autonomous vehicles

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 […]

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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 driver-assistance systems in vehicles already in

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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

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A Waymo robotaxi got trapped in Chick-fil-A drive-thru

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-thru 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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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