feet of space, the back of the Cullinan accommodated my newly-purchased camping gear with ease, even along with my suitcase, backpack, and camera equipment. (In case you're wondering, the Bentley Bentayga offers just 17.1 cubic feet.)

Second Stop: Chili's

I decided to have one more decent meal before leaving civilization, so I went to the one restaurant that's always a solid eight from coast to coast: Chili's. Considering I'd dropped a pretty penny at Walmart, half-price appetizers sounded like my kind of deal.

While sucking down free strawberry lemonade refills and researching the Cullinan's features, I realized I'd been closing my own doors like a filthy peasant. It turns out there are two buttons located above the headlight switch that will automatically close the driver and passenger doors, much like in the Wraith, Dawn, etc. I also discovered that, for some reason, Rolls-Royce doesn't offer the trademark starlight headliner in the Cullinan. If learning that I'd been wasting my energy closing my own door had made me upset, discovering that I couldn't have twinkling stars in my roof really rocked my world.

After demolisging a round of Southwestern egg rolls, I climbed back into my white stallion, closed my door the fancy way, fired up the 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V-12. and set out to plug in my iPhone...only to be stymied when I couldn't find a compatible place to plug in. Rolls-Royce says there are five USB charging ports in the Cullinan—but what it fails to mention is that three of them are the smaller USB-C, not the more conventional style most cars are equipped with. After extensive digging, I realized there were two regular USB charging port in the rear center console...near the floor...underneath a secret plastic cover. I spent the rest of my trip plugging my cord in near the back seat and running it all the way to the front of the car.

Third Stop: Point Mugu State Park

My home for the next two days was to be a lovely, secluded spot that had been mostly spared by the savage wildfires in the area. Given recent thunderstorms, many camping spots had been washed out, so I opted to set up camp down the hill at Thornhill Broome State Beach. It wasn't paradise, but it had less standing water and mud...and fewer mosquitos.

The Cullinan's all-wheel-drive and air suspension quickly came in handy, allowing me to confidently make my way up and down park roads that, although paved, were caked with mud and gravel courtesy of recent landslides. Seeing how easily this 6,000-pound vehicle on street tires—ones designed to enhance the "magic carpet ride" Rolls loves to brag about—could make its way up sloppy trails was astonishing. It's even more so when you realize that the Cullinan sports Rolls-Royce's first-ever all-wheel-drive system.

Once at my campsite, I began the lengthy process of turning the five-passenger SUV into a temporary home. The trunk had to be cleared in order to build my sleeping chamber; my suitcase went into the passenger front seat, the camping gear outside, and the rest of my stuff was neatly organized throughout. I even set up my dinner service (food, napkin, drink, silverware) on one of the folding rear tables. I may be about to live in a car for two days, but gosh darn it, I'm not about to live in clutter.

It's worth mentioning that my tester was equipped with the power-folding bench seat in the second row and not the "immersive seats" (a fancy name for captain chairs), which feature a center console between them. This meant my rear seats could be folded at the touch of a button to expand cargo room—or make a bed. And, speaking of buttons, the Cullinan's ride height ability to be lowered in order to facilitate loading and unloading heavy items also proved helpful when it came to entering and exiting my rolling hotel.

Once darkness fell, I started growing both hungry and sleepy, so I climbed into the Cullinan to eat dinner and call it a day. A delectable platter of prosciutto and salami accompanied by cheese and crackers awaited me, along with an exquisite auditory experience courtesy of the rich, clear tones of the 19-speaker sound system Rolls-Royce simply calls "Bespoke Audio." And like a true millionaire socialite, I could control the audio system entirely from the dual rear screens; whether I felt like eating to Miley Cyrus or Metallica, I could make it happen without having to reach to the front. In true Rolls fashion, rear passengers can also operate the climate control, navigation, and phone connectivity systems from the rear while the vehicle is in motion.

Who'll Stop the Rain?

This funky idea of camping in a Rolls-Royce was turning out pretty well...until around 2 a.m., when a light rain that had been pattering down for a few hours turned into a full-on thunderstorm. Puddles on the pavement started to look like ponds. Sixty-five-miles-per-hour winds threatened to rock the Cullinan like it was a Honda HR-V. Needless to say, not mine or anyone's idea of a relaxing night under a starry Californian sky.

Still, that middle-of-the-night storm prompted a couple revelations about this Roller. One: this thing is solid. Not just luxury car solid; an abnormal, building-like solid. Even in the wind, it was surreally serene inside my pop-up suite. Two: it's amazingly well-insulated. With temperatures dipping into the mid-'40s, I was pretty sure I would have to run the engine at some point to warm up the cabin. Negative. I don't know how well other fellow campers fared that night, but my guess is, not as well.

Darkness eventually subsided, and an eerie, thick fog bathed the beach in the dawn light. However, the rain remained strong. I fired up the V-12 to defrost the windows and charge my phone. (You could call that a huge waste of 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, but such is life.) But with wireless coverage spotty on the beach, I was left to pass time inside the Cullinan and watch the rain wreak havoc around me, the water eventually reaching the middle of the Cullinan's beefy 22-inch wheels. (Luckily, the Cullinan can wade through 22.2 inches of standing water, with its suspension set to off-road mode.)

The boredom made this perfect time to poke around the Cullinan. From the open-pore Macassar Ebony wood that covered much of the cabin to the lovely stitching found throughout the gazillion leather-wrapped surfaces and the perfectly polished metal handles, knobs, and levers, the interior was practically mesmerizing. The lambswool floormats, which felt incredible on my bare feet, deserve special mention: I literally couldn't have booked a hotel in Los Angeles that offered lambswool carpeting throughout. Likewise, on average, eight cow hides are used to craft a single Rolls-Royce interior. Can the master suite at the Four Seasons claim that?

I Can See Clearly Now...

Eventually, the rain vanished and the sun came out to play, bringing the outside temperature up to a "balmy" 60 degrees. By now, my love affair with the Cullinan had hit a couple speed bumps. The switches to fold the rear seats had a mind of their own, oftentimes requiring multiple pushes to work. Most of the buttons around the cabin are unlabeled, which may not pose a problem to professional chauffeurs, but causes enormous frustration for first-time users.And the windshield wiper stalk is located directly below the steering column-mounted shifter (and is nearly identical in shape and color), causing me to spray the windshield every time I reached for the gear lever.

Despite the car's (minor) flaws, my second day with the Cullinan was a pleasant one. I spent the afternoon lounging in the backseat reading a book while listening to the waves crashing, as well as tackling a few sandy and muddy trails—attracting odd looks from people wondering why a guy was living out of a filthy Rolls-Royce. I didn't care—and neither did the Cullinan, which conquered every surface it encountered, regardless of how bad the trails were.

Time to Go Home

My final evening in the Cullinan was much more pleasant. The clouds gave way to stars, and the heavy rain and strong winds were replaced by the soothing sound of crashing waves and chirping bugs, leading to a pleasant second night being, quite possibly, the first person to ever sleep in Rolls-Royce's first SUV.

In doing so, I realized the Cullinan isn't just a pretty status symbol to park outside the Hermès boutique. It's a versatile vehicle through and through, one that can get you from point A to point B, even if the drive between points involves mud, sand, standing water, or other obstacles that would stymie most cars, like the fire-damaged terrain near Malibu I saw on my way back to LA. Rolls-Royce didn't just make a handsome SUV—it built an effective SUV.

Even though the Cullinan name is trending these days thanks to Rolls-Royce, the term dates back to the beginning of the 20th Century, when it was given to the largest uncut diamond ever unearthed. The 3,106-carat diamond—roughly the size of a large grapefruit—eventually made its way from Africa to the queen of England, and has remained the star of the Royal Jewels ever since. I once had the pleasure of admiring one of the finished Cullinan diamonds (it was so large, it was cut into multiple stones) while attending gemology school in New York City. Now I can say I've had the opportunity to experience a different kind of Cullinan—one that's equally awe-inspiring.