autonomous cars

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Latest Tesla Probe Involves Yet More Scary Incidents

NHTSA investigating alleged light-running, driving on the wrong side of the road

(Newser) - Federal regulators have opened yet another investigation into Tesla's self-driving feature after dozens of incidents in which the cars ran red lights or drove on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing into other vehicles and causing injuries, the AP reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said...

In Sin City, There's a New Kind of Taxi

Free rides offered at select Strip destinations as robotaxi service debuts from Amazon's Zoox

(Newser) - Amazon's Zoox has officially rolled out its driverless robotaxi service to the public on the Las Vegas Strip, marking a first for purpose-built autonomous vehicles in regular operation for the public. The company's boxy, sensor-laden rides—lacking pedals, steering wheels, or even a driver, and with a...

Tesla's Autopilot Put to the Test in High-Stakes Jury Trial

Crash involving distracted driver prompts showdown over self-driving claims

(Newser) - Tesla is set to face its first jury trial over a fatal crash involving its Autopilot driver-assist system. The trial in Miami federal court set to begin on Monday centers on a 2019 incident in South Florida in which a Tesla Model S, with its Autopilot engaged, crashed into...

Tesla Robotaxis Have Arrived
Tesla Robotaxis
Are On the Road
Jun 23, 2025 2:30 AM CDT

Tesla Robotaxis Are On the Road

In Austin, at least

(Newser) - Tesla's highly anticipated robotaxi service launched in Austin, Texas, Sunday, with 10 to 20 driverless Model Ys available during what amounts to a test run. Elon Musk says the service will ultimately be expanded. For now, rides will cost a flat $4.20, and a safety monitor will be...

New DOT Rules Change 'a Win for Tesla, a Loss for Waymo'

Tweak could allow certain automakers—namely, Tesla—to report fewer crashes with self-driving cars

(Newser) - Rule changes announced by the Trump administration this week could allow automakers to report fewer crashes involving self-driving cars, with Tesla potentially emerging as the main beneficiary. The Transportation Department announced Thursday it will no longer require automakers to report certain kinds of nonfatal crashes—but the exception will apply...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

Mystery of Fatal Tesla Crash With No Driver Is Solved

NTSB report finds that Autopilot was not in use after all in 2021 crash

(Newser) - Authorities say they know why no one was in the driver's seat when a Tesla Model S crashed in 2021, killing the two men inside, and it's not the reason initially believed. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the driver moved into the back seat...

This City's Self-Driving Cars Are Causing Oodles of 911 Calls

San Francisco logged nearly 100 emergency calls about autonomous cars in second half of 2022

(Newser) - Traffic in San Francisco was, well, weird during the last half of 2022, and fingers are being pointed at the city's autonomous vehicles. Per a Wednesday letter from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to the California Public Utilities Commission, there were a whole lot of 911 calls (92,...

Tesla Issues Recall Over 'Rolling Stops'

54K cars, SUVs recalled due to Full Self-Driving feature that critics say is unsafe

(Newser) - Tesla is recalling nearly 54,000 cars and SUVs because its "Full Self-Driving" software lets them roll through stop signs without coming to a complete halt. Documents posted Tuesday by US safety regulators say Tesla will disable the feature with an over-the-internet software update, per the AP . The "...

Tesla Self-Driving Feature Puts Car in 'Assertive' Mode

It allows vehicle to shorten follow distance, come to 'rolling stops'

(Newser) - A Tesla self-driving feature is drawing backlash for what some are saying could lead to too-aggressive driving. The Verge reports that the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta allows vehicle operators to choose from one of three driving modes that control how the car reacts to road conditions: "Chill,...

A Truck Just Drove 80 Miles With No Human on Board

Autonomous trucker TuSimple logs first no-human road test in Arizona

(Newser) - A semitruck completed an 80-mile route in Arizona with no human on board and no human intervention during the trip using technology developed by TuSimple, the company said Wednesday. The San Diego company says it's the first successful fully-autonomous run by a Class 8 vehicle, or semi, on open...

Report: Apple Is Working on Fully Self-Driving Car

Sources say company plans to launch by 2025

(Newser) - Apple's secretive "Project Titan" car team has shifted gears, insiders say. Sources tell Bloomberg that the team is now concentrating on creating a fully self-driving vehicle and aims to launch it by 2025. Bloomberg's sources say the company recently reached a "key milestone in developing the...

Cop to Driver: 'I Followed You for About 2 Miles and You Were Sleeping'

Wisconsin authorities say man was behind the wheel of a Tesla using its Autopilot feature

(Newser) - According to the Tesla website , the Autopilot feature built in to all of its new vehicles offers "advanced safety and convenience features ... designed to assist you with the most burdensome parts of driving." For an Illinois man who took a spin in Wisconsin over the weekend, one of...

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