Toyota Webcast 3/8/10 (today) 1 p.m. EST to debunk Gilbert's throttle claims

Here is a link to the Exponent report analyzing the Gilbert Demonstration:

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Blotter/ht_exponentgilbert_100305.pdf

 

Very good read. Section 2.2 is particularly hilarious!

 

Watching live stream now....cool! Exponent folks finally presenting their findings.

This session is an engineer's wet dream to get live broadcast to the media on what they do and how they think...Vulcan-style.

 

Looks like ABC's gonna get a blackeye after this.

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT GILBERT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY, ABC NEWS SEGMENT

 

enjoy!

 

gilbert is a quack....whatever the intent of this hoax was --to boost US auto companies-- will have the opposite effect with a vengeance

sad but greed is the american way

 

if anybody finds a link to the toyota webcast please provide link

 

It's now at toyota.com

 

Well, it's too bad the "carquestions" guy got the whole deal
wrong about "going to ground", and shot his own credibility in
the foot. On the other hand, it's likely harder to find a source
of +5V under the hood than it is a good ground point.
.
_H*

 

The link:

Newsroom : Comprehensive Analysis Raises Concerns About Gilbert Congressional Testimony, ABC News Segment / Toyota

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

 

watching the webcast...confirms what my own analysis of the gilbert report ...confirms that gilbert is a quack.... he would never get a job anywhere for his quackery..i hope it was worth it for gilbert to mislead congress and mislead the public

 

yakuza may also have a contract

 

One interesting point highlight from this session is Exponent's investigation is still on-going and may continue for as long as Toyota needs to address not just about unforeseen technical issue, but partly to address questions or alarmist news headlines that public had been getting all-so continuously since early Feb.

I am pretty sure Exponent maybe asked to look into that "runaway" Prius on the very day when they were publicly demolishing Dr.Gilbert's testimony.

hmmm...sounds like a on-going hit-&-run guerrilla warfare here.

 

What I would like to know in the course of this continuing evaluation of both Gilbert's and Toyota's simulations is whether any other systems are compromised on the Prius:

1. Does Brake Override interrupt the simulated acceleration?
2. Does Brake Assist function normally to produce emergency brake application when properly applied?
3. Does Neutral (or Reverse) still function to break the engine acceleration?
4. Does the 'P' Park button still function to break the engine acceleration?
5. Does the 'Power' button still function by pushing and holding for over three seconds and 'stopping' the car functions including breaking the engine acceleration?

I am guessing at this point that none of these five functions above fail to not work properly when either Gilbert's or Toyota's simulation is made.

Knowing that these five factors still function properly is _critical_ imho to the proper resolution of the overriding problem--stopping the car. People have not been hurt and property was not damaged because of the unscheduled acceleration. People were killed and property was damaged because of driver error in applying immediate and proper corrective action. (If this happens in your garage or a parking lot you won't have time to prevent minor damage--that's not the point.)

I would like to think that in the course of every one of these unscheduled simulations on Toyota's and on the other car manufacturers cars tested that it is either a given that the simulation doesn't affect the five corrective actions/reactions I list above or else that each one was tested to verify if they worked or not?

As far as I'm concerned the unscheduled acceleration remains only half of the problem. The other half is the knowledge and skill the driver immediately takes to stop the car safely under any situation. That is going to present all sorts of problems if the auto industry (not just Toyota) and the NHTSA really want to bring down vehicle and pedestrian injury, deaths, and litigation. Just like a bar being held liable for letting a drunk drive off and kill someone, shouldn't car rental agencies be held liable for renting a car to someone who doesn't _really_ know how to operate that particular model? And what would consitute good enough training on a new car? _All you have to do is be in the wrong place at the wrong time_. It happens 24x7.

If you panic in an emergency situation can you still sue a car manufacturer for making their car to complicated to operate safely?

 

So far, notice Toyota has never place a single hint/innuendo/blame on possible "driver error" (aka their customers).

I guess this policy serve them pretty well.

The next step is to enhance & standardize the EDR, which, IMO, should do most of the talking & answering in any future incidents.

 

No doubt. I'd be very careful too. Maybe the hint/innuendo/blame on possible "driver error" can come from outside of the car manufacturers...say from the NHTSA?

What is the EDR?