Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Normally, I have an analysis and then a little bird (my insidery bits curated just for you). … Read more
Zoox is now mapping the streets of Dallas, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, as a precursor to testing its autonomous vehicles in the two Sun Belt cities. The company said on Monday that it had sent a small number of its Toyota Highlander SUVs to each city, where workers will drive them to help Zoox’s autonomous … Read more
New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to introduce legislation that would effectively legalize robotaxis in the state — except for its most populous metropolis: New York City. Hochul, who made the comments Tuesday during her State of the State address, said the legislation would advance the next phase of the state’s autonomous vehicle pilot program. … Read more
Waymo has spent the past three years refining and testing a minivan-like vehicle made by Chinese automaker Zeekr. And now, before this robotaxi joins Waymo’s official commercial fleet, it’s getting a new name, the company told TechCrunch. The Zeekr RT robotaxi will now be named Ojai (pronounced “oh-hi”) — after the village in the Topatopa … Read more
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Waymo for more information about its self-driving system and operations following reports from the Austin School District that its robotaxis illegally passed school buses 19 times this year. In a December 3 letter sent to Waymo, regulators requested detailed information about its fifth-generation self-driving system and operations. … Read more
New York City regulators have extended Waymo’s autonomous vehicle testing permit through the end of the year, the company said Wednesday. The permit was initially granted in August to allow Waymo to test its robotaxis in the city until the end of September. The terms of the extended permit are the same: Waymo can deploy up to eight of its … Read more
When James Cox, the previous chief of Uber’s ride-share product, UberPool, left that firm in 2019, the Silicon Valley big had deserted its autonomous car improvement and offered off the division fully. Whereas UberPool had struggled to take maintain, Cox felt an enormous alternative had been missed: taking the core of UberPool’s tech and making … Read more
