Microsoft shows driverless intent with Cruise investment
Microsoft has increased its stake in race to monetise autonomous car technology by investing an undisclosed amount in General Motors’ driverless division Cruise. The Telegraph reports that it’s joined a $2 billion (nearly £1.5 billion) funding round which has increased Cruise’s valuation to $30 billion (around £22 billion). The paper adds that the deal also […]
Government says UK on the cusp of driverless “transport revolution”
The government has issued a report suggesting that the connected and autonomous vehicle market could be worth £41.7 billion by 2035. A report announced by Transport Minister Rachel Maclean forecasts that in 2035, 40% of new UK car sales could have self-driving capabilities, with a total market value of £41.7 billion, which the government says […]
Driverless race launched at iconic Indianapolis circuit
University teams from across the world are being invited to race a driverless vehicle at the home of the Indy-500 motor race. Energy Systems Network and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are organising the Indy Autonomous Challenge, where the teams will set up and program a standard driverless racing car built by Italian company Dallara. They say […]
YouTuber publishes video of Tesla driving autonomously through California
A Telsa enthusiast has published a timelapse video of him between Silicon Valley and Los Angeles in a Tesla set to autopilot mode. The YouTuber who goes by the name Whole Mars Catalog says the only human interaction required was when he stopped to charge the vehicle. His description reads, “Tesla Autopilot FSD Beta drives […]
Oxbotica secures $47m to fund global autonomous software deployment
Oxford-based autonomous vehicle software company Oxbotica has completed a $47 million (£35.5 million) investment round to accelerate the commercial deployment of its autonomy software platform. It says the funding, secured by working with partners across the globe led by bp ventures, is an endorsement of its “go-to-market strategy, deploying its autonomy software in industrial use […]
Waymo boss says driverless development harder than “launching a rocket and putting it in orbit”
The CEO of Google’s Waymo driverless car project has admitted that rolling out fully driverless cars is “an extraordinary grind”. John Krafcik told the Financial Times, “I would say it’s a bigger challenge than launching a rocket and putting it in orbit around the Earth . . . because it has to be done safely over and over and […]
Apple’s value surges after driverless car plans revealed
Apple’s market value has risen by around $100 billion (£740 million) on news it has made a breakthrough in its development of its own next-generation car. Reuters has spoken to sources who told it that Apple is targetting 2024 to produce its own vehicle with “breakthrough battery technology”. It’s thought that the new batteries will […]
Mobileye considers taking lidar production in-house
The Intel-owned ADAS innovator Mobileye is considering making its own lidar sensors for self driving cars, as it explains its business plans to 2025. Amnon Shashua (pictured), CEO of Mobileye and an Intel senior vice president, told Reuters that Mobileye’s first generation of full self-driving kits – which will include lidar units from supplier Luminar […]
AV project publishes attitudes survey
It looks like men are far more likely than women to want to try out autonomous ride sharing services. A survey for the driverless car initiative Project Endeavour has found 58% of men, compared to 35% of women say they would be happy to be early adopters of any new technology. In a study by […]
CPC celebrates “internationally influential” UK CAV industry
The Connected Places Catapult (CPC) has celebrated its success in supporting the UK’s driverless vehicle industry become a world leader and shared many thought-provoking ideas and challenges at its virtual conference titled “What next for autonomous technology – opportunities for the UK”, that took place on 2 December. The Catapult’s focus is to help innovative […]