ROBOTAXIS


WAYMO ROBOTAXI JAMS CHICK-FIL-A DRIVE-THRU BAFFLING ONLOOKERS


A Waymo driverless taxi caused a traffic jam at a Santa Monica Chick-fil-A drive-thru, leaving customers perplexed and hungry. Videos circulating online show the autonomous vehicle stalled at the entrance, hazard lights flashing, creating an unusually long line for the popular fast-food restaurant. The incident occurred around 9:30pm, according to witness Chris Kellogg, who captured the scene on video. “I waited in line for about a half-hour before being told the drive-thru only restaurant was closed,” Kellogg reported. His videos depict Chick-fil-A employees observing the stationary Waymo,


which briefly reversed before halting again. While Waymo vehicles have experienced navigational glitches since their city deployment, this drive-thru detour is a novel occurrence. “It’s unclear if anyone was inside the vehicle at the time


or if the taxi was directed to the Chick-fil-A as part of a fare - or if it became sentient and required organic matter for fuel,” observed onlookers. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, confirmed the incident and stated that its “team” retrieved the vehicle. A spokes- person assured: “We are committed to continuously improving our service and making appropriate updates to prevent this from happening in the future.” The incident raises questions about the evolving capabilities and potential pitfalls of autonomous vehicle technology in everyday scenarios.


ZOOX ROBOTAXI EFFORT WILL BEGIN TESTING IN LOS ANGELES


Zoox, the autonomous driving technology company owned by Amazon, is preparing to begin testing its vehicles in Los Angeles this summer. The city will be the sixth testing location for the Bay Area-based venture, which does not yet offer rides to the public. Zoox’s testing in Los Angeles will lay the groundwork for future commercial service, a company spokesperson said. The company plans to welcome its first public riders in Las Vegas and San Francisco by the end of the year. “We’re going to keep moving towards self-driving tech and it’s not always going to be this obscure enigma that’s only available in a few places,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst at iSeeCars.com.


PHTM MAY 2025


“Amazon wants to start to have the technology in place


to take


advantage as the capabilities roll out.” Zoox will deploy a small number of retrofitted Toyota Highlander test vehicles in Los Angeles, all with human safety drivers, the company said. The SUVs will operate in a limited area within the city, though the company has not disclosed specific routes or geographical boundaries. The test fleet will complete manual mapping missions to


identify


challenging routes and road features specific to Los Angeles. Commercial service in the city is still far off and will require regulatory approval. “Even when the technology is theoretically ready, the regulations


and the approval processes are still going to be restricting,” Brauer said. Zoox plans to eventually offer an on-demand ride-hailing service using purpose-built autonomous vehicles with no steering wheel and bidirectional capability. Amazon acquired Zoox five years ago as a wholly owned subsidiary for more than $1.2 billion. Zoox is aiming to


launch a


commercial ride-hailing service similar to Uber and Lyft that relies on its purpose-built bidirectional vehicles. But Amazon may have other ideas for the future of autonomous driving, Brauer said. The e-commerce giant could use driverless vehicles to make deliveries, for example, saving money and resources.


47


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82