There is plenty of action in the autonomous vehicle industry. This week, Tesla hit a bump in the road when it announced a recall of 362,758 vehicles over faulty self-driving software. However, four days before Zoox, which is owned by Amazon, began shuttling employees on public roads in its driverless robotaxi.
Tesla Recall
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Tesla announced the recall Wednesday which covers most vehicles sold from 2017 through this year. A joint recall, such as this one, means both the regulator and company agreed to the action. Specifically, the NHTSA targeted Full Self-Drive (FSD) Beta software in Teslas.
“The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections,” the NHTSA noted in its recall announcement, “such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution.”
In response, Tesla plans to issue a free over-the-air software update.
Zoox Picking Up Steam and Riders
After getting a testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Zoox launched what it termed the world’s first “purpose-built autonomous robotaxi without traditional driving controls”.
The Zoox vehicles are square shaped and a little longer than 11 feet. The interior features facing benches for passengers. There is no driver, no steering wheel, and no driving controls.
For several years, the company has been testing its vehicles on private roads racking up over a million miles. The four-wheel drive vehicles can run up to 16 hours on a battery charge.
“This is an amazing milestone for Zoox and the autonomous vehicle industry as a whole,” said Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO, after the first ride last weekend.
For now, Zoox will offer rides to employees between its Foster City offices. The next step is to roll out its service to the general public.
Speed Bumps
Two San Francisco companies vieing for that city’s robotaxi market have encountered problems. Last month reports arose of driverless cars stopped in roadways snarling traffic. As a result, city officials asked state regulators to halt or slow operations of Cruise and Wayno.
No matter how the problems of Cruise and Wayno are resolved in San Francisco, the progress of autonomous cars seems relentless. The major auto manufacturers are developing their own autonomous vehicles or are partnering with independent makers. For instance, General Motors is the majority owner of Cruise.
Cities Prepare for Autonomous Vehicles
Tech companies are not the only concerns that have been thinking about autonomous vehicles. Many cities are exploring the possibilities.
In 2017, the Atlanta Regional Commission gathered together 300 local government and transportation officials for the first ConnectATL summit. Their purpose was to learn about the development of autonomous vehicles. In particular, the summit looked at changes driverless transport would bring to infrastructure and citizens.
Boston has begun an autonomous vehicle testing program. The city’s phased approach begins with off-street testing and expands to specified public roadways. Currently, the Boston plan requires a safety engineer to monitor the vehicle’s software and an onboard driver. That may present a challenge for testing Zoox since it has no steering wheel or controls on its robotaxis.
Room for Growth
The antonomous vehicle market reached 87.5 billion dollars in 2021, according to a report by Next Move Strategy Consulting. That same report forecasts the market will top 614.87 billion by 2030. That is a ompound annual growth rate of 24.7 percent.
That growth will not only provide financial opportunities for autonomous vehicle manufacturers, but for suppliers. Companies that provide datasets, sensors, and provide machine learning for autonomous vehicles also have a chance to reep profits as well.
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