TechCrunch Mobility: When a robo-taxi has to call 911

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Waymo She shared that she now provides 500,000 paid taxi rides every week. This number is small compared to its human-driven counterparts, e.g Lyft and Uber. But that’s not what I found most interesting. The pace of growth in new flights and markets and its comparison to the size of its fleet is what caught my attention. we I built a chart (which you can view below) which helps visualize the rapid scale.

However, this scale creates new challenges, including the inevitability of the robot becoming paralyzed, as many did during the California power outages in December. It got us wondering, what happens when a robotaxi breaks down, and who dismantles it?

Senior correspondent Sean O’Kane I dug into the Waymo system (which includes its roadside assistance team), as well as at least six incidents in which first responders had to step in and manually maneuver a stuck Waymo vehicle. In some cases, a robo-taxi broke down in the middle of an emergency: A police officer responding to a mass shooting in Austin earlier this month was diverted to first run a Waymo robo-taxi off the road.

In essence, Sean found that when Waymo’s vehicles break down, the company relies on taxpayer-funded public services to transport its vehicles for it.

Depending on who you talk to, this is either unacceptable, no big deal, or somewhere in between the two. At a recent hearing, San Francisco District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong He said many of his counterparts agree that “our first responders should not be AAA.”

For those who shrug their shoulders, I would suggest they think about what comes next.

This isn’t just a problem with Waymo. Several companies hope to deploy paid robotaxis in the United States this year, including… kinetic and Zoox. Teslawhich has its service in Austin, also has big ambitions. Each company may have a different system with varying degrees of reliance on first responders.

birdie

Small bird close by Uber I recently shared a piece of information about him Waymowhich the ride-hailing company has partnered with in a few cities. According to this insider, a Waymo robot car takes up to 30% longer to get somewhere than a human driver, due to how careful the robot car has to be and its tendency to avoid potential challenges like unprotected left turns. (Important note: I’ve been in a lot of Waymos and these vehicles can handle left turns just fine, but they can be difficult so it makes sense for a robot to avoid them.)

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosek at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com Or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Offers!

Ziplinethe American drone delivery and logistics startup, has been around for years. More recently, its success with home delivery and continued global expansion has helped attract more money.

The company said it It raised another $200 millionin addition to the latest financing round that was originally announced in January. The additional funds, which included participation from cryptocurrency investment firm Paradigm, pushed Zipline’s recent Series H round to $800 million. Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, and Tiger Global participated in the initial tranche that evaluated drone delivery startups in $7.6 billion.

My story speaks to why a startup found so many interested investors. TL; DR: Home delivery volume growth exceeded expectations in January and February, and CEO Keller Clifton said he expects it to do so over the next three months, compared to 2025.

Other deals that caught my attention…

No traffican Israeli traffic management software startup, has raised $90 million in a Series C funding round led by PSG Equity, Axios reported.

Rivian receive Another $1 billion from Volkswagen Group After completing one of its milestones within the framework of a joint technological project between the two automakers. About $750 million comes in the form of equity investment. The other $250 million is either equity or convertible debt, depending on the prototypes the Volkswagen Group has provided to Rivian for testing. (The companies did not immediately clarify this.)

Artificial intelligence shieldManufacturer of self-driving military aircraft, Raised $1.5 billion In Series G financing at a post-money valuation of $12.7 billion. The deal was led by private equity firm Advent and investment group JPMorganChase.

swisha Bengaluru-based food delivery startup, It raised $38 million In a Series B round led by Hara Global and Bain Capital Ventures. Other investors include Accel, Stride Ventures and Alteria Capital.

Uber Plan to invest in it Vernrobotaxi company under Rimac Group. The undisclosed investment, which insiders tell us should be resolved in the next few months, is part of… Wider deal That includes Pony.ai To bring robotaxis to Europe, starting in Zagreb, Croatia.

Notable Readings and Other Stories

DoorDash He submitted Relief payments to drivers At a time when the Iranian-American war leads to a rise in gas prices.

Harbingeran electric trucking startup, continues to add products to its lineup. This time, the Harbinger chassis will be used Emergency vehicles For the 70-year-old Fraser Company.

Faraday future It’s clear with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Supreme Education Council The investigation was closed in the electric vehicle startup despite SEC staff in the case recommending enforcement action last year.

Here’s a timely advantage. recklessthe popular flight tracking app, has released a new app Airport Intelligence feature. Which gives users real-time alerts and reasons for airport disturbances, and is available at 14,000 airports around the world.

Sony Honda Mobilitya joint venture between the two Japanese groups, abandons both Afeela branded electric vehicles It has spent the last few years developing. I had received a lot of press releases and invitations to see Afila over the years, and with each passing quarter, it seemed less likely to become a reality.

The Governor of Utah signed a bill providing… Liability framework for autonomous vehicles.

Zoox Purpose-built robotaxis ply public roads Austin and Miami After nearly two years of operating its experimental vehicles in cities. The company plans to start offering rides at both locations later this year as part of its early rider program. Note: Until Zoox receives a waiver from the federal government, it will not be able to charge for rides.

Another thing…

Below are the results of my question regarding Rivian and the R2 robotaxi deal with Uber. As a reminder, this was the setup. Rivian plans to build thousands of R2 robotaxis, including a self-driving system. Is this a distraction and too much risk or is it critical to the long-term future of the company?

About 55% of voters believe this is a distraction, while 45% said the pursuit of robotaxis is critical to its long-term future.

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