Waymo picks Toronto as first Canadian city, targets riders in 2028
Waymo picks Toronto as first Canadian city, targets riders in 2028

Waymo is bringing its robotaxis to Canada, and Toronto is first. Its cars will start driving the city’s streets in the coming days, and the company wants its first public riders on board in 2028.

That makes Toronto Waymo’s fourth announced market ou…

NHTSA weighs probe into claims Tesla Robotaxis speed in school zones
NHTSA weighs probe into claims Tesla Robotaxis speed in school zones

A new defect petition accuses Tesla’s Robotaxis of speeding through active school zones, and NHTSA has opened a file to decide whether to investigate. The agency puts the affected fleet at about 1,000 vehicles, Model Y and Cybercab.

It’s the third f…

Tesla drops ‘Full Self-Driving’ name in Europe after Germany pushback
Tesla drops ‘Full Self-Driving’ name in Europe after Germany pushback

Tesla’s driver-assistance package is now called “Tesla Assisted Driving” in Europe. The company’s German website no longer mentions “Full Self-Driving,” and the old address now redirects to a new “Tesla Assisted Driving” page.

The rename follows Ger…

Tesla leaned on Dutch regulator to ease its FSD review, emails show
Tesla leaned on Dutch regulator to ease its FSD review, emails show

Tesla spent months pushing the Dutch vehicle regulator RDW to scale back its review of “Full Self-Driving (Supervised),” including disputing a €365,000 bill, according to emails obtained by Reuters. RDW later approved the system and is now asking the E…

Rivian: LiDAR R2 reaches customers in 2027, employees get it this year
Rivian: LiDAR R2 reaches customers in 2027, employees get it this year

Rivian’s first R2s with LiDAR and its in-house RAP1 autonomy computer will go to employees before the end of 2026. Paying customers will have to wait until 2027. It could be interpreted as a delay compared to previous communications.

The automaker l…

Mercedes-Benz signs deal to put Wayve AI Driver in cars within 2 years
Mercedes-Benz signs deal to put Wayve AI Driver in cars within 2 years

Mercedes-Benz has signed a definitive production agreement with British self-driving startup Wayve to build its “AI Driver” into future Mercedes vehicles, with integration starting within the next two years.

It’s the first time Wayve’s end-to-end dr…

XPeng shops its self-driving tech to automakers — Tesla found no takers
XPeng shops its self-driving tech to automakers — Tesla found no takers

XPeng is trying to turn its self-driving and smart-cockpit systems into a licensing business, courting automakers, suppliers, and software firms well beyond its existing Volkswagen deal, according to a Reuters report.

It’s the exact playbook Tesla h…

Tesla Cybercab has a hidden virtual joystick to drive it manually
Tesla Cybercab has a hidden virtual joystick to drive it manually

A Tesla Cybercab rider found something in the robotaxi: a manual driving mode. When he got in, the touchscreen was showing a virtual joystick to drive the car by hand.

Tesla built the Cybercab with no steering wheel and no pedals. But it apparently …

Waymo opens robotaxi rides to the public in 3 new cities, now 14 total
Waymo opens robotaxi rides to the public in 3 new cities, now 14 total

Waymo opened its driverless ride-hailing service to the general public in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa on Monday, bringing the Alphabet-owned company to 14 US cities.

Tens of thousands of people in each market had already signed up before the doors …

My Tesla Cybercab launch predictions
My Tesla Cybercab launch predictions

Tesla holds its Cybercab launch event in Austin on September 3, and it’s being sold as a milestone. Here’s my prediction: it’s going to look a lot like the last time Tesla launched this car, back in October 2024.
Expect a big robotaxi fleet number as t…