The Lab · 2026-03-25 16:57:23 · Waymo
Waymo's autonomous vehicles are not just encountering minor glitches; they are becoming traffic hazards that require emergency personnel to physically intervene. In at least six documented instances, firefighters and police officers have had to take control of stalled Waymo robotaxis and manually move them out of activ...
The Lab · 2026-03-25 21:27:01 · Waymo
Waymo's autonomous vehicles are being physically taken over by police and first responders during active emergencies, including at least two crime scenes. This intervention reveals a critical, real-world friction point between the promise of driverless technology and the unpredictable demands of public safety operation...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 08:27:00 · TechCrunch
A Croatian startup, operating under the formidable Rimac Group, is making a direct play for the robotaxi market with a key strategic partnership. Verne, the newly launched autonomous vehicle company, is beginning its commercial rollout not in a global tech hub, but in its home city of Zagreb. This move signals a calcul...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 08:56:48 · The Verge
Uber is moving to launch what it claims will be Europe's first commercially available robotaxi service, forming a strategic alliance with China's autonomous driving firm Pony AI and Croatian mobility startup Verne. The vehicles are already undergoing testing on the streets of Zagreb, Verne's headquarters, with plans to...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 09:56:53 · Seeking Alpha
A landmark partnership between autonomous vehicle startup Verne, Chinese self-driving leader Pony.ai, and global ride-hailing giant Uber has launched Europe's first commercial robotaxi service. This move directly challenges the established players in the autonomous vehicle race and signals a significant step toward mai...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 14:56:51 · The Verge
Tesla's decision to launch the Cybercab as a two-seater vehicle has been met with widespread skepticism and mockery since its 2024 reveal. Critics on social media and industry observers have questioned the fundamental utility of a taxi that can't carry a standard group or family, with many dismissing the design as impr...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 15:57:08 · TechCrunch
A Croatian startup, Verne, is launching a commercial robotaxi service in its home city of Zagreb, directly challenging established players in the autonomous vehicle market. The company, which operates under the umbrella of the high-performance electric vehicle firm Rimac Group, is entering the fray with a significant s...
The Lab · 2026-03-26 22:27:00 · Seeking Alpha
Pony AI has laid out an ambitious growth plan that hinges on a dramatic revenue surge and a rapid global footprint expansion. The autonomous vehicle company is targeting a tripling of its Robotaxi revenue in 2026, a move that signals a significant scaling phase beyond its current operational bases. This projection unde...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 13:57:15 · TechCrunch
Waymo is accelerating its airport dominance, launching its autonomous ride-hailing service at San Antonio International Airport. This move marks a significant expansion of its operational footprint, directly inserting its driverless vehicles into the high-stakes, complex environment of major transportation hubs. San An...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 14:57:23 · TechCrunch
DoorDash is making a massive strategic move into autonomous logistics, leading a $200 million funding round for Also, a self-driving vehicle startup spun out of Rivian. This investment, which includes participation from Greenoaks Capital, pushes Also's total funding past the half-billion-dollar mark, signaling a high-s...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 15:57:09 · TechCrunch
The torrent of raw video and sensor data from self-driving cars is a goldmine, but it's also a monumental processing challenge. Nomadic, a startup emerging from stealth, has raised $8.4 million to tackle this exact bottleneck. The company's core technology is a deep learning model designed to ingest the chaotic, unstru...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 16:57:31 · TechCrunch
Uber has significantly increased its investment in Chinese autonomous vehicle firm WeRide, a strategic move timed with the launch of their first fully driverless robotaxi service in Dubai. This marks a major escalation of their partnership beyond pilot programs, directly deploying commercial autonomous vehicles in a ke...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 19:57:23 · TechCrunch
Uber and its autonomous driving partner WeRide have officially launched a fleet of robotaxis in Dubai that operate without a human safety driver behind the wheel. This move marks a significant escalation in the commercial deployment of driverless technology in the region, moving beyond controlled pilots to a service in...
The Lab · 2026-03-31 21:57:19 · TechCrunch
Aurora, May Mobility, Motional, Nuro, Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox have collectively refused to disclose a core operational metric to U.S. lawmakers: how often their autonomous vehicles require remote human assistance. This coordinated silence emerged during a recent investigation led by Senator Ed Markey, raising immediate ...
The Lab · 2026-04-01 06:57:00 · Seeking Alpha
A fleet of Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis reportedly stopped operating during passenger trips in Wuhan, bringing vehicles to a standstill and stranding riders. The incident represents a significant operational failure for the autonomous driving service, raising immediate questions about the safety and reliability of the t...
The Lab · 2026-04-01 11:26:55 · The Verge
A fleet of Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis froze in place across Wuhan, China, creating a chaotic scene of stranded vehicles, trapped passengers, and at least one traffic accident. The autonomous vehicles, operated by the Chinese tech giant, reportedly came to a complete stop on city streets and highways, unable to move an...
The Lab · 2026-04-01 21:27:08 · TechCrunch
A major 'system failure' crippled Baidu's autonomous taxi fleet in China, leaving passengers physically trapped inside the vehicles for up to two hours. The incident represents a stark operational breakdown for one of the country's leading self-driving programs, shifting the risk from theoretical software glitches to t...
The Lab · 2026-04-03 17:26:53 · TechCrunch
Tesla is closing the book on its flagship luxury era, signaling a dramatic strategic pivot. The final days of the Model S and Model X are here, marking the end of an epoch that defined the company's ascent. This move clears the deck for a high-stakes gamble on an entirely new future, one that will rely entirely on Tesl...
The Lab · 2026-04-06 18:26:56 · The Verge
Major autonomous vehicle companies are withholding critical data on how often human operators must remotely intervene to assist their self-driving cars. This refusal to disclose the frequency of remote assistance interventions follows a direct inquiry from Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), who is investigating the safety and t...
The Lab · 2026-04-07 01:26:51 · ZeroHedge
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed its high-profile investigation into Tesla's 'Actually Smart Summon' feature, concluding the remote-driving function presents a low risk despite a documented history of incidents. The agency's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had been scrutinizin...