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.
The Verge reports on Waymo talking around one of their biggest problems: they don't manufacture cars. Therefore they have to adapt their technology to a series of vehicles. And note that the Zeekr is a Chinese import which current has a 100% tariff levied.
5 NBC DFW reports on how relying on the "self-driving" features of a Tesla can go incredibly wrong. Once again, a Tesla ran into emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. This completely demolishes the argument that AVs will help eliminate the dangers of drunk driving. Drunk driving is still drunk driving, even if one has some fancy, but half-baked, technology.
Newsweek reports that Waymo has finally publicly acknowledged that 1) their vehicles are not truly autonomous and need human help in driving in certain situations; and 2) this human driving help can be located many thousands of miles away, in the Philippines! No wonder Waymos run over kids and animals.
Wired reports that Washington DC politicians have seen how things have gone elsewhere and want some good answers about safety before allowing Waymo to operate in the city.
KTLA reports that the California Teamsters union is pushing to get Waymo robotaxis off the streets due to them recently hitting and injuring a child and also going passed stopped school buses illegally.
TechCrunch reports that a Waymo struck and injured a child. Waymo falsely claims that their system is safer than a human driver in this situation. But the reality is that the Waymo vehicle was not even carrying a passenger. It was driving empty. If a vehicle is owned and operated by a person than it wouldn't have been making that trip in the first place, thus sparing the child from being hit.
electrek reports that Tesla continues to try to hide as much as their safety data as possible, yet the data available still shows that they have a 3x crash rate compared to human drivers.
TechCrunch reports that Waymo is under yet another investigation for violating traffic safety laws and passing by stopped school buses, some with children crossing the street. This investigation is by the National Transportation Safety Board. They do not actually regulate the Waymo robotaxis, but they are experts in conducting safety investigations.
electrek reports on how Tesla robotaxis are still in no way automomous. Musk recently announced that Tesla would be operating service without a safety driver human in the car. Turns out the safety human is simply in another car following close behind. Just as the Tesla Optimus "robots" are simply teleoperated puppets, the Tesla robotaxis aren't actually autonomous. But hey, expect lots of BS at the earnings announcement on January 26 in order to keep the stock inflated as much as possible.
SF Chronicle reports that parents continue to knowingly break California regulations and allow their kids to ride in Waymos unaccompanied. And Waymo doesn't seem to care in the least that they are regularly violating their state permit. What could possibly go wrong??
Fun!
Mission Local reports that indeed, a Zoox vehicle struck another car, resulting in an injury and damage to both vehicles. And Zoox isn't even providing full passenger service yet.
Waymo does it again. A whole flotilla of them managed to block quite a large intersection. This occurred because they still do not "know" how to handle traffic signal outages.
SF Chronicle reports that Waymo continues to try to hide necessary safety related information about the extensive problems that occurred during the power blackout. They clearly are trying their best to not work with the regulators.
SF Chronicle reports on the buffonery that occurred between City Hall and Waymo during the recent power outage. Clearly neither the city nor Waymo was prepared for such a serious problem.
And it is definitely past time for Mayor Lurie to acknowledge that illegally allowing Waymos on car-free Market Street was a huge mistake on his part.
