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Category: avs

Musk says Tesla’s self-driving tests will be geofenced to ‘the safest’ parts of Austin

The first test of Tesla’s long-promised robotaxi service in Austin, Texas next month will initially be limited to specific areas the company deems “the safest,” CEO Elon Musk told CNBC in an interview Tuesday. Tesla’s cars are “not going to take intersections unless we are highly confident [they’re] going to do well with that intersection,…

Amazon’s Zoox to start testing AVs in Atlanta, following Waymo

Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit Zoox is about to start mapping and gathering data in Atlanta, Georgia, a precursor to testing its self-driving vehicles and eventually offering public rides in the city. Atlanta will become the seventh city in the U.S. where Zoox is testing its vehicles. The company announced its testing plans just one day…

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…

Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East

Uber announced its third partnership with a Chinese autonomous vehicle company this week, revealing the ride-hail and delivery giant’s appetite for global domination in the emerging robotaxi sector. Uber said Tuesday it would work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI, which late last year went public on the Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation, to launch robotaxis…

Uber’s latest autonomous vehicle partner? Chinese startup Momenta

Uber announced Friday yet another autonomous vehicle partnership as it leverages its dominant ride-hail and delivery position while relying on partners to supply the self-driving tech it isn’t building in-house. Today, the lucky startup is Chinese self-driving firm Momenta. The tie-up comes a day after Uber added Ann Arbor-based May Mobility to its roster of…

Wayve CEO shares his key ingredients for scaling autonomous driving tech 

Wayve co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall sees promise in bringing his autonomous vehicle startup’s tech to market. That is, if Wayve sticks to its strategy of ensuring its automated driving software is cheap to run, hardware agnostic, and can be applied to advanced driver assistance systems, robotaxis, and even robotics.  The strategy, which Kendall laid…

Zoox recalls 258 self-driving cars over unexpected braking

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous driving unit, has issued a voluntary recall for 258 vehicles due to issues with its autonomous driving system that could cause unexpected hard breaking. The recall follows a preliminary investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last May after the agency received two reports of incidents in which motorcyclists collided…

Elon Musk’s DOGE comes for agency that regulates autonomous vehicles

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is firing nearly half of a small government team that regulates autonomous vehicles, the Washington Post reported. The firings are part of a broader 10% reduction at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a result of firings of probationary workers and buyout offers, the Post reported, citing…

BYD to offer Tesla-like driver assist, even on its cheapest models 

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD unveiled “God’s Eye,” an advanced driver assistance system that will be install on its entire model lineup, including its $9,600 Seagull hatchback.  BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said at a live streamed event Monday that “we’re entering an era where autonomous driving is for everyone,” according to The Financial Times.  God’s…

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…

Feds clear the way for robotaxis without steering wheel and pedals

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday proposed a new national framework that could make it easier for companies to deploy at scale autonomous vehicles without traditional manual driving controls – like steering wheels, pedals, and sideview mirrors.  The guidelines also require AV companies to share a whole lot more safety data with the…