Autonomy
Waymo's Next Robotaxi Is a Toyota bZ4X — but It's Headed to Japan, Not the US
Toyota will build self-driving bZ4X SUVs for Waymo at a Japanese plant, with testing from 2027 and the UK to follow. No US rollout has been named.
#Autonomous Driving
Autonomy
BMW's Factories Have Now Moved 1 Million Cars With Nobody Behind the Wheel
MINI's Oxford plant is the fourth BMW site where new cars drive themselves off the line, guided by sensors in the building rather than in the car. Spartanburg follows.
Autonomy
Rivian Buys Third Dimension AI to Simulate the Edge Cases Its Self-Driving Push Needs
The startup turns real camera footage into editable 3D driving worlds. Rivian needs those synthetic miles before Point to Point lands in December and Uber's 2028 robotaxi deadline arrives.
Autonomy
NHTSA Wants Self-Driving Cars to Glow Cyan. Here's What the Rule Would Change
The Federal Register filing makes blue-green marker lamps optional, strips driver-only lighting rules from robotaxis, and openly conflicts with California's law. Comments close November 25.
Opinion
Musk Is Up for Re-Election on Dec. 3. Here's the Question Tesla's Proxy Doesn't Ask
The December 3 ballot renews Musk, Denholm, and Straubel for three years and carries no shareholder proposals. The end of human-driven Teslas is not on it, and nobody is asking.
Autonomy
Rivian Opens Invite-Only Testing of Point to Point, Its Route-Long Hands-Free Driving
Invitations started October 15 for Gen 2 R1 and R2 owners in California and Florida on a paid Autonomy+ plan. Expect weekly testing, camera sharing, and 30-day safety checks.
Opinion
Musk Says the Roadster Is Tesla's Last Car for Human Drivers. Take Him at His Word
Musk has now said it twice, to investors and to customers. For the people who own the other two million Teslas a year, the barrel roll was the sideshow.
Autonomy
Mercedes Doubles Down on NVIDIA for Its Next Self-Driving Systems — and Its S-Class Robotaxi
The expanded deal puts NVIDIA’s Hyperion hardware and Alpamayo software at the core of Mercedes’ next driver-assist systems — and its Level 4 S-Class plans.
Autonomy
Volvo Hands Its Self-Driving Future to NVIDIA — With a Promise of ‘Mind-Off’ Driving
Volvo will build its next automated driving system on NVIDIA’s Hyperion platform, aiming for eyes-off and eventually mind-off driving — but it hasn’t named the first car or a date.
Trucks
GM Built a Driverless Silverado HD for the Army — and It’s Late to the Contest
GM Defense’s unmanned Silverado 3500HD concept can carry 8,000 pounds with no cab and no driver. The company admits it missed the Army’s first round of robot-truck awards.
Autonomy
Tesla Robotaxis Accused of Speeding Through School Zones: What NHTSA Has Actually Opened
NHTSA has opened a defect petition, not an investigation, over claims that Tesla’s driverless cars exceed school-zone speed limits. The agency has until late January to decide what comes next.
Tech
You Can Take Your Hands Off the Wheel in 2026. Not Your Eyes. Every System Compared
Super Cruise, BlueCruise, and six rivals let you drive with your hands off the wheel on approved roads. None lets you look away, and no eyes-off system is on sale in the U.S.
Autonomy
Waymo's 82% Fewer Injury Crashes: What the Robotaxi Safety Number Actually Measures
The percentages count every crash regardless of fault, against a modeled human benchmark — and an independent IIHS check landed within a point of Waymo's own injury figure.
Industry
Lucid and Bolt Plan 25,000 Robotaxis for Europe — Built on a Car That Doesn't Exist Yet
Bolt will own and run a fleet of at least 25,000 Level 4 Lucid EVs — but the Midsize platform they depend on was just delayed to late 2027.
Tech
Hyundai Spins Up a 'Data Flywheel' to Catch Tesla and GM in Self-Driving
Hyundai Motor Group says its autonomous driving "data flywheel" is now fully operational, with NVIDIA-based Level 2+ cars due in 2028 and its in-house Atria AI following in 2029.
Autonomy
Does a Touchscreen Joystick Count as a Steering Wheel? Regulators Are Now Asking
A rider's video put a touchscreen joystick on the record, and Tesla's own responder plan confirms the mode exists. The open question is whether it counts as a manual control under federal rules.
Autonomy
Waymo Robotaxis Are Now Inside the Lyft App — But Only in One City
One Waymo fleet now answers requests from both the Waymo and Lyft apps, with Lyft's Flexdrive running the depot. Riders pay no premium — and can opt out of driverless trips entirely.
Robotaxi
Tesla Cybercab vs. Waymo: Which Robotaxi Should You Actually Hail?
Tesla's two-seat Cybercab is live in exactly one city; Waymo runs in 14. We line up fares, wait times, age rules, and sensors so you know which app to open.
Tech
GM Is Building an Eyes-Off System for a Market Mercedes Just Abandoned
With Mercedes pausing Drive Pilot, no eyes-off system is on sale in the US. GM's automated driving lead explains the data strategy meant to fill that gap by 2028.
Industry
Anyone in Austin Can Now Hail a Cybercab — Riders Say It's 35% Cheaper Than a Model Y
Since Friday evening any Robotaxi app user in Austin can book the two-seater with no steering wheel. Early receipts put fares well below a Model Y ride, while NHTSA is already auditing how Tesla certified the car.