Waymo to test robotaxis in Toronto, aims for 2028 launch date - CTV News

Self-driving taxi operator Waymo is poised to launch a test phase in Toronto, with the goal of carrying its first passengers in 2028 as part of a push to breach the broader Canadian market. The California-based ride-hailing company says the Ontario government has given it the green light to take part in a provincial pilot program that regulates testing of autonomous cars. The move could give a jolt to the province’s auto tech sector, shake up the ride-hailing market and potentially boost accessibility for the sight-loss community, observers say, even as concerns persist around safety and job security. Waymo, owned by Google parent company Alphabet Inc., says the first phase includes high-definition street mapping and data collection starting this year, to be followed by test runs of the robotaxis with a driver behind the wheel. Latest updates on company news hereWaymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana sought to reassure skeptics who say autonomous vehicles struggle to handle more complicated environments, including bad weather, heavy traffic or unusual situations.

Elon Musk takes a dig at Waymo's pet collision history and says Tesla Robotaxi has a solution Elon Musk said Waymo's robotaxis are "pet destroyers. "

Elon Musk says gray cats on a dark road are vexing for robotaxis. There are many challenges to putting self-driving cars on the road. Elon Musk says one of them has nine lives. The Tesla CEO announced on Saturday that the company is expanding the operating hours of its robotaxis from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Austin and said that his team has been trying to overcome a rather stealthy problem. "The main thing we're trying to solve is making sure that we don't run over pets when they're hard to see at night," Musk wrote in an X post. "Literally trying to avoid grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark. "After years of delays, Tesla's robotaxis were rolled out in Austin last year. Since then, the company has gradually expanded the availability there and in other Texas cities and in Florida. Cybercabs use "camera vision and sensors" to navigate, according to Tesla. In its vehicle manuals, Tesla says that low or limited light — including unlit or poorly lit roads at night — can limit a camera's ability to provide accurate visual information. Cats and dogs, which are prone to darting unpredictably into the street, could pose a higher risk than the relatively routine flow of traffic.

Toronto could become the first city in Canada to offer a fully autonomous ride-hailing service after Waymo announced plans to begin laying the groundwork for a launch in the city by 2028. The California-based autonomous driving company says its vehicles will soon be seen on Toronto streets as it begins the first phase of operations under Ontario’s Automated Vehicle Pilot Program.