No, pilotless aircraft are not here yet (though they’re probably coming, and they could be a financial windfall). What is happening at airports around the world is a huge push to cut emissions. Heathrow 2.0 is the mega-hub’s strategy, and the new, driverless, battery-powered remote-control tugs are part of it.

British Airways has put five of the devices, supplied by Mototok, in service at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 (T5). The tugs can run for about three days between charges, and the airport is installing charging stations at all 25 T5 gates.

These tugs are dedicated to British Airways Airbus narrowbody aircraft, but the airline is eyeing broader usage at Heathrow and other airports. While other airlines and aircraft operators use the tugs British Airways says it’s the first operator to use the tugs at multiple gates.

See below for a video of the tug in action, courtesy of British Airways. Meanwhile, Mototok has an excellent overview on the benefits of automated ground vehicles (AGVs).

ATI21 fully supports the effort—the details of which are spelled out in  H.R. 2997—we’ve made clear in our special report on the topic. Establishing a not-for-profit ATO will help ensure our airspace system develops at the pace of innovation—Uber Elevate, anyone?—while staying among the safest in the world. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about what is on the table, and what it would mean to stakeholders.

Reason’s Bob Poole tackles a few of these misconceptions his most recent Airport Policy and Security News e-letter.

Among the points Poole makes: the new ATO organization would not be dominated by big airlines. As the text of the bill makes clear, the 13-member board would include three nominees from airline groups, and just one, from A4A, would represent big passenger airlines. The two other airline nominees would come from the Regional Airline Association and the Cargo Airline Association.

Another major misconception is that general aviation operators would pay “user fees” that are disproportionate to the services they require. The bill’s text is clear on this, too:

The amount or type of charges and fees paid by an air traffic services user may not—

(A) be determinant of the air traffic services provided to the user; or

(B) adversely impact the ability of the user to use or access any part of the national airspace system.

The bill also expressly prohibits fees tied to aircraft operated under FAA Part 91, 133, 135, 136, or 137—which, in plain English, means general or business aviation flyers. Instead, those operators—like all other users—would pay the fees established by the board, based on guidelines established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and used fund the maintaining and modernization of the U.S. National Airspace System.

Read Poole’s full article for more clear-headed thinking on why ATC reform is right for right now.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does an exceptional job regulating aviation safety. It does an exceptionally poor job managing complex technical projects. That should come as no surprise, as these complex challenges require fundamentally different skill sets. Unfortunately, both challenges must be met for the U.S. to maintain its lead in global aviation, and this is why Congress should embrace changes, proposed by Bill Shuster, that would establish a federally chartered, not-for-profit corporation to manage air traffic control—the technological core of our National Airspace System (NAS).

Read the full story published on The Hill By Paul Brubaker, Opinion Contributor – 07/19/17 06:10 PM EDT

Mobility is changing the way people and goods get from place to place—and fast. And while self-driving cars and Hyperloop-powered, 30-min. trips between New York and Washington are grabbing headlines, the shift isn’t happening only on the ground. Plans are in the works for a supersonic airliner and autonomous, electric planes that will create an Uber-in-the-sky—all within a decade.

Simply put, aviation—no stranger to revolutionary advances—is on the cusp of changes not seen since the dawn of the Jet Age 60 years ago. Technology, ranging from autonomy to alternative power, will allow for commercial applications of concepts that were difficult to comprehend just a few years ago.

The evolution requires more than innovative companies  harnessing leading-edge technology. It also requires a forward-leaning approach to the way we manage the space in which these new services will operate. The U.S. National Airspace System (NAS)—the network of airports, navigation aids and technology that ensures safe, efficient air travel in the world’s busiest airspace—is at a critical point in its history. It’s the safest in the world, but its technologically deficient.

Efforts to boost its efficiency by modernizing it, led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and guided by Congress, have not kept up with technology, or even other countries. This technological deficit will grow more profound as the next generation of air transportation services—drones, ultra-fast transports, and the like—emerges.

The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21) examined FAA’s efforts to inject much-needed technology advancements into the NAS, and found a predictable pattern. Simply put, FAA’s inability to manage large, complex, technology-focused projects has left the U.S. aviation system behind its counterparts, and falling short of where it needs to be to serve today’s users. Rapid advances mean that tomorrow’s users will be even further behind.

Ensuring the U.S. airspace system is prepared for the future means taking a different approach. For this reason, ATI21 supports establishing a federally chartered, not-for-profit corporation to operate and modernize the NAS. The recommendation is one of nine in ATI21’s new report, “Creating a 21^st Century Air Space Management System.”

The debate over what some inaccurately label “privatization” of our airspace management has been focused on the wrong things. It isn’t about who controls the decision-making or how projects are funded. Compromises in these areas are at hand—as they have been for decades.

The issue is whether current and future users are getting the best system possible—one that maintains the incredible safety record while creating a foundation for growth and innovation that will allow U.S. aerospace to thrive.

As we look forward, it is important to focus on what is possible to help us understand what is necessary. Ensuring the NAS’s technological capabilities requires bold—and necessary—changes.

Download full report – Creating a 21st Century Air Space Management System

“Bill is in perfect alignment with our mission at ATI21,” said Paul Brubaker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Transportation Innovation. “At this critical moment in transportation technology, Bill and GRIDSMART are embracing innovation and challenging their competitors to do the same. That kind of thinking will be crucial to success as we create a path to the future of transportation.”

Malkes echoed the sentiment. “The Alliance for Transportation Innovation is bringing together the organizations, advocating for innovation and asking the difficult questions that will help define the future of mobility. At GRIDSMART, that’s exactly the kind of leadership we value and we’re extremely honored to have a voice in that conversation.”

Malkes will likely be busy in his new role. In the last year, ATI21 has published a comprehensive National Strategic Framework for accelerating the deployment of autonomous vehicles, undertaken America’s first coast to coast tour of autonomous vehicle technology and testified before Congress and multiple state legislatures on the critical need for adoption of emerging transportation technologies. “The transportation industry is evolving rapidly. Over the next decade, we’ll see incredible advances in technology, convenience and safety and in ATI21, we have a catalyst and a servant of the public good,” said Malkes.

GRIDSMART Technologies, Inc. is a leader in intelligent transportation systems as the world’s only single camera solution for intersection actuation, traffic data collection, and situational awareness. The GRIDSMART System uniquely collects and interprets vital traffic data to adjust signal timing and traffic flow strategies and enables real-time remote monitoring and visual assessment.

The GRIDSMART System is currently deployed in 22 countries and 49 states. For more information about GRIDSMART, please visit www.gridsmart.com.

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About GRIDSMART Technologies, Inc.:

Founded in 2006, GRIDSMART is a Knoxville, Tennessee based company backed by venture capital investment from across the United States. GRIDSMART systems include the industry’s only open API, built-in replay functionality, and a published change log. GRIDSMART products are built to be Simple, Flexible, and Transparent. For more information, visit gridsmart.com.

The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21)

ATI21 is a Washington D.C. based association that brings together transportation technology innovators, subject matter experts, and researchers committed to accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies that will transform the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. For more information visit the ATI21 website at www.ati21.org.

INTERSECT17

INTERSECT, the annual high-tech transportation conference created by GRIDSMART Technologies, Inc., will be held on November 14-16 at the company’s global headquarters in Knoxville, TN. Presented this year by the non-profit Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21), INTERSECT17 will bring together top-tier industry and government leaders, distributors and innovators to ask tough questions, address difficult issues and seek solutions that will position the intelligent transportation industry and general public for success as it evolves. Over the course of three days with the theme “It’s time we had ‘The Talk,’” INTERSECT17 will attempt to map out and predict the path from transportation-now to transportation-future. For more information, please click here.

January 9, 2017

The Honorable John Thune
Chairman
Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
United States Senate
Washington DC, 20510

The Honorable Bill Nelson
Ranking Member
Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
United States Senate
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Honorable Members of the Committee:

I am writing to you on behalf of the members of the Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21) to urge your swift confirmation of the Hon. Elaine L. Chao as the nation’s next U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

We believe her record of strong leadership and her familiarity with transportation issues will serve the American people well. Furthermore, we are encouraged by her experience gathered from working in several federal agencies over her career, which we think will especially help the incoming Administration tackle the very important issue of self-driving vehicles and coordinate the best approach among numerous jurisdictions for enabling these life-changing technologies as soon as possible.

Secretary-designate Chao enters the position at a time when technology is a viable yet under-utilized solution for advancing our important transportation safety and mobility objectives. The lack of a workable federal standard and an increase in the number of misguided individual state regulatory schemes has resulted in the current policy quagmire that to date has slowed the deployment of self-driving solutions.

The nominee, however, is reason for hope in this era of stifling regulation and government overreach, as we believe she will choose progress over heavy-handed regulation, and work with our industry to find a way to let innovators create a safer driving experience – without delay – for the benefit of all citizens, especially those who are unable to drive themselves.

Our members consider Ms. Chao an ally in the drive to change the lives of the enabled and disabled, restore freedom of mobility to senior citizens, and save countless lives of people from coast to coast – forever. It is for these reasons that the members of the Alliance for Transportation Innovation ask you to move ahead confidently with the approval of Ms. Chao as our next Secretary of Transportation so that we can get to work with her on the issues that will revolutionize and improve every facet of American life.

Sincerely,

Paul R. Brubaker
President & CEO
The Alliance for Transportation Innovation
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20036

The members of the national Alliance for Transportation Innovation look forward to working with Secretary-designate Chao on development of the regulatory and policy framework needed to take full advantage of technology that today is capable of safely driving our cars, flying our aircraft, delivering goods to businesses and homes, and increasing the capacity of our congested urban freeways.

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About The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21.org)

The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21.org) is a visionary association dedicated to advancing transportation technology from self-driving cars to aviation, futuristic transit to drones, all while collapsing the innovation cycle which is a critical link in the safe and timely deployment of Intelligent Transportation solutions. For more information, please visit www.ATI21.org.