Author: Elliot Harrison

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…

Avride has launched an autonomous food delivery service at Salisbury University in Maryland in partnership with Grubhub, deploying a fleet of 15 robots to transport meals from campus dining locations directly to students and staff. The service allows users to order food through the Grubhub platform and receive deliveries at dormitories, classrooms or other campus locations. Participating dining outlets include Chick-fil-A, Hungry Minds, Cool Beans and Chesapeake Coffee Roasters. University officials say the initiative is designed to improve convenience for the campus community while modernising food services through automation. “The time of our campus community is so valuable. We always…

Continental will open the 2026 Tire Technology Expo with a keynote presentation on tire technologies designed for autonomous vehicles, underscoring the supplier’s increasing focus on mobility systems for self-driving platforms. Dr. Andreas Topp, head of platform development and industrialization for passenger-car tires at Continental, will deliver the keynote on March 4 at the Hanover Exhibition Center in Germany. The presentation will examine how tires must adapt to the operational demands of autonomous vehicles, including integration with advanced vehicle dynamics controls, optimized fleet performance, and designs tailored to specific usage profiles. Autonomous mobility is expected to alter tire requirements significantly, particularly…

Autonomous transit developer Glydways has broken ground on its first publicly accessible Automated Transit Network (ATN) in South Metro Atlanta, marking the debut of a driverless, on-demand system designed to operate as public transportation. The initial pilot consists of a 0.5-mile dedicated guideway linking the ATL SkyTrain at the Georgia International Convention Center to Gateway Center Arena. The system is scheduled to open to the public in December 2026 and will offer free rides using fully autonomous electric vehicles. Unlike traditional bus or rail services, the ATN will operate on demand, allowing riders to request trips individually. Vehicles will travel…

Engineers at Volvo Autonomous Solutions have developed a distinctive front-mounted sensor enclosure for the Volvo FH Autonomous, designed to meet the durability, maintenance and scalability requirements of mining and quarry operations. Nicknamed the “mustache” by Volvo engineers, the sensor bar houses the full perception stack required for driverless operation, including three lidar units, one radar, two inertial measurement units and a camera. The system relies on sensor fusion to generate a real-time environmental model that enables autonomous navigation in harsh, unpaved environments. A key design decision was to mount the sensor bar directly to the truck’s chassis rather than the…

Autonomous electric shuttles have begun operating on a 7-kilometre public route in Birmingham, marking the most advanced phase so far of a UK trial testing self-driving, zero-emission vehicles in live mixed-traffic conditions. The service connects Resorts World Birmingham, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Business Park, operating as part of the Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project. The initiative is led by Solihull Council and involves multiple public and private partners. Until March 26, the autonomous shuttles run from Tuesday to Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Travel is free and does not…

Cyngn has developed a high-fidelity simulation environment built on NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim platform to validate and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous industrial vehicle software, the company said. The environment, based on the open-source NVIDIA Isaac Sim, allows Cyngn to run its full autonomy stack, mission creation tools and fleet management software inside persistent virtual warehouses that replicate real-world operating conditions. The approach enables large-scale testing and validation that would be difficult or costly to perform in physical facilities. See also: BanmeGo Launches T6 Autonomous Delivery Robot in Shanghai “Simulation is becoming a critical lever for how we bring new…

Mercedes-Benz is building a global robotaxi ecosystem around its S-Class sedan, partnering with Nvidia, Momenta, Uber and mobility operator Lumo, with initial SAE Level 4 deployments planned for Abu Dhabi later this year. The German premium carmaker said the new programme will see fully driverless S-Class vehicles rolled out across selected markets in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, as automakers and technology firms race to commercialise autonomous ride-hailing services. Mercedes-Benz has selected its next-generation S-Class as the foundation for the robotaxi effort, citing the model’s built-in fail-safe redundancies for steering, braking, power supply and computing — key…

Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company Waymo has begun offering robotaxi trips to and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for a select group of riders, marking a strategic expansion into one of the most lucrative segments of the ride-hailing market. Waymo said on Thursday that access to SFO will initially be limited, with a broader rollout planned over the coming months. Pick-ups and drop-offs are currently restricted to the airport’s Rental Car Center, which is connected to terminals via the AirTrain system. The company said it plans to expand service to additional airport locations, including terminals, in later phases. See also:…

Ford Motor said use of its BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system rose sharply in 2025, with Ford and Lincoln drivers logging 88% more hands-free miles than a year earlier as demand for advanced driver assistance features continued to grow. The automaker said the total number of BlueCruise trips increased by 50% year on year, while its global fleet of BlueCruise-equipped vehicles expanded to more than 1.22 million units after Ford added about 500,000 vehicles in 2025. See also: Ford to Expand BlueCruise Hands-Free System to More European Models by 2026 Ford’s F-150 pickup remained the highest-usage model for the system.…

Motional, the autonomous driving unit backed by Hyundai Motor Group, plans to roll out a fully driverless Level 4 robotaxi service in Las Vegas by the end of 2026, as it transitions to an end-to-end artificial intelligence-based motion planning system. The company said it will begin supervised pilot operations using its IONIQ 5 robotaxi fleet in early 2026, before moving to fully driverless commercial services later that year. Motional said the system will comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and undergo independent safety validation, including assessments by TÜV SÜD. Motional is moving away from traditional modular autonomous driving…

German universities and industry partners have launched a research project aimed at easing urban congestion by enabling temporary, virtual road sections reserved for automated logistics vehicles. The project, known as ViDeLL—short for Virtual Dedicated Logistics Lanes—is led by TH Köln in collaboration with RWTH Aachen and several industry partners. It focuses on developing concepts that allow existing road space to be dynamically allocated to automated freight vehicles without the need for permanent physical lanes. See also: Fraunhofer FFB, RWTH Aachen, and hs-tumbler Launch Project to Accelerate Sodium-Ion Battery Development “The projected increase in freight transport will lead to complete congestion…