Welcome to the Ride AI newsletter: your weekly digest of news and intelligence at the intersection of technology and transportation.

Now, Here’s What You Need To Know Today.

‍

WeRide is setting its sights on the Middle East, aiming to have as many as 1,000 robotaxis operating across the region in 2026.

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority approved the company to begin self-driving trials using its GXR vehicles across Jumeirah’s commercial districts and nearby residential areas, including Za’abeel First, Al Manara, Umm Suqeim, and Al Safa. The initial deployment will include 50 vehicles, with plans to expand the fleet to 1,000 by next year and eventually tens of thousands by 2030. Dubai is now the 11th city worldwide, and the second in the UAE, where WeRide operates robotaxis.

WeRide has already begun road testing in Dubai and plans to launch public trials with safety officers later this year through Uber’s platform, targeting fully driverless service in 2026. The company also signed a memorandum of understanding with the RTA to collaborate on the Dubai Autonomous Zone initiative, which aims to position the city as a global hub for autonomous transport and logistics. WeRide’s presence now spans 11 cities in five countries, including Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Zurich, with Abu Dhabi serving as its first site outside China and the U.S. for fully driverless robotaxi testing.

‍

Swedish autonomous trucking firm Einride has hit a $1 billion valuation after closing a $100 million funding round.

The company, which blends self-driving freight technology with electric logistics operations, more than doubled its previous valuation from 2021. The raise included backing from EQT Ventures, IonQ, and a major west coast asset manager, according to Bloomberg. Einride says the funds will help it scale autonomous freight deployments, accelerate technology development, and expand partnerships with global shippers.

Einride reported $47 million in transport revenue last year and now operates a growing mix of battery-electric Peterbilt trucks and its own autonomous container vehicles. The company has also received approval to operate its Level 4 heavy-duty electric trucks on public roads in Europe. With a footprint spanning the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, CEO Robert Falck appears to be positioning the company for a U.S. stock market debut as it continues to cut costs and streamline operations.

‍

Nissan and its partners are preparing to launch an autonomous mobility pilot program in Yokohama later this year using Wayve technology.

Running from November 27 to January 30, the trial will test five self-driving Nissan Serena minivans across Minato Mirai, Sakuragi-cho, Kannai, and Chinatown. The program is a joint effort between Nissan, BOLDLY, Premier Aid, and Keikyu Corporation, with support from the City of Yokohama. While not explicitly stated, Nissan does seem to be using Wayve’s autonomous tech in this pilot. A remote-monitoring hub called PLOT48 will oversee vehicle operations and safety, allowing the companies to gather data and identify challenges ahead of a planned commercial rollout in fiscal 2027.

The pilot will run Tuesdays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering free rides for up to 300 local participants who sign up as test riders. Feedback from those trips will be used to refine service operations and safety protocols. Nissan is leading the project and supplying the vehicles, while BOLDLY handles remote monitoring, Premier Aid provides onboard support, and Keikyu contributes its expertise in transport management.

If successful, the partners plan to move toward a fully driverless mobility service that can operate under remote supervision, helping Japan address driver shortages and improve accessibility in urban transport networks.

‍

Waymo has received a permit extension to continue testing in New York City.

The company announced on October 1st that the NYC DOT had granted an extension to allow continued autonomous testing in areas such as Manhattan. Along with the announcement, company co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov shared a video of visualizations from Waymo’s autonomous testing in the city. 

Waymo also announced support for YouTube Music in its vehicles in addition to Spotify. Riders with YouTube Music or YouTube Premium subscriptions are now able to link their YouTube accounts from within Waymo vehicles. This is great, but I’m still waiting for Apple Music support. If anybody from Waymo is reading this…

In a last bit of Waymo news, San Jose Airport has put up its autonomous vehicle rideshare signage. As shown in the image below, an advantage of being a first mover is that public signage iconography intended to cover a wide range of services ends up being designed to reflect your hardware. 

‍

Zoox has started sending out invites for early access in San Francisco.

Early testers who had filled out surveys are now starting to get invited to the San Francisco service area via the Zoox app. The service area is limited to a small geofence in the South of Market area of San Francisco, and hailing, while free for now, is time-gated.

As the second fully driver-out deployment in San Francisco and the first with a purpose built ride vehicle, this is an exciting moment for Zoox. The San Francisco public will now have two driverless deployments performing normal pick ups and drop offs to compare side by side. 

For those in San Francisco who are interested in signing up, Zoox is currently running a promotion during Fleet Week. Users can receive a free pastry and coffee from Tartine for signing up to the waitlist. Simply show the barista the Zoox app on your phone to claim it.

In Other News…

• Three Avride delivery robots negotiating an intersection bemuses onlookers in Jersey City
• Rivian CEO RJ talks sensors

Alright, that’s it from me… until next week. If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with your friend, colleague, or boss. Thank you for reading; Sophia out!