Sophia Tung – I tried the Zoox toaster car with REAL robotaxi engineers!
Sophia Tung gathers a couple of robotaxi engineers to test ride a Zoox. It doesn't go very well.
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 MoreSophia Tung – I tried the Zoox toaster car with REAL robotaxi engineers!
SF Standard – I tried ordering Waymo, Uber, and Lyft on Market Street. It was not smooth hailing
SF Standard reports that while the San Francisco mayor has (falsely) decreed that ride hailing cars can go back onto Market Street, fortunately the ride-hailing companies are still avoiding it.
SF Examiner – Waymo says its SF fleet has tripled in size since last public disclosure
SF Examiner reports that Waymo has quietly tripled the number of vehicles in the San Francisco area, without disclosing the increases until now. No wonder traffic is getting worse and worse.
Gothamist – No Way-mo: Opposition to NYC’s robot car pilot grows
Gothamist reports that the opposition to NYC's Waymo pilot is quickly growing, especially amongst actual humans who drive taxis.
KRON 4 – Waymo begins picking up passengers on SF’s Market Street
KRON 4 reports that Waymo is allegedly now picking up passengers on Market Street. Interestingly, they have zero examples of that actually happening.
Reuters – Tesla rejected $60 million settlement before losing $243 million Autopilot verdict
Reuters reports that Tesla could have settled their previous lawsuit for $60 million but insisted on fighting it which resulted in a much larger settlement of $243 million. Whoops!
SF Chronicle – S.F. DA charges man allegedly linked to string of Waymo vandalism incidents
SF Chronicle reports that the DA is charging multiple counts of vandalism for allegedly damaging multiple Waymo vehicles. It appears that one of the charges is for a "coning" that caused no damage.
Fox Business – GM restarts driverless car program more than a year after Cruise robotaxi incident
Fox Business reports that GM is supposedly getting back into the autonomous vehicle business, but not for robotaxis this time.
electrek – The Tesla Autopilot lawsuit floodgates are open, lawyer who beat Tesla is going for round 2
electrek reports on how Tesla not lost the most recent trial to a tune of $243 million but they also tried to hide relevant data. They will likely fare even worse in the upcoming trial in California.
TechCrunch – Tesla shuts down Dojo, the AI training supercomputer that Musk said would be key to full self-driving
TechCrunch reports that all that talk by Elon Musk on how the Dojo AI supercomputer was going to be key to Tesla autonomous driving. Well, it turns out to be complete BS and the project has been shut down.
The Verge – The lawyer who beat Tesla is ready for ‘round two’
The Verge interviews the lawyer behind the $243 million award and discusses how this is just the start of a morass of legal problems for Tesla.
Motortrend – Waymo’s New L.A.-Based Robotaxi Has 10 Windshield Wipers
Motortrend reports on the new Zeekr vehicles that have recently been spotted in San Francisco, though not yet able to provide passenger service.
Reuters – US issues exemption for self-driving Zoox vehicles, closes probe
Reuters reports that the NHTSA has certified Zoox robotaxi vehicles for demonstration use even though they do not have driving controls and therefore do not meet federal safety requirements.
Reuters – Tesla, Elon Musk sued by shareholders over Robotaxi claims
Reuters reports that Tesla and Elon Musk are being sued for misrepresenting claims on abilities of Tesla robotaxi system
NY Times – Jury Says Tesla Was Partly to Blame for Fatal Crash
NY Times reports that Tesla Autopilot was flawed and that Tesla bore 1/3 responsibility in the death of Naibel Benavides. Tesla will be required to pay $243 million in punitive and compensatory damages to the parents of the woman and to her boyfriend.
