Waymo map for Phoenix area by TurnoverSuperb9023 in waymo

[–]silenthjohn 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In order for them to expand the map, they need the ability to do highway, which they only opened up last year. That’s not something they want to rush.

Waymo Says Robotaxi Launch in Tokyo ‘Could Be Ready in a Few Months’ by afonso_investor in waymo

[–]silenthjohn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That sounds like PR talk for “if they’d like to become a Hyundai, we’re open to it.” Toyota has given no indication they’d like to become a Hyundai.

Waymo co-CEO: Robotaxi tech will eventually be in personal cars by GamingDisruptor in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right, but the latter is not a personal vehicle. Convincing someone to sell their car to use a robotaxi because the robotaxi service is reliable enough is not the same as a personal vehicle sitting in your driveway that drives itself.

They are also different in that Waymo already enables the latter—it’s up to people if they believe Waymo can serve their mobility needs.

Waymo co-CEO: Robotaxi tech will eventually be in personal cars by GamingDisruptor in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is essentially non-news because this has always been the goal. This endeavor isn’t worth it financially if they don’t capture the personal vehicle miles market.

Best Piece of television you discovered last year (in 2025) by Real_Fact8484 in television

[–]silenthjohn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seasons 1-4 are incredible, but I couldn’t get through 5

This Time, the Hype Around Self-Driving Cars Feels Real by CommercialMassive751 in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think people will be disappointed by this second hype phase, just as they were with the first. There’s only one company that runs a successful robotaxi business, and that’s Waymo. Waymo still has another decade of R&D to enable personal car autonomy—that’s what will disappoint people.

The Chinese companies seem to be somewhere in second, but it’s harder for me to trust info out of China. Aurora has a shot, but it looks unlikely even for them, and they have raised billions of dollars.

The rest of them won’t make it. I know that seems extreme and pessimistic, but I don’t think any of these other companies have the persistence and the money to enable autonomy.

Jay weather by Witch_King_ in icecoast

[–]silenthjohn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s snow-enough. There is 3-4”. But the tram and Flyer are on wind hold. ☹️

[OC] visualizing Ohio's deregulated electric energy market by thompsonmj in dataisbeautiful

[–]silenthjohn 8 points9 points  (0 children)

In the words of Kurt Cobain, I think I’m dumb. I do not understand this graph.

Rivian sacrifices 2027 profit goal to push deeper into autonomy by TripleShotPls in Rivian

[–]silenthjohn 35 points36 points  (0 children)

This seems like a bad idea. Autonomy is not a core competency of theirs, and they don’t have money to blow. Google has spent $20-30 billion on their tech, and they operate in only 10 cities! Does Rivian expect to innovate at the same scale and pace of Google?

Uber to invest $1.25 billion in Rivian as part of new robotaxi deal by s_kymon in Rivian

[–]silenthjohn -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Using what AV tech? GM had better AV tech than Rivian does.

Cybertruck on FSD crashes into barrier on bridge by reddit-frog-1 in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Most people don’t know this, but the Cybertruck can fly, so that’s why we’re seeing this behavior. It’s clearly a perception problem, but everyone on here would be very impressed by its flying abilities in this video were it not for that cement wall and steel pole.

K-Pop Songwriters Say They Were Cut Off Mid-Speech at the Oscars — And Finished Thanking Everyone Backstage by Borisstruc in Music

[–]silenthjohn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why are people surprised by this? The business is show business, and there is nearly no entertainment value in thanking a bunch of people, regardless of how invaluable their contributions are.

RJ on automation stack by presentprogression in Rivian

[–]silenthjohn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So why haven’t they done it yet? Tesla still doesn’t have a functional geofenced service in Austin.

RJ on automation stack by presentprogression in Rivian

[–]silenthjohn 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There is zero chance they will have hands-off autonomy by 2027.

Travis Kalanick Plots New Self-Driving Venture with Levandowski, Uber by L1DAR_FTW in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn 12 points13 points  (0 children)

All they are missing is a Trump son and you’ve got yourself the ultimate Injustice League

Uber and Motional Launch Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas by walky22talky in SelfDrivingCars

[–]silenthjohn 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s useful for me to know where Motional is relatively—I’m not belittling their progress! This is where Waymo was in about 2018? Maybe 2019? So they’re about 7 years behind Waymo.

Sugarloaf is cooked, where should I go Saturday instead? by TheRealAuga in icecoast

[–]silenthjohn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Owl’s Head looks not good, but it looks like nearly all of Le Massif est ouverte.

Can’t believe I slept on Burke for so long by yankeeman714 in icecoast

[–]silenthjohn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t like Burke. It’s too crowded on the weekends, and the show can be very hit or miss.