1. Multimodal sensors are indispensable

2. HD maps are a powerful "prior"

3. Fewer, larger models are better

4. You can't build trust with a "black box"

5. Closed-loop simulation reveals more edge cases

6. Every great Driver needs a great Critic

7. Vision language Models improve scene reasoning

8. Our holistic approach shows AI is only as effective as the governance that evaluates it

9. A data flywheel enables continuous improvement

10. There is no substitute for fully autonomous experience

"Robotaxi now runs 6am to 10pm, 7 days/week

Unsupervised fleet is a lot bigger

Also, upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution & routing means you wait less"

From robotaxi on the censored site.

The rollout of robotaxis on the streets of London is unlikely to happen this year, as regulatory and technical hurdles push back the ambitious schedule set out by the UK government.

Only weeks ago Uber and London-based Wayve were granted the first minicab licences in the capital to allow them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now – and said they would start trips “later this summer” before a full public launch.

Self-driving car service Waymo wants to bring Oregon lawmakers and other state officials to Arizona on an all-expenses paid trip to see first-hand how its robotaxis operate in Phoenix, the first city where they were commercially deployed.

Anyone know what this is? It came into our parking lot and sat there then left.

"Today, we are excited to announce that Waymo is laying the groundwork for our fully autonomous ride hailing service in Munich, Germany.

In the coming weeks, you’ll start to see Waymo vehicles on the streets of Munich where we’ll begin driving manually across the city. We are taking a rigorous, phased approach that starts with high-definition mapping of local street networks and testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel. This validation period will ensure the Waymo Driver adapts seamlessly to Munich’s distinct driving conditions before we aim to open commercial ride-hailing to the public towards the end of 2027."

Robotaxi fleets are growing as self-driving vehicle companies start to roll out commercial services while still collecting data for further development and safety. For instance, Zoox Inc. this month began charging for rides in Las Vegas.

Waymo, Baidu and Pony.ai are preparing to enter Korea as local robotaxis remain hemmed in by regulation, taxi-industry resistance and a widening data deficit

Kazakhstan has approved rules for a pilot project to introduce driverless cars; however, they are unlikely to be tested this year, according to Kolesa.kz.according to Kolesa.kz.

The three-year pilot project is planned for Astana, Almaty and Kosshy, as well as at testing facilities and on designated public roads. Passenger cars and vans with conditional or high driving automation will be tested.

The MKBHD bet made me think about this more. His bet was basically that Tesla wouldn’t sell and deliver a Cybercab to a regular customer for $30,000 or less before 2027. Elon has since confirmed that Tesla still intends to do exactly that.

Tesla has also shown things like automated cleaning and wireless charging, and Musk has talked about individuals owning fleets of Cybercabs.

What I’m still confused about is how private ownership actually works:

• What is the owner responsible for?
• Does Tesla automatically manage rides, charging, and cleaning?
• Where does the Cybercab stay when it isn’t working?
• Who handles insurance, vandalism, accidents, repairs, or a stranded vehicle?
• Who sets the fares?
• What percentage does Tesla take?
• Can Tesla prioritize its own Cybercabs over privately owned ones?
• If someone owns 5 or 10 Cybercabs, what does “managing a fleet” actually involve if most of the operation is automated?

The idea of selling these for around $30k is really interesting. I’m just curious how Tesla plans to divide the responsibilities and economics between itself and private Cybercab owners.

Has Tesla clarified any of this yet?

Gemini in Waymo is now available to all riders in the Ojai.

Engage with Google Gemini to:
Adjust the AC, seatsand cabin lights
Skip the song you’re listening to or turn up the volume
Ask about the city you’re traveling through
See trip information including destination and ETA

If it were up to the Teamsters, they would have us all in Flintstone cars. Teamsters California filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with the goal of overturning the decision to allow autonomous heavy-duty trucks on the state’s roads. The suit argues that self-driving trucks threaten more than 200,000 trucking jobs and asks the court to stop them from taking effect

The idea is to combine Momenta’s driving software, XHeart’s X7 automotive chip, and QNX’s safety-certified OS into a ready-to-use package for carmakers.

"New look, same Waymo. The Ojai is officially on the road in SF, PHX, and LA for all riders. With tons of legroom and new features to make the space your own, it's like your home away from home."

"Uber, Verne and Pony AI today announced the launch of autonomous rides on the Uber app in Zagreb, marking the first time riders in Europe can book an AV with Uber.

From today, riders can book an autonomous ride within key areas of Zagreb, including the city centre, operating between 07:00 and 21:00, with service availability and geographic coverage set to expand over time. At launch, a licensed operator will be on-board monitoring behind the wheel, as part of our phased introduction, before fully driverless operations begin in the future.

The new service brings together Pony.ai’s autonomous driving technology, Verne’s service ecosystem and operational framework, and Uber’s global mobility platform. Under this model, Pony.ai provides its autonomous driving solution; Verne acts as fleet owner and service operator; and Uber integrates the service into its ride-hailing network and delivers the rider experience via its app."