Thursday, June 19, 2025
SmartDrivingCar.com/13.06-ID.Buzz-6.19.25
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 epsidoe 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 rally 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 vison 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 Texa. 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 uses 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
***********************
Previous SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast/PodCasts
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 390 / PodCast 390 – w/ Michael Sena: Gov’t. roles-Musk-Waymo-Uber & more
F. Fishkin, June 6 “What should governments be doing for robotic vehicles? What did they do for human driven vehicles? Mobility Industry Insights publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to explore that plus the latest on Elon Musk as robotaxis are readied, Waymo, Uber, TRB and more. Tune in and subscribe.
0:00 open
0:44 Mobility Industry Insights: Should governments do any more for robot driven cars than they did for human driven vehicles?
16:20 What governments could do if they wanted to make driving more safe
18:18 Governments are doing things…but doing the wrong things
24:14 In Japan they are planning for some separate roadways for robotic vehicles
26:17 Tesla has planned to launch robotaxis in Austin next week- how would they be controlled? Differences from Waymo?
33:00 FinanceBuzz report on autonomous vehicle safety, accidents and reporting
39:00 Why aren’t intelligent cruise control and automatic emergency braking systems working together?
44:20 How old does a person really need to be to drive? Why is age relevant? Does it need to be a human? What about responsibility in robotic vehicles?
50:29 From TechCrunch …a patent infringement case that could disrupt Uber and others
51:22 The Transportation Research Board revamping committee structure and activities- TRB value.
1:02:00 What is needed to solve the safety problem?
1:08:00 Space X posts video titled Elon Musk, Mars and Beyond: The Road to Making Humanity Interplanetary
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 389 / PodCast 389 – Tesla, Aurora, Waymo and more
F. Fishkin, May 29 “We’re back with episode 389 of Smart Driving Cars as Alain Kornhauser wraps up his 53rd year teaching at Princeton University. Today, Alain and co-host Fred Fishkin looks at the coming launch of Tesla’s robotaxis, Musks departure from Washington and the company’s safety report. Plus, Aurora brings back human drivers, a battle over autonomous farm equipment in California, Waymo continues to grow and more. Plus…a tip of the cap to some great senior thesis work by Alain’s students. Tune in and subscribe.
0:00 open
0:37 Tesla sets June 12 date for robotaxi launch
2:24 Tesla hiring humans to control robotaxis
4:13 Battle over automated farm equipment in California
6:03 Tesla safety report claims autopilot 10 times better at avoiding crashes
12:03 Aurora putting humans in driver seats again
13:40 NY Times reports driverless trucks are here with big promises
17:46 Way expanding to San Antonio and Houston
21:10 Warren Buffet asked about insurance shift with self driving cars
29:27 Senior Thesis work highlight in Smart Driving Car newslettter
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 388 / PodCast 388 – Aurora, Waymo, NHTSA & more
F. Fishkin, May 4 “Commercial driverless trucks are on the road in Texas. A big accomplishment for Aurora! Plus.. a DOT research grant gets terminated, Waymo’s safety study and partnership with Toyota and NHTSA amends ADAS reporting rules. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 388 of Smart Driving Cars.
0:00 open
0:30 Aurora launches commercial driverless trucks
6:05 DOT cancels grant to Research Foundation of CUNY
7:50 Waymo releases study showing reduction in serious crashes and improved safety
13:45 Waymo partnering with Toyota
16:12 NHTSA amends order for ADAS reporting
19:40 Star Base now an official city in Texas
21:50 Alain wrapping up another semester at Princeton
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 387/ PodCast 387– The Last(?)Dispatcher w Michael Sena
F. Fishkin, Feb. 25 “Keeping cars out of cities? The parking meter is turning 90 this year. We learn more about that and more from The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena. Plus ..self driving cars, AI, the Black Hawk tragedy and more. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 387 of Smart Driving Cars.
0:00 open
1:10 Michael Sena on parking meters turning 90 and what they are being used for now
8:15 The Pope and a cautionary approach to AI
13:05 For now…at least…the last edition of The Dispatcher
16:57 There’s another book on the way
18:30 Henry Ford…and the road today to driverless mobility
29:35 AI and Deep Research
37:10 the Black Hawk – American Airlines tragedy. What we’re learning.
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 386 / PodCast 386 – DeepSeek, HandyRides, Waymo, Tesla & more
F. Fishkin, Feb. 2 “DeepSeek and AI, HandyRides Inc. arrives, women providing taxi rides on motorcycles in Kenya, Waymo expanding to more cities and Tesla bringing front bumper camera to Model Y. Welcome back to Smart Driving Cars! Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for all of that and more on episode 386. And remember to subscribe.
0:00 Open
1:21 AI code editor, DeepSeek and more
6:22 HandyRides Inc. now exists
7:05 From NY Times: Women on motorcycle taxis giving rides in Kenya and a piece on driving in Vietnam
14:36 Timothy Lee piece…speculating DeepSeek not responsible for crashing NVIDIA stock
16:50 Waymo expanding to more cities including Las Vegas and San Diego
19:58 More DeepSeek discussion
25:16 new edition of The Dispatcher out from Michael Sena
26:17 The work that lies ahead to provide mobility to those who need it
29:15 Why are there still rear ending crashes
29:35 New Tesla Model Y will have front bumper camera
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 385 / PodCast 385 – w Michael Sena … GM Cancels Cruise, Waymo progresses and NHTSA’s New Rules for Driverless
F. Fishkin, Dec. 22 “With GM putting an end to the Cruise robotaxi venture, Waymo reaching 5 million rides and NHTSA proposing new rules for driverless vehicles, there’s plenty of news to end the year. The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a look at those stories and more on episode 385 of Smart Driving Cars! Tune in and subscribe.
0:00 open
1:17 Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to Princeton’s John Hopfield. Alain’s tribute.
1:54 GM shutters Cruise robotaxi venture
13:26 Waymo has now delivered over 5 million driverless rides
26:49 NHTSA proposes new rules for self driving cars
34:55 The Dispatcher Musings…back to Scranton
38:14 Closing out the year with long time friends and kudos to Alain’s students
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 384 / PodCast 384 – The Election, Musk, Tesla, Waymo & more with guest Michael Sena
On episode 384 of Smart Driving Cars, Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin are joined by The Dispatcher publisher Michael Sena. This time out- the election, Elon Musk, Tesla, Waymo, Aurora and a tribute to the late Paul Michel Lion III
0:00 open
0:55 From The Dispatcher -a look at the presidential election and the process
10:01 Princeton’s Bob Vanderbei maps out the electorate one again
14:30 The involvement of Elon Musk, pre-election and post-election and Michael’s look at the Robotaxi event.
42:20 Tesla’s quarterly vehicle safety report 47:48 A tribute Alain’s PHD Advisor at Princeton, Paul Michel Lion III.
48:28 Waymo is now valued at 45 billion dollars 49:59 Aurora’s Chris Urmson says we are on the brink of a new era in mobility and logistics 52:25 Michael comments further on Waymo and its role at Alphabet (Google)
59:54 The Autopian report on Google/Waymo patent application for system to take over automatically if it detects a bad driver behind the wheel.
|
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 382 / PodCast 382 – SpaceX, Cybercab and John Hopfield. Space X wows with catch, Tesla’s Cybercab event and the potential impact on mobility, and Princeton’s John Hopfield captures 2024 Nobel Physics Prize. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for the takeaways from the latest headlines and more. Tune in and subscribe! 0:00 open 0:30 SpaceX wows with landing 8:38 Tesla’s Cybercab event-Alain’s take on the ups and downs 18:22 Elon uses the elevator analogy! 21:12 Forbes piece- Can’t Get a Cybercab? Wave Down a Waymo. 22:40 AutoEvolution: 5 Polarizing Facts from Tesla’s We Robot Cybercab Unveiling Event 26:26 Presentation from Alain’s students on shared mobility at Next Generation Systems Conference 27:45 More on Cybercabs and questions about insurance 39:02 Princeton’s John Hopfield wins Nobel Physics Prize! SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 381 / PodCast 381 – w Michael Sena: data privacy, Northvolt, Tesla and more. 0:00 open 0:54 Vehicle telecommunications and data privacy battle 22:40 What happened to Sweden’s Northvolt 27:17 The efforts to stop the importing of inexpensive Chinese vehicles. Is the rest of the world toast? 45:55 Tesla prepares for the robotaxi unveiling October 10 54:35 Reuters reports Waymo discussions with Hyundai on vehicle platform and remarks from Waymo co-CEO at University of Michigan 1:00:35 Two of Alain’s students deliver at the Next Generation Systems Conference SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 380 / PodCast 380 – w Michael Sena SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 379 / PodCast 379 – Time to Pivot-Hamburg-Waymo-Tesla & more SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 378 / PodCast 378 – Cry’n Shame GM’s Cruise abandons the Origin purposely designed robotaxi in favor of the Chevy Bolt. Former CEO Kyle Vogt calls it disappointing. Plus the audiobook version of The Real Case for Driverless Mobility arrives. Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 378 of Smart Driving Cars. SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 377 / PodCast 377 – What would GreenVille MOVES look like The push towards affordable driverless mobility continues on episode 377 of Smart Driving Cars. Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin show what GreenVille Moves would look like. Plus ..the EU mandates speed limiters, Tesla adding parental controls for teen drivers and more. 0:00 open 0:49 Congrats to Alain’s students who took part in the Henley Royal Regatta 2:04 Launching of HandyRides continues for affordable mobility 3:15 Demo of what GreenVilleMOVES would look like 33:30 EU is mandating speed limiters 34:15 Tesla update to give parents control over teen driver speed and more 39:50 The Drive report on Mercedes engineer criticism of Tesla FSD and its impact on public attitudes toward autonomous driving tech. 42:04 The Verge report on Distance Technologies windshield AR heads up display 45:00 Ken Pyle’s Viodi piece on Smart Driving Car Summit SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 376 / PodCast 376 – a mobility start-up is launched July 1st marks the launch of a new mobility start-up! Join Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for details. Plus..GM Cruise pays for crash report delays, Rimac robotaxis and automakers ask for reconsideration of automatic emergency braking rules. SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 375 / PodCast 375 Elon Musk talks Tesla robotaxis and more. Maybe for Brownsville? F. Fishkin, June 15, ” With Elon Musk divulging more about how Telsa robotaxis may operate, Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser demonstrates how they could be used to serve Brownsville, Texas. And the plan could be replicated anywhere. Plus the latest on Waymo and Cruise. Join Alain and co-host Fred Fishkin for episode 375 of Smart Driving Cars. 0:00 open 0:30 Musk talks robotaxi business, Tesla Semis and more new vehicles 15:27 Alain shows how a Brownsville MOVES mobility service could work. 36:19 Waymo issues software and mapping recall following telephone pole crash in Phoenix 43:10 GM investing 850 million dollars in Cruise and resuming operations in Houston
|
|
