Cruise has begun initial testing and data collection in Miami. The news comes two months after they expanded to Houston and Dallas, where they’ve begun supervised testing (i.e., there’s a human safety driver in the car) and are on track to begin driverless ride-hail service for members of the public soon, according to a Cruise representative. Cruise will switch to driverless testing before opening up the service for riders.
VW has initiated their AD tests, which involve the transport of passengers (four per car), including government representatives, public authority figures, business executives, and journalists in Munich. Additionally, Volkswagen is conducting identical tests using ID.Buzz prototypes in North America.
VW has announced the launch of their inaugural AV testing initiative in Austin, Texas. The initial phase will involve a fleet of 10 all-electric ID.Buzz vehicles, equipped with a AD technology platform created in partnership with Mobileye. This initiative is a significant stride forward for the Volkswagen Group’s global autonomous vehicle research and development.
Zoox has unveiled their purpose-built robotaxi in Las Vegas, paving the way toward a commercial launch of autonomous transportation services. The initial route is a one-mile loop surrounding Zoox’s Las Vegas headquarters, with plans to expand in the coming months. The vehicle, capable of transporting four passengers and operating at speeds up to 35 mph, undergoes real-world tests, navigating various road conditions, traffic situations, and obstacles.
Haomo, the autonomous driving technology arm of Great Wall Motor, announced that their Xiaomotuo unmanned terminal goods delivery vehicle has completed over 200,000 delivery orders. Since November 2020, the Xiaomotuo has been operating in Beijing’s Shunyi District and other regions. Service has been expanded to upscale communities in Shanghai and the Yizhuang area of Beijing. This past March, Haomo obtained the vehicle coding for unmanned delivery testing in the Beijing ICV Policy Pilot Zone.
WeRide officially launched their autonomous driving demonstration project in Dalian, the coastal city of China’s Liaoning Province, on July 7 after 180 days of testing. Operations were launched with the WeRide Robobus and Robosweeper—the first autonomous vehicle fleet deployed in Dalian. WeRide deployed six autonomous buses (Robobus) and two autonomous street sweepers (Robosweeper), which will gradually operate on four autonomous bus demonstration routes and one sweeping route.
The UAE has approved the country’s first autonomous-driving license and awarded it to Chinese L4 AD technology company, WeRide. This marks the first national-level AD license in the Middle East and even globally. With this license, WeRide will conduct various road testing and operations of autonomous vehicles in the UAE. Dubai aims to have 25 per cent of its transportation demands accomplished by autonomous vehicles by 2030.
WeRide inaugurated their autonomous driving demonstration bus route in the Hengqin Cooperation Zone of Zhuhai city, Guangdong Province, China. The bus route, operating between Hengqin Port and Chimelong, is another autonomous driving tourist route in Hengqin. The route covers multiple scenic spots and commercial areas, offering citizens and tourists a novel, intelligent, convenient, and efficient mobility solution. The new route spans 7.2 kilometers.
Dongfeng Sharing, the autonomous driving arm of Dongfeng Motor, was recently granted the first commercial pilot license for autonomous buses in the Wuhan region. The autonomous driving bus, Sharing-BUS, was officially deployed and has been in trial operation for over a year since the May Day holiday last year. The fares for the unmanned buses are the same as traditional buses. The suggested fare for the yet-to-open rapid bus routes within 6 kilometers will be C¥3, with fare increments based on the distance traveled.
Loadsmith has teamed with Kodiak Robotics to pioneer the world’s first freight transportation company specifically designed for autonomous trucks. Loadsmith has placed an unprecedented order of 800 self-driving trucks from Kodiak Robotics. This investment sets the groundwork for the Loadsmith Freight Network (LFN), the first-ever freight transportation operation wholly committed to using AVs. The transition to Kodiak-powered autonomous trucks is slated to commence in the latter half of 2025.
Iveco and Plus have announced that their jointly developed autonomous Iveco S-Way truck, integrated with the PlusDrive solution, is now operational on public roads in Germany. The data gathered during the public road testing phase will crucially set the stage for future industrialization.
Halo, a provider of on-demand electric vehicles, is launching remote-piloted EVs without a safety driver in Las Vegas. This launch succeeds four years of exhaustive testing with safety drivers. Users in Las Vegas can schedule a Halo car to be delivered to their location without a safety driver in. Trained ‘remote pilots’ at the operations center use video and sensor data for remotely driving the vehicle.
