Seeking Alpha – Tesla’s Sudden Third Robotaxi Announcement, After 2019 And 2016
Quite a scathing article on how not only is Elon Musk's robotaxi unveiling on 8/8 (which year???) absurd, but this is the third time such an annoucement has been made.
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
News
The news media has expended considerable effort researching and publishing information about the robotaxi business. This channel highlights some of the important articles.
Read MoreSeeking Alpha – Tesla’s Sudden Third Robotaxi Announcement, After 2019 And 2016
The Verge – Elon Musk says Tesla will reveal its robotaxi on August 8th
4/5/24 was a really bad day of news for Tesla. There were articles on how badly Tesla is doing financially, how they have cancelled their much needed low-cost model, how Musk claimed that model hasn't been canceled, and how no other companies are interested in FSD. So of course Musk makes another absurd announcement to distract attention. Suddenly FSD will actually work, they will achieve full Level 4 autonomy, and the Tesla Robotaxi will be unveiled on 8/8/24. Just absurd.
Bloomberg – Elon Musk Denies Report Tesla Is Scrapping Less-Expensive Car
Elon Musk, who has absolutely no credibility, accuses Reuters of "lying" in their verified article. Impressively, his statement caused Tesla stock to pare its decline. Additional articles on same day cover Musk's equally ludicrous claim that the Tesla robotaxi will be unveiled on 8/8/24.
WSJ – The Inside Tale of Tesla’s Fall to Earth
In depth article by WSJ on how Tesla is no longer doing well financially. Also covers how CEO Musk has distracted Tesla with robotaxis.
Reuters – Exclusive: Tesla scraps low-cost car plans amid fierce Chinese EV competition
Reuters is first to report that Tesla has cancelled their much need entry-level $25k Tesla model. This information is based on multiple sources and internal company messages that were seen by Reuters. Soon after Tesla CEO Elon Musk provided conflicting information, but everyone knows that his statements are completely unreliable. Other articles with statements by Musk are available here at robotaxi.rodeo .
Quartz – Elon Musk offered Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system to other automakers. No one took him up on it
As Tesla prospects falter Elon Musk tried his old trick of hyping Full Self Driving (FSD) by offering it to rival car manufacturing companies. The newsworthy part is that no other companies have expressed any interest in FSD, likely because it is a pathetic and unsafe product.
TechCrunch – OpenAI-backed Ghost Autonomy shuts down
Article from TechCrunch on an autonomous vehicle company you never heard of raised $220 million, hyped dubious AI tech, and then went bust. Just pathetic.
Fortune – General Motors has sliced Cruise’s budget by $1B, but says it may bring on new Cruise investors when it starts rolling robo-taxis back on the streets
Fortune article on how GM is exploring whether they can get others to bail out Cruise by claiming that it is an AI company, since that is where the money currently is. And still, no plan for restarting actual service.
The Verge – New York City welcomes robotaxis — but only with safety drivers
Article from The Verge on how NYC will be allowing robotaxis, but only with human drivers. Importantly, to get a permit operators will need to first report "disengagements" from service in another city. This is critical information that the robotaxi operators have so far refused to hand over.
Forbes – Waymo Runs A Red Light And The Difference Between Humans And Robots
Forbes article on how a Waymo ran through a red light, causing a rider of a scooter to crash. The vehicle was being remotely operated, and the operator apparently didn't see the red traffic signal. This shows that Waymo has a backup system, but it is not safe either.
Grey’s Anatomy’s Errant Robotaxi
For Season 20 Episode 1, Grey's Anatomy decided to up the current drama and costar a misbehaving robotaxi named "Wayne". And of course the emergency folks try to cone Wayne to get it to stop crashing into the ambulance where they are doing emergency surgery. All of the relevant clips have been put together into a short video so you don't have to wade through the whole show.
Bloomberg – Tesla Must Give Driver-Assist Demonstration With Every US Sale
Bloomberg article on how Elon Musk, in an apparent whiff of desperation, is now requiring every customer a demonstration of Full Self Driving.
Instead of providing safety data, Waymo provides other data to get almost free labor
Waymo announces another data challenge, but still refuses to provide safety related data. And they are only paying in Google Cloud credits.
Support California bills to regulate AVs
Three additional California bills to regulate AVs have been sent to committee and need your support. This post contains simple instructions on how to send letters of support and provides templates, making it really easy for you to help.
Electrek – All Teslas in the US get a one month trial of FSD starting this week
Article from Electrek on desperation of Elon Musk in pushing Tesla Full Self Driving. Turns out Tesla will now provide FSD for a month for free. Oh, and once again, Musk describes FSD as now being "mind blowing" (though of course that might just be the Ketamine talking)
