Latest news with #JaguarI-PACEs
Axios
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Self-driving Ubers arrive in Atlanta
Atlanta's experiment with a robotaxi future has begun. Driving the news: Dozens of Waymo vehicles are now available to any and all Uber users when selecting UberX, Comfort or Comfort Electric in the app. Why it matters: The addition of Waymo's all-electric, self-driving fleet to Atlanta streets make the city an early proving ground for autonomous tech. In the coming months, the number of vehicles carrying riders in a 65-mile service area from Buckhead to Capitol View could number in the hundreds, Uber's Conor Ferguson told Axios. How it works: Uber users request a Waymo autonomous vehicle from a fleet of Jaguar I-PACEs, with Georgia-made Hyundai Ioniqs planned for the future. If a Waymo is nearby, it may be dispatched (riders can confirm or opt out before the vehicle heads their way). A digital dome atop the car lights up with the rider's initials. Once the rider confirms the ride and buckles up, the vehicle starts moving. The vehicle's exterior and interior has cameras to record incidents and rule violations, and 24-7 support staff can hear inside in the vehicle only after an incident or to assist. What they're saying: Camiel Irving, a vice president of operations at Uber, told Axios they brought the partnership here because "Atlanta is a city that's always open to innovation." The intrigue: During Uber and Waymo's road testing and early access period, some residents reported seeing the robotaxis stopping awkwardly or driving too cautiously. Waymo says drivers who witness those moments often lack full context and, in some instances, are simply getting used to driverless vehicles. For example, two accidents on Carroll Street, Cabbagetown's narrow main drag, were caused by human error, Waymo's Ethan Teicher told Axios. The bottom line: Waymo's success depends on riders' safety. Across 71 million driverless miles, according to the company's safety report, Waymo has recorded 88% fewer serious injury collisions than human drivers. "We're building the world's most trusted driver," Teicher said, adding that the vehicles are always learning and building upon their knowledge of city streets and Atlanta's erratic driver behavior. Threat level: Some Atlanta Uber drivers eyed the rollout with skepticism and suspicion about the potential effects on actual human drivers' earnings. Local drivers shouldn't notice a change, Camiel Irving, a vice president of operations at Uber, told Axios. Users in Austin continue to request human drivers, Irving said. Thomas' thought bubble: I took a demo ride in Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park yesterday.
The Star
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
A Waymo robotaxi Jaguar I-PACEs driverless car parks next to The Broad in downtown Los Angeles on March 11, 2024. — Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and "an age of abundance." The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with "Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player," he said. "Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race." According to some industry insiders, the US is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major US companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. "If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry," Brauer said. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Business Insider
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
How Robotaxis, AI, and 170Mn Users Can Reinvent UBER Technologies Stock
The ride-hailing game used to revolve around one key factor: who could recruit enough human drivers to move passengers safely and efficiently at the right price. But in 2025, that narrative has shifted dramatically. In Austin, driverless white Jaguar I-PACEs now ferry Uber (UBER) riders without anyone behind the wheel. Just outside the city, Tesla is preparing to launch a fleet of camera-only robotaxis. Meanwhile, in London, start-up Wayve has gained regulatory approval to navigate the city's complex roads using 'embodied' AI. The race has moved from driver recruitment to deploying and managing autonomous fleets. Confident Investing Starts Here: Amid all this disruption, Uber has taken a surprisingly strategic—and perhaps underappreciated—approach. Rather than building its own sensors and hardware, it's leveraging its strengths: a massive user base, rich data, demand density, optimized routing, and a payments platform trusted by over 170 million users. That focus on core assets, while letting partners handle the hardware, is precisely why I still rate the stock a Buy. Uber Earns the Right to Experiment For years, Uber's financials felt like a rollercoaster—propped up by subsidies and weighed down by stock-based compensation. But Q1 2025 told a different story. Revenue rose 14% year-over-year to $11.5 billion, while adjusted EBITDA surged 35% to $1.9 billion. Even more impressive, both operating and free cash flow hit $2.3 billion, confirming that margin improvements are translating into real cash, not just accounting gains. Just as important, Uber is no longer relying solely on ride-hailing. While Mobility still accounts for just over half of gross bookings, the other half now comes from Delivery, Freight, and a fast-growing advertising unit. That ad segment alone is running at a $1.5 billion annual pace after growing about 60% year-over-year, requiring virtually no additional capital. This diversification matters: it buffers Uber against economic swings in travel and commuting, while also funding autonomous tech partnerships without shareholder dilution. Autonomous Excitement for UBER Shareholders Waymo now operates around 100 fully electric Jaguars on the Uber platform in Austin—and according to both companies, those vehicles already complete more trips per day than 99% of the city's human drivers. Autonomy isn't just about cutting labor costs—it's about maximizing utilization beyond human limits. Drivers need breaks; robots don't. The math adds up fast, especially since Uber doesn't own or depreciate those sleek Jaguars—it simply collects a booking fee, while Alphabet picks up the hardware tab. Competition, however, is heating up. Tesla is set to begin a limited rollout of driverless Model Ys on June 22, capitalizing on Texas's flexible regulatory stance. Elon Musk has promised 'thousands' of robotaxis within a year, though federal regulators have already requested safety disclosures. Interestingly, this could actually benefit Uber. If Tesla underprices rides to stimulate adoption, overall trip demand increases, and Uber's algorithm is designed to route users to the vehicle that is cheaper or closer, regardless of who owns it. In that way, the platform profits from competitors' capital investments without having to match them. Developers Need Uber Uber's partner-first strategy is looking smarter with each passing quarter. Running a driverless fleet is massively capital-intensive—lidar systems alone can cost tens of thousands per vehicle, battery supplies are still tight, and companies need an entire depot network for charging and upkeep. Yet all that infrastructure is worthless if the cars are roaming without riders. In autonomous transport, the real bottleneck isn't hardware—it's passengers. Uber already owns the most valuable asset in autonomous mobility: the passengers. Around 28 million trips happen on its platform every day. For any autonomy start-up, partnering with Uber instantly solves the 'cold start' problem—vehicles don't need to roam empty looking for riders. Instead, the app routes them directly to waiting customers. In return, Uber takes its cut, typically a high-teens to mid-twenties percentage of the fare, with zero added capital investment. Layer on advertising, and the upside grows even more compelling. A captive rider staring at a screen in the back of a sleek, electric Jaguar is prime real estate for marketers. Equip those robotaxis with rear-seat displays, and the monetization potential accelerates. Even one ad per 10-minute ride could translate into billions in high-margin revenue by the end of the decade. Plentiful Risks and Real-World Friction As optimistic as the outlook may seem, none of this is a sure thing. A serious robotaxi accident could halt regulatory momentum, just as GM's Cruise experienced when one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian and lost its permits in California. Insurance costs in the U.S. remain steep compared to Uber's international markets, and litigation risk from aggressive plaintiffs' lawyers is always looming. Plus, if Tesla floods city centers with underpriced rides, Uber's take rate could shrink faster than trip volumes grow. Still, Uber's diversified business model offers a buffer. Even if autonomous rollouts stall, the core business is now profitable on its own. And if pricing pressure intensifies, Uber can rely on its growing ad revenue, delivery upsells, and loyalty programs, such as Uber One, to help protect margins and maintain resilience. Uber's Valuation To put these possibilities into a valuation framework, I built a ten-year discounted cash flow model. I project that gross bookings will grow at an average annual rate of 15% through 2028, gradually slowing to 8% as urban markets mature. Adjusted EBITDA margins are expected to expand from the current ~11% to 18% by 2030, driven by a growing contribution from high-margin advertising and fee-based robotaxi services. Applying an 8% weighted average cost of capital and a 3% terminal growth rate, the model yields an estimated equity value of approximately $108 per share. A couple of reality checks reinforce that result. At about 15x forward earnings, the stock trades at a discount to the S&P 500's 28x, despite better cash conversion. UBER's performance against its peers is also impressive, ranking highest on TipRanks' indicators and Smart Score. What is the Prediction for UBER Stock? On Wall Street, UBER stock carries a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 30 Buy, three Hold, and zero Sell ratings over the past three months. UBER's average stock price target of $99 implies approximately 15.5% upside potential over the next twelve months. Uber's Autonomous Advantage and Robotaxi Economics A few years ago, Uber's story hinged on whether part-time drivers could make city life more manageable without wiping out the company's margins. Today, the question has evolved: can removing drivers entirely push profitability to levels few envisioned back in 2017? Uber's decision to rent out its massive rider base to whichever autonomous platform proves safest and most cost-effective looks, for now, like the smartest, most capital-efficient move on the board. The company is generating sustainable profits, funding innovation through operating cash flow, and preserving the flexibility to pivot between partners or renegotiate terms as technology advances. Autonomous taxis won't take over every city street overnight—but the real contest over who profits from them is already underway. And because Uber controls the demand side, it's positioned to earn economic rent, regardless of which lidar, camera, or neural net ultimately powers the vehicle. With shares still trading at traditional software multiples—ignoring the platform's optionality—I'm happy to stay in the back seat with my Buy rating, and let the algorithms do the driving.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Rioters Trash, Burn Robotaxis
Read the full story on The Auto Wire In case you haven't heard, there's been quite a bit of rioting in Los Angeles and Waymo robotaxis have become targets. This isn't the first time we've seen the driverless cars stopped and trashed by angry mobs, although in the past we've only seen it happen with maybe one or this seems to be at least several of the Jaguar I-PACEs bristling with pricey sensors. Now all of that is destroyed to make a political point. We wonder if Waymo will continue to operate in certain areas if this is how its vehicles are treated. 🚨 LINES OF CARS are now burning in the streets of Los Angeles, and police are LETTING IT HAPPENNOBODY IS NEED MARINES, NOW! — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 9, 2025 Other vehicles were also graffitied, trashed, and burned in the Los Angeles riots. One video uploaded to X shows a man smashing the windows of an already graffitied autonomous taxi, using a bike lock to do the damage. Onlookers film the act while other robotaxis burn just a few hundred feet away. 🚨🚨BREAKING VIOLENCE: a Waymo has been lit on FIRE while several others are completely vandalized I am on the ground now FOLLOW FOR UPDATES | LA riots — Cam Higby | America First 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) June 9, 2025 We can only assume that one, after getting tagged and the glass busted out, was destined for a similar, fiery but mostly peaceful fate. A videographer caught how at least one of the robotaxis was set on fire. One of the rioters put an American flag on the center console, then lit it on fire, we assume to let everyone know how much he hates the United States, taking out the vehicle with it. BREAKING 🚨: Protestors light an American Flag on fire in an attempt to light another WayMo vehicle on no police or firefighter response to the fires. Things are quickly Ángeles, CA — Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 9, 2025 There are theories that the rioters hailed the Waymo robotaxis using the app on their phones, then destroyed them. We can't confirm if that's true or if the vehicles just happened to be in the area of the rioting. What we do know is autonomous cars are often attacked and destroyed in riots. Theories about why that is run the range, from protestors seeing them as symbols of capitalism or the wealthy class. JUST IN: Rioter holding a Mexican flag stands on a demolished Waymo car.'The streets in LA officially belong to the rioters.' - @ — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 9, 2025 We're not huge fans of autonomous taxis, but if people want to use them that's their business. Destroying them because you're not getting your way seems like toddler behavior to us. People are asking why the police aren't stopping this. Well, the Los Angeles Police Department already put out a statement about the riots, saying they 'remained peaceful.' We guess if you ignore the problem, you don't have to solve it. HAPPENING NOW 🚨: A protestor waves a Mexican Flag in front of a burning WayMo vehicle. Multiple vehicles have been destroyed, no police presence in this affected Angeles, CA — Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 9, 2025 There was an incident caught on camera of some California Highway Patrol officers caught under an overpass as rioters above pelted their cars and tried to hit officers with rocks, electric scooters, and other items. 🚨 #BREAKING: California Highway Patrol officers have now been cornered and are TRAPPED UNDER AN OVERPASS as vioIent insurrectionists launch rocks and expIosives at themLAPD is NOWHERE to be GUYS NEED HELP, @realDonaldTrump! Newsom is leaving them to DlE! — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 9, 2025 One rioter even tried lighting the CHP cruisers on fire from the overpass. So that's where the police are while Waymo loses who knows who many robotaxis, along with all the other damage done to Los Angeles. Police are trapped under an LA overpass and rioters are now lighting their police cars on fire from the bridge above them: — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 9, 2025 It's not clear exactly how much one of these Waymo Jaguar I-PACEs cost the company. Estimates are that on top of the $72,000 MSRP there's about $130,000 to $150,000 in equipment added to the electric cars. Those are estimates, so the amount could be significantly higher, but we would be shocked if it were lower. In other words, this is costing Waymo or the insurance company covering the robotaxis. Image via X Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
Digital Trends
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Digital Trends
Waymo lays groundwork for robotaxi revolution
In recent years, Waymo has been edging toward its long-held goal of revolutionizing urban transportation by deploying a fully autonomous, scalable, and sustainable ride-hailing service. The Alphabet-owned company has just taken another step in that direction with the opening of a new vehicle factory in Metro Phoenix, Arizona, in partnership with automaker Magna. Recommended Videos The new 239,000-square-foot site will build thousands of Jaguar I-PACEs equipped with Waymo's fully autonomous technology, Waymo said in a post on its website on Monday. The company said that it now has more than 1,500 autonomous vehicles operating across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, providing more than 250,000 paid trips to users. Waymo also has plans to launch its service in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. next year. Those new cities will likely get many of the more than 2,000 fully autonomous I-PACE vehicles that come off the production line in 2026. 'We're proud to bring this technology — once thought to be the stuff of science fiction — to more and more riders across this country,' Waymo said. Alphabet boss Sundar Pichai recently suggested that it was considering offering its autonomous vehicles for personal ownership, and also discussing the idea with Toyota, though with regulatory hurdles still high for fully driverless vehicles, such a scenario is likely to be a ways off. Waymo appears to be performing well in what is a highly competitive sector. A number of rivals — General Motors-owned Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI among them — have found the endeavor of building out the technology and related services a challenge too far, forcing their closures in 2024 and 2022, respectively. But it hasn't all been smooth sailing for Waymo, either, with various technology-related incidents on public roads prompting increased scrutiny from regulators. While many studies have suggested that Waymo's autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers, recent research by Professor Missy Cummings, director of George Mason University's Autonomy and Robotics Center, found that while Waymo performs better than human rideshare drivers, its crash rate — about 1,000 per 100 million miles — is still worse than the average human driver. However, Cummings emphasized that comparing autonomous-vehicle safety to human drivers is scientifically problematic because humans collectively drive trillions of miles annually, while driverless cars have only logged tens of millions, making current comparisons statistically invalid. Autonomous-car technology has made astonishing improvements in recent years, but its limited ability to handle all types of traffic scenarios and weather conditions means it will likely be some time before regulators grant companies like Waymo broader operational freedoms. Please enable Javascript to view this content
