NPR – Driverless car startup Cruise’s no good, terrible year
Article from NPR.org by Dara Kerr on what a horrible, and self inflicted year, 2023 was for Cruise. Also covers how the problems of Cruise might also effect Waymo.
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 MoreNPR – Driverless car startup Cruise’s no good, terrible year
NBC News – Driverless cars immune from traffic tickets in California under current laws
Article from NBC News by Bigad Shaban and Michael Bott. Covers how robotaxis do indeed sometimes violate traffic laws, but how in California they cannot be ticketed. Also covers safety in general.
TechCrunch – Facing roadblocks, China’s robotaxi darlings apply the brakes
Article from TechCrunch by Rita Liao. Losses push China's self-driving upstarts to seek new revenue streams.
SF Standard – Cruise Imploded in 2023. Can the Robotaxi Industry Recover in the New Year?
Article from the SF Standard by Joshua Bote. Reviews the high and low points of what happened to Cruise in 2023, and speculates on what might happen to them in the future.
Forbes – Robocar 2023 In Review: The Fall Of Cruise
Article from Forbes by Brad Templeton. A very in depth review of what happened in 2023 with respect to robotaxis, with a concentration on the problems of Cruise. Includes ideas on what might happen in the future.
SF Examiner – Why 2023 was a such bumpy ride for self-driving cars in The City
Article from SF Examiner by Greg Wong on what a crazy and busy year it was for Cruise and Waymo. A very useful and complete timeline of what happened during 2023, and when.
In Which We Find More Evidence the CPUC Is Thoroughly Captured
See original article by Sue Vaughan at Burning Planet, which contains more useful articles about climate change and transportation. The California Public Utilities Commission is now reneging on a possible evaluation of the environmental impacts of Waymos and Cruises – and other commercial autonomous vehicles that may be authorized to…
Euro NCAP Safety Tests Paint A Clear Picture Of Tesla’s Self-Driving Systems – But Not The One That Tesla Likes To Portray
See full original article and more at DawnProject.com Tesla supporters frequently point to Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP)’s tests of Tesla vehicles to claim that Tesla vehicles are far safer than other manufacturers, and that Tesla’s active safety systems protect those around them. Elon Musk himself has relied on Euro NCAP’s…
Rolling Stone – Elon Musk’s Big Lie About Tesla Is Finally Exposed
Article in Rolling Stone by Ed Niedermeyer. Covers how Tesla’s self-driving technology is inherently flawed.
Barrons – The EV Stock Bubble Has Popped. This One [robotaxis] Is Over, Too.
Article from Barrons on how the self-driving car market was an overhyped bubble. That bubble has now popped, as seen by combined market cap of five self-driving vehicle start-ups dropping by a whopping 95%.
Washington Post – Tesla drivers run Autopilot where it’s not intended — with deadly consequences
Article from Washington Post on how there have been at least eight fatal or serious Tesla crashes where Autopilot was being used on a road where it should not have been enabled in the first place.
SF Standard – How Cruise Secured Support From Local Groups as It Pushed To Expand Robotaxis
Article from SF Standard by Joshua Bote. Covers how Cruise and Waymo spent a great deal of effort and money to went over support from local groups, including disability groups. It worked, and the groups continue to support robotaxis even after the numerous problems they have caused.
Reuters – GM’s Cruise may face fines for ‘misleading’ regulator over accident
Article on Reuters. Covers how a judge has ruled that Cruise withheld key information with respect to the October 2nd crash where a pedestrian was dragged and severely injured.
Curbed – A Postcard From Driverless San Francisco
Article from Curbed. Interesting because describes what taking a robotaxi is really like, and how it turns out to not be that useful, especially given how slow they can be.
SF Standard – Cruise Hired a Lobbyist Close to Newsom. Then a Crash Changed Everything
Article from the SF Standard by Josh Koehn. Covers how not only did Cruise and Waymo report spending $2.3m to lobby state and local politicians to allow them to use our roads as a testing ground, but Cruise did not report hiring Axiom Advisors, close partners with Governor Newsom, until after key CPUC hearing.
