Tesla's Robotaxi, Apple's Home Robot, and More

Welcome to the Ride AI Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and new developments at the intersection of technology and transportation. 

Announcing the Ride AI Podcast…

Big news: We’ve launched a new podcast devoted to understanding the technological, political, and social shift from human-driven vehicles to AI-piloted vehicles—and you can listen to the first episode right now. 

Similar to the newsletter, the Ride AI podcast will cover the intersection of artificial intelligence and transportation with a level of depth and nuance that befits this complex industry. Our ambition is to curate senior leaders in mobility tech for conversations aimed at reinvigorating the energy and focus of everyone working to make mobility smarter and more autonomous. 

The show will be helmed by author and analyst Ed Niedermeyer, who has been covering the automotive industry and mobility innovation—in particular the triumphs and travails of autonomous vehicles—for more than a decade. (Check out Ed’s book on Tesla and Autonocast podcast, both exceptional). You can also expect appearances from our other regular hosts, including disruptive-innovation expert Horace Dediu.

For the first episode, Ed discusses the hype and disillusionment of autonomous technology with Mike Ramsey, a vice president at Gartner. Looking at the five phases of the classic Gartner hype cycle, they explore where autonomy is today on the road to mass adoption.

This discussion is an excellent prelude to the kinds of thoughtful conversations we hope to host at our Ride AI conference this fall.

If you would like to find out more about us, the podcast, or the conference, please contact us

What You Need to Know Today

Amid fierce competition from cheap Chinese EVs, Tesla is reportedly canceling its long-standing plan to release a mass-market vehicle priced around $25,000, and will instead focus on developing its robotaxi technology. Elon Musk disputes the claim that building an entry-level car is no longer a priority for the company, but confirms Tesla will unveil its first robotaxi on August 8th.

Related: Tesla settled a lawsuit that blamed the company’s self-driving software for the 2018 death of an Apple engineer in California. This resolution averts a trial that would have scrutinized the automaker’s technology, coming just months before the scheduled introduction of the robotaxi.

Los Angeles is setting up AI cameras to enforce bus lane violations. A similar program in New York succeeded at increasing average bus speeds and reducing the number of bus collisions.

Uber Eats is teaming up Waymo to offer human-less deliveries in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, after a nearly five-month hiatus, Cruise robotaxis have returned to Phoenix—except they’re in “manual mode” (meaning they have human drivers). The GM-owned company pulled its entire U.S. fleet last year following a traffic accident in San Francisco, in which a pedestrian was stuck under and dragged by a Cruise robotaxi. The company is now relaunching for the purpose of mapping and gathering data.

Kiwibot, a U.S./Colombia startup that uses sidewalk robots for last-mile deliveries, has acquired Taipei-based chipmaker Auto Mobility Solutions.

Apple laid off over 600 employees after shuttering its autonomous EV initiative. That’s a lot of AV talent suddenly pouring into the job market… who will scoop it up?

While Apple has abandoned its auto ambitions, its other hardware engineering and AI teams may have a new project on their hands. The tech giant is reportedly exploring the development of personal home robotic, capable of following users around their house.

While we’re on the topic of closures: Ghost Autonomy, a California startup that develops self-driving technology for automakers, is throwing in the towel. The company, which has raised nearly $220 million in funding since its founding in 2017, including from influential backers like OpenAI, cited the challenging funding environment and unclear pathway to profitability.

Israel-based Hailo has raised $120 million to design more efficient AI chips.

… meanwhile Silicon Valley chip startup SiMa has secured $70 million in funding to propel AI applications within everyday consumer devices, including cars.

The U.S. Army has picked eight tech companies to develop autonomous software to power its fleet of Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCVs). (Still no word on which manufacturer will actually build the RCV.)

Chinese ride-hail giant Didi and EV manufacturer GAC Aion have secured government approval to begin mass production of autonomous taxis. The new joint venture, known as Andi, intends to start sales next year.

Related: Guangzhou-based EHang, maker of unmanned eVTOLs, has also obtained approval from the Chinese government to enter mass production.

Robomart is planning to expand its Southern California “store-hailing platform” and begin phasing fully autonomous vehicles into its fleet of snack-carrying robo-vans next year.

Bengaluru, the tech capital of India, has hired a former chip engineer to serve as the city’s traffic czar. Now he’s turning to artificial intelligence to help solve some of the worst congestion problems in the world.

Kentucky’s governor vetoed a bill that would have allowed self-driving cars on the state’s roads.

How generative AI Is helping cities visualize a better future for sustainable transportation.