2025-06-21
June 19, 2025
6th edition of the 13th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
Volkswagen Will Sell You An ID. Buzz Robotaxi
L. Dnistran, June 18, “With all the hype surrounding Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi service debut in Austin, Texas, it’s easy to forget that there are other players in the autonomous driving game. One of those players is the Volkswagen Group, and it just upped the ante with the launch of the production-ready ID. Buzz AD driverless taxi.
In short, starting next year, companies, municipalities, and other entities will be able to order a fleet of ID. Buzz robotaxis as a ready-to-go package. MOIA, VW Group’s ridepooling company, said the autonomous vans come packed with everything that’s needed to operate them, including the sensor suite, full certification, and something called the autonomous driving Mobility-as-a-Service (AD MaaS) Platform, which enables operators to deploy the taxis extremely fast.
The VW Group entity said it plans to obtain full certification of the ID. Buzz AD to operate driverless in the European Union and the United States soon. When it comes to the sensor suite, the electric minivan comes packed with no fewer than 27, including 13 cameras, nine Lidars and five radars. The information from all of these goes into the Mobileye-sourced electronic brain to help it make decisions in all types of scenarios, including those where emergency vehicles are involved. Read more
Hmmmm… What great news! I want to be first in line to buy! Call me! 😊 Alain
The Real Case for Driverless Mobility
Narrated by Fred Fishkin, Available now
Published in 2024 (but still relevant)!!! Go to Amazon.com…
SmartDrivingCars
ZoomCast 391 / PodCast 391 – Robotaxis from VW-Waymo-Tesla
F. Fishkin, June 19 “VW ID.Buzz Robotaxis coming? Waymo expands. Tesla robotaxis launching. All that and more on episode 391 of Smart Driving Cars. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin and subscribe!
- 00:00 open
- 00:39 VW ID. BUZZ robotaxis coming? Alain says call me!
- 3:30 Teslas safer than Waymo?
- 7:20 Waymo expanding…
- 9:49 to NYC too?
- 10:12 Some Texas legislators ask for a delay in Tesla robotaxi launch
- 21:20 Elektrek reports Amazon to test humanoid robot deliveries with Rivian vans
- 24:55 The Verge reports US DOT wants more self driving cars without pedals or steering wheels
- 27:47 Yahoo Finance headline..Nearly 75 percent of riders fear robotaxi safety, yet pay more for Waymo
- 29:45 The Times of London headline on UN report that terrorists could hijack AI driven vehicles
- 32:15 Techcrunch report on Wayve and Uber plan robotaxi launch in UK
- 33:15 Tesla robotaxi rollout can be tracked online
- 35:00 Real case for driverless mobility… and update on ITN America
- 38:00 MSN report on FRA and FTA project to receive funds from previously awarded grants
Tesla’s Approach to Autonomy: 7x Safer and 7x Cheaper than Waymo
K. Singh, June 17, “… Vehicle Cost
Besides the difficulty of using sensor fusion, Bloomberg also points out that Tesla’s advantage is in the fundamental cost of the hardware. The Model Y costs just 1/7th of the total cost of a Waymo vehicle.
This enormous cost difference is a direct result of how Tesla and Waymo are approaching autonomy. Waymo’s vehicles are….” Read more
Hmmmm… We can debate the virtues of the various safety metrics and their multiples when comparing one versus the other; however, the other elephant in the room is Cost. In the end someone has to pay. When scale is small, cost is largely irrelevant, Thus the early adopter, niche, and luxury markets. Scale is achieved by the low-cost equivalent (or even slightly worse entrant… Model T, VHS, fast food, off-brands, public schools, …). Today’s AV landscape strongly suggests that it may be no better than a horse race on the safety metric (Tesla doesn’t need to be ?x Safer); however, on the cost metric there may be a runaway leader (Tesla many x cheaper). Uber + Lyft today serve less than 1% of the daily person trips in the USA purely because they can’t serve the other 99% more economically than the way they are currently being served. Their marginal cost is positive so they can’t get out of the niche category. Alain
Tesla is asked to delay Robotaxi launch in Austin by Texas lawmakers
F. Lamber, June 18, “Texas lawmakers have officially requested that Tesla delay its planned Robotaxi launch in Austin by a few months due to a new law being implemented.
It’s a Godsend for Elon Musk.
As we previously reported, Tesla’s planned Robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas, now “tentatively” scheduled for June 22, is a moving of the goal post for Tesla.
….
It doesn’t sound like the lawmakers are forcing Tesla to delay the launch for now. They are more politely asking to delay until the new framework is in place.
here’s the full letter from the Texas lawmakers:…
As we previously reported, testing without a safety driver has been extremely limited based on sightings, and it appears that Tesla has simply relocated the “safety driver” to the passenger seat with a kill switch for optics…” Read more
Hmmmm… To me it is very reassuring/responsible for Tesla to be “testing” with a safety driver on-board. There is negligible value in “testing” with no one on board. That accomplishes zero except some infinitesimal imagined manhood value. The reward is not worth the risk! The major value of driverless is to reduce the cost of providing the mobility to make the service affordable to those for which affordability elevates this mode of mobility to the top of the list of ways to go for this trip. This is especially valuable to those whose 2nd and lower options are really bad. For them, the opportunity to take the trip substantially improves their lives; else they wouldn’t be taking advantage of going. Today they don’t go to many places for which it would be really good for them to go simply because today’s cost of getting there wipes out all the benefit of going. Consequently, they don’t go! Elizabeth and I have set our sights on that vision for this technology. Alain
Amazon to test humanoid robots for package delivery with Rivian electric vans
F. Lamber, June 4, “Waymo is once again expanding its driverless taxi service areas in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, adding over 80 square miles total between the three areas.
The move comes less than a week before the tentative, much-anticipated launch of Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin, another market that Waymo operates in..…” Read more
Hmmmm… Automate those vans. Operate them in the wee hours and “you got somethin!”. Alain
Waymo expands CA service area by ~50% just before Tesla robotaxi launch
J. Dow, June 17, “Amazon is about to start testing humanoid robots for package delivery. The goal is for the robots to come out of the Rivian electric delivery vans and bring packages to your door.
Over 20,000 Rivian electric vans are currently used to deliver Amazon packages, and the number is expected to increase to 100,000 by the end of the decade.…” Read more
Hmmmm… Very impressive! Alain
Waymo, Google’s self-driving car service, applies for NYC permit
R. Anderson, Jan 19, “Waymo, Google’s self-driving car division, wants to return to New York City.
“New York, we’re coming back to the Big Apple next month! We want to serve New Yorkers in the future, and we’re working towards that goal,” the company posted on social media Wednesday.
…..” Read more
Hmmmm… Why??? Have they found a welcome mat in Manhattan? In Brooklyn? In Staten Island??? Has anyone welcomed them? Doesn’t NYC have enough amusement rides? Is this a good expenditure of the $5.6B they have(/had) in the bank? Is “testing” in NYC really going to make someone want to buy them? Alain
USDOT wants more self-driving cars without pedals or steering wheels
A. Hawkins, June 10, “The US Department of Transportation wants to make it easier for automakers and tech companies to deploy self-driving cars without traditional controls like steering wheels and pedals. In a letter sent to stakeholders, the department said it would streamline reviews of requests for exemptions from safety rules requiring vehicles to have steering wheels, pedals, and mirrors — parts that purpose-built autonomous vehicles often lack….” Read more
Hmmmm… I guess this is some good news, in that NHTSA will do something totally obvious. Driverless is a totally new mode that needs its own “modal administration” to deal with its public oversight. Its objective is to provide demand-responsive rides to people and goods to everyone, including those most currently most underserved. It deserves its own modal administration. Alain
You Can Now Track Tesla’s Robotaxi Deployment
K. Sing, June 15, “Automated Vehicle Deployments v0.1…” Read more
Hmmmm… Follow the link to access what is happening with Avs in Texas. Alain
Nearly 75% of Riders Fear Robotaxi Safety – Yet Pay More for Waymo’s Driverless Experience
H. Nainani, June 17, “Waymo’s self-driving taxis may not yet deliver the low-cost promise often associated with autonomous vehicles, but that isn’t stopping riders from paying a premium — or worrying about safety.
A new pricing study by ride data platform Obi, found 74% of riders cite safety as their top concern around robotaxis — even as they continue to choose Waymo’s higher-priced service. In San Francisco, Waymo rides averaged $20.43, compared to $15.58 for UberX and $14.44 for Lyft Standard — a 31% to 41% markup over traditional ride-hailing options. ..
Waymo’s self-driving taxis may not yet deliver the low-cost promise often associated with autonomous vehicles, but that isn’t stopping riders from paying a premium — or worrying about safety.
Obi’s survey also found that 74% of respondents cited safety as their biggest concern around autonomous vehicles…. Read more
Hmmmm… The safety “concern” is obvious. That’s my biggest concern when I drive my own car and when I’m riding shotgun with someone else. It’s my biggest concern when I fly. When I go, the concern is not so great such that I don’t go!
The price thing is much more concerning but given that Waymo doesn’t have the capacity to serve more trips, why not charge what the market will bear, and one has a $??B IOU. Luckily, there are plenty of rich people, tourists, and selfie-seekers to warrant the pricing. Alain
FRA, FTA projects among those to receive grants from funding backlog
Train Staff, June 10, “Thirty-four Federal Railroad Administration projects and 154 under the Federal Transit Administration are among a batch of more than 500 Department of Transportation projects that had previously been approved that have now received their financial obligation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced today (June 10, 2025).
The 529 projects, with funding of more than $2.9 million, are among more than 3,200 that the Trump administration says it inherited from the Biden Administration but has moved forward in part by eliminating Green New Deal, social justice, and diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements….” Read more
Hmmmm… The recipients of these projects should be ashamed of themselves! How could any FRA or FTA project not include by default… social justice, and diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements??? Public money is being used to fund social injustice and biased projects. What??? Is spending the money really worth that much? The best we can hope for here is that these projects accomplish nothing. C’mon Man! Alain
Wayve and Uber plan London robotaxi launch after UK speeds up autonomous vehicle rollout
R. Bellan, June 10, “U.K.-based autonomous vehicle technology company Wayve and Uber plan to launch a fully driverless robotaxi service in London in the coming years.
The news comes soon after the U.K.’s announcement of an accelerated framework for self-driving commercial pilots. U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed Tuesday that the U.K. government would fast-track pilots to spring 2026, up from late 2027, to incentivize investment in autonomy in the country. ….” Read more
Hmmmm… Plan… spring 2026… Must be a slow news day. Or is it a paid placement by someone in need of clicks? I’m short of stuff so I’ll include it at the bottom. Alain
Terrorists could turn driverless cars into slaughterbots, UN warns
M. Dathan, June 16, “Terrorists could hijack AI-driven vehicles to carry out mass casualty attacks without the need for a suicide bomber, a UN report warns.
The report, Algorithms and Terrorism: The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence for Terrorist Purposes, sets out how emerging AI technologies could be weaponised by extremists.
It highlights the threat of terrorists seizing control of self-driving cars, drones and other automated systems to target crowded public spaces.
…” Read more
Hmmmm… Wow!!! The sky is falling. Next the UN will put out a report on the malicious use of toilet paper. Terrorists have real intelligence and much better tools than driverless cars and AI to terrorize us. C’mon UN this is pure fear mongering. Alain
Public Transit Agencies Continue to Lag in Cybersecurity Prep
D. Kidd, June 10, “Transit agencies continue to fall behind in cybersecurity training, staffing and policy development according to a new report, placing these organizations at increasing risk as threats rise and take on more sophisticated forms.
“The most interesting thing, after doing this work for the last four years, especially in the smaller and more midsize agencies, is that they don’t have the basic written policies and procedures that you would expect,” Scott Belcher, a research associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University in California, said.
Belcher was one of the authors of a recent report, “Does the Transit Industry Understand the Risks of Cybersecurity and are the Risks Being Appropriately Prioritized?“…” Read more
Hmmmm… Really?? This is near the top of any list of things that “…Public Transit Agencies … Lag in doing.”? How about giving some decent quality rides? How inept must a cyber attacker be to “demand a ransom from a transit agency”? They have no money. Sorry… this goes to the bottom. I’m done! I’m just too cynical and refuse to become alarmed by “the sky is falling!!!” Alain