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Uber Executive Shares Video of Waymo Robotaxi Maneuver in San Francisco
Uber's chief technology officer posted a video in April showing a Waymo vehicle overtaking a bus in the wrong lane. Uber executives have described autonomous vehicle-only operators as less scalable than hybrid models that combine human drivers and robotaxis. The company continues to partner with Waymo while expanding ties with other robotaxi operators.
May 15, 5:43 AM·1m read1 source
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Uber Technologies Inc. executives have described autonomous vehicle-only operators such as Waymo as less scalable and less reliable than a hybrid approach combining human drivers and robotaxis on ride-hailing platforms, Business Insider reported on Thursday.
The video showed a Waymo vehicle overtaking a bus in the wrong lane and attempting to squeeze between his vehicle and the bus. “Big fan of AVs, but perception ≠ judgment. ” he said in the post.
February, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said autonomous vehicles were progressing rapidly and held enormous potential. He added that they remained far from capable of meeting the level of reliability that customers expected. The company has noted that autonomous vehicles are deploying in wealthy neighborhoods while failing to deploy in cities such as Oakland, where it has permission.
Uber has called for equitable distribution across markets.
Uber has expanded partnerships with various robotaxi operators worldwide in addition to Waymo. The company outlined plans to invest $10 billion in the sector through equity investments and fleet expansions. Khosrowshahi has described the autonomous vehicle sector as a trillion-dollar total addressable market.
Waymo remains Uber's sole partner in the U.S. robotaxi space. Uber Technologies shares fell 0.62 percent to $74.24 in premarket trading on Friday.
