Code & Clarity

Uber and Waymo have ended their robotaxi partnership in Phoenix, raising questions about how long their remaining collaborations in Atlanta and Austin will last. More interesting is what happens next, as subtle jabs between the companies could turn into open competition, especially in policy battles over market access. Adding pressure, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just issued a sharp warning to autonomous vehicle developers. Administrator Jonathan Morrison declared it unacceptable for their vehicles to interfere with first responders, calling emergency scenes a core responsibility, not an edge case. While the directive didn’t name names, it follows reports of Waymo’s repeated run-ins with emergency crews, including a July 4 incident in San Francisco where its robotaxis contributed to gridlock and some ran out of power. The federal agency has given AV companies until the end of the month to present solutions. Meanwhile, the 2026 Regulatory Plan include...

Imagine hopping into a car that has no steering wheel, no gas pedal, and no brake pedal. That’s exactly what Tesla is now testing on the streets of Austin, Texas. The company has rolled out a production-ready version of its two-seater Cybercab, giving us a glimpse into a truly driverless future. For now, these unique vehicles aren’t completely unsupervised. A safety monitor rides along in the passenger seat, keeping an eye on things as the Cybercab navigates Austin's roads. This significant step follows years of development and promises from Tesla about their autonomous vehicle technology. This move comes after Tesla had already been quietly testing a robotaxi service in Austin using modified Model Y SUVs for roughly a year. They’ve also been spotted parking hundreds of these new Cybercabs in various cities, leading many to believe a larger launch was just around the corner. Now, we're seeing them in action on public streets. This latest test is happening at a key...

If you have ever seen an empty self-driving car cruising through city streets, you have witnessed one of the biggest challenges for robotaxi companies today. These vehicles often drive significant distances without a passenger, simply to reach a faraway depot for charging or cleaning. These empty trips, known in the industry as "deadhead miles," are a major reason why robotaxis are still struggling to become truly profitable. A new startup called Aseon Labs believes it has found a clever solution. The company, based in Redwood City, California, proposes a network of small, automated pods scattered throughout urban areas. These pods are designed to be parking-space sized and can automatically inspect, clean, and charge robotaxis right where they are needed, cutting down on those wasteful empty drives. This innovative idea has already caught the eye of investors. Aseon Labs recently announced it raised $10 million in initial funding. Crane Venture Partners led this...

Get ready for a fascinating twist in the world of self-driving cars and ride-sharing. Uber recently revealed a bold long-term plan: it wants to turn its millions of human drivers’ cars into a vast network of data-gathering sensors. This data would then be fed to companies developing autonomous vehicles and other artificial intelligence models that need to understand the real world. Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber’s chief technology officer, shared this vision at a tech event in San Francisco. He described it as a natural evolution of a program Uber introduced earlier this year called AV Labs. Currently, AV Labs uses a small fleet of Uber-operated cars specially equipped with sensors. However, the ambition is much bigger. Naga confirmed that the company eventually aims to equip its massive global network of drivers with these sensor kits. Imagine the sheer scale of data collection if even a fraction of Uber's millions of drivers worldwide were contributing. This move aims ...