RobotTaxis to Thrive in Vegas

 Where Else?  Good place for live tests, proof of use in complex use, Uber complexity ...  On to LA they say ... 

Uber and Motional's robotaxis arrive in Las Vegas

It marks the first time public riders and access the autonomous vehicles using Uber.

Steve Dent|@stevetdent|December 7, 2022 6:00 AM

Uber has launched public robotaxi rides in Las Vegas using Motional's Hyundai Ioniq 5 autonomous EVs with the aim of offering a full driverless service to the public in 2023. It will eventually expand to Los Angeles, where the two companies have been testing autonomous Uber Eats deliveries since May 2022. It's all part of a 10-year agreement between Uber and Motional to offer autonomous ride-hailing and deliveries. 

The taxi rides will be monitored by safety drivers, with the goal of launching a fully driverless service to the public in 2023. "Today, Motional becomes the first AV company to conduct all-electric autonomous rides on the Uber network for public passengers," said Motional VP Akshay Jaising. (Uber offered "autonomous" taxi rides using its own self-driving tech back in 2016, but riders were accompanied by engineers ready to take the wheel.) 

Lyft also partners with Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv. It beat Uber to the punch by launching Motional rides in Las Vegas in August this year with safety drivers on board. Lyft has also said it will ditch those drivers and offer true autonomous service by next year. 

Don't be surprised if that timeline changes, though. Apart from Motional, only Alphabet division Waymo and GM's Cruise are offering true driverless services at a reasonably large scale. The Waymo One service is operating in Phoenix and San Francisco, while Cruise rides are currently limited to San Francisco. Both operate only in specific areas of cities (which can be mapped out in great detail) and some vehicles still use safety riders.

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick once said that the his company had to be "tied for first, at least" in the race to offer true driverless rides. Since both Uber and Lyft rely on Motional for self-driving tech, that's exactly what might happen. ... ' 

Dubai RoboTaxi Service: GM's Cruise Origin

More self driving, here a taxi service.  More data and experience with the customers and concept.

GM's Cruise will operate a robotaxi service in Dubai  in Engadget

It's the first time the Cruise Origin will serve outside of the US.

Want to hail a Cruise robotaxi as soon as you can? You might want to book a trip to the UAE. The GM-backed brand has struck a deal to operate self-driving taxis and ride-hailing services in Dubai in 2023. It will be Cruise's first commercial self-driving service with its Origin vehicles outside of the US, Dubai said. Only a handful of the autonomous shuttles will be available at first, but the city plans to have as many as 4,000 Origins on streets by 2030.  ... "

Amazon's Autonomous Robo Taxi

 Have never thought of Amazon in the autonomous vehicle space.   But here a reminder of an effort, apparently aimed at taxi service.

Amazon's Zoox shows off its first autonomous robotaxi

The tiny four-wheeled vehicle is bi-directional and has no steering wheel.

By Nathan Ingraham in Engadget

It’s been almost six months since Amazon purchased self-driving startup Zoox, and today the company pulled the wraps off its first autonomous vehicle. Rather than automating a standard car built with a human driver in mind, the Zoox robotaxi is built specifically for autonomous driving in in dense urban environments.  .. ' 

Robo Taxis are Coming

More autonomy to be seen on the roads.   How soon will we see applications in broad use?

Robotaxis get the green light for paid rides in California

The state’s public utility commission authorized two new programs to allow driverless ride-hailing

By Andrew J. Hawkins@andyjayhawk  in TheVerge  ... 

Amazon Wants a Big Piece of Self-Driving/Hailing

Been watching the extension of the smart home to the car by Amazon, interesting, but still weakly done.   Now are they really seeing 'self driving' as a means of selectively delivering the customer to the product, as opposed the the other way around?  A kind of ultimate 'smart-market'.  Will follow.

Amazon Shakes Up the Race for Self-Driving—and Ride-Hailing in Wired
The ecommerce giant is buying Zoox, which is designing autonomous robotaxis. Beware Uber and Lyft. 

UBER CEO DARA Khosrowshahi says his company wants to be the “Amazon for transportation.” Friday, Amazon made clear that it intends to be the Amazon for transportation.

The ecommerce giant said it had agreed to acquire Bay Area–based autonomous vehicle company Zoox, a deal reportedly worth more than $1 billion. (Amazon did not respond to WIRED's queries.) Since its founding in 2014, Zoox has been known for its technical chops, its secretiveness, and its sky-high ambition. While Alphabet's Waymo is focusing on self-driving tech and leaving the car building to places like Detroit, Zoox has stuck to its plan to design a robotaxi from the ground up—and operate a ride-hail service. In 2018, it showed off its first prototype vehicles, which look like sensor-laden golf carts on steroids. The company has also been testing its software on more conventional-looking Toyota Highlanders in San Francisco, where it is learning to handle chaotic city streets. ... "