Latest news with #Full-SelfDriving
Ya Libnan
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Ya Libnan
Tesla's Robotaxi service is coming to Austin on June 12: Report
File Tesla Model Y which will be used for Robotaxi service in Austin , TX starting June 12 By: Suvrat Kothari A new chapter in Tesla's story is set to begin in a few days as the automaker pivots away from its core passenger vehicle business towards self-driving taxis and artificial intelligence. After years of promises, Tesla will begin its driverless ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas, on June 12, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday citing a person familiar with the matter. We knew that self-driving Tesla taxis were coming to Austin in June, but this is the first time that a publication has reported a final date on when that actually might happen. CEO Elon Musk previously said that Tesla would begin its robotaxi service with only about 10 Model Ys ferrying passengers around the 'safest areas of Austin' in the beginning, followed by a cautious and gradual increase in the number of deployed vehicles. The service won't immediately be available to the public, but instead be offered to an 'invite-only' group of riders. However, Musk reiterated in an interview with CNBC recently that Tesla plans to scale to thousands of robotaxis 'within a few months' and then expand to other cities depending on how fast the permits are granted. It's worth noting that Musk has himself previously acknowledged that he tends to be overly optimistic with timelines and targets. The State of Texas has relatively simple rules around autonomous vehicles. The rules state that 'AVs must adhere to the same regulations as cars in which a driver is present (e.g., insurance, registration). State law also requires AVs to comply with all traffic laws.' Austin has formed a task force to collect information about incidents and communicate with AV operators. As of the time of publication, the city of Austin has not listed Tesla as an AV operator. In the initial phase of the rollout, Tesla is expected to employ remote human operators . The automaker has been hiring 'teleoperations' specialists who can intervene remotely, sitting thousands of miles away in California, if the vehicle encounters complex traffic situations. We'll see how effective this approach will be, especially after the company scales up. Tesla will also compete with Waymo, which recently began its robotaxi service in Austin with Jaguar I-Pace EVs and is now clocking over 250,000 driverless rides per week across four U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Tesla, however, says that it can scale up faster than its rivals because it already has millions of cars on the road equipped with the Full-Self Driving (FSD) software. However, the true safety of Tesla's camera- and AI-based system is yet to be proven on a large scale as FSD's safety data isn't publicly available yet. And Tesla's advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have been linked to hundreds of crashes and multiple fatalities. Inside
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Tesla shares surge 10% after NHTSA updates self-driving vehicle regulations
Tesla shares surge 10% after NHTSA updates self-driving vehicle regulations Show Caption Hide Caption Elon Musk says China's rare earth export ban may delay Tesla's humanoid robot Tesla CEO Elon Musk said China's suspension of certain rare earth magnet exports is impacting the company's development of humanoid robots. Straight Arrow News The Trump administration announcement that it aims to speed deployment of self-driving vehicles by exempting some from certain safety requirements and easing rules requiring reporting of safety incidents sent Tesla TSLA.O shares up nearly 10% on Friday. CEO Elon Musk, a close adviser to President Donald Trump, has repeatedly pledged to launch commercial robotaxi operations soon. Tesla also faces scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its Full-Self Driving software after a fatal crash. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday that the new framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals. The revised rules will allow some autonomous vehicles that do not comply with federal safety standards such as having rearview mirrors to operate on U.S. roads. The rules will also allow carmakers to report less severe crashes monthly, and add a property damage reporting threshold for less severe crashes involving self-driving vehicles. Electric cars: Slate EV to take on Elon Musk's Tesla; what to know about the Jeff Bezos-backed EV "This administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher," Duffy said. "Our new framework will slash red tape." Consumer Reports noted that under the new rules, vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot will not need to report crashes using the system unless it involves a fatality, an injured person requiring hospitalization, a pedestrian being struck, or an air bag deployment. As part of the revision, the NHTSA said it would expand a program to exempt some self-driving vehicles from safety requirements and streamline the reporting of safety incidents for advanced driver assistance and self-driving systems. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said it was disappointed that the U.S. Department of Transportation "chose to dilute, instead of enhance, the reporting requirements." The group also raised concerns about the safety exemptions saying, "without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst." The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing nearly all major automakers, praised the USDOT. The industry has "been hamstrung by government inaction... This announcement shows the administration is also proceeding with a sense of urgency, so we don't cede AV leadership to China and other countries," it said. Automakers have long sought to deploy automated vehicles on U.S. roads that do not comply with federal safety standards. Some of those standards were written with human drivers in mind, like requiring rearview mirrors or brake pedals. NHTSA is expanding its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to now include domestically produced vehicles. The program currently allows companies to operate only imported non-compliant automated vehicles on U.S. roads. In 2022, General Motors GM.N filed a petition with NHTSA seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. GM withdrew the petition last year after a lengthy government review had not been completed. GM said in December it would halt funding of its self-driving Cruise robotaxi business after one of its robotaxis seriously injured a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle in October 2023, and it had to pay a $500,000 criminal fine to resolve a Justice Department probe into the matter. GM had invested more than $10 billion in Cruise since 2016. Alphabet's GOOGL.O self-driving unit Waymo said in October that it had closed a $5.6 billion funding round as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. Last month, Waymo said it aimed to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the U.S. capital city next year. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Tom Hogue and Bill Berkrot
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
US agency to ease some safety rules for self-driving vehicles
The Trump administration said on Thursday it aims to speed up deployment of self-driving vehicles by exempting some from certain safety requirements designed for human drivers and easing rules that require the reporting of safety incidents. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the new framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals. The announcement comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser, has repeatedly pledged to launch commercial robotaxi operations soon. Tesla also faces scrutiny from NHTSA over its Full-Self Driving software after a fatal crash. The revised rules will allow some autonomous vehicles that do not comply with federal safety standards such as having rearview mirrors to operate on U.S. roads. The rules will also allow carmakers to report less severe crashes monthly, and add a property damage reporting threshold for less severe crashes involving self-driving vehicles. "This administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher," Duffy said. "Our new framework will slash red tape." As part of the revision, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would expand a program to exempt some self-driving vehicles from safety requirements and streamline the reporting of safety incidents for advanced driver assistance and self-driving systems. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said it was disappointed that the U.S. Department of Transportation "chose to dilute, instead of enhance, the reporting requirements." The group also raised concerns about the safety exemptions saying "without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst." The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing nearly all major automakers, praised the USDOT. The industry has "been hamstrung by government inaction ... This announcement shows the administration is also proceeding with a sense of urgency, so we don't cede AV leadership to China and other countries," it said. Automakers have long sought to deploy automated vehicles on U.S. roads that do not comply with federal safety standards. Some of those standards were written with human drivers in mind, like requiring rearview mirrors or brake pedals. NHTSA is expanding its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to now include domestically produced vehicles. The program currently allows companies to operate only non-compliant imported automated vehicles on U.S. roads. In 2022, General Motors filed a petition with NHTSA seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. GM withdrew the petition last year after a lengthy government review had not been completed. GM said in December it would halt funding of its self-driving Cruise robotaxi business after one of its robotaxis seriously injured a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle in October 2023 and it had to pay a $500,000 criminal fine to resolve a Justice Department probe into the matter. GM had invested more than $10 billion in Cruise since 2016. Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said in October that it had closed a $5.6 billion funding round as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. Last month, Waymo said it aimed to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the U.S. capital city next year.
Free Malaysia Today
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
US agency to ease some safety rules for self-driving vehicles
Automakers have long sought approval to deploy self-driving vehicles on US roads without standard safety features like brake pedals or mirrors. (Freepik pic) WASHINGTON : The Trump administration said on Thursday it aims to speed up deployment of self-driving vehicles by exempting some from certain safety requirements designed for human drivers and easing rules that require the reporting of safety incidents. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the new framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help US automakers compete with Chinese rivals. The announcement comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser, has repeatedly pledged to launch commercial robotaxi operations soon. Tesla also faces scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over its Full-Self Driving software after a fatal crash. The revised rules will allow some autonomous vehicles that do not comply with federal safety standards such as having rearview mirrors to operate on US roads. The rules will also allow carmakers to report less severe crashes monthly, and add a property damage reporting threshold for less severe crashes involving self-driving vehicles. 'This administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher,' Duffy said. 'Our new framework will slash red tape.' As part of the revision, NHTSA said it would expand a programme to exempt some self-driving vehicles from safety requirements and streamline the reporting of safety incidents for advanced driver assistance and self-driving systems. Advocates for highway and auto safety said it was disappointed that the US department of transportation 'chose to dilute, instead of enhance, the reporting requirements.' The group also raised concerns about the safety exemptions saying 'without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst.' The alliance for automotive innovation, a trade group representing nearly all major automakers, praised the USDOT. The industry has 'been hamstrung by government inaction … This announcement shows the administration is also proceeding with a sense of urgency, so we don't cede AV leadership to China and other countries,' it said. Automakers have long sought to deploy automated vehicles on US roads that do not comply with federal safety standards. Some of those standards were written with human drivers in mind, like requiring rearview mirrors or brake pedals. NHTSA is expanding its automated vehicle exemption programme to now include domestically produced vehicles. The programme currently allows companies to operate only non-compliant imported automated vehicles on US roads. In 2022, General Motors filed a petition with NHTSA seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. GM withdrew the petition last year after a lengthy government review had not been completed. GM said in December it would halt funding of its self-driving Cruise robotaxi business after one of its robotaxis seriously injured a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle in October 2023 and it had to pay a US$500,000 criminal fine to resolve a justice department probe into the matter. GM had invested more than US$10 billion in Cruise since 2016. Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said in October that it had closed a US$5.6 billion funding round as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. Last month, Waymo said it aimed to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the US capital city next year.
Straits Times
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
US agency to ease some safety rules for self-driving vehicles
The announcement comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly pledged to launch commercial robotaxi operations soon. PHOTO: REUTERS US agency to ease some safety rules for self-driving vehicles WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said on April 24 that it aims to speed up deployment of self-driving vehicles by exempting some from certain safety requirements designed for human drivers and easing rules that require the reporting of safety incidents. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the new framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help US automakers compete with Chinese rivals. The announcement comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser, has repeatedly pledged to launch commercial robotaxi operations soon. Tesla also faces scrutiny from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over its Full-Self Driving software after a fatal crash. The revised rules will allow some autonomous vehicles that do not comply with federal safety standards such as having rearview mirrors to operate on US roads. The rules will also allow carmakers to report less severe crashes monthly, and add a property damage reporting threshold for less severe crashes involving self-driving vehicles. 'This administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher,' Mr Duffy said. 'Our new framework will slash red tape.' As part of the revision, the NHTSA said it would expand a program to exempt some self-driving vehicles from safety requirements and streamline the reporting of safety incidents for advanced driver assistance and self-driving systems. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said it was disappointed that the US Department of Transportation 'chose to dilute, instead of enhance, the reporting requirements'. The group also raised concerns about the safety exemptions saying 'without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst'. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing nearly all major automakers, praised the US Department of Transportation. The industry has 'been hamstrung by government inaction... this announcement shows the administration is also proceeding with a sense of urgency, so we don't cede AV leadership to China and other countries,' it said. Automakers have long sought to deploy automated vehicles on US roads that do not comply with federal safety standards. Some of those standards were written with human drivers in mind, like requiring rearview mirrors or brake pedals. NHTSA is expanding its Automated Vehicle Exemption Programme to now include domestically produced vehicles. The programme currently allows companies to operate only non-compliant imported automated vehicles on US roads. In 2022, General Motors filed a petition with NHTSA seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. GM withdrew the petition in 2024 after a lengthy government review had not been completed. GM said in December 2024 that it would halt funding of its self-driving Cruise robotaxi business after one of its robotaxis seriously injured a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle in October 2023 and it had to pay a US$500,000 (S$656,577) criminal fine to resolve a Justice Department probe into the matter. GM had invested more than US$10 billion in Cruise since 2016. Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said in October 2024 that it had closed a US$5.6 billion funding round as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. In March , Waymo said it aimed to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the US capital city in 2025 . REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
