Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Waymo is fortunate to have a better reputation than the rest, but their incident rate is still not acceptable…
A lawsuit has been filed by a cyclist in San Francisco who was seriously injured by two (yes, two!) Waymo robotaxis. This demonstrates why Waymo should not be allowed on the transit only portions of Market Street. They simply are not safe with respect to bicyclists.
Barrons speculates on why protestors are burning Waymo vehicles
CNBC reports on photos of the rather spectacular Waymo fires in Los Angeles during the ICD protests
WSJ reports on how Waymos have become a target of protests. Current count is 5 Waymos destroyed.
A Waymo user reports on Reddit on how they were going feel speed through an intersection in Austin when a front wheel, yup, just plain fell off.
Forbes reports that Waymo is losing money hand over fist, and if they are separated from Alphabet/Google due to the anti-trust ruling, then their viability is very questionable. And the Forbes article makes a compelling argument of why this could happen.
SF Chronicle reports on how autonomous Waymos are starting to pick up all the bad habits of human drivers.
LA Times reports on how awful Waymo is towards neighbors. Their charging lots create loud sounds 24-hours a day. Neighbors have taken to blocking the vehicles with cones or even their bodies.
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 Standard reports that to the surprise of no one, Uber is now planning on also operating vehicles on the Transit Only portion of Market Street.
Forbes reports on how Waymo is creating more and more robotaxis. The odd thing is that Google has committed to Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and have 2,000 in storage, even though the car has been obsoleted. And their Chinese option is of course subject to 175% tariffs, making it very uneconomical.
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.
SF Examiner reports on how California state legislators are currently not trying to move forward legislation that would give local jurisdictions the opportunity to regulate robotaxis. Part of the reason is that Mayor Lurie is now trying to welcome Waymos to the transit only portion of Market St instead of trying to regulate them.
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.
