Inside Autonomous Vehicles

Waymo has announced its sixth-generation robotaxi system is operational, with the company targeting expansion to 20 new cities in 2026 as it moves to significantly scale its fleet. Image: Waymo The new system employs fewer sensors than previous generations, including 17-megapixel cameras and reengineered short-range lidar capable of identifying vulnerable road users with centimeter-scale accuracy, while achieving a lower per-vehicle cost than prior models.

Uber and Rivian have signed a strategic agreement to deploy a fleet of 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis, with Uber committing up to $1.25 billion in milestone-based investments through 2031. Image: Uber/Rivian Initial commercial operations are planned for San Francisco and Miami in 2028, with the partnership targeting a rollout across 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Volkswagen’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary MOIA America and Uber have begun testing self-driving microbuses in Los Angeles, the first step toward a planned commercial robotaxi launch in the city by late 2026. Image: MOIA/VW Testing is getting underway with approximately 10 autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles in Los Angeles. The production version of the driverless vehicle seats four passengers.

WeRide and Uber launched fully driverless, fare-charging robotaxi service in Dubai on March 31, marking one of the first commercial deployments of its kind anywhere in the world. Image: WeRide/Uber Riders in Dubai’s Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah districts can now book a WeRide robotaxi through the Uber app, with service endorsed by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority as part of the emirate’s goal of achieving 25% autonomous journeys by 2030.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is moving to remove a significant regulatory barrier to fully autonomous vehicles, proposing to eliminate federal standards that require human controls in cars and trucks.

The Nuro-Uber-Lucid robotaxi program has reached its next validation milestone, with select Uber employees now able to hail a ride in an autonomous Lucid Gravity SUV through the Uber app in San Francisco. Image: Nuro The vehicles are operating in autonomous mode with a human safety operator behind the wheel as backup — standard protocol for this phase of testing.

Motional has begun high-speed, closed-course testing of its all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 robotaxis, hitting autonomous highway speeds of 75 mph at Hyundai’s proving grounds in California City, California. The company says the work is an important milestone as it prepares its driverless service to move beyond dense urban cores and onto freeways.

IVECO, the brand of Iveco Group N.V. that designs, manufactures and markets light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, announces a new programme with long-standing partner PlusAI, a global leader in AI-based virtual driver software for autonomous trucks.

NVIDIA today unveiled the NVIDIA Alpamayo family of open AI models, simulation tools and datasets designed to accelerate the next era of safe, reasoning‑based autonomous vehicle (AV) development. Image: NVIDIA AVs must safely operate across an enormous range of driving conditions. Rare, complex scenarios, often called the “long tail,” remain some of the toughest challenges for autonomous systems to safely master.

Lucid Group, Inc., Nuro, Inc., and Uber Technologies, Inc., today unveiled the production intent vehicles that will be used in their global robotaxi service and introduced the Uber-designed in-cabin rider experience for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026.