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 that now Lyft is also claiming to soon provide a robotaxi system, in Atlanta this summer. They will be purportedly use May Mobility autonomous technology, one that has not yet been proven.
electrek reports on a truly wild YouTube video by Mark Roper showing that without LiDAR that the Tesla's completely miss detecting objects in the middle of the road. And please, a moment of silence for the multiple mannequins that were completely demolished by the Tesla.
electrek reports that Petter Winberg, Tesla’s Principal Engineer for CAE crashing safety for the last decade, has joined the exodus of key employees from Tesla. Kind of hard to develop new products when your key people lose faith and leave.
Gizmodo reports on how Waymo robotaxis received 589 tickets in 2024 for a total of $65,000. Unfortunately this goes no where near covering the traffic havoc that the vehicles cause.
electrek reports on statements be Waymo ex-CEO John Krafcik on how Tesla isn't even trying to create a viable robotaxi. If they were, the design of the "cybercab" would be very different.
Reuters reports on how Tesla stock has long defied gravity (also known as investors being fleeced), and points out that it appears the smoke and mirrors might finally come to a crashing close.
USA Today reports on a study by AAA showing that most Americans do not want to use a self-driving car. Kind of hard to have a multi-billion business when most people are simply not interested.
The Telegraph reports how Britain is upholding their safety standards and not allowing the use of Tesla FSD for now.
elektrec reports that Tesla has been hit by another class action lawsuit, this one in Australia. The lawsuit is due to dangerous braking and also Tesla misrepresenting the capabilities so its "self-driving" system.
Washington Post misleadingly reports that Tesla has taken a significant step towards providing robotaxi service in California. But actually the permit from the CPUC only allows for passengers to use Teslas as a human-driven taxi service. Tesla hasn't even applied for a permit from the DMV to operate driver-less vehicles in California.
Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk will not be partnering with Uber for Tesla's alleged robotaxi rollout.
Washington Post reports that the federal cuts being imposed by Elon Musk and DOGE are cutting the people that regulate robotaxis the most.
CarScoops reports on how Waymo is already having trouble with importing Zeekr EVs, which are intended to replace the Jaguars used for robotaxi service. The Zeekr have already been recalled 3 times for safety issues.
Not A Tesla App absurdly claims that Tesla will be running robotaxi service this June. It is remarkable how Tesla executives continue to lie to the public.
AutoEvolution reports on a study that shows that only some ADAS systems actually improve safety. These useful features include Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), which reduces crash probability by 19.1%. The second most effective safety driving aid was the Driver Monitoring System (DMS), which lowered accident risks by 14%. Finally, we also have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), with the third-highest crash rate reduction of 10.7%.
