Author: Elliot Harrison

Cyngn said its autonomous vehicle commercial pipeline now spans nine industry verticals, 35 U.S. states, and international markets, reflecting growing interest from industrial operators seeking to deploy autonomous vehicles at scale rather than through limited pilot programs. The company, which develops autonomous driving technology for industrial vehicles, reported increased engagement during the second quarter from large industrial organizations evaluating broader adoption of autonomous systems across manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and outdoor industrial operations. Cyngn’s DriveMod platform enables industrial vehicles to operate autonomously in environments such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, distribution centers, and industrial facilities. Shift Toward Large-Scale Deployments According to Cyngn,…

Waymo has acquired a 5,500-acre automotive proving ground in Arizona for $220 million, significantly expanding its autonomous vehicle testing capabilities as the company accelerates the growth of its robotaxi operations across the United States, TechCrunch reported. According to property records filed with Maricopa County, the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company purchased the facility from Route 14 Investment Partners LLC, a Delaware-based entity associated with Apple. The transaction was recorded on June 5. Major Expansion of Testing Infrastructure Located in Wittmann, Arizona, the proving ground is one of the largest dedicated vehicle testing facilities in the United States and substantially increases Waymo’s…

Karsan has launched passenger operations of its Autonomous e-JEST electric minibus in Atlanta, Georgia, marking the company’s first autonomous public transport deployment in North America. The vehicles are operating as part of the ATL Spoke pilot project, an autonomous transit initiative designed to improve connectivity between public transportation hubs and local destinations. The service provides free passenger transportation between MARTA’s West End Station and the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail. The launch represents a significant milestone for Karsan as it expands its autonomous mobility activities beyond Europe into the United States. First Autonomous Public Transit Pilot in Atlanta The ATL Spoke…

Avride has completed more than 60,000 autonomous passenger trips for Uber riders in Dallas, marking a new milestone for the company’s commercial robotaxi operations. The autonomous mobility developer disclosed the figure as part of a broader operational update that highlighted rapid fleet expansion, increased service coverage, and growing autonomous mileage. The company also announced that it has doubled its original service area in Dallas and plans to expand the operating zone further in the coming months as it continues scaling its commercial robotaxi network. More Than 60,000 Autonomous Uber Trips Avride operates its autonomous ride-hailing service through Uber’s platform, allowing…

Nvidia has announced a series of partnerships aimed at expanding the deployment of Level 4-ready robotaxi fleets built on its Drive Hyperion autonomous driving platform, extending the technology’s reach across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The agreements involve collaborations with Foxconn, VinFast, Autobrains, Humain and Uber, reflecting growing industry adoption of Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle architecture for commercial ride-hailing services. Taiwan Deployment Planned With Foxconn Foxconn will use Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform to develop Level 4-capable electric robotaxis for deployment in Taiwan. The first rollout is planned in the city of Kaohsiung, with commercial services targeted to begin in 2028.…

Waymo plans to begin offering free rides in its newly unveiled Ojai autonomous vehicle to selected riders in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, marking the first public deployment of the company’s purpose-built robotaxi platform. The Ojai is the first vehicle designed specifically for Waymo’s ride-hailing service and the first to feature the company’s sixth-generation Waymo Driver autonomous driving system. According to Waymo, employees have already been using the vehicle in fully autonomous operations for several months as part of internal testing. The rollout will initially be limited to select users before expanding more broadly over time. Waymo said riders…

Torc Robotics has entered a strategic research partnership with Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, strengthening its efforts to develop next-generation artificial intelligence technologies for autonomous trucking. The collaboration makes Torc the only autonomous trucking company with a dedicated presence inside Mila’s research ecosystem, providing the company with on-site research space and direct access to the institute’s network of researchers, faculty members and students. Mila, founded by renowned AI researcher Yoshua Bengio, is one of the world’s largest academic centers focused on deep learning and artificial intelligence. The organization operates as a non-profit institute through a partnership between Université de…

Kodiak AI and General Dynamics Land Systems have formed a strategic partnership to develop autonomous ground vehicles for military and defense missions, beginning with the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle for counter-drone operations. Under the collaboration, Kodiak AI will provide its AI-powered Kodiak Driver autonomous system, while General Dynamics Land Systems will oversee vehicle integration, communications systems, ruggedized platform engineering and power systems development. The companies said they also plan to jointly pursue future U.S. Army and international defense vehicle programmes beyond the initial Leonidas platform. The first jointly developed vehicle integrates the Kodiak Driver with a commercial Ford Motor F-600…

May Mobility has launched its fifth-generation autonomous driving system, introducing a new on-vehicle architecture designed to scale driverless ride-hailing operations across U.S. markets including Arlington. The Ann Arbor-based company said the system combines deep learning, a predictive world model and its proprietary reasoning engine within a single autonomous driving architecture. According to May Mobility, the system performs hundreds of simulated “what if” driving scenarios every 200 milliseconds, projecting potential traffic and vehicle interactions up to 10 seconds into the future before selecting a driving action. The company said the updated system is being deployed across its existing autonomous vehicle fleet…

Bosch has introduced a new Level 3 driver assistance system capable of “hands-off, eyes-off” driving at Auto China, marking the company’s entry into highly automated driving. The system, developed by Bosch Mobility, is currently being tested on public roads in Wuxi following regulatory approval granted in March 2026. Unlike Level 2 systems, which require continuous driver supervision, Level 3 automation allows the vehicle to take over driving tasks in defined conditions, enabling drivers to disengage from active control. Bosch said the system is designed for use on motorways and urban expressways, operating at speeds of up to 120 km/h and…

Tesla has started rolling out its latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) update, version 14.3, to vehicles equipped with HW4/AI4 hardware, with early access users—including some in Canada—already receiving the software. The update, delivered under software version 2026.2.9.6, introduces a broad set of improvements aimed at enhancing real-world driving behavior, perception and system responsiveness. Tesla said the update reflects a continued shift toward more advanced, human-like reasoning rather than reliance on pre-mapped data. One of the most significant changes is a complete overhaul of Tesla’s AI compiler and runtime using MLIR (Multi-Level Intermediate Representation), which the company says improves reaction time by…

Grab, in partnership with WeRide, has opened its autonomous shuttle service to the public in Singapore, marking the first deployment of its kind in the city-state. The service, branded “Ai.R (Autonomously Intelligent Ride),” operates in the Punggol district and uses WeRide’s GXR robotaxi, built on the Farizon SuperVan architecture. Grab said it progressed from initial regulatory assessment to public deployment in seven months. The service currently runs on weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. across two loop routes and a shorter “Mini Route.” One route begins at Matilda Court, covering three stops in approximately 45 minutes, while another starts…

Pony AI reported its first profitable quarter since inception, as it ramps up commercialization efforts and expands its global robotaxi footprint. The company posted net income of 528 million yuan ($75.5 million) in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to its latest financial results. The profit was primarily driven by gains from an early investment rather than its core robotaxi operations. For the full year, Pony AI narrowed its net loss by 72% to $76.8 million, while revenue increased 20% to $90 million, reflecting steady progress toward commercialization. Leo Wang said the company is continuing to invest aggressively to accelerate…

Autonomous driving company Zoox said it will begin testing operations in Dallas and Phoenix, deploying retrofitted SUVs with safety drivers as it prepares for a future commercial robotaxi service. The company plans to use modified Toyota Highlander vehicles to map roads and collect operational data before eventually launching its purpose-built robotaxis. With the addition of the two cities, Zoox’s testing footprint in the United States will expand to 10 locations. Supporting the expansion is a new operations hub in Scottsdale, described by the company as a “Fusion Center.” The facility will coordinate fleet operations, remote guidance and rider support services.…

Nexar and remote driving company Vay have announced a partnership to integrate Nexar’s predictive artificial intelligence model, BADAS, into Vay’s remotely operated vehicle fleet, marking what the companies say is the first deployment of a real-world incident prediction system designed specifically for Remote Drivers. Under the agreement, Nexar’s BADAS (Beyond ADAS) predictive model will be embedded into Vay’s remote driving platform. The system is designed to identify potential risks before incidents occur by analyzing real-world driving patterns using large-scale road data. See also: Grab to Invest $60 Million in Remote-Driving Startup Vay Technology, with Potential $350 Million Expansion The integration…

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will conduct trials of electric autonomous shuttles at Newark Liberty International Airport this spring, as the agency evaluates potential self-driving transport connections to the airport’s new AirTrain system. Three autonomous vehicle developers — Oceaneering, Ohmio and Glydways — will each operate two-week demonstrations using zero-emission shuttles in a restricted area of the airport not accessible to the public. The trials will simulate a high-capacity shuttle network operating in a complex airport environment, with multiple vehicles running simultaneously during each testing period. According to the Port Authority, Oceaneering will begin the first…

Harbinger has completed the acquisition of autonomous driving software developer Phantom AI, a move that will bring computer vision-based driver assistance technology to its medium-duty electric and hybrid truck lineup while opening new licensing opportunities in the passenger vehicle sector. The transaction, finalized in November 2025, adds Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities to Harbinger’s commercial vehicle platform. At the same time, the company announced a licensing agreement with automotive supplier ZF Group to integrate Phantom AI’s computer vision technology into ZF’s passenger car advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The agreement will allow ZF’s Electronics and ADAS division to incorporate the…

The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report outlining details of its investigation into autonomous vehicles operated by Waymo that allegedly passed stopped school buses in Austin. The investigation focuses on incidents involving vehicles equipped with Waymo’s automated driving system (ADS) that continued driving while students from the Austin Independent School District were boarding or exiting school buses. Authorities have reported multiple cases of such violations. The NTSB report highlights a specific incident that occurred on 12 January on East Oltorf Street in Austin. According to investigators, a Waymo vehicle approached a stopped school bus that had its…

Waymo has launched its robotaxi service in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, expanding its autonomous ride-hailing operations to a total of ten locations in the United States. The simultaneous rollout marks a faster expansion pace for the Alphabet-owned company, which previously introduced services in new cities at longer intervals. Waymo first launched in Phoenix in 2020, followed by San Francisco in 2024. Since then, it has added Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and Miami, the latter opening in January 2026. See also: Waymo Begins Deployment of Sixth-Generation Robotaxi System Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo’s co-chief executive, said demand for the service continues…

London-based artificial intelligence company Wayve said on Wednesday it had raised $1.2 billion in fresh funding, underscoring growing investor confidence in autonomous vehicle technology as driverless taxis and advanced assisted-driving systems move closer to commercial deployment. The financing round values the startup at about $8.6 billion and could increase to $1.5 billion if certain performance targets are met, making it one of the largest capital raises by a European technology startup in the sector. Venture firms Eclipse and Balderton Capital led the investment, joined by major technology and automotive companies including SoftBank, Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis. https://twitter.com/wayve_ai/status/2026447462794174624…