Author: Brandon Mitchell

Zoox is expanding its robotaxi operations in its first two U.S. markets, Las Vegas and San Francisco, while preparing to launch services in Miami and Austin. The company is positioning itself as a major competitor in the U.S. robotaxi sector, behind Waymo, part of Alphabet Inc.. Zoox operates a purpose-built autonomous vehicle designed without a steering wheel, pedals or driver’s seat, capable of carrying up to four passengers. Since launching its driverless ride-hailing service in Las Vegas in September 2025 and in San Francisco in November, Zoox has been gradually scaling operations. The company now plans to significantly expand service…

StradVision said its SVNet vision perception software is gaining momentum in China as automakers and suppliers accelerate development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for next-generation vehicles. The company said the artificial intelligence-based perception platform is being adopted across China’s automotive ecosystem, including original equipment manufacturers, tier-one suppliers and system-on-chip developers. StradVision described SVNet as a lightweight perception software stack designed to meet cost, performance and integration requirements for large-scale vehicle production. The company said the platform’s flexibility allows it to be adapted across different vehicle models, sensor configurations and regulatory environments. China has become one of the fastest-moving markets…

Macnica and Applied Electric Vehicles Ltd. have formed a strategic partnership to develop and commercialize autonomous vehicle solutions for logistics and industrial transport operations. The collaboration will combine Applied EV’s Blanc Robot modular electric vehicle platform with Macnica’s everfleet remote fleet management system, aiming to support the deployment of Level 4 autonomous transport in industrial environments and last-mile logistics. According to the companies, the initiative is intended to address labor shortages and rising operational costs by enabling purpose-built electric vehicles to operate autonomously in locations such as factories, warehouses and logistics hubs. The Blanc Robot platform is a cabinless electric…

Helm.ai has expanded its autonomous driving software platform, introducing a vision-based system designed to scale from Level 2+ driver assistance to Level 4 urban autonomy without relying on lidar sensors or high-definition maps. The updated platform, known as Helm.ai Driver, is built on the company’s Factored Embodied AI architecture. The system uses camera-based perception and machine learning to enable automated driving capabilities in complex urban environments. According to Helm.ai, the software is designed to allow automakers to deploy Level 2+ driver assistance features today and later expand toward Level 3 and Level 4 autonomy using the same core architecture as…

Oxa, a self-driving technology startup based in Oxford, has secured $103 million in new funding to expand its autonomous vehicle technology for industrial environments such as ports, airports and logistics facilities. The investment forms part of the company’s Series D funding round. According to Oxa, $50 million of the capital was provided by the UK National Wealth Fund. Other investors participating in the round include NVentures, the venture capital arm of Nvidia, and bp Ventures, the investment arm of BP. The latest financing increases Oxa’s total funding to more than $250 million. Unlike many autonomous driving companies focusing on robotaxis…

Autonomous trucking company Kodiak AI has appointed defense industry veteran Chet Gryczan as Vice President and Managing Director of Defense, signaling a broader push into military autonomous vehicle programs. Gryczan brings more than two decades of experience in defense and automotive technology. Most recently, he served as president of Detroit Defense, an engineering and systems integration firm supporting U.S. military programs. Under his leadership, the company expanded from a pre-profit startup into an organization generating $157 million in annual revenue with more than 230 employees across 30 locations. During his tenure, Gryczan helped secure a congressional modernization initiative valued at…

A German consortium led by Uedelhoven Studios (UE Studios) has unveiled an autonomous electric shuttle designed for public transport applications, marking a step toward deploying self-driving vehicles in everyday mobility services. The vehicle, called SUE — short for “Self-Driving Urban E-Shuttle” — was developed with ten partners from industry, research institutions and the public sector. Built on a road-legal 48-volt skateboard platform, the shuttle is intended to operate in areas underserved by conventional transport. UE Studios said the prototype was “entirely developed in Germany” and represents a practical solution rather than a conceptual study. Based in Gaimersheim, UE Studios acted…

Kodiak AI Wins U.S. Marine Corps Contract For Autonomous ROGUE-Fires Vehicle Integration Project Expands Company’s Defense Work Into Expeditionary Operations In Indo-Pacific Region WASHINGTON, Feb 13 — Autonomous driving firm Kodiak AI has secured a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to integrate its self-driving technology into an unmanned military ground vehicle designed for expeditionary missions. See also: Kodiak AI Partners With Bosch to Scale Manufacturing of Autonomous Truck Platform The Mountain View, California-based company will deploy its Kodiak Driver system into the Marines’ Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires), a platform intended to support distributed maritime operations…

Waymo has begun testing fully driverless robotaxis in Nashville, expanding its autonomous vehicle operations beyond its established markets in California and Arizona, the company said. The Alphabet-owned company has deployed a fleet of electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in the city as part of an initial testing phase. Waymo typically starts operations in new markets with extensive on-road testing before transitioning to commercial services, which in past launches has taken several months. See also: Waymo Turns to Generative AI Simulations to Prepare Robotaxis for Rare Road Scenarios Nashville marks Waymo’s latest geographic expansion and reflects a focus on states with less…

Waymo said on Friday it is introducing a new generative artificial intelligence system, called the Waymo World Model, to simulate rare and extreme driving scenarios as the Alphabet-owned company seeks to improve the safety and resilience of its autonomous vehicles. The move comes after Waymo’s vehicles have accumulated more than 200 million miles of autonomous driving on public roads, providing the company with one of the largest real-world datasets in the self-driving industry. Still, Waymo said some events are so uncommon that they are unlikely to appear even in hundreds of millions of miles of real-world testing. See also: Waymo…

Honda and DriveOhio have completed a two-year pilot program demonstrating an AI-powered roadway maintenance system capable of identifying infrastructure defects with high accuracy using real-time vehicle data, the partners said. The project, funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation, tested automated detection technology across roughly 3,000 miles of roads in Ohio. Results showed detection accuracy of 99% for damaged or obstructed road signs, 93% for guardrails and an average of 89% for potholes, according to the project team. See also: Honda to Debut Redesigned H Mark on Next-Generation EVs and Hybrids From 2027 Honda led system development in collaboration with…

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary investigation into a self-driving vehicle operated by Waymo after it struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, during morning drop-off hours in January. In a filing published on Jan. 28, the agency said it had launched Preliminary Evaluation PE26001 to assess whether the autonomous driving system exercised appropriate caution given the presence of children, crossing guards and double-parked vehicles in the school zone. The incident occurred on Jan. 23, 2026, within two blocks of an elementary school. See also: U.S. State Safety Board Probes Waymo…