Tag Archives: Robotaxi

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GM stopped funding Cruise robotaxis

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After a series of accidents, the American self-driving car company Cruise, which became a subsidiary of General Motors, has suspended operations at the end of 2023. In May, it returned its vehicles to public roads, but now the company’s survival is in question, as GM has suspended financing.

Since taking over Cruise in 2016, GM has invested almost $10 billion in the company and now intends to reach agreements with shareholders and increase its stake from 90 to 97 percent. The company has also decided to end funding for robotaxis at a time when Waymo, backed by Alphabet, is expanding to more cities, and Tesla plans to start its robotaxis business in 2026.

General Motors’ primary goal is autonomous vehicles for personal use, and keeping the robotaxis project alive is financially unsustainable due to the enormous costs. In 2023, Cruise lost $3.48 billion, which could lead to large-scale layoffs.

“Given the time and cost required to scale up a robotaxi business in an increasingly competitive market, joining forces seems more efficient,” said Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors.

Source: Reuters; Photo: EPA-EFE

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Tesla Cybercab has arrived

After seeing the unsuccessful presentation of the Robotaxi Verne in June, yesterday we could witness another presentation of this type of vehicle. It’s the long-awaited Tesla Cybercab that was supposed to debut in August, but it didn’t happen because the company wanted to improve the vehicle with some new technological solutions.

The Cybercab design is inspired by the Cybertruck model. It is equipped with a full-length LED light line in the front, a light line in the back, and a butterfly door that no other Tesla car has. Also, since it is an autonomous vehicle, there are no side mirrors and no back glass either.

Inside, as expected, a minimalist design with a large central infotainment screen and two seats, without a steering wheel or pedals.

The car is Musk’s desire to impress investors and Tesla fans may help the company’s shares, which have not seen much growth this year due to weak sales of electric cars. However, some feel that Tesla is still far behind Waymo.

Although the Cybercab is equipped with Tesla’s latest autonomous driving systems, Missy Cummings, a professor at George Mason University and an expert in artificial intelligence who advises the California DMV on the topic of autonomous vehicles, believes that Tesla is not a serious candidate for real applications of autonomous driving. “I think they are at least 10 years away from implementation.”

The company stopped reporting to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) back in 2019, nor does it update outside experts or the media on its progress. Regulators have been closely monitoring Tesla’s Autopilot and fully autonomous driving programs for some time, and the technical problems surrounding those programs suggest that it will be extremely difficult to fulfill Musk’s vision anytime soon.

Source: Tesla, Forbes

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Tesla Cybercab has arrived
News

Tesla will reveal the Cybercab on October 10

At the beginning of July, it was announced that Tesla would not meet the deadline for the presentation of its Robotaxi, which was supposed to happen on August 8, and now we have a new date. The Tesla Cybercab is coming on October 10, 2024.

According to Elon Musk’s statement, Tesla changed the date of presentation of self-driving taxis because the company wanted to improve the vehicle with some new technological solutions. What exactly it is about has not been announced.

Musk also said that self-driving cars, including taxis, are key to Tesla’s future as an extremely valuable AI company. However, it is still unclear whether Tesla can actually perfect the technology for autonomous driving. The company already has a Full Self-Driving function, which still requires human supervision and often makes mistakes.

The CEO of Tesla Motors believes that the company cannot offer rides to customers until the Full Self-Driving technology can be used without supervision. The arrival time of the robotaxi on the market depends on technological progress and approvals.

Recently, we could see the unsuccessful presentation of the Robotaxi Verne, by Rimac Automobili. After several attempts to call a vehicle via the app, Verne did not come on stage. “Today we presented Verne, the car, the infrastructure. The car is one of the elements of the ecosystem. We make the car ourselves and are building a factory near the campus. We will produce cars for the whole world. We are now two years away from the next phase, when driving around Zagreb. We had a problem with the brake, the car wouldn’t start. It’s a completely different car, the dimensions are like a Golf, but the interior is made to be more comfortable and spacious,” said Rimac. Although the company claimed that the car was supposed to go on stage by itself, leaked information says that the car was supposed to be driven by a person with a joystick.

We should not forget that these companies take large amounts of money (hundreds of millions) from investors and even taxpayers, in order to make a show, set a new date and take more money. Are they so skilled at deception, or are we so stupid that we believe everything they say?!

Source: Bloomberg