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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 article on how Elon Musk, in an apparent whiff of desperation, is now requiring every customer a demonstration of Full Self Driving.
Waymo announces another data challenge, but still refuses to provide safety related data. And they are only paying in Google Cloud credits.
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.
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)
Coning has even made it into art projects.
Epic article on the relationship between financial dodgy SPACs and autonomous vehicle companies. Explains what SPACs are, and goes into detail on who the AV companies who used them have either already flamed out or will do so relatively soon. No SPAC AV company will be spared.
Newsletter from Sue Vaughan from Burning Planet. Contains autonomous vehicle legislation updates and information on how you can provide support.
Article from WSJ on how Waymo will soon be expanding to driverless service on freeways in Phoenix. This is of course key for providing more lucrative airport service. But driving at freeway speeds is of course inherently more dangerous.
Tesla stock price has dropped tremendously so far in 2024. But expect it to drop much further due to inherent problems Tesla is simply failing to address. And this will sure cause FSD to wither away.
