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Dec 11, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsThe end of Cruise is the beginning of a risky new phase for autonomous vehiclesCath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty ImagesEight years and $10 billion later, GM has decided to pull the plug on its grand robotaxi experiment.The automakers CEO, Mary Barra, made the surprise announcement late on Tuesday, arguing that a shared autonomous mobility service was never really in its core business. It was too expensive and had too many regulatory hurdles to overcome to make it a viable revenue stream. Instead, GM would pivot to privately owned driverless cars because, after all, thats what the people really wanted.Read Article >Dec 10, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsCruises robotaxi service will shut down as GM pulls its fundingPhoto by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty ImagesGeneral Motors said it would no longer fund its Cruise robotaxi service as it seeks to focus its spending on autonomous vehicle development specifically for personally owned vehicles. Now Cruise employees will be combined with GMs internal teams working on advanced driver assist systems, like Super Cruise, as well as its project to develop autonomous vehicles to sell to customers for personal use.Ultimately, the project became too expensive for GM to justify the huge amounts of money spent to prop it up. And the automaker found it increasingly difficult to convince its shareholders that the money-losing operation would eventually pay off. The robotaxi subsidiary lost a staggering $3.48 billion in 2023 and has been seen by some as an albatross for the automaker, sucking up cash and lacking a clear path to profits.Read Article >Aug 13, 2024Richard LawlerandWes DavisWaymo released a software update to solve its San Francisco honkfest.Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli explains why the problem started and why its autonomous cars are quieter now (shown in the livestream below):We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us. It has been working great in the city, but we didnt quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots. Weve updated the software, so our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward.Aug 11, 2024Wes DavisA nightly Waymo robotaxi parking lot honkfest is waking San Francisco neighborsA Waymo car out on the job. Photo: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty ImagesIf youve ever wondered what happens to all those self-driving taxis when the world is asleep, one YouTube channel has you covered. Since the beginning of the month, software engineer Sophia Tung has been livestreaming a San Francisco parking lot that Waymo is renting to give its robotaxis somewhere to go during their downtime.Tung told The Verge via email that the company appeared to partially take over the lot on July 28th, then later took over the entire lot. Waymo recently opened up its robotaxi service to anyone in San Francisco.Read Article >Jun 7, 2024Sean HollisterAmazon will begin testing robotaxis in Austin and Miami too.Thats on top of San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Zooxs original Foster City test. Note, though:We wont be deploying our purpose-built robotaxi or offering public rides in Austin or Miami just yet. Our target cities for our first commercial markets remain Las Vegas and San Francisco. But were exploring several cities for future commercial offerings after our initial launch.Were expanding testing to Austin and Miami[Zoox]May 14, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsWaymos robotaxis are under investigation for crashes and traffic law violationsPhoto by Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesFederal safety investigators have opened a preliminary investigation into dozens of incidents involving Waymos driverless vehicles, including several single-party crashes and possible traffic law violations.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations Office of Defects Investigation is looking into 22 incidents in which Waymos robotaxis were the sole vehicle operated during a collision or exhibited driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws.Read Article >Apr 27, 2024Wes DavisIn the first Autonomous Racing League race, the struggle was realThe first race of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) took place on the Yas Marina Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 track today, and Im pleased to report that a race both began and ended. But the event was not without strife far from it. During qualifying time trials, the driverless Dallara Super Formula racers outfitted with cameras and software seemed to struggle mightily to complete a full lap.During the trials, cars randomly juked:Read Article >Apr 18, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsOrange cones are robot kryptonite.At least seven driverless Waymo vehicles blocked the on-ramp to 101 after being flummoxed by a construction site on Portrero Drive, according to video of the incident posted on Reddit. Waymo told TechCrunch the detour necessitated driving on the freeway, for which the vehicles were not approved without a human driver. To me, this is more evidence of the innate, robot-fighting powers of the humble orange cone.Apr 16, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsPeople are afraid of self-driving cars can the industry change that?Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeSelf-driving cars have an image problem. They stumble into construction zones, block ambulances, run red lights, and even injure the occasional bicyclist or pedestrian.Forget the fact that most autonomous vehicles operate each day safely, anonymously, and without fanfare. There are hundreds in operation today in California, Arizona, Texas, and elsewhere, and the numbers are only going to increase. But when they do make mistakes, people tend to notice. Numerous public opinion polls have shown declining support for autonomous vehicles (AV) over the years and a rise in outright hostility toward the technology.Read Article >Apr 3, 2024Allison JohnsonUber Eats is now delivering burritos via Waymo in Phoenix.Waymo has been offering autonomous rides in Phoenix since late 2022, but now its providing transportation for a new kind of customer: your dinner. Starting today, Waymo will start making food deliveries for some Uber Eats customers.Uber works with a few other companies for autonomous food deliveries in other locations. For now, this program is limited to Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler, and only select merchants are included. Taco bout a slow rollout.Uber Newsroom[www.uber.com]Mar 14, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsThe Zoox come out at night.Amazons robotaxi company is expanding its operating conditions in the two cities where it has been testing its autonomous vehicles, Foster City and Las Vegas. The robotaxis will start driving at night, as well as in light rain and damp road conditions. They will also starting driving at speeds of up to 45 mph on multi-lane roads. And in Las Vegas, it will start tackling roads along the south end of the Strip. Zooxs purpose-built AVs (no steering wheel, no pedals) will start accepting real passengers later this year.Gadzooks! Its a Zoox at night! Image: ZooxMar 13, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsWaymo opens up in LA.The robotaxi company is ready to start inviting regular people on its waitlist (50,000 and counting) to use its fully driverless vehicles. The vehicles will only operate in a 63 square-mile section that includes Santa Monica and DTLA. And while the initial rides will be free, future rides will not thanks to a recent thumbs-up from regulators.The company plans to follow similar rollout in Austin, Texas, later this year. The future of autonomous vehicles still seems super cloudy, but Waymo is trying its best to prove the doubters wrong.Feb 12, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsCruise finally has a chief safety officer.Steve Kenner has held safety-related positions at Apple and Uber, as well as autonomous vehicle companies like Aurora, Kodiak Robotics, and Locomation. Hell be in charge of making sure Cruise adheres to safety standards as it seeks to re-deploy its robotaxis in San Francisco and beyond. The GM-owned company is trying to rebuild its reputation and get back its operations permit in the wake of an incident in which a pedestrian was stuck and dragged by one of its autonomous vehicles.Cruise Appoints Chief Safety Officer[getcruise.com]Jan 25, 2024Andrew J. HawkinsCruise wasnt hiding the pedestrian-dragging video from regulators it just had bad internetPhoto by Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty ImagesCruise, the self-driving car subsidiary of General Motors, tried to send a 45-second video to regulators of an incident in which one of its driverless cars dragged a pedestrian 20 feet but was hampered by internet connectivity issues, according to a report compiled by a law firm investigating the incident.The law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, was hired by Cruise to determine whether its executives misled regulators in the aftermath of the October 2nd incident in which a hit-and-run driver struck a pedestrian, knocking her into the path of a driverless Cruise vehicle. Its conclusions were detailed in a nearly 200-page report that was released today.Read Article >Nov 20, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsGMs big bet on driverless cars turns sourThen Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt introducing the companys driverless Origin shuttle. Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesTwo years ago, General Motors presented a vision for the future that involved zero crashes, zero traffic, and zero emissions. Today, that future seems further away than ever.The automakers driverless car subsidiary, Cruise, announced last night the resignation of Kyle Vogt as CEO. The decision came over a month after an incident in which a hit-and-run victim became pinned under a Cruise vehicle and then was dragged 20 feet to the side of the road. As a result, California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruises permit to operate driverless cars in the state.Read Article >Oct 26, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsTFW your Uber driver is an empty seat.Starting today, Phoenix residents can use the Uber app to hail a ride in a driverless Waymo vehicle. The two companies former rivals turned frenemies (?) first announced the partnership earlier this year. Tellingly, its only available in Arizona, and not California, where tensions around robotaxis are starting to get, well, tense.Image: WaymoOct 13, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsHow will driverless cars talk to pedestrians? Waymo has a few ideasImage: WaymoFor years, developers have been working on ways for driverless cars to communicate intent to other road users, either through audio recordings or visual cues. Today, Waymo says it wants to be one of the first companies to put some of these methods into practice.The Alphabet-owned companys driverless Jaguar I-Pace vehicles will use their roof domes, which are wrapped in LED displays, to communicate messages to other road users. For now, the company is going with just two messages: for pedestrians in front of the vehicle, shifting grey and white rectangles meant to communicate that the vehicle is yielding to them, and for drivers behind the vehicle, a yellow pedestrian symbol to let them know theres a pedestrian crossing.Read Article >Oct 12, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsRobotaxis in the Bayou City.Houston is the next city in the US to get a robotaxi service, courtesy of Cruise, which just announced the launch today. The driverless vehicles will be available seven days a week from 9PM-6AM in Downtown, Midtown, East Downtown, Montrose, Hyde Park, and River Oaks neighborhoods. Robotaxi companies have been targeting bigger, more populous markets, as the pressure to start bringing in more revenue continues to grow. Waymo just started testing the waters in LA, and now Cruise is going after the fourth biggest city in the US.Cruises robotaxis will only operate at night to start out. Image: CruiseOct 11, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsWhat about drivers ed for driverless cars?This opinion piece in the New York Times argues were driving blind when it comes to autonomous vehicles, citing recent robotaxi crashes in San Francisco and the growing number of fatal Tesla Autopilot incidents. The writer argues that while the federal government regulates hardware, and the states oversee drivers, theres no one testing to see whether the software operating these vehicles is up to snuff. And that amounts to a loophole large enough for Elon Musk, General Motors and Waymo to drive thousands of cars through.Hmmm, where have I heard this argument before?Opinion | Autonomous Vehicles Are Driving Blind[The New York Times]Oct 10, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsWaymos robotaxis are now available to tens of thousands of people across all of San FranciscoPhoto by AFP / AFP TV / AFP via Getty ImagesWaymos robotaxi service area in San Francisco is expanding to 47 square miles of the city a significant expansion of the companys driverless ridehail operations.Last August, Waymo and its driverless rivals won approval from California regulators to operate their commercial service 24/7. The vote was a significant win for the tech industry, which has been battling criticism that its robot cars occasionally obstruct emergency vehicles and cause traffic jams.Read Article >Sep 23, 2023Wes DavisCalifornia governor vetoes a bill requiring humans in autonomous big rigsDriverless trucks from Waymo. Credit: WaymoGovernor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 316, which would have required human attendants in driverless vehicles over 10,000 pounds, reports Reuters. The bill saw broad support among state legislators and was backed by the Teamsters and other labor organizations. At the moment,The governor wrote in his veto message that the bill is unnecessary for the regulation and oversight of heavy-duty autonomous vehicle technology, adding that the existing regulatory framework is sufficient.Read Article >Sep 14, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsCruise unveils a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi, with plans to launch in 2024Image: Cruise / Raymond Rudolph PhotographyCruise, the autonomous vehicle company backed by General Motors, revealed a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi that it says could start picking up disabled passengers as soon as next year.The reveal of the newly accessible robotaxi is a major step toward fulfilling the dream of people with vision, hearing, and mobility impairments, who have long held out hope that autonomous vehicles represent a new way of getting around.Read Article >Aug 19, 2023Wes DavisDriverless buses are tooling around San Franciscos Treasure Island in a test for the next few months.The autonomous shuttles offer free rides along a fixed, seven-stop route in the artificial islands center from August 2023 to April 2024 (via AP News).Called The Loop, the shuttle has no steering wheel, but an onboard attendant can take over with a handheld remote if needed, according to Insider. Its maker, Beep, previously tested it as a medical supply transport in Florida in 2020.Treasure Island Autonomous Shuttle Launches Public Service | San Francisco[sf.gov]Aug 17, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsWe knew Tesla didnt fix a flaw in Autopilot, and now we have their engineers on record admitting it.When two people die in very similar crashes years apart, the reason seems obvious. Autopilot, Teslas driver assist system, cant recognize trucks crossing the road. They knew it couldnt, and they didnt fix it. And now we have testimony from their engineers admitting this.Despite the companys knowledge that theres cross traffic or potential for cross traffic, the Autopilot at the time was not designed to detect that, according to testimony given in 2021 by company engineer Chris Payne that was excerpted in a recent court filing. Engineer Nicklas Gustafsson provided a similar account in a 2021 deposition.The family for one of the dead Tesla owners is seeking punitive damages in a lawsuit set to go to trial this October.Tesla Failed to Fix Autopilot After Fatal Florida Crash, Engineers Say[Bloomberg]Aug 15, 2023Andrew J. HawkinsRobotaxis are driving on thin iceIllustration by Alex Castro / The VergeThe day after California regulators handed driverless car companies a major victory, allowing them to expand their services without restriction in San Francisco, a herd of robotaxis decided to celebrate by breaking down in the middle of a busy street.According to several local news reports, 10 Cruise vehicles sat paralyzed in a busy intersection near the Outside Lands Music Festival, causing a traffic jam and drawing exasperation from witnesses. The company told KPIX that the music festival caused wireless connectivity issues with its vehicles. In other words, festivalgoers were overwhelming the cellular networks, making it difficult for Cruises vehicles to send and receive information.Read Article >