Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
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…
NY Times reports that driverless trucks are starting in Texas, but with very little oversight. And it must be noted that Aurora has reverted to having human drivers as backups, which ensures that there will be no cost saving for now.
Fortune reports on how Tesla is supposed to launch their robotaxi system in Austin in June, yet they lack the fundamental technology to operate autonomous vehicles. Surely they will simply be using human drivers in what is basically an absurdly expensive ride hailing scheme.
CNBC reports of another recall of Waymo robotaxis. This time the problem was that they drove into chains, gates, and other roadway barriers, situations that would have been easily avoided by human drivers.
electrek reports the list of questions the NHTSA is asking about Tesla's alleged robotaxi system. The issue is that it is based on FSD, but FSD is know to be inadequate and dangerous.
Reuters reports on how NHTSA is very leery of Tesla using FSD for their robotaxis given that FSD simply is inadequate and dangerous.
SF Standard reports that to the surprise of no one, Uber is now planning on also operating vehicles on the Transit Only portion of Market Street.
Scientific American reports that the DoT has changed AV rules for Level 2 vehicles (Tesla FSD, but not Waymo) so that fewer safety incidents need to be reported. Three reporting regulations were also eased: whether the car had been driven in conditions in which it was designed to operate; a plain-language description of the circumstances of the crash; and the version of automated self-driving software that was in use.
SF Examiner reports on how California state legislators are currently not trying to move forward legislation that would give local jurisdictions the opportunity to regulate robotaxis. Part of the reason is that Mayor Lurie is now trying to welcome Waymos to the transit only portion of Market St instead of trying to regulate them.
CNBC reports that the California DMV has announced that they are seeking public comment on proposed regulation changes for robotaxis.
The Verge reports that even though Tesla announced just awful financials their stock rose 20% on the mistaken believe that reducing regulations will help Tesla's robotaxi venture. The real problem is their lack of a working technology, not regulations.
SF Chronicle op-ed on how Waymos will not improve Market St, but instead make it worse.
SF Standard reports that Mayor Lurie has opened up a can of worms with his proposal to allow Waymos on the transit only portion of Market Street.
404 Media reports on how LAPD is using footage it received from Waymo robotaxis. This of course is possibly related to protesters sometimes lighting Waymo vehicles on fire.
SF Standard reports that San Francisco Mayor Lurie giving Waymo access to transit-only portion of Market Street is uniting many groups in opposition. It is especially galling that this is occurring at the same time Lurie is causing major cuts to public transit on Market Street.
SF Examiner reports that Waymo might look to expand onto additional streets of San Francisco that are currently for transit only.
