Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
All the robotaxi companies claim that their safety is much better than obsolete human drivers. But are they really safer given that they seem to crash so often? This clearly needs to be investigated further.
electrek reports on how a 2025 Tesla in (Non) Full Self-Driving mode suddenly veered off the road for no reason. And Tesla is supposed to start a robotaxi service in June???
Dallas Morning News reports that Aurora has had to add backup drivers for their autonomous trucks due to safety concerns. Appears that autonomous trucks are not going to live up to their cost saving hype given that they need both a driver and really expensive technology.
electrek also reports how Tesla robotaxis will actually be teleoperated. And it must be noted that teleoperation of cars simply is not safe.
CNBC reports of another recall of Waymo robotaxis. This time the problem was that they drove into chains, gates, and other roadway barriers, situations that would have been easily avoided by human drivers.
SF Chronicle reports on how there was a collision between an e-bike and a Zoox robotaxi. This resulted in the Zoox robotaxis being recalled.
electrek reports the list of questions the NHTSA is asking about Tesla's alleged robotaxi system. The issue is that it is based on FSD, but FSD is know to be inadequate and dangerous.
Eyewitness News 7 reports that a Tesla in autopilot mode crashed into a vehicle parked off the street and in a driveway right in front of a house. The driver was blamed. But who is going to be blamed when Tesla robotaxis screw up and crash???
TechCrunch reports on a Zoox robotaxi that crashed into another car in Las Vegas. It was fully the fault of the Zoox automated driving system. As a result all their robotaxis had to be recalled.
Scientific American reports that the DoT has changed AV rules for Level 2 vehicles (Tesla FSD, but not Waymo) so that fewer safety incidents need to be reported. Three reporting regulations were also eased: whether the car had been driven in conditions in which it was designed to operate; a plain-language description of the circumstances of the crash; and the version of automated self-driving software that was in use.
electrek reports on Waymo's press release where they claim that their robotaxis are much safer. The problem is, safety isn't about making safer cars. It is instead about road design and reducing car use.
CNBC reports that the California DMV has announced that they are seeking public comment on proposed regulation changes for robotaxis.
FOX7 Austin reports on how Waymo vehicles are causing all sorts of problems in Austin. Hey, I thought Waymo was supposed to be the "good" company.
Houston Chron reports on how a group of passengers were trapped when their Waymo had a nervous fit and stopped on a high speed road and wouldn't let them out. Finally, when they explained that they were streaming on Tik-tok the remote human supervisor let them out.
SF Gate reports that Waymos still are bad drivers and sometimes get stuck. This time they blocked customers from getting their Chick-fil-A.
NY Times reports on how a Xiaomi vehicle in semi-autonomous mode drove into a concrete guardrail at 60mph, killing all three occupants. The vehicle only had camera sensors and not any type of LiDAR, which is obviously needed for autonomous driving.
