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.
Users on the Uber app can sign up to gain early access to the robotaxi service, which will take people across 65 square miles of Atlanta, including Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View. Waymo says “select riders” who join the waitlist “may get access to Waymo rides ahead of the public launch.”
Last month, Waymo similarly launched in Austin exclusively through Uber.
KTLA reports that the walk-up window remained open on Monday night while the Waymo failed to exit a Chick-fil-A in Santa Monica, CA, as shown in this video posted by TMZ.
TechCrunch confirmed with Waymo that the car had dropped off a passenger in the parking lot, but couldn’t complete a multi-point turn in the tight space of the drive-thru lane with other cars nearby and stayed there until it was eventually recovered.
The Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company said it was bringing its retrofitted test vehicles to Los Angeles, equipped with safety drivers, as it gets closer to launching a public service. Zoox now operates test vehicles in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin, and Miami. And it plans on launching publicly in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. LA is already has one robotaxi service operated by Alphabet’s Waymo — though its unclear when Zoox will make its vehicles available to the public there.
Security researcher Jane Manchun Wong has discovered another hidden Waymo gem, this time related to the robotaxi operator’s use of footage from its interior cameras to train generative AI. According to a screenshot of an unreleased privacy policy, Waymo is offering customers the opportunity to opt-out from having their “personal information,” including “interior camera data associated with your identity,” to train generative AI models. Waymo uses this data to “tailor products, services, ads, and offers to your interests.” Coming soon to a robotaxi near you?
The ridehail company’s partnership with AV developer WeRide is launching in Dubai, after several months of successful trips in Abu Dhabi. The vehicles still include safety drivers and won’t be fully driverless until later this year, Uber says. Uber is also working with Waymo in Austin, Texas, and has several other AV partnerships in the works.
This perfect billboard was spotted in LA by The Curbivore (which crossed my radar via Glenn Mercer’s Car Charts). My hat’s off to the Law Brothers’ pun game. And the fact that this photo was taken from a Waymo vehicle is just the cherry on top.
Waymo has been testing the new vehicle for months now, but always with camouflage. Now it seems like the wrapping is coming off, thanks to this video captured by YouTube channel “I Love Vehicles.” As some Reddit users noted, the rear lidar in particular could prove tempting to folks looking to do some chin-ups.
Me? I’m just amazed that Waymo is able to clear all the tariffs and restrictions on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Waymo says it doesn’t expect to receive the bulk of deliveries from Zeekr until late 2025. Who knows what tariffs will be in place by then!
The federal team in charge of overseeing the safety of autonomous vehicles was already pretty small: only about seven people total, according to the Washington Post. But now the Elon Musk-led cuts have eliminated three of the seven. That’s probably good for Tesla, which aims to launch a robotaxi service this summer.
“If the question is, will this affect the federal government’s ability to understand the safety case behind Tesla’s vehicles, then yes, it will,” said one terminated engineer. “The amount of people in the federal government who are able to understand this adequately is very small. Now it’s almost nonexistent.”
[washingtonpost.com]
The Rideshare Guy’s Harry Campbell got ahold of a survey asking about a potential Waymo membership program, with potential perks such as cash back and discounts for future robotaxi rides. The monthly plans could cost between $9.99-$29.99. As Campbell notes, with a small but ardent customer base, it makes sense that Waymo is trying to lock in loyalty of its fans, especially as it looks to grow to new markets. Still, it begs the question whether the company is jumping the gun by introducing a membership program while operating in only three cities. And unlike Uber, Waymo doesn’t have a food delivery business with which to whet appetites.
[thedriverlessdigest.com]
The toaster-shaped vehicle made safe if conservative decisions and offered a relatively comfortable ride through Las Vegas.
Customers who book a robotaxi to select LA transit stations can get a $3 credit that can be applied to future Waymo rides. The promotion will run February 4-April 1, and is specifically geared toward helping LA residents get to LAX via bus. (Waymo still isn’t making airport runs in LA, nor does it operate on the freeways — yet.) Waymo says the promotion will help it learn how customers use (or don’t use) its self-driving cars as first- and last-mile options for public transportation. But some experts worry that autonomous vehicles will siphon riders from transit, which could lead to service cuts.
The Swedish automaker is already working with Aurora on its autonomous big rigs, and now its adding Waabi to its list of partners. Raquel Urtasun, the former chief scientist at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, founded Waabi in 2021 to be a more “AI-centric approach” to autonomous vehicles.
Volvo says it will integrate the “Waabi Driver” into its autonomous trucks at its assembly plant in Virginia. No word on when the driverless trucks will hit the road. (Trucking has been a tougher problem for AV operators than robotaxis. Actually, the robotaxis are pretty tough too.)
Waymo just flipped the switch from supervised to unsupervised in Atlanta, where it aims to eventually launch a commercial robotaxi service later this year through an exclusive partnership with Uber. But for now, the Alphabet-owned company’s vehicles will only be available to employees. Waymo is currently operating in San Francisco, Phoenix, and LA, and is still operating under a waitlist in Austin. Also on deck: Miami.
It’s a big move for the robotaxi company, especially if they want to cut down on trip times amid competition with Uber and other human-powered services. The company said that a 17 mile trip from Santa Monica Pier to the Broad museum utilizing Interstate 10 would be 50 percent faster than local roads. Waymo has been slowly expanding its geofence to include more freeways, most notably in Phoenix.