Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Another week, another round of announcements about robotaxis either launching or planning to in cities. Let’s take stock. Waymo started testing… Continue reading The accelerator is on the floor for autonomous vehicles
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Waymo to issue software recall over how robotaxis behave around school buses
Waymo plans to voluntarily issue a software recall with federal safety regulators related to how its robotaxis operate around school buses, the Alphabet-owned company told TechCrunch. The voluntary software recall will be filed early next week, according to the company. Waymo said as soon as the issue was identified it updated its software on November… Continue reading Waymo to issue software recall over how robotaxis behave around school buses
New ‘KnoWay’ robotaxis cause chaos in upcoming Grand Theft Auto Online DLC
The latest expansion to Grand Theft Auto Online includes robotaxis from a fictional-yet-familiar company dubbed “KnoWay,” whose sole purpose appears to be wreaking havoc. A trailer released Friday shows KnoWay vans adorned with lidar sensors swerving through city streets, wrecking other cars, and crashing through a billboard for the made up company. While that’s all… Continue reading New ‘KnoWay’ robotaxis cause chaos in upcoming Grand Theft Auto Online DLC
Feds ask Waymo about robotaxis repeatedly passing school buses in Austin
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Waymo for more information about its self-driving system and operations following reports from the Austin School District that its robotaxis illegally passed school buses 19 times this year. In a December 3 letter sent to Waymo, regulators requested detailed information about its fifth-generation self-driving system and operations.… Continue reading Feds ask Waymo about robotaxis repeatedly passing school buses in Austin
Musk says new Tesla software allows texting and driving, which is illegal in most states
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an X post Thursday that owners can text and drive with the latest version of his company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver-assistance software, despite the fact that it’s illegal to do so in most states. Musk replied to another user who had noticed the newest update to the software, known… Continue reading Musk says new Tesla software allows texting and driving, which is illegal in most states
Autolane is building ‘air traffic control’ for autonomous vehicles
The rapid succession of robotaxi deployments from companies like Waymo and Zoox have people in the industry, once again, dreaming about how autonomous vehicles might change our daily lives. That includes driverless taxi rides, sure, but also headier ideas like sending an autonomous vehicle to fetch groceries or pick up dry cleaning. If those things… Continue reading Autolane is building ‘air traffic control’ for autonomous vehicles
Waymo starts autonomous testing in Philadelphia
Waymo is adding another four cities to its growing list of robotaxi rollouts. The company announced Wednesday it has begun testing its autonomous vehicles (with a safety monitor) in Philadelphia, and that it will start manual driving to collect data in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. Waymo did not offer a timeline for when it… Continue reading Waymo starts autonomous testing in Philadelphia
Uber and Avride launch robotaxi service in Dallas
Uber customers in Dallas may get an Avride-branded robotaxi the next time they hail a ride. A year after announcing their partnership, Uber and Avride have launched a commercial robotaxi service in Dallas. The service comes with a few caveats, however, including the addition of a human safety operator behind the wheel, and a limited… Continue reading Uber and Avride launch robotaxi service in Dallas
New York state law takes aim at personalized pricing
New York’s latest state budget includes new disclosure requirements for businesses that use personal data to set different prices for different shoppers — for example, charging you more if you have a history of splurging. Businesses that use personalized pricing are now required to tell customers, “This price was set by an algorithm using your… Continue reading New York state law takes aim at personalized pricing
Uber and WeRide’s robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi is officially driverless
A year after launching a commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi, Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide and partner Uber can finally call that service driverless. The companies said the commercial robotaxi service, which will no longer have a human safety operator behind the wheel, is open to the public and will start with routes… Continue reading Uber and WeRide’s robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi is officially driverless