Waymo explains why its robotaxis got stuck during the SF blackout
The company also said its robotaxis navigated more than 7,000 dark stoplights successfully on Saturday.
Transportation
Waymo is testing Gemini as an in-car AI assistant in its robotaxis
Waymo is testing a Gemini-powered in-car AI assistant, per findings from a 1,200-line system prompt. The assistant can answer general knowledge questions, control certain in-cabin features, and more.
Zoox issues software recall over lane crossings
The company has issued a software update to its autonomous driving system to fix its lane-crossing behavior.
Inside Uzbekistan’s nationwide license plate surveillance system
The Uzbek government’s national license plate scanning system was discovered exposed to the internet for anyone to access without a password.
Uber and Lyft to test Baidu robotaxis in London next year, joining Waymo
The geographic expansions continue for the ride-hailing companies’ robotaxi plans.
A rough week for hardware companies
iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes were very different companies, but they faced some similar challenges.
Frozen Waymos backed up San Francisco traffic during a widespread power outage
A power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday that blacked out about 130,000 customers at its peak, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, but also caused another problem: stranded Waymo vehicles. Posts all over social media showed the company’s autonomous SUVs sitting still in the streets and causing traffic jams. Some people posted videos […]
TechCrunch Mobility: Bankruptcy takes out two
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.”
Waymo suspends service in San Francisco as robotaxis stall during blackout
Waymo suspended its SF robotaxi service on Saturday evening after a massive blackout appeared to leave many of its vehicles stalled on city streets.
As EU waters down 2035 EV goals, electric startups express concern
The future may be electric, but that future is being postponed. The European Commission, citing the need for flexibility, has softened its ambitious plan to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. Instead of requiring 100% of new cars to be zero-emission vehicles by that date, the revised plan would allow 10% of new […]