Safety

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.

NY Times – China Is Testing More Driverless Cars Than Any Other Country

See original article by Keith Bradsher at NY Times Assisted driving systems and robot taxis are becoming more popular with government help, as cities designate large areas for testing on public roads. The world’s largest experiment in driverless cars is underway on the busy streets of Wuhan, a city in…

Read MoreNY Times – China Is Testing More Driverless Cars Than Any Other Country

TheVerge – Waymo issues software and mapping recall after robotaxi crashes into a telephone pole

The Verge reports that Wayside mo has issued a software update after one of their vehicles crashed into a stationary pole. But Waymo never mentions why the vehicle crashed into a large stationary pole, which shouldn't have happened regardless of mapping or configuration issues.
Read MoreTheVerge – Waymo issues software and mapping recall after robotaxi crashes into a telephone pole

AutoEvolution – Tesla FSD V12.4.1 Doesn’t Live up to the Hype, Still Praised for Removing the Steering Nag

AutoEvolution reports that the much hyped (by Elon) FSD V12.4.1 isn't working that well. Clearly Tesla does not have the technology for real AVs that would be needed for robotaxi service. The whole robotaxi hype is clearly just a way of artificially keeping their stock price high.
Read MoreAutoEvolution – Tesla FSD V12.4.1 Doesn’t Live up to the Hype, Still Praised for Removing the Steering Nag

Reuters – Tesla must face California’s false-marketing claims concerning Autopilot

Reuters reports that has ruled that the California Department of Motor Vehicles should indeed investigate whether Tesla has overstated its vehicles' self-driving capabilities. It is a separate ruling from the recent May 15th one on whether a class-action lawsuit against Tesla's claims can proceed.
Read MoreReuters – Tesla must face California’s false-marketing claims concerning Autopilot

Fortune – How Waymo outlasted the competition and made robo-taxis a real business

Fortune reports on how difficult the robotaxi business is, and how Waymo has outlasted the other companies. But somehow Fortune is impressed with Waymo serving 50,000 rides/week. At $20/ride this is only about $50 million a year, a pittance compared to the billion dollars+ that they are spending.
Read MoreFortune – How Waymo outlasted the competition and made robo-taxis a real business

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)  – On vehicle automation, federal regulators have some catching up to do

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that the federal regulation of vehicle automation is currently completely inadequate. Six US senators have called attention to how the NHTSA needs to change their hands off approach to autonomous vehicles.
Read MoreInsurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)  – On vehicle automation, federal regulators have some catching up to do