Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
The news media has expended considerable effort researching and publishing information about the robotaxi business. This channel highlights some of the important articles.
Eyewitness News 7 reports that a Tesla in autopilot mode crashed into a vehicle parked off the street and in a driveway right in front of a house. The driver was blamed. But who is going to be blamed when Tesla robotaxis screw up and crash???
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.
TechCrunch reports on a Zoox robotaxi that crashed into another car in Las Vegas. It was fully the fault of the Zoox automated driving system. As a result all their robotaxis had to be recalled.
Forbes reports on how Waymo is creating more and more robotaxis. The odd thing is that Google has committed to Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and have 2,000 in storage, even though the car has been obsoleted. And their Chinese option is of course subject to 175% tariffs, making it very uneconomical.
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.
electrek reports on Waymo's press release where they claim that their robotaxis are much safer. The problem is, safety isn't about making safer cars. It is instead about road design and reducing car 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.
The Verge reports that the whole Elon Musk Cybercab fiasco is starting to completely fall apart, as expected
FOX7 Austin reports on how Waymo vehicles are causing all sorts of problems in Austin. Hey, I thought Waymo was supposed to be the "good" company.
SF Chronicle op-ed on how Waymos will not improve Market St, but instead make it worse.
Houston Chron reports on how a group of passengers were trapped when their Waymo had a nervous fit and stopped on a high speed road and wouldn't let them out. Finally, when they explained that they were streaming on Tik-tok the remote human supervisor let them out.
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.
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.
