Uber is getting back into autonomous vehicles. The ride-hailing and food delivery company has announced that it has signed a 10-year agreement with Motional to provide Uber with autonomous vehicles for its services. The two expect the first trips to happen before the end of the year.

“This agreement will be instrumental to the wide-scale adoption of robotaxis,” said Karl Iagnemma, Motional’s president and CEO. The partnership will allow Motional access to key insights from Uber that will help the AV Company to “strategically deploy” its vehicles.

The information Motional will get from Uber will help reduce unnecessary miles traveled and vehicle downtime. This should lead to improved services for customers, cutting down weight times and lowering fees. This will ensure the vehicles spend the most time generating revenue.

This isn’t Uber and Motional’s first partnership together. In May, Motional began delivering Uber Eats orders in Santa Monica, California, with its autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossovers. The two devised the pilot program to study how customers interacted with the technology, and it was “well received” by customers, according to Motional, which has expanded the service to other restaurants. The new 10-year agreement allows the two to expand autonomous Uber Eats deliveries to other cities.

Uber was previously researching autonomous vehicles, but it sold the division in 2020, three years after one. Motional is a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, which is why the company is using Hyundai crossovers for most of its fleet. It’s unclear where the two will expand service first, as states have varying requirements for autonomous vehicles.

“The scope of this partnership shows the important role that shared autonomous vehicles will play in the future of transportation, and in Uber’s strategy to be the global platform to help you go anywhere and get anything,” said Noah Zych, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery.

Autonomous vehicles are a long-promised technology that has struggled for mainstream relevancy. These vehicles face considerable hurdles before a computer drives everyone around, but it is a step toward that future.

Many drivers continue to rely on partially automated systems in their cars as if they are fully autonomous. This is what a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows and the numbers seem very worrying despite widespread warnings from automakers, safety associations, and media.

The research was made by the IIHS using a mixed-mode survey (phone and online) among regular users of General Motors Super Cruise, Nissan ProPilot Assist, and Tesla Autopilot. Around 600 Cadillac, Tesla, and Nissan or Infiniti owners were surveyed, about 200 from each brand.

Most of today’s safety systems include two main features that support highway driving. The first one is adaptive cruise control, which maintains a set speed and follows the distance from the vehicle ahead, automatically slowing down and accelerating when needed. The other one is the lane-centering system, which keeps the vehicle in the middle of the selected lane by providing steering input. Some more advanced systems can also perform lane changes.

None of the existing systems has been designed to fully replace a human driver, however. Despite that, many of the surveyed drivers said that, while driving with the safety systems engaged, they are more likely to perform activities such as eating or texting. Even more worryingly, more than half of the Super Cruise users and 42 percent of Autopilot users said they treat the semi-autonomous systems as fully autonomous driving. In turn, just 12 percent of ProPilot Assist users have that habit.

“The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technology’s limits,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “But we also see clear differences among the three owner populations. It’s possible that system design and marketing are adding to these misconceptions.”

This disproportion in the results can probably be explained by the fact that Cadillac’s version of the semi-autonomous system allows drivers to keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods. The two other systems, in turn, require the drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel essentially all the time.

Just recently, the US-based company Argo, which focused on developing self-driving technologies, announced it is shutting down. Some of the firm’s employees are reportedly going to be hired by the two largest investors in Argo, Volkswagen and Ford, and it seems that the bankruptcy doesn’t bother the German manufacturer at all. Despite its $2.6 billion investment into Argo, the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer believes it is on track to launch mainstream autonomous vehicles by the end of the decade.

VW’s boss Thomas Schafer recently commented on the topic and said the automaker is “consolidating its development partnerships” without giving further details. However, Schafer said there are major difficulties for the entire industry but the investments should not stop as VW needs to be early in the game. 

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“You have to put focus on [autonomous driving] and that is why we are pushing so hard in the CV division because once it happens it opens up profit pools and opportunities. I wouldn’t say the winner takes it all but it’s a game that you need to be in early. You can not wait and then fast forward so that’s why we’re totally focusing on it,” Schafer told Autocar.

Interestingly, Volkswagen will rely on its commercial vehicle division to lead the company’s autonomous strategy. That department is currently working on a fully self-driving version of the ID. Buzz, which is expected to be deployed as a robotaxi and delivery vehicle by the middle of the decade. It’s still in the early stages of development and Volkswagen is currently evaluating whether that vehicle needs a steering wheel or not.

VW’s program is planned to start in Hamburg, Germany, where the firm currently runs autonomous test vehicles based on the ID. Buzz. If everything goes according to the plan, the service will then expand to additional 50 cities in Europe and North America by 2030. By that time, Volkswagen hopes it will have mainstream automated vehicles to offer its customers, too.

General Motors is progressing rapidly with its autonomous taxi services in the United States. This summer, the automaker received the green light to begin actual operation on the streets of San Francisco and it seems that this is just the beginning. Cruise, GM’s robotaxi division, has ambitious plans to launch its services in a growing list of other cities and markets next year.

Reuters recently had a talk with Cruise’s Chief Operating Officer Gil West who told the publication the expansion will start with Austin and Phoenix, which will be added to San Francisco very soon. “You’ll likely see us expand the number of markets in a large number next year,” West added, without giving more details about which cities will follow after Austin and Phoenix. The ultimate plan for the company, however, is to accelerate the application of its self-driving technology to more and more cities using a “repeatable playbook” developed in the first three cities where the services will be available.

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Even more interestingly – and to our eyes, this part has higher potential – Cruise is also testing autonomous delivery vehicles and Walmart is an investor in this project. The retail chain is currently using a pilot fleet of Cruise Origin prototypes at eight stores in Phoenix and West admitted to Reuters the delivery services have “the potential to be a big part of the business.”

Currently, Cruise operates around 30 fully electric Chevrolet Bolt taxis around San Francisco with more expected to be added soon. Initially, the rides were free as a promotional activity of the business and available only to users with a Cruise account. For now, Cruise is invite-only until more cars are added to the fleet.

There are some limitations, though. First, you have to join the waitlist and once a spot opens up, you’ll receive an invitation. You can then start using the self-driving service with up to two guests at a time but as long as they are at least 18 years old. Kids and pets are not allowed, at least for now.

Federal regulators are eyeing autonomous vehicles with suspicion more than ever. In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla’s autonomous driving system (ADS). Now, the agency is looking into General Motors’ Cruise vehicles equipped with ADS after receiving reports that they were becoming immobilized during operation and engaging in hard braking.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects and Investigation is opening a Preliminary Evaluation to determine the scope and severity of the potential problem. The agency received three reports of Cruise vehicles slamming on the brakes, resulting in each one being rear-ended. The three were operating with an onboard human supervisor at the time of the crashes. NHTSA notes that the incidents resulted in two injuries.

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NHTSA is uncertain of the number of incidents where the Cruise vehicles became immobilized. However, the agency said it has received “multiple” ones where the vehicles were operating without onboard human supervision. They originated from discussions with Cruise, media reports, and local authorities like the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Transportation Authority.

Cruise told Reuters that its vehicles had traveled nearly 700,000 miles autonomously without any life-threatening injuries or fatalities. It also said it would continue to cooperate with NHTSA.

When NHTSA opened its investigation into Tesla, it looked at 11 crashes involving the brand’s EV and at least one stationary first responder vehicle. The crashes resulted in 17 injuries and one death, most occurring after dark.

Autonomous driving systems are not perfect, and there are still issues to iron out before the technology goes mainstream. Ambitious promises of the tech haven’t been met, even though automakers like Volkswagen believe that autonomous cars could be mainstream by 2030. Even though NHTSA is investigating the company, GM’s robotaxi division has plans to expand in 2023. It is looking at places like Austin and Phoenix to enter. Currently, the company operates around 30 Chevrolet Bolt taxis.

The CES event for 2023 kicks off on January 5, and lots of automakers are in attendance. Ahead of the event officially starting, Hyundai highlights the Ioniq 5 robotaxi that it plans to have operational in Las Vegas in late 2023.

The video (embedded above) shows why the Ioniq 5 robotaxi is launching in Vegas first. The city has complicated rush hour traffic patterns where cars are darting in and out of lanes on the Strip. Plus, there are lots of oddly shaped vehicles like stretch limousines and billboard trucks. 

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Picking up and dropping off riders at casinos is another challenge. There are lots of vehicles jockeying to get into a limited space. These Ioniq 5 robotaxis have to maneuver into these areas without hitting anything or anyone.

Pedestrians can also be difficult to sense in Vegas because people can be wearing costumes as street performers. The robotaxis have to identify and avoid them.

The Ioniq 5 robotaxis have Level 4 autonomous functionality. This means the vehicle can drive itself, but there are still physical controls that a motorist can operate. The car carries more than 30 sensors and the computing power to interrupt all of the data.

The company Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, will operate the autonomous Ioniq 5 vehicles carrying people around the city. Uber will also be part of the project by being the platform for people to hail these vehicles.

After launching in Vegas, Motional plans to launch the Ioniq 5 robotaxis in Los Angeles. Then, the service would roll out to other cities.

Several automakers are interested offers robotaxis. For example, General Motors’ Cruise received authorization to operate such a service in San Francisco last year. Waymo has been running them, including developing an autonomous van from the Chinese brand Zeekr. Volkswagen has been evaluating a self-driving version of the Buzz. Tesla announced plans to offer such a service, too.

According to Volvo CEO Jim Rowan, fully autonomous cars are still a “long way off,” despite the maturity of the technology. He also said that the current system of classifying self-driving cars into five levels is “nonsense,” and that unsubstantiated claims around driverless vehicle development no longer inflate share value as they did a few years ago.

In an interview with the Australian media, the former head of Dyson explained that there are only two levels of autonomy: with hands on the steering wheel (Advanced Driver Assist Systems or ADAS) and hands off the steering wheel (Autonomous Driving or AD). He also said that the technology for full autonomy is already there, but the issue lies with regulations, which currently do not allow for full autonomy.

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“You’re going to find, probably, that will be the first place that full AD is allowed to go. Almost like a taxi service. You know, you jump in, there’s no driver, or you can take your hands off yourself and use your own AD system. 

“But driving inside a city where there are schools, and roadworks, where there’s a lot of change every day? I think that’s a long, long way off,” said Rowan in the interview, as reported by Car Expert.

Rowan’s standpoint reflects former Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson’s perception on the matter before, noting that the public perception of autonomous cars is not as positive as some may believe. Many people are still skeptical about the technology and have concerns about its safety.

But that doesn’t mean that Volvo will stop developing the said advanced technology. The company is still developing its software stack that will lead up to fully autonomous driving technology.

“Technology-wise, I’m pretty confident that we will have the technology in order to do that when legislation allows that to happen in certain conditions,” Rowan added.

Volvo’s new three-row electric flagship, the EX90, has already made its North American debut at the 2023 CES. It’s touted as Volvo’s smartest vehicle yet leveraging technologies developed with Google and Luminar. It has eight cameras coupled with a mixture of sensors – namely one long-range lidar, five radar, and sixteen ultrasonic sensors – all designed to respond and react faster than humanly possible.

Autonomous vehicle technology has changed a lot in a short period. Government regulators have been increasingly scrutinizing claims about the tech’s capabilities while companies have shifted to focus on developing and improving advanced driver-assist systems.

Ford is one of these companies, recently withdrawing a petition to federal regulators that had asked to skip seven safety standards for a small fleet of driverless vehicles aimed at commercial applications like local deliveries. In July 2022, Ford and General Motors asked the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to exempt these autonomous vehicles from requiring traditional controls like a steering wheel. According to a new Automotive News report, citing unpublished federal documents, Ford withdrew its petition last month.

A Ford spokesperson told the publication that the company pulled its petition as it focuses resources on developing more advanced driver-assist systems. Just a few weeks ago, the Blue Oval announced the creation of its new Latitude AI subsidiary to do just that, assembling a team that included 550 former Argo AI employees. Argo was the automaker’s previous autonomous vehicle endeavor, which shut down at the end of 2022. The company no longer needs the exemption for SAE Level 4 testing.

Latitude will support Ford’s BlueCruise driver-assistance technology, which the automaker launched two years ago. The SAE Level 2 tech first arrived in the 2021 Mach-E and 2021 F-150, using advanced camera and radar-sensing technologies to offer a hands-free driving mode. The tech also includes an in-car camera to monitor the driver to ensure they pay attention to the road, as fully autonomous vehicles still do not exist.

Tech companies and automakers have invested billions in autonomous vehicle technology over the last decade, but developing a reliable and safe product for the masses hasn’t happened yet. However, while some are pulling back from investing in pie-in-the-sky dreams, others are charging ahead.

Last year, General Motors, which has its own SuperCruise Assist system in several brands, announced that it would expand its autonomous robotaxi service Cruise to new markets in 2023, including Austin and Phoenix. It has also sought an exemption for its Origin autonomous vehicle that lacks manual controls as it pushes the tech ahead.

Cruise, General Motors’ subsidiary for autonomous vehicles, has issued a voluntary recall to update its driverless cars. The recall was a result of a bus crash in San Francisco on March 23, 2023, involving a Cruise autonomous vehicle and an articulated San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (MUNI) bus. According to the documents, the software malfunction happens in “certain rare circumstances.”

Filed under the NHTSA Campaign Number 23E029000, Cruise said that the ADS software could inaccurately predict the movement of articulated vehicles (buses, tractors, or trailers) in three situations. One is when “the ADS perceived both the front section and rear section of an articulated vehicle initially,” while the other is when “the articulated vehicle then maneuvered in such a manner that the rear section of the vehicle fully obstructed the front section of the vehicle.”

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The last situation is when “the articulated vehicle then decelerated close to the AV within a few seconds of the front section becoming obstructed. In such a circumstance, the ADS could inaccurately determine that the obstructed front section of the vehicle was continuing to move forward and that the rear section of the vehicle would continue to move forward with the front section, even if the vehicle was decelerating.”

According to Cruise, the problematic aspect of the Subject ADS Software was introduced with a software release that took place on January 12, 2023. A software update installed on all impacted vehicles on March 25 onward should prevent this from happening again.

And while there have been no additional accidents resulting from this software issue, Cruise has chosen to submit the voluntary recall report in the interest of transparency and as a precautionary measure. A total of 300 Cruise autonomous vehicle units are part of this recall.

Cruise’s driverless taxi has started operating in San Francisco since last year – the first driverless taxi operating in a major city. Since then, there were crashes reported, which launched various investigations by the NHTSA. Despite this, the company plans to expand its operations this year, particularly in other major cities like Austin and Phoenix.

Like it or not, advanced driving assist and fully autonomous technologies are slowly but steadily becoming the new norm in the automotive industry. And while we believe it would make sense for some of the most boring and stressful drives to be controlled by some sort of software, we are not so sure about drives that are meant to give you fun and excitement behind the steering wheel. Yes, we are talking mostly about track fun.

Apparently, however, Hyundai wants to use advanced systems in order to assist you during those weekends of closed-course driving. At a glance, it may sound like something you’d never want to use but the truth is the automaker doesn’t want the system to make steering inputs or accelerate and brake autonomously, for example. Instead, the basic idea is data gathering and managing for precise driving instructions.

Hyundai filed a patent application for this new technology in June last year but we are seeing it for the first time only now, about 12 months later. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to be used in production vehicles anytime soon – many automakers like to protect their ideas with patents – but at least it shows the direction in which Hyundai is looking. 

So, what’s the idea? In patent application 17/839,994 from June 14, 2022, the manufacturer explains the method includes constructing a database based on source data including driving data for a circuit. Based on this data, the system creates driving instructions and then provides it to “at least one vehicle” before updating the database based on the driving data acquired by that vehicle. Or, put simply, this is a self-learning and self-optimizing method, which should provide the driver with instructions on how to be quicker around the track.

This isn’t the only driver-assist system destined for use outside public roads. Just yesterday, Jeep teased its autonomous off-road driving tech, which is supposed to help both seasoned off-roaders and novice adventurers.