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Toyota and Waymo announced plans to begin testing a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X electric vehicles in Japan in 2027, building on a preliminary partnership the companies struck in April 2025. Toyota will manufacture and equip the bZ4X with Waymo's self-driving hardware at its Takaoka plant in Aichi Prefecture, and the companies plan to later expand testing to the UK and other right-hand drive markets.
A government proposal would require robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles to display distinct cyan-colored exterior lights when operating without a human driver. The color is intended to visually signal to pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers that no person is controlling the vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed revisions to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 that would let automakers use cyan-colored marker lamps to indicate when a vehicle's automated driving system is in control. The lights would be optional, but NHTSA wants to standardize their color, brightness and placement so operators like Waymo, Nuro, Zoox, GM and Mercedes-Benz use a consistent signal rather than varied designs.
Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a London-based startup that uses AI to convert images and video into 3D world models, for an undisclosed sum. The 15-person team, founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski and previously focused on gaming applications, will join Rivian's autonomy and AI division under James Philbin and shift entirely to automated-driving work.
Waymo announced Wednesday it has begun offering rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, with designated autonomous vehicle pickup and dropoff zones at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. The service marks the sixth airport Waymo serves, joining Phoenix, Nashville, San Antonio, San Francisco and San Jose, and will initially be limited to a small group of riders before expanding to the public.
On SpaceX's earnings call, CEO Elon Musk said merging SpaceX and Tesla would be a 'good idea' and noted that special committees have been formed at both companies' boards to explore the possibility. Musk is set to discuss Tesla's quarterly results Wednesday, with analysts expecting 43 cents earnings per share on $27.9 billion in revenue, roughly flat versus last year.
A personal essay recounts a writer's experience riding in a Waymo self-driving car along the same Bay Area surface roads she once drove as a teenager, since Waymo vehicles remain barred from freeways. The piece juxtaposes the autonomous ride with memories of a serious car accident she had as a young driver, and muses on how driverless cars change the emotional relationship people have with automobiles.
Carolyn Marvin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after standing in front of an Uber delivery robot and refusing to let it pass. She told local broadcaster ABC13 she deliberately blocks the robots because they displace human delivery workers. Police arrived, asked her to move, and cuffed her after she declined.
With Congress still unable to pass national legislation covering autonomous vehicles, cities and states are increasingly writing their own rules for robotaxi operators. The resulting patchwork of local regulations has emerged after years of federal inaction, even as companies like Waymo expand robotaxi service into more cities.
Waymo announced it will bring its autonomous ride-hailing service to the Toronto area in 2028, starting with a limited fleet of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs that will expand over time. Before autonomous rides begin, human-driven Waymo vehicles will map streets and test in neighborhoods like Liberty Village, St. Lawrence Market and Yorkdale, using a sixth-generation driving system built to handle Toronto's winter conditions. Waymo is partnering with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management for maintenance and customer service, and sign-ups are open on its website.
Waymo has been cleared to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, marking its first expansion into Canada. The company will start by manually driving vehicles to map Toronto's streets, then test autonomous vehicles with safety drivers before eventually removing them and opening rides to the public. Waymo has partnered with Element Fleet Management to handle fleet operations in the city.
The NHTSA has started inspecting a defect petition filed in late September that claims about 1,000 Tesla Model Y Robotaxis and Cybercabs exceeded posted speed limits in active school zones. The petition cites four incidents—one formal complaint and three social media reports—along with three video links, but reports no crashes, injuries, or deaths. NHTSA now has 120 days to review the claims and decide whether to open a formal investigation.