Waymo to offer robotaxi services on San Francisco, LA and Phoenix freeways
Waymo has announced that is to begin offering its driverless taxi servicer on freeways across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, The move represents a significant first for the Google subsidiary as it continues to scale up expansion amid global and domestic competition in the self-driving industry. A company statement said: “The open road symbolizes […]
London taxi drivers warn that driverless cars could ‘run them off the road’
London’s taxi drivers have called for protection as Waymo prepares to launch its driverless cab service. According to a report by Hyphen, many London cab drivers are warning that autonomous vehicles could “run us off the road” and destroy livelihoods built over decades, says DMNews. But while government ministers hail the move as innovation, local drivers […]
Uber teams with Lucid and Nuro for next-gen robotaxis
Uber, Nuro and Lucid are to produce a next-generation premium global robotaxi programme, created exclusively for the former’s ride-hailing platform. Expected to go live in 2026 in a ‘major’ US city, the new robotaxi service combines the software-defined vehicle architecture of the Lucid Gravity, the scalability and capability of the Nuro Driver Level 4 autonomy system […]
GM repurposes robotaxi fleet to test autonomous driving technology
General Motors has put vehicles enabled with technology used in its failed robotaxi venture Cruise back onto the road. The Detroit automaker confirmed that it would accelerate development of GM’s hands-free, eyes-off advanced driver assist system by “testing a limited number of Cruise Bolt vehicles on select highways in Michigan, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay […]
Waymo recalls more than 1200 driverless vehicles
Robotaxi and self-driving car company Waymo has recalled 1200 of its driverless electric vehicles after reporting crashes with certain types of road barriers. Waymo filed a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying it is aware of 16 different car collisions between 2022 and 2024, primarily involving chains, gates and similar barriers. The company says it provides more […]
Tesla’s Robotaxi brand could be ‘too generic to trademark’
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has refused one of Tesla’s initial attempts to trademark the term “Robotaxi” because it believes the name is generic and already in use by other companies, according to a filing spotted by TechCrunch. Tesla was hoping to trademark the term in connection to its planned self-driving car service, but now it’ll have to […]
James May experiences fully autonomous Waymo Robotaxi in California
Motoring broadcaster James May has posted a video of himself experiencing the delights of a Waymo Robotaxi while working in California. In typical downbeat May style, the veteran journalist took the fully autonomous taxi to visit a nearby Target store to buy a pair of jeans. Automotive, tech and lifestyle website Supercar Blondie reported that […]
Latest Waymo robotaxi to have fewer sensors to save costs
Waymo has previewed its new sixth-generation robotaxi, an electric minivan manufactured by the Chinese automaker Zeekr. In a blog post, Waymo VP of engineering Satish Jeyachandran touts the new robotaxi as more high tech than past iterations, while also featuring fewer sensors to help reduce costs for the Alphabet-owned company, says The Verge. And within […]
“Driverless robotaxis” set to be rolled out in the UK
Autonomous robotaxis are set to cruise the streets of major UK cities within the next three years. Verne, a radical self-driving cab from Croatian automotive firm Rimac will have no steering wheel, pedals or a dashboard as it ferries people around the town. The two-seat electric hatchback promises to be more spacious than a Rolls-Royce, according […]
Cruise settles with pedestrian injured in robotaxi incident
General Motors Co.’s autonomous-car unit reached an $8 million to $12 million settlement with a pedestrian who was dragged by one of its vehicles in San Francisco, according to Claims Journal. The settlement was struck earlier this year and the injured pedestrian is now reported to be out of hospital. In the October incident, the […]