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.
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 MoreReuters – US closes probe into GM Cruise self-driving vehicles over pedestrian risks
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.
TechCrunch – GM’s Cruise to pay $500,000 fine to DOJ, admits submitting false report
TechCrunch reports that Cruise is being fined $500,000 because they withheld information from regulators. They are also being investigated by the NHTSA for issues with pedestrians, and with the SEC for financial issues.
Not Just Bikes – How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it)
Not Just Bikes posts an epic video on not just the problems of self driving cars, but how they would turn our cities into driving hell - unless we do something about it.
Reuters – California agency boosts reporting requirements for autonomous vehicle incidents
Reuters reports that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is finally requiring the robotaxi companies to report critical information on incidents. Instead of reporting being optional once past the test phase of an implementation, it will be mandatory to report collisions and when vehicles simply get stuck in traffic or receive tickets.
The Verge – Is Amazon’s robotaxi company trying to sidestep federal safety laws?
The Verge reports that Zoox's claim that they have permission to operate on public roads is simply false.
Bloomberg – Musk’s Vow to Make Lots of Robotaxis Conflicts With US Rules
Bloomberg reports that current US law limits number of vehicles without driver controls to 2,500/year. This means that even if Tesla somehow came up with a real "cybercab", they would be limited to producing just a very small number of them, making it economically unviable.
San Mateo publishes draft Automated Vehicles Strategic Plan
The San Mateo County Transportation Authority has published their 126 page draft Automated Vehicles Strategic Plan. While it is good to see that a transportation authority is trying to understand the ramifications of the technology and develop an actual plan, it is unfortunate that they are still misguided with respect to robotaxis improving safety. The key problem is that the drivers who cause safety problems by speeding are not and will not be switching over to using robotaxis. Even if robotaxis are eventually safer than human drivers, they won't make a difference if the problem human drivers won't use them.
