Yes, this article is probably longer and fluffier than it needs to be but there are some real truths here.
Payments are one of the original service orientated architecture systems, in production your payment is processed by at least three or four parties each of which will call several systems or sub-systems to process a payment.
This method clearly works for Uber, who have a lot of payments going through their systems most of which are of a relatively small value. Dropping a payment and either asking the user to pay via a different option or simply writing off the revenue for a handful of transactions is probably workable for them.
I have the opposite, the number of transactions we process is relatively low, but the average value of these transactions is high, well in excess of 1000 USD. This leads to the following issue:
1. Screwing up a payment and asking the user to try again can be a big hit to user confidence.
2. We can't write off even a single payment/transaction, they're too high value to write-off.
3. Processing fees and refunds for making test transactions in production are too expensive. If a test costs more than $10 (to test in production we must test with production transaction values) that's going to rack up quickly.
Some of the gallery images are fantastic. Showing some really interesting, highly specialised applications that fill a very specific need in an exacting manner.
The motor winding and water supply modelling applications are especially interesting.
I think this idea makes some sense, in a mixed-traffic world where some vehicles are autonomous and others are not, some indication that a vehicle is driving autonomously is useful information to everyone around them. Additional situational information, provided it is not overly intrusive or overwhelming is generally beneficial.
As for the colour, clearly Mercedes requested Turquoise for brand reasons.
I wonder if there is a better colour to be adopted as a standard?
External indicator lights of any kind seem like something that needs to be standardised before we end up with a whole mess of different colours on the roads causing confusion.
If you think inserting a plug into a socket is "cumbersome" perhaps. Plus you can do it at home, while you sleep. If you're on a long trip the range is long enough now that is a good reason to stretch your legs and hydrate.
It's true, car dealers "can't sell" EVs. Not because people don't want EVs, but because dealers either don't want to sell them, or don't know how to sell them.
I've owned 3 EVs since 2016 and I've been to franchise dealerships each time. I've been to dealerships both with and without dedicated or specially trained EV sales reps.
Sales reps who've not had any specific training on selling EVs, working in dealerships with no dedicated EV showroom space are _terrible_ at selling EVs IME. At best they're disinterested in making a sale, at worst they actively discourage you with all the common EV related FUD.
Showrooms with dedicated space to showcase EV product offerings, information about EVs and which have marketing material actively incentivising the benefits of an EV, also have sales reps who are knowledgeable, helpful, and actively seeking to close a sale.
Payments are one of the original service orientated architecture systems, in production your payment is processed by at least three or four parties each of which will call several systems or sub-systems to process a payment.
This method clearly works for Uber, who have a lot of payments going through their systems most of which are of a relatively small value. Dropping a payment and either asking the user to pay via a different option or simply writing off the revenue for a handful of transactions is probably workable for them.
I have the opposite, the number of transactions we process is relatively low, but the average value of these transactions is high, well in excess of 1000 USD. This leads to the following issue:
1. Screwing up a payment and asking the user to try again can be a big hit to user confidence. 2. We can't write off even a single payment/transaction, they're too high value to write-off. 3. Processing fees and refunds for making test transactions in production are too expensive. If a test costs more than $10 (to test in production we must test with production transaction values) that's going to rack up quickly.