self-driving car

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Empty Waymo Robotaxi Can't Escape a Roundabout

It's not the first time self-driving Waymos have gone awry

(Newser) - Last month, the folks at Wired shadowed a Waymo robotaxi for an entire workday to "study its movements, its relationship to life on the streets, its whole self-driving gestalt." It's a good thing they didn't track this recently spotted vehicle, because it would've been a...

GM Gives Up on Robotaxis
GM Gives Up on Robotaxis
Dec 10, 2024 10:22 PM CST

GM Gives Up on Robotaxis

Company says Cruise unit will be folded into its own development team

(Newser) - General Motors said Tuesday it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead, the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems like its Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. GM said...

After Fatal Crash, Feds Are Investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving'

Arizona pedestrian was killed in low-visibility conditions

(Newser) - The US government's road safety agency is again investigating Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday, with the...

Tesla's Latest: 'Fall Asleep and Wake Up at Your Destination'

So says Elon Musk as 'robotaxi' is unveiled in Hollywood

(Newser) - It doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals, but Elon Musk has "staked Tesla's future" on his company's new Cybercab, unveiled Thursday evening at a Warner Bros. studio in Hollywood. The company's CEO vowed that the self-driving two-seater "robotaxi," which the New York ...

Tesla Was in 'Full Self-Driving Mode' During Deadly Crash

Driver could face vehicular homicide charge

(Newser) - Authorities in Washington state have determined that a Tesla that hit and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle in April was operating on the company's "Full Self-Driving" system at the time of the crash. Investigators from the Washington State Patrol made the discovery after downloading information from the event-data...

Self-Driving Tesla Slams Into Parked Patrol Car

Officer jumped out of the way before his vehicle was hit

(Newser) - Police said a Tesla was in self-driving mode when it crashed into a parked patrol vehicle in California, forcing an officer to jump out of the car's way. The Tesla's driver said he was on his phone at the time, KTLA reports. The Fullerton officer, who was managing...

Driverless Tractor Trailers Are Headed Our Way

Aurora Innovation plans on launching 20 self-driving freight trucks; critics worry about safety

(Newser) - On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheeler rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter of a mile ahead, the truck's sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second, it signaled, moved into...

With 3 Dead, US Investigates Ford's Partially Automated Cars

Blue Cruise systems were involved in 2 separate crashes, and NHTSA is looking into it

(Newser) - Two fatal crashes involving Ford's Blue Cruise partially automated driving system are now subjects of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation of the crashes, both involving Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles on freeways in nighttime lighting conditions, the agency said Monday. The agency's initial investigation of the crashes,...

Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal Autopilot Crash

Walter Huang's Tesla veered into a concrete highway barrier in 2018

(Newser) - Tesla has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a Silicon Valley engineer who died in a crash while relying on the company's semi-autonomous driving software, the AP reports. The amount Tesla paid to settle the case was not disclosed in court documents filed Monday, just a day...

Cops: Driverless Taxi Foils Would-Be Car Thief

Suspect in Los Angeles faces charges of grand theft auto

(Newser) - He must have thought it would be the world's easiest car theft: A man in Los Angeles popped behind the wheel of a Waymo driverless taxi in Los Angeles, only to discover that he couldn't make the car go, reports NBC News . Instead, he heard a disembodied voice...

He May Be Tesla's First Fatality in 'Full Self-Driving'
He May Be Tesla's First
Death in 'Full Self-Driving'
investigation
Feb 13, 2024 11:25 AM CST

He May Be Tesla's First Death in 'Full Self-Driving'

'Washington Post' links Tesla employee's death to the advanced feature

(Newser) - The Washington Post may have uncovered the first fatality linked to Tesla's most advanced driver-assistance software, Full Self-Driving. The newspaper's investigation suggests that Hans von Ohain—a Tesla employee—was using FSD on a curvy road in Evergreen, Colorado, in 2022 when the car veered into a tree...

Crowd Attacks, Burns Self-Driving Car

This is why we can't have nice things

(Newser) - The self-driving car has met its first mob. In what Reuters calls "the most destructive attack so far on driverless vehicles in the US," a crowd surrounded and set fire to a Waymo self-driving car in San Francisco on Saturday. People were out celebrating the Lunar New Year...

Judge: Evidence Shows Musk Knew About Self-Driving Issues

Lawsuit over deadly 2019 crash will proceed to trial with claim for punitive damages

(Newser) - In what could be a major setback for Tesla, a Florida judge has ruled that a lawsuit over a deadly 2019 crash north of Miami can go to trial with a claim for punitive damages. Judge Reid Scott in the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County said there was "...

Amid Safety Issues With Self-Driving Cars, CEO of Cruise Resigns

Kyle Vogt steps down after DMV revokes license, GM recalls vehicles

(Newser) - Kyle Vogt has resigned as CEO of Cruise, General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit, as questions build about the safety of self-driving cars, the AP reports. Vogt's decision to step down, announced late Sunday, follows a recent recall of all 950 Cruise vehicles to update software after one of them...

California Suspends Cruise's Driverless Taxis

Robotaxis have become increasingly controversial in the state

(Newser) - After a series of incidents involving Cruise robotaxis, California has decided to halt their operation in the state effective immediately. Cruise is one of two companies (the other is Waymo, owned by Google's parent company) with driverless taxi fleets in California; the suspension order issued by the state's...

GM's Cruise Division Under Scrutiny in Pedestrian Injuries

NHTSA launches inquiry after pair of reports

(Newser) - Tesla isn't the only automaker getting bad press over its self-driving vehicles. US regulators are investigating General Motors' Cruise autonomous vehicle division after receiving reports of incidents where vehicles may not have used proper caution around pedestrians in roadways, per the AP . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says...

SF Officials Say Robotaxis Contributed to Person's Death

Protests followed San Francisco Fire Department's report

(Newser) - Protesters gathered at the San Francisco headquarters of robotaxi company Cruise Monday after claims came out that two of the company's self-driving vehicles contributed to a person's death last month. The San Francisco Fire Department released a report last week regarding the August 14 incident, in which an...

Robotaxis Allowed to Expand Services in San Francisco

State commission gives 2 rival services the green light

(Newser) - California regulators on Thursday approved an expansion that will allow two rival robotaxi services to operate throughout San Francisco at all hours, despite safety worries spurred by recurring problems with unexpected stops and other erratic behavior that resulted in unmanned vehicles blocking traffic, including emergency vehicles. The state's Public...

Tesla Autopilot Crashes Way More Common Than Thought
Tesla Autopilot
Crashes Way
More Common
Than Thought
investigation
Jun 11, 2023 9:35 AM CDT

Tesla Autopilot Crashes Way More Common Than Thought

'Washington Post' counts 736, including at least 17 fatalities

(Newser) - Tesla's Autopilot technology, intended to enhance driver safety and convenience, is under scrutiny due to growing concerns about the interaction between the system and drivers. In the last four years, there have been 736 car accidents in which one of the vehicles was a Tesla on Autopilot, reports the...

Tesla Reluctantly Recalls 363K 'Full Self-Driving' Cars

Musk argues government agency's assessment on Twitter

(Newser) - US safety regulators have pressured Tesla into recalling nearly 363,000 vehicles with its "Full Self-Driving" system because it misbehaves around intersections and doesn't always follow speed limits. The recall, part of a larger investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into Tesla's automated driving systems,...

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