Cruise Eyes A Return To Robotaxis While Waymo Runs Into Legal Problems

In the last few months, the autonomous mobility industry has gone through a few ups and downs, particularly that of the robotaxis or self-driving taxis. These moves include new players, such as Tesla and DiDI Global, entering the arena.

On the flip side, some of the established companies in this domain have faced compliance issues and legal challenges due to safety concerns.

A few months ago, General Motors’ Cruise had its permit suspended, after which the company cut spending on its robotaxi unit by a whopping $1 billion! Ahead of this, almost the entire management team was replaced.

At the same time, Alphabet-owned Waymo, its rival, reveled in partnerships and expansions.

However, the situation raised an important question; Will GM’s Cruise ever bounce back after halting its robotaxi production?

As per the latest developments, that question might be answered soon as Cruise looks to make its way back into the industry, while forward-racing Waymo might be facing its share of legal problems. 
So, what’s going on with these two companies? Let’s explore!
 

What's Going On With Cruise?

 

• In October 2023, a woman crossing the street in San Francisco, California, was the victim of a hit-and-run case by a vehicle, after which she was dragged by a General Motors-owned Cruise autonomous robotaxi for 20 feet.

• As per regulators, the company even failed to disclose important details related to the accident.

• The incident, among others, led to the company getting its permit suspended.

• Now, as per reports, the company has reached a settlement with the woman, agreeing to pay within $8 million and $12 million, however, the date of settlement isn’t known.

• While the current condition of the victim isn’t known, she has been discharged from the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital after being in critical condition post the accident.

• As per a statement by a Cruise spokesperson, “The hearts of all Cruise employees continue to be with the pedestrian, and we hope for her continued recovery.”

• A week ago, Cruise mentioned it would resume testing its autonomous taxis, with the inclusion of a human driver to take over if needed.

• The testing will commence in Arizona, beginning with Phoenix and slowly expanding within the state.

• In April 2024, Cruise submitted responses to have its permit reinstated but as per the report, the responses are still under review by the California DMV.

• Ahead of this, Kyle Vogt, the founder and former CEO of Cruise who resigned from his position post the incident, has moved onto a new robotics startup, called the Bot Company, which focuses on household chores.

 

What's Going On With Waymo?

 

• While Cruise looks to move on from its legal troubles, Alphabet-owned Waymo is about to get into some itself.

• As per a filing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the agency is investigating Waymo over 22 separate incidents pertaining to its self-driving software.

• These 22 incidents relate to 17 collisions, leading to an investigation of approximately 444 Waymo self-driving vehicles.

• “The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received reports of 22 incidents involving Waymo vehicles equipped with Waymo’s 5th generation automated driving system (ADS) wherein the ADS-equipped vehicle was the sole vehicle operated during a collision or wherein the ADS-equipped vehicle exhibited driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws,” read the filing.

• These reports include its self-driving vehicles driving in wrong lanes, construction zones and “collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles and instances in which the ADS appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices.”

• Prior to this, Waymo issued its first-ever recall for its autonomous software three months ago, as two of its vehicles crashed into the same vehicle in Phoenix, Arizona.

• As per a statement issued by Waymo, “NHTSA plays a very important role in road safety and we will continue to work with them as part of our mission to become the world’s most trusted driver.”

Other than Waymo, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) also opened a probe into Zoox (Amazon-backed) autonomous vehicles after two reports of unexpected braking leading to accidents with motorcycles.

Do you think Cruise can make a comeback in the industry and sustain its run? Do you think Waymo will be able to update its systems and evade regulatory backlash to continue on its robotaxi route and collect a leading position in the sector? Do you think other companies can taste success in the arena?

Let us know in the comments below!