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Waymo recently shared that it is now providing 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week. That number is small compared to human-driven ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber, but the pace of growth in rides, new markets, and how it compares to the fleet size is what is most notable. This rapid scale, however, creates new challenges, including incidents where robotaxis become paralyzed, as many did during a California blackout in December. This raises the question: what happens when a robotaxi gets stuck, and who unsticks it?
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane examined Waymo’s system, which includes its own roadside assistance team, and at least six incidents where first responders had to step in and manually drive a stuck Waymo. In some cases, robotaxis got stuck during emergencies; for example, a police officer responding to a mass shooting in Austin was diverted to first move a Waymo out of the way. At its core, when Waymo’s vehicles get stuck, the company relies on taxpayer-funded public services to move them.
Depending on who you ask, this is either unacceptable, no big deal, or somewhere in between. In a recent hearing, San Francisco District 4 supervisor Alan Wong said that many of his counterparts agree that “our first responders should not be AAA.” For those who shrug, it is worth considering what is coming, as this is not just a Waymo issue. Numerous companies, including Motional and Zoox, hope to deploy paid robotaxis in the U.S. this year. Tesla, which has its service in Austin, has big ambitions too. Each company may have a different system with varying degrees of reliance on first responders.
A little bird close to Uber recently shared a tidbit about Waymo, which the ride-hailing company has partnered with in a few cities. According to this insider, it can take up to 30% longer for a Waymo robotaxi to reach a destination compared to a human driver. This is due to how careful the robot car needs to be and its tendency to avoid potential challenges like unprotected left turns. It is worth noting that while these vehicles can handle left-hand turns, they can be difficult, so it makes sense the robotaxis may avoid them.
In other news, Zipline, the U.S. autonomous drone delivery and logistics startup, has raised another $200 million. This adds to a recent funding round originally announced in January. The additional funds, which included participation from crypto investment firm Paradigm, has pushed Zipline’s recent Series H round to $800 million. The startup’s at-home delivery volume growth beat its forecast in January and February, and the CEO expects this to continue over the next three months relative to 2025.
Other notable deals include NoTraffic, an Israeli traffic management software startup, which raised $90 million in a Series C round. Rivian received another $1 billion from Volkswagen Group after completing a milestone under their technology joint venture. Shield AI, the autonomous military aircraft maker, raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding. Swish, a Bengaluru-based food delivery startup, raised $38 million in a Series B round. Uber plans to invest in Verne, the robotaxi company under Rimac Group, as part of a broader deal with Pony.ai to bring robotaxis to Europe.
Notable reads and other tidbits include DoorDash introducing relief payments for drivers as rising gas prices impact costs. Harbinger, the EV trucking startup, will see its chassis used in emergency vehicles for the company Frazer. Faraday Future is in the clear after the SEC closed its investigation into the EV startup. Flighty, the flight-tracking app, released a new “Airport Intelligence” feature for real-time disruption alerts. Sony Honda Mobility is giving up on its Afeela-branded EV project. Utah’s governor signed a bill establishing a liability framework for autonomous vehicles. Zoox’s purpose-built robotaxis are now navigating public roads in Austin and Miami, with plans to offer rides later this year.
Finally, in a recent poll regarding Rivian and its R2 robotaxi deal with Uber, about 55% of voters believed the pursuit is a distraction and too big a risk, while 45% said it is critical to the company’s long-term future.