Driverless taxis “beginning to react like humans” in San Francisco
Driverless cars are beginning to display human-like behaviors like impatience on the roads, in a sign of increased intelligence in the robotaxis. The chilling development was identified by University of San Francisco engineering Professor William Riggs, who has been studying Waymo cars since their inception, says the Daily Mail. On a journey with a reporter […]
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 […]
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 […]
Waymo driverless vehicles heading to Tokyo
Waymo has announced that it will begin driving its vehicles on Tokyo’s streets, making this the company’s first international location. Waymo announced the expansion in December, which is happening in partnership with Japanese taxi service Nihon Kotsu and taxi app Go. Now, the US-based company is finally ready to hit the road abroad. Waymo says trained […]
Driverless Ubers launched in Austin, Texas
Driverless Uber rides have been launched in Austin, Texas, with riders having the option to accept a Waymo autonomous vehicle on the app. The collaboration with Waymo’s technology and Uber’s platform provides users with a fully autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle. Riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Comfort, or Comfort Electric could be matched with a Waymo […]
San Francisco: Waymo vehicle caught up in fatal collision
A deadly, multi-car collision in San Francisco on Sunday evening has marked the first time in the US that a truly autonomous vehicle, with no one in the driver’s seat, has been involved in a fatal collision, according to federal transportation records. The Waymo vehicle involced in the incident was entirely blameless, however. The self-driving Waymo car […]
Man trapped in driverless vehicle going around in circles in a car park
A man’s been trapped in a self-driving Waymo taxi in the US, as it went in circles and leading to him raising concerns about the technology. Mike Johns, a tech enthusiast and supporter of autonomous vehicles, experienced the bizarre situation in Scottsdale, Arizona when the Waymo he was in began spinning repeatedly in a car […]
Women passengers in driverless cars face harassment
There are reports women passengers of driverless cars in San Francisco are being harassed by male pedestrians who have been chasing the cars, with a lack of a physical driver leading to safety fears. The Washington Post spoke with four such passengers, three of them women, who were left rattled by their experiences. In one, […]
Waymo compiles pedestrian and cyclist injuries dataset
Google’s driverless car division Waymo has published a new study examining hundreds of types of crashes involving vulnerable road users, which it is calling “the largest dataset of its kind in the US.” Roughly 40,000 people in the US are killed each year in vehicle crashes. But according to a story on the website The Verge, while automakers […]
Waymo gets $5.6bn further investment
Google’s driverless car sister company Waymo has closed its latest investment round, raising $5.6 billion (£4.3 billion), led by its parent company Alphabet, with continued participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price. It says that, with this latest investment, it will continue to welcome more riders into […]
