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.
Carscoop reports on how Washington State is considering requiring speed governors for those who received a suspended license. This is being proposed due to 70% of drivers with a suspended license continuing to drive.
Forbes reports that Automatic Emergency Braking has been shown to be effective, yet the mandate for it might be killed by the Trump administration.
San Francisco Chronicle reports on how a person and a dog were killed and multiple cars were destroyed including a Waymo. This happened even though robotaxis are widely available in San Francisco. This dramatically shows that robotaxis are not the answer for safety. Instead, better street design is.
Mission Local reports on yet another crash due to Tesla "automatic" driving system. The idea that Tesla could create a working robotaxi system based on this technology is ludicrous.
SF Examiner reports that the state court has rejected a lawsuit from December 2023 by the City of San Francisco. The lawsuit was attempting to overturn the California PUC's decision from October of 2023 to allow Waymo (and Cruise) to provide citywide robotaxi service.
Reuters reports on how NHTSA closes its probe into Cruise with respect to pedestrian safety. The probe was closed simply because Cruise is no longer viable.
Washington Post reports on how while the public continues to be very reluctant about robotaxis, the industry is planning on plowing ahead due to the expectation that the new Trump administration will gut safety standards.
electrek reports that Tesla's issues with its self-driving computers is so big that they have had to issue a recall for 200,000 vehicles due to the vehicles not meeting NHTSA requirements.
Detroit Free Press reports that several crash avoidance systems were flummoxed by reflective safety’s clothing, leading to significant danger.
SF Gate reports how Jesse Lyu was using Tesla FSD when it drove him right onto some streetcar tracks with a streetcar not to far behind him. And yes, Jesse Lyu ironically is the CEO of Rabbit, the creators of the Rabbit R1, one of the worst reviewed AI gadgets of 2024. Perhaps AI really isn't all there yet, you think?
TechCrunch reports that two robots don't make a right. A food delivery robots, apparently crossing against a red light, was struck by a Waymo, even though the Waymo detected it. Apparently robot lives don't matter, as least to Waymos.
Torque News (yes, that is a real publication) reports that FSD on a Cybertruck is so bad that Progressive Insurance has raised insurance premiums for those who use it frequently. This is an independent refutation of Tesla's claim that FSD is better than a human driver.
SF Chronicle reports on how Waymo expects to handle the inevitable heavily inebriated passengers.
Washington Post provides perhaps the most important article on robotaxis in 2024. The reporter demonstrates how Waymo vehicles are not programmed to follow the law and cede right-of-way. Instead, they intentionally mimic human drivers, including bullying pedestrians and not allowing them to cross in crosswalks.
Teslarati reports on how a Tesla analyst doesn't believe in the hype of the Tesla robotaxi fleet since most Tesla owners would not want to share their vehicles in the first place.
