robotaxi

TechCrunch Mobility: Apple layoffs, an EV price reckoning and another Tesla robotaxi promise

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Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free. Automakers reported auto sales for Q1 and, welp, turns out that pricing sure does matter if you want to … Read more

Elon Musk Says Tesla Robotaxi Will Be Unveiled Aug. 8 Despite History of Broken Promises

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Elon Musk denied the accuracy of a report from Reuters early Friday that claimed Tesla was scrapping plans to produce a low-cost electric vehicle in favor of a robotaxi. But the billionaire just announced on X that he’ll be unveiling a new robotaxi on August 8, raising obvious questions about whether Reuters really did get … Read more

Elon Musk says Tesla will reveal its robotaxi on August 8th

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Tesla will reveal its long-promised robotaxi on August 8th, Elon Musk just posted on X. The forthcoming autonomous vehicle is said to be built on Tesla’s next-generation vehicle platform. The announcement came on the same day that Reuters reported that the company had canceled its plans to build a more affordably priced electric vehicle, said … Read more

Waymo scores a critical robotaxi permit, Fisker cuts more workers and Apple car fades away

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TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free. Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. I was in Los Angeles earlier this … Read more

California gives Waymo the green light to expand robotaxi operations

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Waymo is now allowed to operate its self-driving robotaxis on highways in parts of Los Angeles and in the Bay Area following a California regulator’s approval of its expansion (PDF) plans on Friday. This means the company’s cars will now be allowed to drive at up to 65mph on local roads and highways in approved … Read more

Waymo can now charge for robotaxi rides in LA and on San Francisco freeways

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Waymo received approval Friday afternoon from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula and on San Francisco freeways. The approval removes the last barrier for the Alphabet company to charge for rides in these expanded areas. Importantly, it opens up new territory for Waymo … Read more

Waymo’s robotaxi expansion plans in California put on hold by regulators

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Waymo’s plan to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Francisco has been put on hold by state regulators. The move follows several incidents involving the Alphabet-owned company’s driverless vehicles, including one in which an autonomous Waymo vehicle struck a cyclist, causing minor injuries. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which voted in … Read more

Bad Internet Connection Concealed Cruise’s Pedestrian-Dragging Incident

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Cruise, the self-driving car company whose robotaxi dragged a pedestrian, shared footage from the graphic incident with regulators using a bad internet connection, according to an independent review. Cruise didn’t explicitly say that a pedestrian was dragged 20 feet, and hoped screen sharing a video would “speak for itself.” The internet connection was so bad … Read more

Facing roadblocks, China’s robotaxi darlings apply the brakes

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A few years ago, robotaxis were the darlings of venture capitalists in China. A cadre of audacious startups, including Deeproute.ai, WeRide.ai, Pony.ai and Momenta reeled in hundreds of millions of dollars to fuel their costly ambitions. With pockets overflowing, they spent generously on building self-driving vehicle fleets. Their geeky executives, swapping T-shirts for sharp suits, … Read more