Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
😮 Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Vehicles in US After Minor Collisions. “Waymo is recalling more than 1,200 self-driving vehicles to update software and address risks of collisions with chains, gates and other roadway barriers after U.S. auto safety investigators opened a probe last year. The recall affects 1,212 Waymo vehicles operating on the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system software, the company said.”
😒 Ford Cutting Hundreds of Connected-Vehicle Software Jobs. “Ford Motor Co. F 0.00%↑ is cutting about 350 connected-vehicle software jobs in the U.S. and Canada as part of an ongoing effort to improve efficiency, according to a person with knowledge of the moves. Affected workers were notified May 13. The employees work on projects that include the newly launched Ford and Lincoln Digital Experience.”
😦 Billionaire Founder of Luminar Replaced as CEO Following Ethics Inquiry. “Austin Russell, who became a billionaire after his lidar startup Luminar LAZR 0.00%↑ went public, appears to be out as CEO, according to the company’s board.”
🚘 Waymo to Bring Self-Driving Cars to Boston Area, Including Major Highways. “The vehicles are due to arrive in Massachusetts later this month and the company said they’ll be seen in areas including Mission Hill, East Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and South Boston. Motorists can also expect to see the vehicles on the Mass Pike and Interstate 93, Waymo said in a statement.” Editor’s Note: This will be a good proving ground for robotaxis with the plethora of crazy masshole drivers and gridlocked I-93 traffic.
🤷♂️ Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera. “Laser beams don’t play nice with camera image sensors, and Volvo recommends avoiding close-up photography or using a protective filter if you must snap a pic.”
🚛 Aurora Innovation, Bot Auto Operating Self-Driving Freight Trucks in Houston. “Both companies say they are operating with Level 4 automation.”
🏛 Californian Autonomous Vehicles Get a Revised Regulatory Load if New DMV Law Passes. “On April 25, 2025, the California DMV released a notice of proposed regulations focused on changes to the testing and deployment of light-duty and heavy-duty commercial autonomous vehicles. California previously released draft regulations and asked for public comment, the last round ending Aug. 30, 2024.”
🚗 HARMAN Becomes One of the First to Open-Source Complete Connected Services Platform with Eclipse Foundation. “HARMAN has become one of the first to open-source a full connected services platform. The platform, now available through the Eclipse Connected Services Platform (ECSP) project, is now publicly available. The platform is designed to support connected car deployments of up to 100K vehicles.”
😟 Tesla’s Robotaxi Plans Have the Attention of Federal Investigators. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation wants the additional information about Full Self-Driving (Supervised) — or “FSD” — in order to “understand how Tesla TSLA 0.00%↑ plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for use on public roads,” according to the letter published Monday and first reported by Reuters.” Editor’s Note: Well, which is it? Elon Musk’s DOGE fires all of the NHTSA staff investigating him…and now they are investigating him?
