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Autonomous Cars Archive

Archives for March 2023

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Ford just isn’t into the whole driverless thing anymore.

Five months after it pulled the plug on its autonomous vehicle division Argo.ai, Ford is continuing to divest itself from fully driverless technology. Today, the company filed a notice with the feds that basically retreats from its former position of wanting to deploy vast numbers of robot vehicles. The reason?

We believe the road to fully autonomous vehicles, at scale, with a profitable business model, will be a long one.

Long car rides are the worst, right?

Waymo retires its Chrysler Pacifica minivans as it switches to an all-electric robotaxi fleetWaymo retires its Chrysler Pacifica minivans as it switches to an all-electric robotaxi fleet
Pete Buttigieg still believes in smart cities

The US Department of Transportation is making a big bet on smart city technology with the release of $94.8 million in federal funding. But in an interview, Secretary Buttigieg warned that not every project ‘is going to prove out.’

Andrew J. Hawkins
Waymo is taking on the task of writing a safety case for the entire AV industryWaymo is taking on the task of writing a safety case for the entire AV industry
GM’s Ultra Cruise will use radar, camera, and lidar to enable hands-free drivingGM’s Ultra Cruise will use radar, camera, and lidar to enable hands-free driving
Ford’s self-repossessing car patent is a nightmare of the connected-car futureFord’s self-repossessing car patent is a nightmare of the connected-car future
Tesla’s Investor Day was kind of a dud — that’s okayTesla’s Investor Day was kind of a dud — that’s okay
Ford is creating a new division to lead its partial autonomy and hands-free driving techFord is creating a new division to lead its partial autonomy and hands-free driving tech
Tesla Investor Day 2023: all the news and announcements from Elon Musk’s next ‘Master Plan’ eventTesla Investor Day 2023: all the news and announcements from Elon Musk’s next ‘Master Plan’ event
Elon Musk unveils a new Master Plan, a path to sustainable energy future, but no new carsElon Musk unveils a new Master Plan, a path to sustainable energy future, but no new cars
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Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Waymo has laid off over 200 employees this year.

The autonomous car unit shares its parent company, Alphabet, with Google, which in January cut over 12,000 jobs or about six percent of its workforce. The Information reports that after a new round of layoffs affecting primarily engineers, Waymo has let go of about 8 percent of the people working there.

Like the other recent tech layoffs, it’s a sharp turn from a few years ago — in 2017, Bloomberg reported some Waymo staffers were quitting because the jobs paid so well.

Alphabet’s Robotaxi Unit Waymo Says it Laid Off 8%

[The Information]

Tesla’s new ‘Master Plan’ is coming — let’s grade the first two

Tesla’s first ‘Master Plan’ was widely seen as a success. But the second is where things started to go off the rails. In advance of the release of the third version, let’s go through the previous two with a fine-tooth comb and assign some grades.

Andrew J. Hawkins and Umar Shakir
How to watch Tesla’s 2023 Investor Day eventHow to watch Tesla’s 2023 Investor Day event

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