Sterling Anderson, a veteran of the nascent autonomous vehicle sector and co-founder of Aurora, is resigning just a week after the company launched its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas. Anderson held the chief product officer position at Aurora. The resignation was posted in a regulatory filing along with the company’s first-quarter earnings report. His…
Category: autonomous vehicles
AI, Andrew Dudum, autonomous vehicles, Biotech & Health, Cruise, Exclusive, Global Security News, Hims & Hers, Transportation
Why Hims & Hers turned to the autonomous vehicle industry to find an AI-savvy CTO
Hims & Hers, the telehealth and wellness company, has hired a veteran of the autonomous vehicle industry as its next chief technology officer. The move, according to Hims & Hers co-founder and CEO, Andrew Dudum, was intentional. Hims & Hers on Thursday said its next CTO would be Mo Elshenawy, the former president and CTO…
autonomous vehicles, avs, electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, robotaxi, Tesla, Transportation
Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ and ‘Cybercab’ trademarks hit roadblocks ahead of June launch
Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles has been refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for being too generic, according to a new filing. Another application by Tesla to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service is still under examination by the office. In addition, applications…
autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, zoox
Amazon-owned Zoox issues recall following robotaxi crash
Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, paused its driverless testing program for more than a week and issued a voluntary recall of its software following a crash in Las Vegas, according to the company and a filing with federal safety regulators. The April 8 crash, which involved an unoccupied Zoox vehicle and a…
autonomous vehicles, avs, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo ramps up robotaxi production at new Arizona factory
Waymo has played coy for years about exactly how many Jaguar I-Pace EVs are in its autonomous fleet — a figure that covers vehicles used in testing and commercial robotaxi operations. On Monday, the Alphabet company finally provided a peek at the commercial side of the fleet. Waymo said Monday, as part of a larger…
autonomous vehicles, Europe, Global Security News, Transportation, Uber, Waymo, weride
Uber and WeRide set their robotaxi sights on 15 more cities
Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide plan to expand a commercial robotaxi partnership and bring the service to another 15 cities over the next five years. The expansion comes five months after the two companies launched a commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. The companies said the expansion will include cities in Europe. Under…
autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, May Mobility, ridehail, robotaxi, Transportation, Uber
May Mobility to launch robotaxis on Uber platform this year in Texas
Startup May Mobility plans to deploy its autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform by the end of 2025, starting in Arlington, Texas, as part of a multi-year partnership. The tie-up with Uber offers May a chance to grow beyond offering shuttles within campuses and planned communities, while Uber adds May Mobility to its growing roster…
Aurora Innovation, autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, self-driving trucks, Transportation
Aurora launches commercial self-driving truck service in Texas
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation says it has successfully launched a self-driving truck service in Texas, making it the first company to deploy driverless, heavy-duty trucks for commercial use on public roads in the U.S. The launch comes just as Aurora hits its deadline: in October, the company delayed its planned 2024 debut to…
autonomous vehicles, electric robotaxis, Global Security News, Transportation, Uber, Volkswagen
Uber, Volkswagen pair up to launch robotaxi service in US with self-driving, electric microbuses
Volkswagen of America and Uber on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a commercial robotaxi service — using autonomous electric VW ID. BUZZ vehicles — in multiple U.S. cities over the next decade. The companies expect to launch a commercial service in Los Angeles, the first city on the list, by late 2026. VW…
ADAS, Asia Pacific, autonomous vehicles, china, Global Security News, Transportation
Automakers selling cars in China banned from using ‘autonomous driving’ in ads
China is cracking down on how automakers advertise driver assistance features, banning terms like “autonomous driving,” “self-driving,” and “smart driving,” Reuters reported, citing a transcript of a meeting between the government and industry representatives. The updated rule will also prohibit automakers from rolling out improvements via software updates to advanced driving assistance systems in vehicles…
AI, autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, Nissan, Transportation, wayve
Wayve’s self-driving tech is headed to Nissan vehicles
Nissan said it will use self-driving software developed by Wayve to beef up its advanced driver assistance system starting in 2027, a landmark deal for the buzzy UK startup that has raised more than $1.3 billion from Nvidia, Microsoft, SoftBank Group, and Uber. Nissan will integrate Wayve’s software as well as sensors, including lidar from an undisclosed…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
A Waymo robotaxi got trapped in Chick-fil-A drive-through
A Waymo robotaxi caused a traffic jam at a Chick-fil-A in Santa Monica, California, this week after getting stuck in the fast food restaurant’s drive-through lane. Waymo confirmed the incident, which was first reported by local broadcast station KTLA 5, to TechCrunch via email. Waymo told TechCrunch that there weren’t any passengers in the robotaxi.…
autonomous vehicles, Fundraising, Global Security News, nuro, Startups, Transportation
Nuro’s $106M raise backs its shift from delivery robots to licensing autonomy tech
After months of hearty marketing efforts and large-scale technology demos across the U.S., Nuro has secured $106 million in fresh funding to help scale its autonomous driving technology and advance commercial partnerships. The Series E round brings Nuro’s total funding raised to $2.2 billion and its valuation to $6 billion. That’s a drop from the…
autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, robotaxis, Startups, Transportation, zoox
Amazon’s Zoox begins robotaxi testing in Los Angeles
Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, is deploying a small fleet of retrofitted test vehicles on the streets of Los Angeles starting Tuesday – a modest, yet meaningful step as the company inches toward offering public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. The data-collection effort marks Zoox’s entrance into its sixth city…
AI, Alphabet, autonomous vehicles, generative ai, Global Security News, privacy, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, but riders will be able to opt out
Waymo is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras tied to rider identities, to train generative AI models, according to an unreleased version of its privacy policy found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong, raising fresh questions about how much of a rider’s behavior inside autonomous vehicles could be repurposed for…
AI, Alphabet, autonomous vehicles, generative ai, Global Security News, privacy, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, sell ads
Waymo is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras tied to rider identities, to train generative AI models, according to an unreleased version of its privacy policy found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong. The draft language reveals Waymo may also share this data to personalize ads, raising fresh questions about…
autonomous vehicles, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo to launch robotaxi service in Washington D.C. in 2026
Waymo said Tuesday it will begin offering robotaxi rides via the Waymo One app in Washington D.C. in 2026. Before it can launch commercially, the company will have to up its lobbying game in the capitol, where autonomous vehicle permits still require a human behind the wheel. The news from Waymo comes as the Alphabet-owned…
AI, autonomous vehicles, california, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, TC, Tesla, Transportation
What Tesla can and can’t do in California with its new passenger transportation permit
Tesla received a permit Tuesday from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a transportation service in the state, the beginning of a long regulatory road that could eventually lead to the company getting the OK to operate a robotaxi service there. The permit, which Tesla applied for in November 2024, doesn’t cover autonomous vehicle…
AI, autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, gtc 2025, nvidia, robotics, Transportation
An AI model from over a decade ago sparked Nvidia’s investment in autonomous vehicles
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote Tuesday at the company’s GTC 2025 conference stuck with tradition and was chock full of announcements. But the company also snuck in a little history lesson. During the automotive portion of his speech, Huang referred to AlexNet, a neural network architecture that gained widespread attention in 2012 when it won…
AI, autonomous vehicles, General Motors, Global IT News, Global Security News, GTC, nvidia, nvidia gtc, robotics, Transportation
GM teams up with Nvidia to bring AI to robots, factories, and self-driving cars
General Motors is turning to Nvidia to help bring AI to the physical world in an expanded collaboration designed to touch every aspect of the automaker’s business, including factories, robots, and self-driving cars. Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who announced the partnership Tuesday during his keynote at the company’s GTC conference in San Jose,…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo expands its robotaxi service across Silicon Valley
Waymo will start offering robotaxi rides to people in its “Waymo One” early rider program in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and “parts of Sunnyvale” starting Wednesday, an expansion that will bring its footprint in Silicon Valley to 27 square miles. The Waymo vehicles will be available around-the-clock, and the new territories add to…
autonomous vehicles, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, robotics, Transportation, Uber
How Uber’s new product chief is gearing up for robotaxis
Uber executive Sachin Kansal has a reputation for dogfooding — the tactic of using one’s own products and services to root out problems and make improvements. As he ascended Uber’s executive ladder over the past eight years, Kansal ratcheted up 700 trips delivering food or people to their destinations. Lengthy reports, often dozens of pages…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Uber, Waymo
Uber users in Austin are getting matched with Waymo robotaxis
Uber users in Austin now have a choice between a Waymo robotaxi and a human driver. The two companies officially launched Tuesday the “Waymo on Uber” robotaxi service in Austin as part of a partnership that has deepened in recent months. The launch comes just days before SXSW, the annual tech, music, film, and comedy…
austin, autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, Transportation, Uber, Waymo
Waymo has doubled its weekly robotaxi rides in less than a year
Waymo is logging more than 200,000 paid robotaxi rides every week, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who shared the stat about the tech giant’s subsidiary on X. Waymo commercially operates robotaxis in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. The 200,000-weekly trips milestone is notable for a company that was providing only 10,000 rides a…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, May Mobility, ride-hail, Startups, Transportation
May Mobility launches its first driverless commercial ride-hail service
May Mobility is deploying autonomous vehicles differently than its peers. Rather than operate robotaxis for individual ride-hail, May has followed a “gentle onramp” approach to commercialization by offering on-demand shuttles and pooled rides within campuses and along uncomplicated routes. The startup announced Wednesday the launch of its first fully driverless commercial service in Peachtree Corners,…
autonomous vehicles, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Lyft, Marubeni, Mobileye, robotaxi, Transportation
Lyft to launch Mobileye-powered robotaxis ‘as soon as 2026,’ starting with Dallas
Ride-hail giant Lyft plans to bring fully autonomous robotaxis, powered by Mobileye, to its app “as soon as 2026” in Dallas, with more markets to follow, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The news comes a day before Lyft shares its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings report, and it coincides with Waymo’s preparations to launch a commercial…
austin, autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, Transportation, Uber, Waymo
Waymo just popped up on the Uber app in Austin ahead of robotaxi launch
Uber customers in Austin may notice a new offer when they open the app and hail a ride: an invitation to signal their interest in a Waymo robotaxi. For now, this doesn’t translate into a Waymo picking them up. But it will soon. The “interest list,” which launched Wednesday, is part of a partnership between…
autonomous vehicles, Cruise, General Motors, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation
Cruise to slash workforce by 50% after GM cuts funding to robotaxi operations
Cruise is laying off 50% of its workforce as the robotaxi program ends. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
autonomous vehicles, Elon Musk, FSD, Global IT News, Global Security News, TC, Tesla, Transportation
Elon Musk reveals Elon Musk was wrong about Full Self-Driving
For nearly nine years, Elon Musk has promised Tesla vehicles had the hardware needed to support a self-driving car. This week, he made his latest admission that many are not. Musk said on a conference call Wednesday evening that Tesla cars equipped with so-called Hardware 3 will need an upgrade before they can support unsupervised…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo employees can hail fully autonomous rides in Atlanta now
Waymo said it is launching fully driverless robotaxi rides for employees in Atlanta, an important step before the company opens the service up to members of the public later in 2025. This is the latest signal of Waymo’s push into new markets, and it comes two months after the company closed a $5.6 billion Series…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo reportedly testing robotaxis in 10 new cities in 2025
Waymo plans to start testing autonomous vehicles in 10 new cities this year, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego, according to The Verge. Although this doesn’t mean the company will launch commercial operations in any of these cities — or even test them in autonomous mode. Waymo told The Verge it will send less…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo begins testing robotaxis on LA freeways
Waymo robotaxis have become a common sight on Los Angeles surface streets. Now, those driverless vehicles are heading to the city’s network of freeways. The Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle technology company said Tuesday it will begin testing its fleet of robotaxis on the Los Angeles freeway system, including Interstates 10, 110, 405, and the 90. These…
autonomous vehicles, Cruise, General Motors, Global IT News, Global Security News, GM, robotaxi, Transportation
GM expects to save up to $1 billion on Cruise costs
General Motors expects to save up to $1 billion annually by ending its Cruise robotaxi development program, CEO and Chair Mary Barra said Tuesday during the company’s earnings call. The estimate comes nearly two months after the automaker said it would no longer fund Cruise, its self-driving subsidiary that aimed to commercialize robotaxis. “GM has…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxis, TC, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo lobbyist activity in SF skyrocketed in 2024
Waymo lobbyists had a busy 2024. A recent review of lobbyist disclosure data by the San Francisco Examiner revealed Waymo paid lobbyists to meet with San Francisco government officials 348 times last year, more than double the 137 times it reported in 2023. The pop in lobbyist activity is in sync with Waymo’s expansion in…
Asia Pacific, autonomous vehicles, Chinese EVs, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Transportation
Biden admin’s final rule banning Chinese connected cars also bars robotaxi testing on U.S. roads
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a final rule Tuesday that would ban the sale or import of connected vehicles from China and Russia due to national security concerns. The rule would also bar Chinese car companies, such as WeRide and Pony AI, from testing self-driving cars on U.S. roads. “China is trying to dominate…
Asia Pacific, autonomous vehicles, CES, EVs, Global Security News, TC, Toyota, Transportation, Waymo, zoox
CES 2025: Self-driving cars were everywhere, plus other transportation tech trends
Even before CES 2025 kicked off a few trends began to emerge — or more accurately, some gaps appeared. All U.S. and some European automakers that have helped turn CES into an auto show were absent. Several Chinese automakers filled that void, notably Zeekr, the EV brand owned by China’s Geely Holdings. Wey, a premium…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, Transportation, Waymo
We talked to the guy who was stuck in a Waymo robotaxi on an dizzying loop
A month ago, a video circulated around social media of a Waymo robotaxi stuck in a roundabout loop – an isolated incident with no passengers in the vehicle, according to Waymo. Apparently, it wasn’t a one-time thing. Around the same time, in another Waymo robotaxi headed for the Phoenix airport, Mike Johns, founder and CEO…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, Transportation, Waymo, zeekr
Zeekr RT, the robotaxi built for Waymo, has the tiniest wipers
For the autonomous vehicle-obsessed, the Waymo-Zeekr robotaxi is nothing new. In 2021, Waymo and Zeekr announced a partnership. Waymo first showed a concept of the purpose-built robotaxi in late 2022 and began testing prototype versions on public roads in San Francisco last year, even as it began rolling out its commercial fleet of Jaguar I-Pace…
AI, autonomous vehicles, CES, Global IT News, Global Security News, nvidia, robotaxi, Transportation, Uber
At CES 2025, Uber teams up with Nvidia to scale autonomous driving faster
Uber will use Nvidia’s new generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, and cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, DGX Cloud, to support the development of autonomous vehicle technology, the companies announced at CES 2025. Cosmos is being marketed to robotics and autonomy companies as a tool that generates physics-based videos from a variety of inputs, including 9,000…
autonomous vehicles, avs, Europe, Global Security News, May Mobility, Startups, tecnobus, Transportation
May Mobility reveals electric autonomous minibus at CES 2025
May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle technology startup, unveiled at CES 2025 the next vehicle in its portfolio: an electric, autonomous minibus made in partnership with European electric bus manufacturer Tecnobus. Ann Arbor-based May Mobility offers on-demand and fixed-route autonomous shuttles on campuses and in planned communities. Today its fleet consists of 40 Toyota Sienna minivans that…
AgTech, autonomous vehicles, CES, Global IT News, Global Security News, John Deere, robotics
John Deere’s new robot lawnmower is coming for landscapers’ jobs
John Deere has a bunch of new products that it just showed off at CES 2025, including an electric robot lawnmower meant for commercial-grade landscaping. Powered by a 21.4kWh battery — roughly a quarter the size of what you’d find on a passenger EV — the company says the mower is supposed to be able…
Akio Toyoda, autonomous vehicles, CES, ces 2025, EVs, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotics, robots, Toyota, Transportation
Toyota’s CES 2025 press conference: How to watch
Five years ago, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda went to CES to share with the world his “personal field of dreams” — a plan to build a prototype city on a 175-acre site at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, where people would live and work amongst all of Toyota’s projects, including autonomous vehicle technology,…
Akio Toyoda, autonomous vehicles, CES, ces 2025, EVs, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotics, robots, Toyota, Transportation
Toyota’s CES 2025 press conference: How to watch
Five years ago, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda went to CES to share with the world his “personal field of dreams” — a plan to build a prototype city on a 175-acre site at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, where people would live and work amongst all of Toyota’s projects, including autonomous vehicle technology,…
autonomous vehicles, Cruise, EVs, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotaxi, robotaxis, Startups, Tesla, Transportation, Waymo
The trends that shaped EVs, robotaxis, and electric flight in 2024
If there was one phrase that captured the vibe and theme of 2024 — at least in the transportation sector — it was business whiplash. Legacy automakers changed direction on their all-EVs-or-bust strategy, startups pivoted, and some Silicon Valley VCs and executives adjusted their views to a changing political landscape, in which they now are…
Apple, autonomous vehicles, Cruise, EVs, Fisker, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups, Transportation
The biggest flops and fizzles in 2024 transportation, from Apple Car to Fisker
Autonomous vehicle technology and electrification startups were once the darlings of the VC and corporate world. The two technologies promised billions of dollars in revenue — and a new pathway for automakers to make money beyond building and selling cars. Those VC-money-printing days have been over for AVs for a while now, with a few…
autonomous vehicles, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, Tesla, Transportation
Tesla is courting Texas cities to test its promised robotaxi service
Tesla is evaluating multiple Texas cities where it wants to test a long-promised robotaxi service, including Austin, according to emails obtained by Bloomberg News. An employee has apparently been in touch with Austin officials since May, and recently held an event in December to “train first responders on how to best work with Tesla’s autonomous…
autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotics, slip robotics, Startups, Transportation
Slip Robotics snags $28M for its bots that can load a truck in five minutes
Drop by any given loading dock and a buzz of forklifts — loaded up with goods — can be spotted maneuvering in and out of truck trailers. This logistical dance can take up to an hour to fill a trailer, leaving truck drivers in idle limbo. The founders of Atlanta-based Slip Robotics say they’ve developed…
Alphabet, autonomous vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, Japan, robotaxi, tokyo, Transportation, Waymo
Waymo robotaxis are coming to Tokyo in 2025
Waymo will begin testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Tokyo in early 2025, the first time the Alphabet company’s robotaxis have driven on public roads outside the U.S. The move to Japan is part of Waymo’s so-called “road trips,” a development program that involves bringing and testing its technology in a variety of cities —…
autonomous vehicles, Cruise, EVs, Global IT News, Global Security News, Tesla, Transportation, Trump
The federal crash-reporting rule Tesla opposes could be on the chopping block
The Trump transition team wants to end a federal rule requiring automakers to report crashes when advanced driver-assistance or autonomous driving technology is engaged, Reuters reports. Federal safety agencies would lose the ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated-driving systems should the rule — which went into effect in 2021 —…
autonomous vehicles, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, In Brief, Tesla, Transportation, zoox
Tesla’s loss is Zoox’s gain
Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson told the crowd at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 that he didn’t think Tesla would launch a robotaxi ride-hailing service in California (or anywhere else) next year, despite what Elon Musk had claimed. The “fundamental issue is they don’t have technology that works,” he said at the time. But it seems that…