SF Chronicle – Waymos are now coming for your coveted San Francisco parking spots
SF Chronicle reports that even more San Franciscans are going to be upset with Waymo now that they are regularly taking up public parking spaces.
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Politics
Cars, being fast moving and heavy, are quite dangerous. They should be well regulated for safety. But it turns out regulations can be bought and paid for by lobbying money…
Read MoreSF Chronicle – Waymos are now coming for your coveted San Francisco parking spots
Waymo continues to mislead public on what happened during the San Francisco blackout
Waymo finally acknowledges that its vehicles are not autonomous and that they need human help when encountering complicated situations, such as traffic signals being out during a power outage. Yet they continue to mislead the public. The blackout caused the 5G cellular system that Waymo uses to go down, making human help impossible. The vehicles needing human help is an inherent and unfixable problem for the current Waymo driving system.
NY Times – China Delays Plans for Mass Production of Self-Driving Cars After Accident
NY Times reports on how China is now delaying their plans for widespread adoption of robotaxis. It turns out that they are no where near safe enough for full autonomy.
SF Standard – WTF happened to Waymo during the blackout? Industry experts have some guesses
SF Standard reports on how the Waymo problem in San Francisco was due to both to traffic signals going out and Waymo's reliance on the cellular system to use actual humans when there are unusual problems. There will be hearings on both the culpability of PG&E and of Waymo.
NY Times – After Power Outage, San Francisco Wonders: Can Robot Taxis Handle a Big Earthquake?
NY Times reports on how Waymo robotaxis would cause significant problems when the next big earthquake hits San Francisco.
NY Times – Waymo Suspended Service in San Francisco After Its Cars Stalled During Power Outage
NY Times reports on the widespread Waymo outage in San Francisco during a power failure. The allegedly autonomous Waymos turn out to depend on the cellular system to operate. But the truly scary thing is that Waymo did not even have a contingency plan. They had to be told by the Mayor's Office to suspend service.
Mission Local – Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams
Mission Local reports on the disaster that was Waymo during a power outage. Waymos were stuck all over, blocking traffic and emergency access. This was due to the vehicles not actually being truly autonomous, but instead on relying on cellular communication that apparently Waymo didn't realize doesn't work when power goes out for a while.
The Register – California DMV tells Tesla to ease off on those Autopilot claims
The Register reports that the California DMV is not at all happy with Tesla's marketing the "Autopilot" system. They have found Tesla to be in violation. If they do not update their marketing materials within 60 days they will be suspended from sales in California for 30 days.
TechCrunch – Feds find more complaints of Tesla’s FSD running red lights and crossing lanes
TechCrunch reports on how complaints on Tesla's behaving dangerously just keep on piling up.
TechCrunch – Feds ask Waymo about robotaxis repeatedly passing school buses in Austin
TechCrunch reports on how NHTSA is now investigating 19 cases where a Waymo illegally passed a stopped school bus. 19 times!
KQED – Waymo, Uber, Lyft to Expand on SF’s Market Street, Despite Pushback From Transit Groups
KQED reports that San Francisco is planning on letting all commercial vehicles on "car-free" Market Street based on completely flawed testing.
CBS Austin – Waymo vehicles caught illegally passing AISD school buses 19 times since August 1
CBS Austin reports video evidence of Waymo vehicles illegally passing school buses 19 times. Further evidence that Waymo vehicles simply are not designed to follow traffic safety laws.
NYT Opinion – The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course.
While the title is correct, we do need to change course, the opinion piece is just another tech fantasy. The truth is that the data show that the solution for safety is clearly better designed streets and better safety policies. Simply look at Europe to see how safety can be greatly improved through street design, not robotaxis.
NY Times – Self-Driving Taxis Are Catching On. Are You Ready?
NY Times reports on how there are more and more robotaxis, and they take a ride on a Zoox.
SF Chronicle – A Waymo robotaxi killed a beloved S.F. cat. Now a city supervisor wants driverless car reform
SF Chronicle reports on on Supervisor Jackie Fielder of San Francisco is trying to push for state legislation to allow local control of robotaxis. This was motivated by Waymo killing a beloved bodega cat.
