Self-driving cars

Wisk Aero’s Autonomous Air Taxi Flew, But $2 Billion Question Remains

On December 16, 2025, a four-seat electric aircraft lifted off autonomously at Wisk Aero’s test facility in Hollister, California. The Generation 6 aircraft hovered, maneuvered through stabilized flight sequences, and returned to the ground. No pilot aboard. No remote control from the ground beyond supervisory monitoring. This marks Wisk’s first flight of the aircraft they plan to certify for commercial passenger service by 2030. The company, wholly owned by Boeing, positions the Generation 6 as the first-ever candidate for FAA-certified autonomous commercial passenger flight in the United States. First flights represent critical early milestones in aircraft development while simultaneously representing the easiest phase of a process stretching years and costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Wisk completed the straightforward portion. The challenging

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The Role of Data Annotation Companies in Autonomous Driving

Training self-driving systems starts with labeled data. Without it, the AI can’t learn to recognize objects, follow traffic signals, or react to hazards. That’s where a data annotation company steps in. Companies in this space provide the teams and tools to label complex sensor inputs like video, LiDAR, and radar. If you’ve looked at data annotation company reviews you’ve seen how critical the right partner is. The accuracy and consistency of their work directly shape how well autonomous systems perform in real-world conditions. Why Annotated Data Powers Autonomous Systems Self-driving models don’t just “see” the road, they interpret it based on labeled examples. Every object a vehicle detects, avoids, or reacts to comes from data that was annotated first. What

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NVIDIA and Uber Partner with Stellantis, Lucid, and Mercedes-Benz to Deploy 100,000 Level 4 Autonomous Vehicles Starting 2027

The autonomous vehicle industry reached a major inflection point this week when NVIDIA and Uber announced an expansive partnership to deploy 100,000 SAE Level 4-capable robotaxis and delivery vehicles beginning in 2027. The collaboration, unveiled by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at the company’s 2025 Global Technology Conference in Washington, D.C., represents the most ambitious autonomous vehicle deployment plan announced to date and signals a fundamental shift in how the world will experience mobility. At the heart of this transformation lies NVIDIA’s new DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10 platform, a reference production architecture that the company claims can make any vehicle Level 4-ready. The system features two DRIVE AGX Thor system-on-chips built on NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, each delivering more than

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Waymo Receives New York City’s First Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit

New York City has granted Waymo its inaugural autonomous vehicle testing permit, marking a significant milestone in the deployment of self-driving technology in one of America’s most challenging urban environments. The announcement, made by Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on August 22, 2025, represents the first time the city has authorized autonomous vehicle testing within its boundaries. The permit allows Waymo to deploy up to eight Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in designated areas of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September 2025. Under New York State law, each vehicle must maintain a trained safety specialist in the driver’s seat at all times, prepared to assume control when necessary. After the initial pilot period concludes, Waymo may

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Tensor Robocar: The First Level 4 Self-Driving Vehicle Designed for Private Ownership

Tensor emerges as the world’s first company to design and market a Level 4 autonomous vehicle specifically for private ownership. Unlike the robotaxi-focused approach that has dominated the industry, Tensor’s philosophy centers on “Own Your Autonomy,” a vision where individuals possess their own Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) agents rather than relying on fleet-based services. The company’s core mission extends beyond traditional automotive boundaries, positioning the Tensor Robocar as an embodied personal AGI that empowers owners with time, freedom, and autonomy. This approach challenges the prevailing industry assumption that autonomous vehicles must operate as shared fleet assets to achieve economic viability. Tensor’s origins trace back to AutoX, founded in August 2016 by Jianxiong Xiao, a former MIT PhD and Princeton University

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Rivian CEO Announces Level 3 ‘Eyes-Off’ Autonomous Driving Plans

Rivian, the electric vehicle startup, has announced ambitious plans to rapidly advance its autonomous driving technology. CEO RJ Scaringe revealed the company is working on a supervised hands-free driving system set to launch later this year, with an eyes-off driving system targeted for 2026. Speaking at the opening of a new Rivian store in San Francisco on January 23, Scaringe emphasized that the company is “hyper-focused” on developing this technology. The planned supervised hands-free system would be classified as Level 2 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability, requiring drivers to monitor the road and be ready to take control at any time The more advanced eyes-off system, aimed for 2026, would elevate Rivian‘s offerings to Level 3 autonomy. At

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From Autonomous Drifting to Space Rockets: Akio Toyoda Expands Vision for Toyota at CES 2025

At the CES 2025 press conference, Toyota unveiled a series of ambitious projects and initiatives, showcasing its transformation from a traditional automaker to a comprehensive mobility company. The presentation, led by Chairman Akio Toyoda, highlighted advancements in autonomous technology, urban development, and even space exploration. While specific details were limited, Toyoda said while he initially found autonomous driving, boring, the technology behind autonomous drifting instilled new excitement in his interests. The presentation went on to show a video of two cars drifting together. This suggests a focus on developing vehicles capable of handling extreme driving conditions without human intervention. The company also alluded to ongoing research into flying cars as part of their CES announcements, although no concrete timelines or

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Elon Musk Unveils Tesla Robovan, the 20-Seat Electric Van Set to Transform City Transit

Tesla has made waves yet again with the unveiling of its latest innovation: the Tesla Robovan. Introduced at the 2024 ‘We, Robot’ event, the Robovan is designed to be both a passenger and cargo vehicle, capable of fully autonomous operation. Much like the recently revealed Cybercab, the Robovan is set to revolutionize how we think about urban transportation, offering solutions for logistics, public transit, and mobility as a service. A Van Like No Other The Tesla Robovan isn’t just a larger version of Tesla’s other vehicles—it’s an entirely new concept. Elon Musk described it as “a Swiss army knife of transportation” during its reveal, highlighting its versatility for both passenger and cargo applications. Whether it’s transporting commuters or delivering packages,

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Elon Musk Introduces Tesla Cybercab at We, Robot with Full Self-Driving Autonomous Technology

In an era where autonomous vehicles are no longer a distant dream, Tesla has taken yet another leap forward with its highly anticipated Cybercab—an all-electric, fully autonomous robotaxi designed to transform urban mobility. Unveiled by Elon Musk at Tesla event ‘We, Robot’ on October 10, 2024, the Tesla Cybercab is more than just a vehicle; it’s a glimpse into a future where human drivers may become obsolete. But what does this mean for city transportation, and how does the Cybercab compare to Tesla’s other innovations? The Concept Behind the Cybercab Elon Musk’s vision for Tesla has always included a future where vehicles operate without human intervention. Tesla‘s Cybercab is the embodiment of that vision—a purpose-built, driverless taxi designed to ferry

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Volvo’s Electric Future With Tesla Superchargers and In-House Autonomous Driving

In the rapidly evolving world of electric vehicles (EVs), strategic partnerships and technological advancements are key to staying ahead of the curve. Volvo Cars, renowned Swedish automaker, is making significant strides in this direction. The company recently announced a landmark agreement with Tesla, granting Volvo‘s EV drivers access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger network across North America. While Volvo is leveraging Tesla’s charging infrastructure, it has chosen to develop its own autonomous driving technology, underlining its commitment to innovation and independence in the EV sector. A Strategic Partnership with Tesla Volvo Cars is the first European automaker to sign an agreement with Tesla, enabling current and future electric Volvo car drivers to access Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network across the United States,

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NVIDIA reveals AI solutions including autonomous driving

During the recent GTC Fall 21 keynote address this morning, NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang announced industry-transforming AI and accelerated computing solutions to address the world’s toughest problems, including autonomous driving for tomorrow’s car. Here are the highlights of the address: Omniverse Replicator for DRIVE Sim – An engine for generating synthetic data with ground truth to train AV perception networks. Synthetic data has proven to be an incredibly effective tool in accelerating AV development. Now using Omniverse Replicator, DRIVE Sim produces hard/impossible ground truth that humans can’t label, such as velocity, depth, occlusion, severe weather conditions and edge cases. DRIVE Concierge & DRIVE Chauffeur – Two new AI platforms dedicated to removing the stress and hassles of daily

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#194, Lawyer, engineering expert questions Tesla’s AutoPilot

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:45 — 69.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreTesla isn’t new to controversy and nor is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and both are back in the news. The NHTSA, previously critical of the electric vehicle manufacturer, recently said its conducting a preliminary evaluation into the carmaker’s self-titled “Autopilot” systems after 11 crashes in nine states. The concern, the agency reported, is how the driver assistance technology works to “monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with driving while Autopilot is in use.” Bryant Walker Smith, an associate professor in the School of Law and the School of Engineering at the University of South Carolina, discusses the Tesla situation on

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#178, Nvidia expanding the future of autonomous vehicles now

Nvidia, an American multinational technology company based in Santa Clara, California, began in 1993. It originally designed graphics processing units (GPU) for gaming, professional markets and mobile computing. Since 2014, Nvidia has diversified its business, focusing on three markets: gaming, automotive electronics and mobile devices. Danny Shapiro, Senior Director, Automotive, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Shapiro the ever-evolving status of autonomous driving. The Nvidia GPU (GTC) annual event in San Jose was a virtual event this year. It was held April 12-16 with an “After Party” set for April 19-23. Conference sessions are also available on demand. Nvidia: Expanding Autonomous Vehicles The GTC (Global Technology Conference) features

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Self-driving cars are among us but drivers beware

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT Self-Driving Cars Self-driving cars are the biggest advancing development in the auto industry. Tesla brought the technology to the mainstream market, offering cars that can drive themselves while the driver just sits behind the wheel. The ideas of a self-driving car and its the technology began with several manufacturers offering self-parking technology. Self-driving technology is exciting, but as it advances, a few misconceptions have circulated. Here are several things you absolutely can’t do behind the wheel of a self-driving car (and some permissible conditions): Sleeping Some people think self-driving cars are great as they allow people to take naps” while driving. The idea is that while a driver naps while driving, the car is in charge; it takes

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#79 Autonomous future featured at GPU Technology Conference

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:54 — 34.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe huge truck cab couldn’t have been any more conspicuous. It dominated the back of the main showroom at the recent GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California, and attracted plenty of attention. The all-electric prototype from TuSimple is aimed at providing cheaper, more-efficient long-hauling trucking. TuSimple, with offices in China and the United States, is among numerous startups working to automate parts of the long-haul trucking and parcel delivery industries. As part of the technology, semi-trucks would be allowed to operate beyond the 11-hour daily restriction for human drivers. Bruce Aldrich and James Raia, co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast, interview with Xiaodi

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Byton concept set to challenge Tesla but with China debut

Byton, the much-touted electric concept SUV and sedan with Chinese financing and projected as a challenger to Tesla, is getting closer to its production launch. Company representatives showcased the M-Byte crossover and K-Byte sedan and spoke about the company’s plan at AutoMobility LA, the precursor days of the LA Auto Show, Nov. 30-Dec. 9. The M-Byte will be on display throughout the show. If projections materialize, the vehicle will be available in China at the end of 2019 and six months later will be available in the U.S. market. With an advertised base price of $45,000, the Byton is marketed for drivers and passengers to operate the vehicle with Amazon Alexa voice commands or hand gestures. The command operation is

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