Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
💲 Waymo Says Its Robotaxis Are Now Making 50,000 Paid Trips Every Week. “The Alphabet-owned company has announced on Twitter/X that it’s now serving more than 50,000 paid trips every week across three cities. Waymo One operates 24/7 in parts of those cities.”
☹ Motional Cut About 550 Employees, Around 40%, in Recent Restructuring, Sources Say. “[Last week], TechCrunch reported that Motional is pausing commercial operations and delaying plans to launch a robotaxi service with its next-gen Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxis until 2026 as it undergoes restructuring. Now, we have more clarity into how deep the cuts are.”
🛺 Autonomous Vehicle: Renault Group to Soon Launch an Ambitious Level 4 Offer for Public Transportation. Renault Group, with WeRide, is planning a large-scale deployment of Level 4 vehicles, within a defined area, the company said.
👍 Google Announced an Update for Android Auto With New Apps and Casting Support. “Google just announced at an update coming to Android for Cars that should make paying attention to the road just a tiny bit harder.”
🤞 GM’s Cruise To Start Testing Robotaxis in the Valley With Human Safety Drivers on Board. “Testing will start in Phoenix and gradually expand to Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Paradise Valley.”
👉 Beep Announces Autonomous Mobility Shuttle Pilot Program at Mississippi State University. “Beep has announced an agreement with Mississippi State University (MSU) to launch the first-ever autonomous shuttle pilot program in the state of Mississippi on the university’s campus.”
🚍 Aurora Aims to Double Loads per Week This Year. “The Pittsburgh-based tech firm is now regularly scheduling over 120 loads per week, the company reported for its Q1 earnings, up from its Q4 update of over 100.”
📈 Baidu’s Robotaxi Unit Expects To Turn Profitable Next Year. “Apollo Go operated about 839,000 rides in the last three months of 2023, according to Baidu’s latest earnings report.”
😦 Samsung Halts Self Driving Research. “Samsung Electronics has discontinued its research and development (R&D) into autonomous driving, according to South Korean reports, following the lead of a number of global technology companies, including Apple, which have already pulled the plug on this segment.”
