arsTechnica – Feds probe Waymo driverless cars hitting parked cars, drifting into traffic
arsTechnica provides further information on the NHTSA investigation into "unexpected behavior" by Waymo's robotaxis. 22 reports of the cars malfunctioning!
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 MorearsTechnica – Feds probe Waymo driverless cars hitting parked cars, drifting into traffic
Electrek – Only 2% of Tesla Full Self-Driving trial users end up buying it, credit card data show
Electrek reports that very few trial users are purchasing Full Self Driving after their free trial use. Elon Musk has been propping up Tesla share prices by claiming the real money will be made via autonomous vehicle software and a robotaxi fleet. But it turns out customers are not really interested in paying for Tesla's weak technology.
Markets Insider – Tesla will drop 70% after robotaxi and AI ambitions stop shielding a failing business, ‘Big Short’ investor says
Markets Insider reports that some investors are seeing through the false claims that Elon Musk has been putting out about their robotaxi and AI initiatives. More will follow.
Reuters – Exclusive: In Tesla Autopilot probe, US prosecutors focus on securities, wire fraud
Reuters reports that Tesla's statements on their autonomous vehicles is now being investigated as possible securities or wire fraud by misleading investors and consumers about its vehicles' self-driving capabilities. This will not end well.
TechCrunch – Wayve raises $1B to take its Tesla-like technology for self-driving to many carmakers
TechCrunch reports that SoftBank was the lead in Wayve's recent $1B funding round for developing an autonomous vehicle system. Impressive that SoftBank still has money to burn.
Fortune – Elon Musk reportedly sacked Tesla’s entire Supercharger team, including his top female manager
The Fortune article is important because it reports that he wasn't just dismissing Rebecca Tinucci, who was the executive in charge of Supercharger operations and also Tesla's highest ranking woman executive at Tesla. The entire Supercharger team of 500 employees is getting the boot! And the Supercharger operation is highly successful and critical to Tesla sales. This is yet another highly counterproductive move by Musk.
SF Chronicle – Elon Musk announces fresh layoffs at Tesla, going ‘hard core about headcount’
Three key execs jumped ship in the last few weeks, 14,000+ employees laid off, plus the CFO left in August. And today it is announced that two additional key execs are pushed out along with hundreds of subordinates. Rebecca Tinucci was the senior director of Tesla’s Supercharger division and the highest ranking woman executive at Tesla. The Supercharger has been Tesla's greatest success and other EV manufactures have had to adapt to its standard. It has also been key in Tesla sales because having many chargers alleviates range anxiety. Daniel Ho was the head of the new vehicles program and was with Tesla for almost 11 years after being at Ford for over 12 years. If Tesla was going to bring out a new lower cost Tesla then Ho would have been the one doing it.
Waymos are bad drivers too
The recent torching of a Waymo robotaxi shows that there simply is no smooth sailing for the company. Sure, they might drive somewhat better than Cruise vehicles. But they still have serious flaws that show that long term viability is doubtful. Plus they do stupid things, and when they do they are quite vulnerable. Therefore they have now become the target of robotaxi ire.
NY Times – Tesla Reaches Deals in China on Self-Driving Cars
NY Times article on how Elon Musk went to China and allegedly reached an agreement to access detailed map data, which might lead to Tesla getting permission to offer FSD in China. This vague announcement caused Tesla stock to increase by 15%.
TechCrunch – A wrestling match over who should control robotaxis is playing out in California
Detailed article in TechCrunch on upcoming legislation winding its way through the California legislature. Includes details on why the changes are needed, and why the AV companies are fighting them.
Futurism.com – TO EXPERIENCE PURE ANXIETY, WATCH THIS VIDEO OF A SELF-DRIVING CAR NAVIGATING INDIA’S CHAOTIC TRAFFIC
Article from Futurism.com, with a video, showing an autonomous vehicle driving the chaotic streets of India. Somehow the article fails to point out the irony of spending lots of money trying to develop an autonomous vehicle for a place where human drivers are extremely cheap.
Investors excited by Tesla flimflammery, while execs clearly see the impending disaster
The recent Tesla earnings call clearly showed that the company was having serious problems. Yet enough investors bought into the hype of the new low-cost vapor car to increase the price. At the same time important execs are leaving the company, and one in a very spectacular vote of no confidence. When will investors realize they've been hoodwindked?
Yahoo Finance – Facebook Cofounder Says Tesla Has Committed “Consumer Fraud on a Massive Scale,” Will End in Jail
Yahoo Finance article on how Dustin Moskovitz, a cofounder of Facebook, claims that Tesla is faking Full Self Driving and other numbers enough to now constitute fraud.
TechCrunch – Tesla Autopilot investigation closed after feds find 13 fatal crashes related to misuse
Editors note: this article is useful because it provides more details on the NHTSA findings. In particular, the NHTSA stated evidence that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities.” See full original article by Sean O’Kane of TechCrunch The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…
NY Times – Auto Safety Regulator Investigating Tesla Recall of Autopilot
NY Times article on how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla for safety issues with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, which have together led to at least 29 fatal crashes.
