RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in
NCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.
2020 NC Transportation Summit Recap
The 2020 N.C. Transportation Summit, which took place at the Raleigh Convention Center Jan. 8-9, was a success.
During the event, it seemed most people were talking about autonomous vehicles, including the autonomous shuttle CASSI or
EHang’s air taxi.
On Tuesday, the air taxi took its first public flight in North America.
“We’re not only talking about 'first in flight,' like 100 years ago," said Derrick Xiong, EHang Co-Founder and CMO. "We’re talking about the first in urban air mobility."
Then, on Wednesday, a crowd packed the Raleigh Convention Center to hear from the Summit’s keynote speaker,
Tony Seba.
“My work is technology disruption," Seba said. "I look at all technologies out there and how they’re going to effect our sectors, transportation, energy, food, and so on.”
Other sessions of interest included creating urban and rural connections, the impacts of autonomous vehicles on logistics and the impacts of drones.
“It’s been really interesting to learn about all the new technologies and how the future looks," attendee Alyssa Mako said.
When people weren’t in sessions at the Summit, they were exploring the exhibit hall and visiting vendors.
For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at 919-707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on NCDOT.gov.