Tesla's robotaxi dreams face setbacks as its Full Self-Driving system faces safety scrutiny and CEO Elon Musk's political backlash leads to protests and record trade-ins, delaying the promised autonomous ride-hailing service until June 2023 in Austin.
Waymo's self-driving cars have proven remarkably safer than human drivers, experiencing far fewer crashes and injuries, with insurance claims about 90% lower than expected for human-driven vehicles over the same miles, despite being involved in dozens of crashes largely caused by human error.
Waymo's self-driving car boasts a superhuman perception system that combines lidar, cameras, and radar data to accurately detect and characterize objects, interpret nuances, infer occluded areas, and recognize its own limitations, enabling safe autonomous driving.
Waymo One, the pioneering fully autonomous ride-hailing service, plans to bring its cutting-edge technology to Washington, D.C. by 2026, expanding its presence after successful deployments in major U.S. cities like San Francisco and Phoenix.
BYD, a Chinese automaker, is undercutting Tesla's electric vehicle (EV) prices in emerging markets by offering more affordable models with smaller battery sizes, leveraging its cost-effective production capabilities to gain a competitive edge over Tesla in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Waymo, a leader in self-driving technology, has expanded its robotaxi service to cover more cities in Silicon Valley, allowing residents to experience its fully autonomous, electric Jaguar vehicles across an additional 27 square miles around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Uber halted its self-driving car tests in Arizona after a fatal pedestrian crash, while resuming operations in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and hired former NTSB Chair Christopher Hart as a safety adviser, demonstrating a commitment to addressing safety concerns.
In a groundbreaking partnership, Uber has joined forces with Waymo to offer autonomous rides in Austin, enabling users to summon self-driving cars through the Uber app at no extra cost, providing a glimpse into the future of transportation while prioritizing safety with Waymo's extensive real-world driving experience.
Amazon's drone delivery service in College Station, Texas faced intense backlash from hundreds of residents, including the mayor, over excessive noise disruptions, prompting the FAA to receive around 150 critical comments, ultimately leading Amazon to ground its drones and terminate its lease in the area by September 2025.