Self-driving cars are finally here, and how they are deployed will change how we get around forever. From Tesla to Google to Uber to all the major automakers, we bring you complete coverage of the race to develop fully autonomous vehicles. This includes helpful explanations about the technology and policies that underpin the movement to build driverless cars.
GM’s Cruise reportedly settled with the pedestrian who was struck by a hit-and-run driver and then drug 20 feet by one of the company’s driverless cars last October in San Francisco. The settlement, which was reached earlier this year, was between $8-12 million, according to Fortune. The pedestrian has since been released from the hospital, and Cruise just started driving autonomously in Phoenix after months on the sidelines.
That’s how many paid trips Waymo says its driverless vehicles perform each week. For all the speculation and chaos surrounding autonomous vehicles lately, its helpful to remember that fully driverless cars are operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix — right now. Waymo credits its “safe and deliberate approach” for its successes. Of course, a quick glance at social media will also expose a lot of deliberate driving on the wrong side of the road behavior.
The autonomous vehicle venture between Hyundai and Aptiv (which has since pulled funding) is also pausing its commercial operations and planning layoffs, TechCrunch reports. Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma says the company will focus on its core tech. The news comes at a time public trust in robotaxis are low.
Polestar, now a more independent brand distinct from Volvo, is gearing up to deliver its most affordable cars yet.
The Google spinoff is expanding its testing of fully autonomous vehicles further down the San Francisco Peninsula as it looks to grow its robotaxi service area. Waymo has for years tested its vehicles around its offices in Mountain View, as well as downtown SF, and now its looking to combine it all into one big map. Only employees will be riding in the vehicles for now, with access to non-employee passengers at a future date.
Some Westworld props are being auctioned off over at Heritage Auctions, beginning tomorrow, April 24th. Props from the canceled show include a self-driving car — complete with “manual gas throttle” and a “hidden compartment to operate vehicle.” (See the image gallery below.)
Also available are a table, some e-bikes, and assorted sous-vide bags of Dolores’ skin.
At least seven driverless Waymo vehicles blocked the on-ramp to 101 after being flummoxed by a construction site on Portrero Drive, according to video of the incident posted on Reddit. Waymo told TechCrunch the detour necessitated driving on the freeway, for which the vehicles were not approved without a human driver. To me, this is more evidence of the innate, robot-fighting powers of the humble orange cone.
The Google-spinoff has started charging for rides in its autonomous vehicles in Los Angeles, marking its third such city to do so (after Phoenix and San Francisco). The usual caveats apply about limited number of vehicles, waiting lists, and a service area that doesn’t cover the entire city. Will these driverless cars make a difference in a city notorious for its traffic?
After a report from Reuters said Tesla’s $25,000 Model 2 project got the ax, Elon Musk quickly scheduled a Tesla Robotaxi launch on August 8th. Other than the curiously selected date, this is a reminder that Elon’s made a lot of unfulfilled statements about robotaxis over the years (and “full self-driving,” and autonomy generally).
Bennett Tomlin checks them out in this video, which you have plenty of time to watch before August.
Waymo has been offering autonomous rides in Phoenix since late 2022, but now it’s providing transportation for a new kind of customer: your dinner. Starting today, Waymo will start making food deliveries for some Uber Eats customers.
[www.uber.com]
In the clearly just-for-laughs video, Waymo passengers step into an AV tricked out like Grandma’s house — complete with a crotchet steering wheel cover, florals, and a geriatric lady’s voice gently reminding them to buckle up.
Ironically enough, Bloomberg deemed the Alphabet-owned AV startup the “Grandma of Robotaxis” earlier this year. Way to embrace it.
Amazon’s robotaxi company is expanding its operating conditions in the two cities where it has been testing its autonomous vehicles, Foster City and Las Vegas. The robotaxis will start driving at night, as well as in light rain and damp road conditions. They will also starting driving at speeds of up to 45 mph on multi-lane roads. And in Las Vegas, it will start tackling roads along the south end of the Strip. Zoox’s purpose-built AVs (no steering wheel, no pedals) will start accepting real passengers later this year.
The robotaxi company is ready to start inviting regular people on its waitlist (50,000 and counting) to use its fully driverless vehicles. The vehicles will only operate in a 63 square-mile section that includes Santa Monica and DTLA. And while the initial rides will be free, future rides will not — thanks to a recent thumbs-up from regulators.
The company plans to follow similar rollout in Austin, Texas, “later this year.” The future of autonomous vehicles still seems super cloudy, but Waymo is trying its best to prove the doubters wrong.
Mark Gurman collected many of the concepts the company considered for its recently shuttered Project Titan in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today.
It’s a concise summary of Apple’s design thoughts over the ten years it devoted to trying to enter the automotive industry. Gurman writes of one idea:
The Apple car’s circa-2020 design resembled the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle — a futuristic van with rounded edges — but it had dark black windows with an adjustable tint. There was all-glass sunroof, a pure white exterior and whitewall tires with a black center.
Just in time for SXSW! But alas, the descending tech bros won’t get a chance to take selfies in the backseat of Google’s robotaxis this time around. The driverless cars will only be available to Waymo employees until the company feels confident enough to open it up to the public.
