Latest news with #selfDriving
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford CEO Jim Farley says Waymo's approach to self-driving makes more sense than Tesla's
Ford CEO Jim Farley expressed skepticism about the technological approach to self-driving cars being pursued by Tesla, citing consumer 'trust' and the need to 'be really careful' as reasons why Ford sees more potential in systems based on laser sensors like those in Waymo vehicles. The comments are the latest indication of the auto industry's resistance to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's vision of less expensive self-driving vehicles that use only video cameras and artificial intelligence — a bet Musk believes will ultimately pay off and prompt other automakers to license Tesla's technology. But Ford, the number three automaker in the U.S., which plans to work with partners to incorporate self-driving technology into its future vehicles, does not seem likely to license Tesla's tech anytime soon, based on Farley's comments on Friday. 'When you have a brand like Ford, when there's a new technology, you have to be really careful,' Farley said at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Friday. 'We really believe that LiDAR is mission critical,' Farley said, referring to the laser sensors used by companies like Waymo. Farley was being interviewed by Walter Isaacson, who published a biography on Elon Musk in 2023. When their conversation turned to autonomy, Isaacson asked Farley to compare both Waymo and Tesla's systems, and he asked which approach made more sense. 'To us, Waymo,' Farley said. He pointed out that both Waymo, owned by Google-parent Alphabet, and Tesla 'have made a lot of progress' on self-driving, and Farley acknowledged that he has had conversations with Elon Musk. But he stated that Ford considered LiDAR to be an important part of the picture, noting that 'where the camera will be completely blinded, the LiDAR system will see exactly what's in front of you.' Tesla, which recently launched its robotaxi service in Austin—with safety riders in the front seat—has famously taken a 'camera-only' approach to its autonomous technology, meaning that it doesn't use radar or LiDAR technology to 'see' the environment around the car. This approach has drawn scrutiny across the industry from people who question whether it is as safe without the redundancies, even as Musk argues that it's more economical and performs just as well 'The issue with Waymo's cars is it costs way more money,' Musk said during Tesla's quarterly earnings call in April. 'The car is very expensive, made in low volume. Teslas probably cost 25% or 20% of what a Waymo costs and made in very high volume.' Ford has said it plans to partner with a self-driving software company once the technology is farther along. While the company had spent $1 billion pursuing its own joint venture with Volkswagen, called Argo AI, Ford stopped funding the effort in 2022 and decided to pursue a partnership model. In the meantime, the company has shifted attention to its 'BlueCruise' technology, a so-called Level 2 self-driving system that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on the highway but requires full attention. Ford is still working on developing a more advanced system, which will allow drivers to not pay attention during certain times on the highway—but it has said it no longer has intentions to build a fully autonomous, Level 4 system, only plans to partner with other companies who have. 'We decided, as a company, that a cooler problem than full autonomy in an urban setting was high speed, eyes off. Push a button and read a book in your car,' Farley said. This story was originally featured on
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Elon Musk Says First Tesla Drove Itself From Factory to Customer
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said a Tesla Model Y SUV drove itself from the company's factory near Austin to a customer's home in the company's latest move to showcase its push into autonomous driving. In a post on X, Musk announced the company had made an autonomous delivery of a Tesla Model Y from factory to a customer's home, noting the delivery was made 'across town,' and included highways. Musk said the delivery did not include anyone in the car and no remote operators were in control of the car.
Reuters
a day ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Automakers want US to move faster on self-driving car rules
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Major automakers want Congress and the Trump administration to move faster to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls as new robotaxi tests expand. Congress has been divided for years about whether to pass legislation to address deployment hurdles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not moved quickly to rewrite safety rules or allow exemptions for up to 2,500 vehicles without human controls annually and ease other hurdles. "The auto industry wants, it needs a functioning and effective auto safety regulator. We don't have that today," said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Thursday. "The agency isn't nimble. Rulemakings take too long if they come at all." Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association Director Jeff Farrah urged Congress to pass long-stalled nationwide legislation to allow the United States to globally lead on AVs as China moves aggressively in the field. "Right now we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back," Farrah said. Companies have pushed for more action for years. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in April that a new department framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals. Earlier this month, NHTSA said it would speed reviews of requests from automakers to deploy self-driving vehicles without required human controls like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors. Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, a Democrat, cited reports showing NHTSA has lost as much as 35% of its expert staff this year through layoffs and other exits, which puts the ability of the agency to function at risk. NHTSA said "significantly fewer people have left" than Pallone suggested and that it remains "staffed to continue to conduct all safety- and mission-critical work" and is boosting its Office of Autonomous Safety. Meanwhile, U.S. traffic deaths remain sharply above pre-COVID levels. Despite falling 3.8% in 2024 to 39,345, they are still significantly higher than the 36,355 killed in 2019 and double the average rate of other high-income countries. "NHTSA is failing to meet the moment," Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President David Harkey told lawmakers. "In recent years, it has approached its job with a lack of urgency, using flawed methodologies that underestimate the safety benefits of obviously beneficial interventions," he said. NHTSA routinely fails to write regulations even when directed by Congress and has often gone years without a Senate-confirmed leader.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Uber in Talks to Fund Kalanick Bid to Buy Pony AI Unit, NYT Says
Uber Technologies Inc. is in talks with founder Travis Kalanick to help fund his acquisition of the US arm of Chinese self-driving firm Pony AI Inc., the New York Times reported. Shares of both companies jumped in Thursday trading. The talks are preliminary, according to the Times, citing two unnamed people. Kalanick would run Pony if the deal is completed while continuing to lead his current company, CloudKitchens, the report cited the people as saying. Financial details of the potential transaction were not known, the report said.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Uber in Talks With Its Founder, Travis Kalanick, to Fund Self-Driving Car Deal
Uber is increasingly grappling with competition from self-driving taxi services like Waymo. Now the ride-hailing giant is taking more action to deal with that threat. Uber is in talks with Travis Kalanick, the ride-hailing company's co-founder who was ousted in a boardroom coup eight years ago this month, to help fund his acquisition of the U.S. arm of a Chinese autonomous vehicles company, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The company, was founded in Silicon Valley in 2016 but has its main presence in China, and has permits to operate robot taxis and trucks in the United States and China. The talks are preliminary, said the people, who were not authorized to speak about the confidential conversations. Mr. Kalanick would run Pony if the deal is completed, they said. It is unclear what role, if any, Uber would take in Pony as an investor. Financial details of the potential transaction could not be determined. Pony went public last year in the United States, raising $260 million in a share sale. Its market capitalization stands at around $4.5 billion. If the deal goes through, Mr. Kalanick, 48, would remain in his day job running CloudKitchens, a virtual restaurant start-up that he founded after leaving Uber in 2017. He would also work more closely with Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over as Uber's chief executive after Mr. Kalanick's ouster. The discussions are the starkest sign yet that Uber is under pressure from Waymo, the driverless car unit spun out of Google, and other autonomous car services. This month, Tesla also unveiled a limited robot taxi service in Austin. Over time, these autonomous vehicle services may replace or eat into rides from human drivers. In cities like San Francisco where robot taxi services are available, the vehicles have become ubiquitous and are popular. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
