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MicroVision Expands Lidar Portfolio After Two Acquisitions - TT

[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.] MicroVision Expands Lidar Portfolio After Two Acquisitions Company Details Strategy for Lower-Cost Sensors and Broader ADAS Applications Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia Key Takeaways: - MicroVision acquired Luminar lidar assets and Scantinel Photonics to expand its sensor and perception software portfolio. - The company plans to reduce lidar hardware costs while applying the technology across passenger, commercial, industrial and military uses. - Executives described the approach as “lidar 2.0,” emphasizing reusable technology and broader market adoption. LAS VEGAS — Fresh off a pair of acquisitions, MicroVision is expanding its portfolio of lidar sensors and perception software to support advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving across a range of applications, including commercial vehicles. The industry supplier acquired assets of Luminar Technologies, including its long-range Halo and Iris lidar sensors, along with certain employees and contracts in February for $33 million through a bankruptcy auction. The prior month, MicroVision completed its acquisition of Germany-based Scantinel Photonics, the developer of ultra-long-range lidar technology targeted for the commercial vehicle market. The company recapped those developments and outlined its current business strategy during a May 3 press briefing a day prior to the start of ACT Expo 2026. Greg Scharenbroch, MicroVision’s vice president of global engineering, said previous generations of lidar sensors proved the effectiveness of the technology but were too expensive for the market and achieved only limited commercial success. Moving forward, MicroVision intends to broaden lidar adoption by reducing hardware costs and diversifying its customer base, an approach that Scharenbroch described as “lidar 2.0.” MicroVision’s Iris lidar hardware integrated above the windshield of a Class 8 tractor. (MicroVision) “We’re going to design to cost,” he said, adding that the company aims to drive down the price of its lidar sensors to $200

China stopped issuing new robotaxi licenses over a glitch. America can't stop them from ...

On March 31, over a hundred of Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis simultaneously froze on the streets of Wuhan. Vehicles stalled on overpasses and elevated roads, trapping passengers for up to two hours. A few weeks later, Beijing suspended all new autonomous driving permits nationwide. The suspension suspension blocked robotaxi companies from adding to their fleets, starting new tests, or expanding to additional cities, according to Bloomberg. In the U.S., meanwhile, some autonomous vehicles are driving into street lights and even into the middle of ongoing crime scenes. In just one month in Austin, Tesla’s robotaxis crashed into a fixed object head on and in reverse, while also hitting trees, poles, buses and trucks. Waymo’s robotaxis are incapable of closing their own doors—and the company has taken to hiring DoorDashers to door dash and close the doors after a passenger gets out. In October 2023, a Cruise AV dragged a pedestrian 20 feet. During the June 2025 anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators smashed, spray-painted, and torched at least six Waymo robotaxis. The cars reportedly honked in unison as they burned, as activists claimed the cars’ camera data was shared with the LAPD and was representative of the surveillance state. As a result, Waymo suspended service in the downtown area and went on to pause service during subsequent protests. Still, no federal regulation followed. In February this year, a Waymo blew past cop cars at a live crime scene in Atlanta. A month later, another blocked ambulances in Austin during an active shooter situation. In L.A. in December, a Waymo was observed driving into an active crime scene; the driverless tech was unable to navigate the officer’s directions to reroute and leave the scene. That month also witnessed probably the closest parallel to what occurred in Wuhan. A major power

How California's new regulations will affect <b>autonomous vehicles</b>

How California's new regulations will affect autonomous vehicles In California cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, autonomous vehicles have operated under a different set of rules for the past few years compared to their human-operated counterparts. Although these driverless taxis were susceptible to citations from local law enforcement, laxity in autonomous vehicle regulations left California law enforcement puzzled about how to address vehicles that violated the state's road laws. That is set to change later this year, as the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced on April 29 that law enforcement agencies will now be allowed to issue tickets to autonomous vehicle companies for violations of the rules of the road. These changes are set to take effect on July 1 and stem from Assembly Bill 1777, authored by former California State Assemblyman Philip Ting. The law, passed in 2024, aimed to provide additional oversight of autonomous vehicles under California law and to address safety concerns related to malfunctions in major cities. “AB 1777 is a direct response to issues experienced in San Francisco. In San Francisco, incidents include disrupting traffic, rolling over, then dragging a pedestrian, impeding firefighting response at multiple scenes and driving into crime scenes,” Ting's office said in 2024 after the law passed. When autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo first deployed their robotaxis on the streets of San Francisco, laws governing the new mode of transportation were sparse, as the city served as a testing ground for these robotaxis. But since deployment to the general public in major cities, Waymo's self-driving cars have caused a number of reported incidents, including vehicles stalling in the middle of San Francisco streets after a major power outage in late 2025 and blocking first responders from reaching a mass shooting incident in Austin on March 1. These issues reportedly

Microvision eyes trucking with next-gen LiDAR strategy

Microvision eyes trucking with next-gen LiDAR strategy Microvision says commercial trucking could emerge as one of the most practical early adopters of next-generation LiDAR technology, as fleets search for ways to reduce crashes, insurance costs, and eventually enable autonomous freight operations. During a presentation at a House of Journalists event ahead of ACT Expo, Greg Scharenbroch, vice president of engineering at Microvision outlined the company’s “LiDAR 2.0” strategy. He said the company is already testing its systems on commercial trucks in Europe and repositioning its technology away from the robo-taxi hype cycle that defined the industry’s first wave of investment. “The economics just didn’t work,” Scharenbroch said of earlier autonomous vehicle programs focused on self-driving taxis and trucks. Instead, the company is targeting more immediate commercial applications including advanced driver assistance, autonomous hub-to-hub trucking, blind-spot monitoring, yard automation, and long-range obstacle detection. Microvision describes its LiDAR 2.0 approach as a shift toward scalable, lower-cost systems designed specifically around commercial viability. Presentation slides shown during the briefing emphasized four core pillars: broader multi-sector deployment, design-to-cost engineering, software integration, and financial discipline. Scharenbroch said one of the key advantages of LiDAR over conventional camera-based systems is its ability to detect hazards far beyond headlight range. “If a truck is traveling down the highway at a certain speed, it needs to look out so far and see something in the dark with very low reflectivity on the ground … and be able to detect it in time to provide enough advanced warning to allow the driver to do an evasive maneuver or slow down,” he explained The company said its current long-range systems can detect objects at roughly 820 feet (250 meters), while an ultra-long-range sensor under development could eventually scale to approximately one kilometer. Microvision also outlined the financial case for LiDAR

Tesla's Robotaxi Opportunity Is Dead In Light Of Waymo's Dominance

If you follow my work closely, you will almost certainly know that one of the companies that I have been the most bearish about in recent years is electric vehicle giant Tesla (TSLA). I have covered, in previous articles, many of Tesla's Robotaxi Opportunity Is Dead In Light Of Waymo's Dominance Summary - Tesla remains a 'Strong Sell' as I expect continued underperformance versus the S&P 500 due to missed strategic opportunities. - TSLA's robotaxi efforts lag far behind Waymo, with only 165 active vehicles versus Waymo's 3,000 and Level 4 autonomy. - Waymo's rapid expansion and superior safety data highlight TSLA's inability to scale or compete meaningfully in the robotaxi market. - Despite a massive global robotaxi TAM, TSLA's technological and executional shortfalls leave it a marginal player, justifying my bearish stance. - Looking for a helping hand in the market? Members of Crude Value Insights get exclusive ideas and guidance to navigate any climate. Learn More » Analystâs Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and

Oh Great, Your Future <b>Autonomous Car</b> Could Rack Up Parking Fees For You

It's been well documented that the driver-less taxi firm Waymo racked up 600 parking tickets in San Francisco in 2024, totaling more than $65,000 in fines. Now that Waymo is getting ready to operate in Pittsburgh, PA, it has no excuse to repeat that performance. For that matter, anyone who envisions a future where their autonomous car can moonlight as a revenue-generating taxi while you're hard at work can't claim plausible deniability for parking tickets. Honestly officer, I wasn't driving the car! But we aren't sure the solution is much better. Two Pittsburgh-based startups, Meter Feeder and Mapless AI, have merged to make the first machine-to-machine parking transaction system in the US. If you're thinking this should be a simple problem to fix in 2026, you're right. According to Technical.ly, Meter Feeder originally built the tool in 2016. The Perfect Automated Business Model “Cities have spent decades building analog parking infrastructure for humans,” Jim Gibbs, CEO of Meter Feeder, told Technical.ly. “We are ensuring municipalities don’t lose millions in revenue just because driverless vehicles can’t feed meters.” That sounds like a stirring piece of civic duty, but it's really the perfect business model – automated cars making automated payments, and Meter Feeder taking a percentage of each one. Of course, you being the vehicle owner would really be footing the bill. Here's hoping your car doesn't have a penchant for parking spots with nice views of the city. Considering how much Pittsburgh relies on parking fees as a source of revenue, and the timing of the two startups making an automated payment system work, it sounds like Waymo is being cornered. “Our fleets need to safely stage between rides without circling the block and adding to urban congestion,” Johnson from Mapless AI said. “Meter Feeder gave our vehicles the digital

Beijing Auto Show 2026 draws 1.28 million visitors, 181 debuts and 71 concept <b>cars</b>

The 2026 Beijing Auto Show closed on May 3 after a 10-day run, attracting 1.28 million visitors and setting new global records for exhibition scale and attendance, according to official data. Held under the theme “Driving the Era, Smart Future,” the event was staged across the China International Exhibition Centre (Shunyi) and the Capital International Exhibition Centre. The dual-venue format covered 380,000 square meters and 17 halls, marking the largest footprint recorded for any auto show globally. A total of 1,451 vehicles were displayed, including 181 global debuts and 71 concept cars. International participation The show drew 65,000 overseas visitors and 32,000 media representatives, including 4,125 from international outlets. During the event, 219 press conferences were held, alongside more than 50 industry forums, summits, and matchmaking sessions. Participants included automakers, suppliers, and technology firms from 21 countries and regions, spanning vehicle development, core components, and intelligent systems. Technology direction Exhibits at the show focused on electrification and intelligent vehicle development. Battery technologies on display included next-generation systems with energy densities exceeding 400 Wh/kg and claimed ranges of over 1,500 km under test conditions. Fast-charging technologies, including sub-10-minute charging and low-temperature charging at minus 30 degrees Celsius, were also presented. In intelligent driving, multiple companies demonstrated central computing platforms, multimodal AI integration, and L3-level automated driving applications in controlled or designated environments. LiDAR systems and advanced driver-assistance hardware were widely featured in mid- to high-end models. Key product highlights The show featured a wide range of electric, hybrid, and performance-focused models. Among notable developments, BYD confirmed that its Yangwang U9 Xtreme electric supercar was sold for 20,000,000 yuan (2,760,000 USD), the highest price for a production passenger car under the BYD brand to date. Earlier previews indicated the event would serve as one of the year’s largest EV-focused industry gatherings, with

Singapore launches public consultation on legislative framework for <b>autonomous vehicles</b>

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has on Monday commenced public consultation to gather feedback on the proposed legal and regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Singapore. The ministry said in a statement that this is part of MOT’s efforts to develop legislation that will govern AVs deployed on roads in Singapore more holistically. This legislation will include lessons learnt from the existing AV regulatory sandbox under the Road Traffic Act and international best practices. According to the statement, Singapore is committed to ensuring the safety of AVs deployed on its roads, while supporting industry development and innovation with new technology in the transport sector. Its current road traffic framework is designed with human drivers in mind, not AVs. The proposed AV legislation will clarify the safety regulations, as well as the liability, insurance and enforcement regimes for the operation of AVs. This gives businesses the legal clarity they need to operate AVs, while giving assurance to commuters. MOT said it will engage industry players, the insurance and legal sectors, unions, and the public to seek views on the proposed legislation. The public consultation will be open until 30 June 2026. The consultation focuses on four critical areas that will form the foundation of the AV legislative framework. Firstly, responsibility and accountability of key players involved in AV deployments. The framework has identified four key players in the AV ecosystem: (a) the entities in-charge of AV technology, (b) fleet operators, (c) onboard Safety Operators, and (d) Remote Operators. The consultation seeks views on the key players and how best to regulate them through measures such as vehicle approval processes, licensing schemes, penalties for serious breaches, and updates to liability rules that will apply during both testing and full commercial operations. Secondly, compensation and insurance. It is recognizing the importance of

Singapore seeks industry, public feedback on legal framework for <b>autonomous vehicles</b>

Singapore seeks industry, public feedback on legal framework for autonomous vehicles The consultation will focus on areas such as safety regulations, accident compensation and the responsibility of operators. SINGAPORE: The government is seeking public feedback on a proposed regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles, as it prepares for more driverless vehicles to be used on Singapore's roads. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on Monday (May 4) that it will consult industry players, insurers, legal experts and the public on areas such as safety regulations, accident compensation and the responsibility of operators. "This will help to build up public confidence and provide more legal clarity as to the responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in operating AVs, as well as other motorists and users of public roads," it said in the consultation paper. The ministry noted that Singapore's road traffic framework is designed with human drivers in mind, not AVs. The proposed framework will focus on four areas - the responsibility and accountability of key players involved in AV deployments, compensation and insurance, data and cybersecurity management, as well as advanced driver assistance systems and conditional automation. Singapore has been testing autonomous vehicles for several years under a regulatory “sandbox”, which allows new technologies to be trialled under controlled conditions. In April, self-driving shuttle services were rolled out in Punggol after months of testing. The trial allowed the government to study how AVs can operate in Singapore's context, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow told Parliament during the Committee of Supply debates. If the Punggol rollout goes well, Mr Siow said that he intends to expand AV trials to other parts of Singapore, including Sentosa, Tuas and Mandai. The public consultation opens on Monday and will run until Jun 30, 2026. Those interested may refer to the full consultation paper and submit

Does WeRide's 200000-<b>Vehicle</b> Lenovo Rollout Plan Change The Bull Case For WeRide (WRD)?

- United States - / - Auto Components - / - NasdaqGM:WRD Does WeRide’s 200,000-Vehicle Lenovo Rollout Plan Change The Bull Case For WeRide (WRD)? - In late April 2026, WeRide and Lenovo announced an expanded collaboration at Auto China 2026 to support one of the industry’s largest planned Level 4 autonomous driving rollouts, targeting deployment of 200,000 autonomous vehicles globally over five years using Lenovo’s NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor–based HPC 3.0 platform and AD1 domain controller. - By combining WeRide’s large-scale L4 operations and WRD 3.0 ADAS wins across roughly 30 vehicle models with Lenovo’s global computing and manufacturing footprint, the partners are building an end-to-end ecosystem that could materially influence how automakers and cities adopt autonomous mobility worldwide. - We’ll now examine how this planned 200,000-vehicle Lenovo collaboration could reshape WeRide’s investment narrative and long-term commercialization prospects. We've uncovered the 13 dividend fortresses yielding 5%+ that don't just survive market storms, but thrive in them. WeRide Investment Narrative Recap To own WeRide, you need to believe that its large scale L4 operations and growing ADAS footprint can eventually turn high R&D spending into a viable business model. The Lenovo plan to support deployment of 200,000 L4 vehicles could reinforce the key near term catalyst of winning more high fare, driver constrained cities, but it does little to reduce the main risk that losses remain high if utilization, pricing, and permits do not keep pace. The WRD 3.0 multi chip ADAS announcement is especially relevant here, because it shows WeRide trying to spread its autonomy stack across nearly 30 mass market models, not just robotaxis. If these L2++ deployments gain traction with OEMs like GAC and Chery, they may help offset the heavy cash demands of global L4 expansion and slightly rebalance the earnings story away from a pure

Model Based Testing Tools Market Growth Forecast to 2035

Tricentis Market leader with Tosca According to the latest IndexBox report on the global Model Based Testing Tools market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture. The global Model Based Testing Tools market is transitioning from a specialized engineering procurement to a mainstream software category, driven by the escalating complexity of safety-critical and autonomous systems across automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and telecommunications. As systems under test incorporate AI, real-time connectivity, and multi-domain integration, traditional script-based testing proves insufficient in coverage, traceability, and repeatability. Model Based Testing (MBT) tools address this gap by enabling automated test case generation from behavioral models, reducing manual effort by up to 60% and improving defect detection rates in early development phases. The market is characterized by a bifurcation between high-consideration premium tools offering deep integration with DevOps pipelines and low-consideration entry-level cloud-based solutions targeting agile teams. Channel dynamics are shifting toward enterprise software marketplaces and subscription models, compressing margins for undifferentiated vendors while rewarding those with strong brand equity and ecosystem lock-in. Private-label and open-source frameworks are gaining traction in price-sensitive segments, particularly in Asia-Pacific, where volume growth is highest. Innovation is increasingly consumer-facing, with messaging centered on 'zero-defect assurance' and 'one-click validation' rather than underlying formal methods. The forecast period 2026-2035 anticipates sustained double-digit growth, with the market index reaching 220 by 2035 relative to 2025 baseline, supported by regulatory mandates in automotive functional safety (ISO 26262), medical device software (IEC 62304), and aerospace DO-178C. Key growth factors include the proliferation of ADAS and autonomous driving featu The baseline scenario for the Model Based Testing Tools market from 2026 to 2035 projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%, with the market index rising from 100 in 2025 to 220 by

Tesla admits: Old hardware prevents <b>autonomous driving</b>

Tesla is once again causing discussion in the tech and car community: the manufacturer has officially confirmed that older vehicles will not be able to drive fully autonomously. Models with the so-called Hardware 3 (HW3), which has long been considered future-proof, are particularly affected. For many buyers who had hoped for software updates, this is a bitter setback – and raises questions about Tesla’s long-term strategy. Highlights - Tesla confirms: Hardware 3 is not sufficient for fully autonomous driving - Many buyers had relied on later software updates - Upgrade or vehicle replacement offered as a solution - First legal steps are already being prepared by customers Hardware limits slow down autonomous vision For years, Tesla had propagated the vision of its vehicles being able to drive fully autonomously via software updates. In particular, buyers of vehicles with Hardware 3, which has been installed since 2019, invested several thousand euros in the “Full Self-Driving” package (FSD). This hope has now been put into perspective. CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a conference call that HW3 “does not have the necessary capabilities” to enable so-called unsupervised autonomous driving. According to Tesla, the decisive bottleneck lies in the technical architecture: compared to the current Hardware 4, HW3 offers significantly lower memory bandwidth and computing power – key factors for AI-based driving decisions in real time. This makes it clear that the originally planned approach of implementing autonomous driving primarily via software updates is reaching its physical limits. The existing sensor and computing infrastructure is simply not sufficient for a system that is supposed to handle complex traffic situations completely autonomously. Upgrade instead of update: Tesla’s new strategy In response to the limitations, Tesla is planning various options for affected customers. These include discounted vehicle upgrades to newer models with Hardware 4 as well

Global drive: Chinese tech firm behind Singapore <b>autonomous</b> public bus trial eyes further fields

Global drive: Chinese tech firm behind Singapore autonomous public bus trial eyes further fields Mogox’s self-developed tech will be deployed on two Singapore routes in the latter half of 2026 [BEIJING] Autonomous driving firm Mogox marked its international debut in 2025 when it was part of a consortium that clinched the contract to deploy the first driverless vehicles on public bus routes in Singapore. But the Beijing-based firm has larger ambitions—to be the world’s No 1 brand for autonomous buses, building on the foundation of the Singapore project. The contract marked the first time a Chinese autonomous bus has entered the public transport network of a developed country, noted Mogox vice-president Lu Bin, who is in charge of the Singapore trial. In a recent interview with The Straits Times, he said that as a hub in South-east Asia and a developed nation, Singapore is known for its strict regulations and rigorous standards. “It is globally recognised as a benchmark for smart cities, and its entrance criteria for autonomous driving technology are regarded by the industry as the ‘gold standard’,” he said. “Securing certification from the Singapore government is equivalent to obtaining a certificate of entry into high-specification global markets, laying the foundation for entry into other overseas markets.” Navigate Asia in a new global order Get the insights delivered to your inbox. Mogox’s self-developed tech, with sensors that are installed in vehicles at the factory instead of retrofitted, will be deployed on two Singapore routes in the latter half of 2026, in Marina Bay and one-north. The company—whose consortium partners in the project are Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD and Singapore-registered software and application developer MKX Technologies—expects its tech to deliver an experience as seamless as human-driven buses. In recent years, Chinese firms such as Mogox have been turning driverless

Waymo, Aurora, Hertz, Oro, Uber, DeepRoute.ai, Venti FedEx, Innoviz, AEye, SynTech, IBM &amp; Dallara

In Autonomous and self-driving vehicle news are Waymo, Aurora Innovation, Hirschbach Motor Lines, Hertz, Oro Mobility, Uber, Bot Auto, California DMV, DeepRoute.ai, Venti Technologies, FedEx, Innoviz Technologies, MIPI Alliance, AEye, SynTech, IBM & Dallara> In this Article Waymo Robotaxi Departs San Jose Mineta Airport With Passenger Luggage A Waymo autonomous vehicle reportedly drove away from a drop-off at San Jose Mineta Airport on April 27, 2026, with a passenger’s luggage still secured in the trunk. The rider, Di Jin, stated the vehicle failed to execute the automatic trunk release upon arrival and did not respond to manual trunk-open commands before immediately departing for a depot. The incident resulted in the passenger traveling to a business destination without personal items or professional documentation. Waymo initially categorized the incident as a lost-and-found matter, offering the passenger complimentary rides to their San Francisco depot or requiring the user to fund shipping costs. Following media inquiries, Waymo modified its stance, agreeing to cover the logistics of returning the items. This event follows a similar 2025 report involving driverless hardware failures at airport terminals and highlights ongoing challenges in automated passenger-vehicle coordination during the final stages of a ride. Aurora Innovation and Hirschbach Motor Lines Scale Autonomous Freight Fleet Aurora Innovation and Hirschbach Motor Lines have announced a strategic expansion via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) encompassing the deployment of 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks. The agreement transitions Hirschbach to a Driver as a Service (DaaS) subscription model beginning in 2027, targeting 500 million autonomous miles. This scaling effort is projected to generate multi-year revenue for Aurora in the hundreds of millions of dollars while optimizing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for the carrier’s refrigerated freight operations. The partnership focuses on a hybrid network deployment across high-volume Sun Belt corridors, including the Fort Worth-to-Phoenix link. Hirschbach

A Tesla Owner Spent $73 to Sue Tesla. He Just Walked Away With $10,600

A Tesla owner just won $10,600 after suing the automaker over a failed promise. He was told his car would drive itself, but Full Self-Driving mode has never delivered on that promise. Ben Gawiser purchased a Tesla Model 3 in 2021, paying the $10,000 extra for Full Self-Driving software. Over the last few years, the price of the software has slowly increased as updates have continued to improve its capabilities. This was back when you could pay up-front for FSD, which is now only available as a subscription. He waited five years. The car never had the ability to drive itself. If you ask Tesla fanboys on X (formerly Twitter), they’d tell you that Elon Musk never promised a fully autonomous car — he was just saying that a fully autonomous car is possible with Tesla’s technology, but it wouldn’t happen right away. However, this is false. Tesla has been claiming that FSD would enable autonomous driving since 2016. In 2021, Elon Musk promised that “the car will drive itself for the reliability in excess of a human this year.” He later said that you can use your personal Tesla as a robotaxi. This is not a vague discussion of possibilities. This is a blatant statement that FSD would allow autonomous driving. That is what Gawiser and others paid for. And while some Tesla fans are willing to forgo what they were promised out of brand loyalty, the facts are that drivers are not getting what they were promised. Earlier this year, Tesla’s official X account shared various stories about blind people and frail elderly women using FSD to regain “freedom” to drive again. It also claimed that FSD can help prevent hydroplaning. A lot of drivers in the EV community grew concerned, sharing stories of FSD malfunctioning, especially in

Tesla Robotaxi Fleet Gains Ground In Dallas As Texas Driverless Race Grows

Tesla’s driverless ride service appears to be gaining a small foothold in Dallas as Texas becomes a major testing ground for the next phase of autonomous transportation. Crowdsourced data from Robotaxi Tracker showed Tesla’s “unsupervised” Robotaxi fleet at 32 cumulative verified vehicles across Austin, Dallas, and Houston as of Sunday afternoon, May 3. The tracker listed 21 in Austin, five in Dallas, and six in Houston, while showing 663 total tracked Tesla Robotaxi vehicles across all categories. The number remains small compared with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s broader autonomous vehicle ambitions, but it marks a notable expansion after months of limited growth in the program. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston on April 18. The company’s official Robotaxi account said the service was “now rolling out in Dallas & Houston” and posted videos showing Model Y vehicles operating with no driver or front-seat monitor visible. Reuters reported that Tesla did not disclose fleet size or pricing at the time of the Dallas and Houston launch. Musk reposted the announcement and wrote, “Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!” Robotaxi Tracker also listed 29 Dallas rides logged, with an average fare of $9.81 and an average trip length of 4.3 miles. The tracker listed 52 Houston rides logged, though the Houston dashboard showed “Service Unavailable” at the time of review. The Dallas rollout gives Tesla a presence in three Texas cities, including Austin, where the company first launched the service last year. The expansion also comes as Musk continues to shift Tesla’s long-term growth story toward artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous driving. Tesla Faces Larger Rivals Tesla’s Robotaxi service remains much smaller than Waymo’s commercial driverless operation. Waymo told Axios that it operates in 11 U.S. cities, completes more than 500,000

State of Texas - May 3, 2026

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Tesla: Older models lack hardware for fully <b>autonomous driving</b> | heise online

Tesla: Older models lack hardware for fully autonomous driving Tesla CEO Elon Musk officially acknowledged the problem in a conference call. Resistance is growing among Tesla owners. Many Tesla owners paid thousands of dollars or euros several years ago for the prospect of autonomous driving, but have been waiting in vain for it to this day. This will also remain the case for the foreseeable future: As Tesla CEO Elon Musk has now made clear, several components of these older vehicles are technically insufficient for FSD. For its Full Self-Driving technology (FSD), Tesla has installed four generations of retrofit kits in its cars over the past approximately 12 years, which bear the names Hardware 1 to Hardware 4. In April 2019, the sale of vehicles with Hardware 3 (HW3) began. The package was available for a one-time fee of $10,000 or €6,800 when purchasing a Tesla, but fully autonomous driving was at that time nothing more than a much-vaunted future vision of Tesla. Many customers bought their Tesla with the prospect that fully autonomous driving would be possible with HW3 later through corresponding software updates. “Unfortunately, HW3 does not have the necessary capabilities” Now that Hardware Generation 4 has been reached, Elon Musk has officially confirmed what many had already feared: Fully autonomous driving will not be possible with HW3 without extensive retrofitting. In a conference call on the first fiscal quarter results at Tesla, he addressed the topic (in the recording from minute 31). “Unfortunately hardware 3 I wish it were otherwise but hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD,” Musk explained. Videos by heise “We did think at one point it it would have that, but relative to to hardware 4, it has only 1/8 of the memory bandwidth of hardware for and