A Win-Win Situation

The Guangzhou WeRide Uber partnership is a win-win for the two companies. This is the first time that WeRide is collaborating with a global ride-hailing company, The Uber partnership will enable WeRide to expand its operations beyond the Chinese borders.

For Uber, the partnership presents an opportunity to incorporate more robotaxis into its platform. Uber has collaborated with several autonomous vehicle companies lately as it seeks to maintain its lead in the ride-hailing space.

Earlier this month, the ride-hailing company partnered with Waymo to onboard its robotaxis in Atlanta and Austin in the US. In August this year, Uber partnered with Cruise, the robotaxi unit at General Motors. Cruise robotaxis will operate through Uber’s autonomous vehicle platform from 2025.

Uber also announced a deal with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD. The Uber BYD deal will see Uber add 100,000 Chinese-manufactured electric cars to its fleet of cars globally. Uber is currently working with UK-based autonomous vehicle company, Wayve. Uber made a strategic investment into Wayve to facilitate further development of its AI-powered self-driving technology.

UAE Entry

The collaboration between Uber and WeRide is set to commence in Abu Dhabi later this year. This means that when passengers request rides on the Uber app, they may be given the option of picking an Uber Chinese robotaxi in the UAE.

WeRide secured a national license for autonomous vehicles in the UAE in July this year. The Middle East has become the go-to market for many Chinese autonomous vehicle companies due to its friendly regulatory environment and funding.

With its first and only national license for self-driving vehicles, the Chinese company can test and operate robotaxis on public roads across the UAE.

The Regulation Challenge

WeRide has made attempts to list its shares in the US with a $5 billion valuation. However, this is yet to happen as its initial public offering was delayed. The company said it was completing the necessary documentation to proceed with the listing.

Regulation continues to pose a challenge to the entry of Chinese autonomous vehicles technology into the US market. On September 23, the Biden administration proposed new requirements that prohibit Chinese auto manufacturers from testing their autonomous vehicles on US roads. This includes vehicle hardware and software produced by US foreign adversaries like Russia.

Outside the US, Uber is contending with data protection challenges. Last month, the ride-hailing platform was slapped with a $324 million fine in the Netherlands. Dutch regulators fined the company after it established that Uber had been sending sensitive personal data belonging to Dutch drivers to the US without their consent. This violates the EU data protection laws.

The post WeRide Partnership Takes Uber Robotaxis to the UAE appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Understanding the
rise of China's OEMs: Key players,
global ties, and future potential

In this new report, automotive industry analyst, Felipe Munoz, analyses the rapidly evolving landscape within China, alongside an overview of the main players emerging from China’s burgeoning automotive industry.

Learn about the key players, global ties, and future potential of Chinese car brands, and access the latest market data and intelligence.

The post Understanding the rise of China’s OEMs: Key players, global ties, and future potential appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Speed Automotive Software Development with arm64 & Microsoft SDV Toolchain

Theresa Nguyen

Equinix Business Development Director
Platform Alliances | Microsoft

Filipe Prezado

Microsoft Principal Program Manager
Microsoft SDV & Mobility

Joe Speed

Ampere Head of Edge
Vehicles, Robots, IoT, 5G, and Space

Hosted by – Tech Research Online

About Equinix

Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company. We interconnect industry-leading organizations such as finance, manufacturing, retail, transportation, government, healthcare and education across a digital-first world. Business leaders harness our trusted global platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success—sustainably and securely. 

The post Speed Automotive Software Development with arm64 & Microsoft SDV Toolchain appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Speed Automotive Software Development with arm64 & Microsoft SDV Toolchain

Theresa Nguyen

Equinix Business Development Director
Platform Alliances | Microsoft

Filipe Prezado

Microsoft Principal Program Manager
Microsoft SDV & Mobility

Joe Speed

Ampere Head of Edge
Vehicles, Robots, IoT, 5G, and Space

Hosted by – Tech Research Online

About Equinix

Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company. We interconnect industry-leading organizations such as finance, manufacturing, retail, transportation, government, healthcare and education across a digital-first world. Business leaders harness our trusted global platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success—sustainably and securely. 

The post Speed Automotive Software Development with arm64 & Microsoft SDV Toolchain appeared first on Tech Research Online.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened investigations on Waymo autonomous cars last month. This happened after 22 reports of driverless taxis exhibiting behavior that violates traffic safety laws or unexpected behavior.

Zero Injuries

According to Waymo, the Arizona driverless taxi crash occurred in a narrow passageway. The robotaxi was executing a low-speed pullover. It was on its way to pick up a passenger and was unoccupied. No one was injured in the accident. The driverless car sustained damage.

Following the May incident, Waymo has issued a software update on all vehicles. The intention of the software update is to boost the vehicle’s detection response to permanent objects like poles. The company will also be conducting intensive mapping updates in the vehicles. Waymo is filing the voluntary recall with the NHTSA.

Speaking to the media, a Company Spokesperson said, “We have already deployed mapping and software updates across our entire fleet, and this does not impact our current operations. As we serve more riders in more cities, we will continue our safety first approach, working to earn trust with our riders, community members, regulators, and policymakers.”

Not the First Recall

This isn’t the first time that Waymo recalls self-driving cars. It’s the second one in a span of months. At the beginning of the year, the company recalled its entire fleet of 444 vehicles. Several driverless taxi crashes triggered the recall.

Two Waymo robotaxis hit the same truck in December 2023, just minutes apart. The accidents also occurred in Phoenix. There were no injuries. Waymo responded by updating its software. The team concluded the update in January 2024. A month later, the company announced a recall citing a software error.

Regulator Scrutiny

Following the recent recall, Waymo is likely to face more scrutiny by NHTSA. Last month, the regulator commenced investigations into Waymo over the safety of its robotaxis on public roads.

At the moment, the federal government doesn’t have standards for driverless cars. However, NHTSA requires autonomous car companies to report all crashes to the agency. Waymo isn’t the only autonomous vehicle company on the NHTSA’s radar. Investigators are also looking into Amazon’s Zoox. The agency is also investigating Ford and Tesla’s driverless technology.

Prior to the recent Waymo driverless taxi crash, NHTSA had raised the alarm. The agency had said that driverless cars may fail to avoid poles or other solid objects. NHTSA also said that many times, Waymo robotaxis crashed into visible objects.

“Reports include collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and instances in which the (automated driving system) appeared to disobey traffic safety controls,” NHTSA said.

Waymo is expected to answer detailed questions from the regulator. It must do so by early August. Among the things the NHTSA wants to know is whether the company performed updates or tests to fix the specific incidents.

Waymo is proud of its safety record. Its performance is impressive considering the millions of miles its robotaxis have traveled.

The post Arizona’s Waymo Driverless Taxi Crash Triggers Second Robotaxi Recall appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Ush is a Belgian company that operates driverless vehicles. Poppy is the largest car-share provider in Benelux. The two partner companies are subsidiaries of D’leteren. The release of the remote-controlled cars awaits approval from Belgian authorities.

According to The Next Web, the three partners plan to start driving on roads in the country later this year.

First in Europe

Last year, Bloomberg reported that Vay was the first company to put driverless cars on Europe’s roads. Earlier this year, the teledriving startup released the first commercial mobility service in the US. After successful trials, teledriving will be used to boost efficiency. It will be used in maintenance, collection, and delivery.

Vays’ Chief Business Officer, Justin Spratt, said, “Teledriving is the missing piece of the puzzle for car-share business operators. We’re working with Poppy and Ush to unlock the full value that car-share needs to drive up efficiency and effectiveness for customers, and showcase how remote driving can increase profitability in a sector known for fine margins.”

The startup says it’ll double the time when vehicles are in use. If it succeeds in doing so, it will increase revenues.

Strategic Partnerships

By partnering with Poppy, Vay will install its driverless technology in over 2,000 company vehicles. Driverless systems expert, Ush, will help in maintaining Vay remote-controlled cars in Belgium. The company will be testing the fleet of driverless cars before they get on public roads.

Poppy’s CMO, Pierre de Schaetzen, said, “Vay’s best-in-class teledriving technology will help us increase efficiency, and improve the user experience for our car-sharing program. We’re excited to partner with them to get the most out of our fleet – and to provide our customers with exceptional service.”

Remote-controlled cars in Belgium will range from petrol-powered hatchbacks to electric vehicles. Tele-drivers will deliver the vehicles to customers’ doorsteps. Tele-drivers control the vehicles from a remote station. The stations have a steering wheel, driver’s seat, pedals, and monitors. The monitors give tele-drivers clear front and side views.

It’s possible to have operators sitting in different parts of the world. Operators of Vay remote-controlled cars work from the company’s teledriving centers.

Path to Driverless Cars

Teledriving brings together autonomous vehicles and conventional cars. Autonomous vehicles are more difficult to put in place than it was first thought. Vay has demonstrated that its technology can lead the way to driverless cars.

In a past statement, Thomas von de Ohe, CEO at Vay, said, “Given recent challenges in the autonomy industry, automotive-grade teledriving can offer an alternative path to safe ‘driverless’ transportation, as a human driver is always in control.”

If Vay gets approval to introduce teledriving in Belgium, it will become the first startup to do so in Europe.

The post Vay Remote-Controlled Cars Could Soon Operate on Belgian Roads appeared first on Tech Research Online.