GoKawiil
Tech News
Waymo has begun adding electric vehicles manufactured in China, made by Zeekr, to its robotaxi fleet even as the U.S. maintains steep tariffs and restrictions that effectively block most Chinese-made EVs from American consumers. The vehicles are imported and retrofitted with Waymo's self-driving technology before entering commercial service.
OSHA disclosures reviewed by TechCrunch show test drivers for Waymo and Zoox suffered sprains, strains and whiplash when autonomous software braked hard or swerved suddenly, with 16 injuries linked to Waymo depots via contractor Transdev and up to eight tied to Zoox. Some workers were out for weeks or months, and current and former Zoox contractors say abrupt braking incidents are still occurring.
Waymo's VP of Onboard Software, Srikanth Thirumalai, published a blog post arguing that cameras alone cannot achieve safe full autonomy, citing over 200 million autonomous miles as evidence. Though he never names Tesla, the post is widely seen as a direct rebuttal to Elon Musk's camera-only strategy, which Waymo contrasts with its own use of lidar, radar and cameras together.
Zoox, the driverless-vehicle company Amazon acquired for $1.2 billion in 2020, has begun charging passengers for rides in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Its boxy, steering-wheel-free vehicles seat up to four people and are limited to roads with speed limits of 45 mph or below under NHTSA's approval, which permits up to 5,000 vehicles over two years.
Canada confirmed a new round of tariffs matching Washington's 50% duties, covering more than 700 American products worth roughly $20 billion, set to take effect September 8. The move follows the collapse of trade talks last week, with both governments blaming each other for last-minute demands. Ottawa specifically doubled its tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum to 50% in direct response to similar U.S. levies.
Waymo announced plans to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Munich, months after establishing a German entity. The company will first manually map the city's streets, then test vehicles with safety drivers before removing them, following the same rollout process used in its 11 other operating cities. Waymo is coordinating with Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority and local officials, targeting public commercial service by the end of 2027.
Waymo announced plans to begin phased testing of its robotaxis in Munich in the coming weeks, aiming for a public launch by the end of 2027. The Google-owned company will use the testing period to map the city's streets, train safety specialists and adjust its software for local driving conditions. This marks Waymo's third international city after London and Tokyo, both still in testing phases.
Waymo announced plans to expand its autonomous vehicle operations into Germany, marking its first move into the European market. The company will begin testing its self-driving technology on German roads as a precursor to potential commercial service.
Waymo announced plans to bring its autonomous vehicles to Munich, aiming to launch commercial robotaxi service there by the end of 2027, marking its first deployment in the European Union. The company will begin mapping streets and testing with safety drivers in the coming weeks while seeking permits from local, state and federal authorities. Munich follows London, where Waymo hopes to start public rides as soon as next month, as part of a broader European push that includes new subsidiaries in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
As robotaxi fleets grow in cities like New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco, local officials and lawmakers are moving to impose new restrictions, including vehicle caps, per-mile fees, and stricter citation powers. Governor Hochul shelved a plan to expand driverless taxis beyond NYC after union and legislative opposition, while San Francisco's mayor now backs tougher rules following traffic disruptions caused by Waymo vehicles. Federal regulators have also warned AV makers about safety risks when interacting with emergency responders.
Waymo disclosed it built a proprietary 5-nanometer ASIC chip that pre-processes the massive stream of sensor data—including feeds from 13 cameras—before it reaches its self-driving system's core computer. The company says the chip delivers more than 1,000 TOPS of processing power, putting it near the performance level of Nvidia's DRIVE AGX Thor chip, and is a key part of the vehicle now rolling out to all riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco.