autonomous vehicles

Autonomous vehicle (AV) companies are emerging from a tumultuous period defined by layoffs, delayed timelines and consolidations, but the industry remains hamstrung by lack of physical and digital infrastructure, a panel of investors said during this week’s virtual Automated Vehicles Symposium. “We’re not [at the point] where one company can build a widget and the […]

Waymo’s safety team highlights the importance of human factor in building and deploying self-driving vehicles on public roads.

Raja Narayanan joins industry disrupter “at this pivotal time where the world is adapting to the new normal.”

Waymo is the exclusive technology partner for implementing self-driving technology across Fiat Chrysler’s full product portfolio.

After dethroning Toyota as the world’s most valuable automaker on July 1, shares of electric car maker Tesla surpassed $1,500 on for the first time on Friday.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, YRC Worldwide is set to spend $700 million, Navistar and Samsara announce a tie-up and a PPP loan wasn’t enough to save an Alabama carrier.

TuSimple, Kodiak Robotics among the recipients of PPP loans. (Photo credit: Kodiak Robotics)

Outrider focuses on autonomous zero-emissions yard operations for logistics hubs.

Amazon is looking to buy Zoox, a self-driving startup that seeks to create a fleet of electrified robo-taxis.

Nine companies and eight states have signed on as the first participants in a new U.S. DOT program designed to improve the safety, testing and transparency of autonomous vehicles

OPEC+ meeting over oil output cuts; air cargo volumes declined by 7.8% this year for top air freight players; Volkswagen invests $2.6 billion in self-driving startup Argo AI.

Until now, autonomous vehicle company Nuro had focused on food delivery

Clearpath Robotics’ division closes Series C as it prepares to put more of its autonomous vehicles into additional warehouses and manufacturing facilities as demand grows during COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazon is looking to acquire self-driving technology startup Zoox, with talks being underway between the two companies.

A $750 million external investment this week comes as an extension to Waymo’s $2.25 billion financing earlier in March.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the need for social distancing, even while working. For the freight industry, the adoption of autonomous vehicles might be a good start.

Paul Schlegel writes about the future of autonomous vehicles – particularly autonomous trucks.

The disruption to the supply chain from COVID-19 is likely to cause a change in the way freight industries behave moving forward, including renewed interest in autonomous technologies.

Autonomous truck developer Starsky Robotics has ceased operations as it was unable to attract investment or a buyer.

The robotic trucking company will expand its UPS runs to 20 trips per week and has added an extra run between Phoenix and El Paso, Texas.

Americans view foreign trade positively; Tesla records only 12.2 miles of self-driving in 2019; cab-hailing companies have an emissions problem.

Continental North America recently announced it will build a 215,000-square-foot manufacturing and research facility focused on technology for autonomous driving in New Braunfels, Texas.  Construction on the $110 million plant is scheduled to begin later this year with production starting in 2021. The plant will employ around 575 workers and produce products for Continental’s advanced […]

Apex.AI is an autonomous driving startup that builds software on the Robot Operating System (ROS), bringing improved safety to vehicles.

U.S. DOT green lights Nuro with first ever autonomous vehicle exemption

Autonomous electric shuttles hit Columbus; global auto market might slowdown over coronavirus; Nikola Motor to produce trucks in Germany

Urban deliveries to overrun cities. Tier one auto suppliers to get squeezed

Canadian auto manufacturer says it will stop developing self-driving technology with the U.S. ride-sharing company as it announces lower sales outlook for 2020.

The computer vision startup crunches road and highway data to improve safety and power development of autonomous vehicles.

U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao touts agency collaboration and leadership in AV research and development.

Toyota said at #CES2020 that it plans to build a 175-acre city of the future at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan that will operate on hydrogen fuel cells and solar power.

Walmart seeks to bolster its online grocery business through autonomous home delivery.

The Swedish truck giant’s venture capital arm has invested an undisclosed sum in Autotech Ventures.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller joined Chattanooga city leaders in discussing the city’s tech movement.

U.S. senator also wants Tesla autopilot feature improved or shut down.

NTSB advises Uber and regulators overhaul AV testing policies.

The UW is Starship’s biggest campus client to date.

Ben Thrower’s commentary on whether we are approaching “peak car” will make you think about the present and the future…

Oil and gas price forecasts were cut by major banks for 2020; global economic slowdown has hit steel production; Volkswagen looks to commercialize autonomous vehicles by 2025.

Stock soars after the electric vehicle maker posts better than expected Q3 results.

Self-driving startup Zoox has raised $200 million in new convertible note funding, according to media reports. The raise is part of a Series C round that is expected to close later this year or early in 2020. Investor names were not disclosed.  Founded in 2014, the Foster City, California-based Zoox stands out from the self-driving […]

Market Voice Darren Prokop writes about automation at ports and the progress – and disruption – that will bring.

Self-driving cars from a U.K. startup Oxbotica took to Stratford’s streets earlier this week, successfully wading through traffic and proving itself safe to navigate in an urban setting.

$7.5 million going to Virginia Tech will also help set industry guidelines.

While retirement communities have provided a controlled baseline to deploy their services, Voyage does not plan to stop there.

More fleets are using telematics than ever before, but few are taking advantage of the full capabilities, a new report found. Also, author of controversial report on the driver shortage speaks and Florida is building an autonomous vehicle test facility.

It’s a great Monday to be alive, especially when it comes to listening to the hottest podcast in the freight industry. First, a massive cargo ship has capsized off the coast of Georgia, and some survivors have still not been rescued. Also, Uber Freight moves HQ to Chicago. Plus, we are visited by Kevin “King […]

FreightWaves chief analytics officer Dean Croke – who has also driven more than 2 million miles behind the wheel of heavy-duty trucks – previews Copilot by Pronto.

Filament announced its adoption of the MOBI Vehicle Identity Standard within the Blocket Mobility Platform, which is a turn-key vehicle identity (VID) solution created for integrated vehicle wallet and usage-based applications.  Filament is a provider of enterprise automotive blockchain and internet of things (IoT) solutions. Its hardware, software and service solutions enable connected vehicles to […]

Velodyne has filed patent infringement claims that its rotating 3D LiDAR technology was copied by Chinese companies Hesai and RoboSense.

Didi Chuxing has spun off its autonomous driving unit as an independent company following discussion of raising fresh capital with its existing shareholders and potential investors.

The phased strategy comes as the automotive industry is pulling back on its ambitious claims about when fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) will hit the mainstream.

BMW and Daimler are collaborating on a long-term partnership to develop Level 4 self-driving cars that can drive autonomously on motorways and park without human intervention.

The autonomous ship segment is in a nascent stage now, but it can do well by learning from the limitations seen within the self-driving automotive segment today.

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group has released another study – this one on autonomous trucking. Read what they foresee for the trucking industry and drivers in the years ahead.

From the manufacturers floor right to your door, technology is ramping up in autonomous and the last-mile delivery space.

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group is producing research culled from FreightWaves SONAR and other sources. Read about its first several research papers and how to learn more.

The data that can be gathered from a truck’s telematics has caused a shift from selling trucks as products to selling trucks as solutions to owners’ issues.

Area Development magazine has named trucking startup Nikola Motor one of its Gold & Silver Shovel 2019 projects of the year. The annual awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. Five high-value projects were also recognized. Nikola’s headquarters facility opens […]

Plus: Amazon-Whole Foods two year anniversary; Japan to build five bullet trains in India; Elaine Chao sells stock in highway company.

Volvo’s Vera autonomous vehicle is now moving containers from a local distribution center to the port in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Capitol Hill hearing took on lease-purchase agreements, truck size and weights

The technology aims to improve the way heavy vehicles stop while operating autonomously.

The news comes days after its parent company nixed a partnership with Groupe Renault.

The company launches today, with Walmart as a partner.

Apple is looking to buy autonomous driving technology startup Drive.ai, which might help the company gain ground against its bigger competitors in the self-driving niche.

Michelin Group announced it will partner with Swedish-based self-driving startup company Einride this week at the Movin’On Summit for sustainable mobility in Montreal.

Fiat Chrysler’s merger bid with Renault is the type of consolidation that the auto industry needs at the moment to expedite innovation and the development of futuristic tech.

Autonomous vehicles can be commercially deployed only after it convincingly addresses public and government concerns on safety and reliability.

Israeli startup TriEye, whose Short-Wave-Infra-Red (SWIR) sensing technology is able to see in adverse weather and night-time conditions, announced a $17M Series A funding round on May 28, led by Intel Capital. Other investors include Marius Nacht, co-founder of Check Point Software Technologies, and TriEye’s existing investor Grove Ventures, headed by TriEye chairman Dov Moran, […]

Today on WTT we take a deep dive into the Idaho Hemp Trucker fiasco with journalist, Linda Baker, CEO Jacob Findlay has some huge news concerning FullBay, McLeod announces two new products, plus all the latest headlines, Big Deal, Little Deal, and the very first Comment Section Rodeo!

All this and more now on WTT?!?

Ford to lay off 7,000 as part of major restructuring

Einride has introduced a Level 4 autonomous electric truck that will transport cargo between a warehouse and a terminal in DB Schenker’s facility.

Top DOT official ranks HOS #1 on freight priority list.

Drivent is a self-driving technology company that is creating a suite of solutions that integrate with autonomous vehicles and provide exceptional user experiences.

The partnership between ride-sharing company Lyft (NYSE: LYFT) and Google-affiliated, self-driving car technology company Waymo is just one initiative in Lyft’s strategy to stake a claim in the emerging market for on-demand consumer transportation services, company officials said on May 7. Lyft confirmed Waymo’s announcement that Waymo will use Lyft’s platform to deploy 10 self-driving […]

McKinsey has brought out a report that talks about how increasing passenger density in urban spaces is a strong indicator for an increase in ridesharing demand in the decade ahead.

Elon Musk has stated that Tesla would be launching fully autonomous cars by the end of this year, and that he expects to see one million autonomous Tesla cars on the road by 2020.

Matilda is a smart transport hub that helps the elderly and the disabled people by providing real-time information on the schedules of their public transportation, mainly targeted at autonomous vehicles of the future.

Daimler Trucks is buying a majority stake in Torc Robotics, another play in the company’s efforts to expand its presence in the self-driving commercial vehicle market.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …Before autonomous driving systems are commercially available, it is essential to not just work on functional safety but also on cyber security, so as to ensure that the vehicle is completely safe to drive around once deployed.

As cities witness the steady rise in vehicle inflow on their streets, city administrations would have to contend with two primary issues – prevalence of parking spots and the regular occurrence of traffic jams. Traffic micro-simulation models suggest a new regulatory scheme that might offer some respite.

Uber and Waymo are admitting they don’t want to commit the resources necessary for autonomous tech to be commercially viable.

Recently uncovered case files from the Waymo vs Otto trade secret theft case, reveal Uber’s optimism with self-driving cars in 2016, which included the company envision running 75,000 self-driving vehicles across 13 cities by 2022.

China leads the world in adopting futuristic transport technology and transit models – like electric vehicles and mobility as a service (MaaS). McKinsey believes that the trend would continue in autonomous driving niche as well.

The 2020 model year Freightliner New Cascadia features technologies that qualify it as a Level 2 autonomous, but drivers shouldn’t be scared off by that.

Brie Carere of FedEx.

Pronto built a high-performing Level 2 solution for commercial vehicles with dynamic throttling, braking, and steering.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) joined with capital venture firm Sequoia and T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW) to invest $530 million in self-driving vehicle startup Aurora Innovation according to Aurora’s press release on Medium.

Though semi autonomous trucks would be a reality in a decade, IRU believes that it would not displace drivers from the trucking ecosystem but would only make their jobs more sophisticated.

VAYAVISION’s new software is an autonomous vehicle environmental perception engine that fuses raw sensor data together with AI tools  to create an accurate 3D environmental model of the area around the self-driving vehicle.

How close are human drivers to interacting with autonomous vehicles on the roads? That is the answer a panel at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit tried to solve on Wednesday.

Walking the show floor at the Detroit Auto Show is an experience that transforms you from the here and now to visions of the future.

If driver wages are eliminated, total cost of ownership will fall. But capacity will saturate the market and rates will crash. In the end, trucking will still be a capital-intensive and low-margin industry.

If staying healthy in the car manufacturing industry and supply chain labor force wasn’t complicated enough, there is still the matter of the $51 billion bailout that the American taxpayer paid to save GM a decade ago.

Autonomous vehicles policy should go beyond the highways and roads, the rail trade group argues.

Computer vision startup Netradyne has recorded 100 million hours of driving data which would be analyzed by its AI deep learning tool to help drivers improve driving behavior and avoid incidents on the road.

The global snapshot survey is based on interview data from 450 transport companies across Europe, the GCC and Asia, and reveals a number of fascinating insights.

The credit rating agency says that well-capitalized, risk-sharing joint ventures between incumbent automakers have the best chance of successfully bringing AV products to market safely and at scale.

VAYAVISION, an Israeli startup that works on providing raw data fusion and perception systems for autonomous vehicles has raised $8 million in seed financing, which it plans to invest in its productization process.

As part of a wide-ranging DOT initiative to prepare for driverless vehicles, FMCSA will address regulations that could be slowing the development of these technologies in the commercial vehicle space.