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Waymo is jumping into two new markets, Atlanta and Austin, with the help of its frenemy Uber. Starting next year, Uber users in those cities will have the choice to hail one of Waymo’s Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis, in addition to Uber’s standard human-driven offerings. Under the deal, Uber will handle fleet management, while Waymo will oversee the self-driving systems. The two ride-hail competitors have come a long way since 2017, when Waymo sued Uber for allegedly conspiring to steal self-driving car secrets. The groundbreaking alliance raises the possibility that Waymo may outsource more robotaxi operations to third-party providers like Uber in the future, allowing it to focus its resources on developing the underlying technology.

Is this weird yellow thing Tesla’s soon-to-launch robotaxi? Or is it an intentional misdirection by Elon Musk? A clandestine photo posted on Reddit purportedly shows the much-anticipated CyberCab undergoing tests at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA. As long as Tesla doesn't delay the launch event again, we’ll find out if the pic is legit on October 10th.

Defense-tech startup Forterra has raised $75M in Series B funding to accelerate the deployment of its autonomous driving system. The round was led by Moore Strategic Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital and Hedosophia.

German startup DC Connected has raised $2.3M in seed funding to further develop its AI-driven remote vehicle diagnostics platform.

Following multiple rounds of layoffs in 2022 and 2023, Nuro is shifting its business strategy. Instead of operating a fleet of low-speed delivery robots, the self-driving startup plans to start licensing its AV technology to automakers and mobility providers, like ride-hail and delivery companies.

Reinke Manufacturing, an agricultural technology provider, has invested $12M in advanced robotics to modernize and automate its manufacturing operations.

Alphabet’s drone company Wing and the British startup Apian are partnering with the U.K.’s National Health Service to use drones to fly urgent blood samples between hospitals in London.  

Zoox, the Amazon-backed robotaxi firm, is holding “open houses” in San Francisco to show off its toaster-shaped vehicle—which features neither a steering wheel nor a driver’s seat—before launching on city streets.

… as of right now, though, Zoox’s "self-driving" cars sometimes still need human help.

Driverless bullet trains are expected to debut in Japan by 2029.

TuSimple is attempting to pivot from self-driving trucks to AI gaming. Investors are not pleased.

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