Tag

Autonomous Vehicles

All articles tagged with #autonomous vehicles

technology17 days ago•2 min saved

Zoox Expands SF Footprint, but Rides Remain Reserved for a Select Few

Amazon-owned Zoox is quadrupling its San Francisco service area to include Marina, North Beach, Chinatown, Pacific Heights, and the Embarcadero, but rides are still limited to a small pool of passengers—employees, their friends and family, and waitlisted riders—as the company tests expansion before broader rollout, following earlier limited service in SoMa, the Mission, and the Design District; Zoox is also expanding in Las Vegas and planning tests in Austin and Miami.

via The San Francisco Standard|

#autonomous-vehicles #robotaxi #san-francisco

technology20 days ago•4 min saved

Uber bets big on robotaxi hope as rivals scale up

Uber is pushing to stay competitive in the robotaxi race as Waymo scales up, expanding Nvidia partnerships, investing in Rivian and buying Rivian SUVs for its fleet, aiming to accelerate its own driverless operations while mass adoption remains slow; the outcome could hinge on regulatory, cost and trust hurdles, with competition potentially consolidating around large tech groups.

via Financial Times|

#autonomous-vehicles #nvidia #rivian-automotive-inc

technology23 days ago•4 min saved

Uber bets on Rivian robotaxis in a $1.25 billion push to autonomous fleets

Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian and order up to 50,000 autonomous Rivian vehicles, starting with 10,000 robotaxi versions of the R2. An initial $300 million is committed now, rising to $1.25 billion by 2031 if milestones are met. The vehicles will begin unsupervised service in San Francisco and Miami by 2028, expanding to 25 cities in the US, Canada and Europe by 2031. Uber, shifting away from in-house self-driving tech, positions itself as a fleet intermediary to manage robotaxi platforms amid intense competition from Zoox, Waymo, Baidu, and Tesla.

via Financial Times|

#autonomous-vehicles #driverless-vehicles #mergers-and-acquisitions

business23 days ago•3 min saved

Uber bets big on Rivian robotaxis, targeting 50,000 autonomous EVs by 2031

Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to deploy up to 50,000 robotaxis through 2031, starting with a $300 million initial investment after signing and regulatory approval. The deal envisions 10,000 autonomous Rivian R2s, with an option for up to 40,000 more from 2030, rolled out across 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, beginning in 2028 with San Francisco and Miami. Uber’s platform would host these robotaxis exclusively in the first markets; Rivian’s tech stack and vertical integration underpin the plan, which follows other mobility investments and signals a push into the anticipated robotaxi market. Licensing fees for the software are part of the agreement.

via CNBC|

#autonomous-vehicles #business #investment

business24 days ago•6 min saved

Trump's 100% Buy America Rule Could Block $5B EV Charger Rollout

Trump's plan to require 100% domestic content for federally funded EV chargers would effectively kill the $5 billion program, since no 100% domestically produced chargers exist and demand isn't high enough to justify domestic production, according to 20 state attorneys general; the piece also notes Uber's plan to deploy Nvidia-powered robotaxis by 2028 (starting in LA and SF in 2027), Audi ending the A8, and Ford recalling about 47,804 EcoBoost-powered vehicles for a potential engine valve issue.

via Jalopnik|

#autonomous-vehicles #business #buy-america

technology25 days ago•2 min saved

Waymo’s Co-CEO Pushes Confidence in Self-Driving Safety

Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana says the burden of proving driverless ride safety lies with the company as Waymo expands to 10 U.S. cities, eyes international growth, and raises about $16 billion with a valuation near $126 billion.

via The New York Times|

#autonomous-vehicles #public-trust #safety

innovation1 month ago•12 min saved

EyeDAR Streetlight Radar Expands Self-Driving Cars' View

Rice University researchers developed EyeDAR, a compact orange radar sensor mounted on streetlights that acts as an external set of eyes for autonomous vehicles, maintaining detection in fog, rain, and low light. Using a 3D-printed Luneburg lens and analog computing, EyeDAR conveys sensing data to vehicles, extending their view while cutting reliance on onboard computing; in tests it resolved target directions 200 times faster than existing digital radar, suggesting potential city-wide deployment across stop signs and traffic signals to improve safety.

via Interesting Engineering|

#analog-computing #autonomous-vehicles #eyedar

technology1 month ago•12 min saved

Waymo broadens driverless reach to four more US cities

AP reports that Waymo is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to four additional major US cities, marking another step in its ongoing driverless-taxi rollout and broadening access beyond its current markets.

via AP News|

#autonomous-vehicles #expansion #mobility

technology1 month ago•4 min saved

Uber bets on monetizing robotaxis with new Autonomous Solutions unit

Uber launches the Uber Autonomous Solutions unit to commercialise autonomous-vehicle tech by offering insurance, roadside assistance, AV mission-control software and fleet financing to robotaxi partners, while providing mapping/data services and pursuing partnerships with Waymo, Baidu and Waabi, with plans to deploy AVs in 15 cities by 2026 and lift investor confidence in commercialization.

via Financial Times|

#autonomous-vehicles #baidu #robotaxi

technology1 month ago•18 min saved

Robotaxis hit London streets as black-cab drivers brace for disruption

Self-driving robotaxis are debuting in London, challenging the city’s iconic black cabs and sparking skepticism from drivers who worry about congestion and job security as autonomous taxis begin testing in the capital.

via AP News|

#autonomous-vehicles #black-cab #london

technology1 month ago•3 min saved

New York shelves robotaxi expansion, stalling Waymo's NYC ambitions

Governor Hochul dropped a budget proposal that would have allowed limited robotaxi deployments outside New York City, a setback for Waymo as legislative support never materialized; Waymo has spent millions lobbying and currently tests driverless rides in NYC under a permit that expires March 31. Current rules require safety drivers, and the state did not move to authorize broader deployment, while Waymo aims to expand to about 20 more cities in 2026 and other AV developers have faced regulatory hurdles in NYC.

via The Verge|

#autonomous-vehicles #new-york #policy

autos-and-transportation1 month ago•31 min saved

Uber bets $100M on charging network to scale robotaxi push

Uber says it will invest more than $100 million to build autonomous-vehicle charging hubs, deploying DC fast chargers at its depots and along routes in Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, with utilization-guarantee deals with ChargePoint operators (EVgo, Electra, Hubber, Ionity) to roll out hundreds of chargers and accelerate its robotaxi expansion with partners like Waymo and WeRide.

via Reuters|

#autonomous-vehicles #autos-and-transportation #charging-infrastructure

technology1 month ago•3 min saved

Waymo Scales Up with Sixth-Gen Driver Across Ojai Minivan and Hyundai Ioniq 5

Waymo debuts its sixth-generation Driver hardware, a cheaper, smaller and more capable system, first outfitted to Zeekr-made Ojai minivans and later Hyundai Ioniq 5s, with employee rides in LA and SF ahead of public deployments. The sensor suite combines 16 17-megapixel cameras, short-range lidar, radar and enhanced EARs for better weather performance and night vision, plus a cleaning system for sensors. Waymo plans rapid scaling from about 1,500 cars to 3,500 this year and to tens of thousands over time, expanding production in Metro Phoenix and adding 20 new cities to its robotaxi network.

via InsideEVs|

#autonomous-vehicles #hyundai-ioniq-5 #ojai

technology2 months ago•2 min saved

Robotaxis rely on remote operators overseas, Waymo reveals

Waymo testified at a Senate hearing that its robotaxis may transfer control to remote drivers when faced with unusual situations, and many operators are based overseas (including the Philippines), underscoring how even so‑called autonomous systems rely on human labor. Lawmakers questioned foreign remote workers, safety implications, and potential import rules, while noting that other firms also depend on human monitors, illustrating that true autonomy remains tied to oversight and regulation.

via TechSpot|

#autonomous-vehicles #regulation #remote-labor

technology2 months ago•38 min saved

Waymo's Overseas Operators Draw Fire in Congress Over Safety

During a congressional hearing, Waymo disclosed that fleet-response operators based overseas (including the Philippines) provide guidance to its autonomous taxis, though Waymo says these workers do not remotely drive and the vehicle remains in control. Lawmakers expressed safety and cybersecurity concerns about foreign inputs and licensing, while Waymo stressed operators are licensed, background-checked, and regularly screened. The session follows incidents involving robotaxis and broader scrutiny of how much real-time human input underpins so-called autonomous driving.

via Yahoo News New Zealand|

#autonomous-vehicles #congressional-hearing #fleet-response