Washington Post – DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla
Washington Post reports that the federal cuts being imposed by Elon Musk and DOGE are cutting the people that regulate robotaxis the most.
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 MoreWashington Post – DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla
Wired – Elon Musk’s Toxicity Could Spell Disaster for Tesla
Wired reports on how far Elon Musk's reputation has suffered, and how it could easily drag down the entire company with him. This is yet another nail in the coffin for Tesla's robotaxi endeavors.
Forbes – Study Shows Automatic Emergency Braking Improving As Trump Looks To Kill Mandate
Forbes reports that Automatic Emergency Braking has been shown to be effective, yet the mandate for it might be killed by the Trump administration.
SF Examiner – Waymo went on SF lobbying spree last year
San Francisco Examiner reports on how Waymo more than double the times in 2024 where it had paid lobbyists meet with city government officials. Biggest effort is trying to get permission to serve San Francisco Airport, which would be quite lucative for Waymo.
SF Chronicle – Could robotaxis be yet another reason for S.F.’s lack of new housing?
San Francisco Chronicle reports on how robotaxis are taking up valuable property that was was intended for housing.
SF Examiner – Court rejects San Francisco’s Waymo challenge
SF Examiner reports that the state court has rejected a lawsuit from December 2023 by the City of San Francisco. The lawsuit was attempting to overturn the California PUC's decision from October of 2023 to allow Waymo (and Cruise) to provide citywide robotaxi service.
Reuters – US closes probe into GM Cruise self-driving vehicles over pedestrian risks
Reuters reports on how NHTSA closes its probe into Cruise with respect to pedestrian safety. The probe was closed simply because Cruise is no longer viable.
Washington Post – Self-driving-car executives excited for Trump (and Musk) to take the wheel
Washington Post reports on how while the public continues to be very reluctant about robotaxis, the industry is planning on plowing ahead due to the expectation that the new Trump administration will gut safety standards.
Bloomberg – What Robotaxis Brought San Francisco
In Bloomberg, David Zipper interviews the outgoing director of the SFMTA, Jeffrey Tumlin, on the impact of robotaxis.
NY Times – Tesla Investors Are Still Bullish. Can Elon Musk Deliver?
NY Times reports details on how Tesla sales are slumping. Meanwhile, many investors still believe the hype that Tesla will succeed as a technology company, with robotaxis and robots. Yet is very questionable whether they will succeed in those endeavors.
MissionLocal – Waymo rolls toward San Francisco Airport. A showdown is brewing.
Mission Local reports on how Waymo is trying to inch towards providing service at SF Airport, which would provide a huge financial bonus to the company.
TheVerge – NHTSA finally releases new rules for self-driving cars — but there’s a twist
TheVerge reports on how the Federal Government is proposing changing standards for autonomous vehicles, but that they expect a great deal of safety related data in return. At the same time, Tesla is trying to avoid having to provide the government with crash data since they have so many crashes.
Reuters – Exclusive: Trump transition recommends scrapping car-crash reporting requirement opposed by Tesla
Reuters reports on how the Trump transition team is trying to eliminate the requirement for Tesla to provide data on just how dangerous their "self-driving" system actually is.
Jalopnik – Wall Street Analyst [Wrongly] Thinks Removing Steering Wheels And Brake Pedals Will Make AVs Cheaper Than Regular Cars
Jalopnik reports in how a Wall Street analyst wrongly thinks that robotaxis will be less expensive than regular cars due to steering wheel and pedals not needed
Bloomberg – Trump Team Is Seeking to Ease US Rules for Self-Driving Cars
Yes, it is true that Musk will try to modify federal rules for robotaxis in order to allow vehicles without controls for human drivers. But it should be very clear to everyone that Tesla does not have the necessary technology, nor is the robotaxi business a viable one, especially in the next four years. Therefore even if Musk is successful in changing the regulations it won't actually make a difference.
