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Waymo rides can now be booked through Lyft in central Nashville, with Lyft subsidiary Flexdrive handling fleet operations from an 80,000-square-foot depot opening in October. Nashville becomes the first city where Waymo operates on two competing rideshare platforms simultaneously — its own app and Lyft's.
Why it matters: Waymo is deliberately ending platform exclusivity, turning rideshare apps into interchangeable distribution channels and keeping the customer relationship for itself.
The Next Web · 2026-09-09
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Tesla VP of AI Ashok Elluswamy said round-the-clock Robotaxi operation will arrive with FSD v15, targeted for the commercial fleet around October. The new build — which Tesla says is already being tested on Robotaxi vehicles — is claimed to bring a 10-billion-parameter network with earlier hazard forecasting and faster reaction times.
Why it matters: 24/7 service would close one of the clearest operational gaps between Tesla and Waymo, but it remains a promise with a one-month clock on it, not a shipped feature.
Not a Tesla App · 2026-09-13
03
Riders in Austin's geofenced Cybercab zone reported fares of $15–21 and praised the cabin and app, while others described hard braking that one rider says injured his wife's neck, a 2.3-mile trip quoted at 66 minutes, and footage of a robotaxi pushing through plastic bollards. Tesla says the program has logged 380,000 unsupervised miles with no notable incidents; NHTSA's audit of the steering-wheel-free vehicle's self-certification remains open.
Why it matters: The Cybercab is now generating real-world evidence in both directions, and the NHTSA audit means every vehicle Tesla adds raises the regulatory stakes.
Auto Connected Car News · 2026-09-09
04
Spain approved WeRide, Uber and fleet operator AVOMO to operate Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles under its new national ES-AV framework. Twenty WeRide GXR vehicles will begin mapping and supervised testing in Madrid, with a commercial launch on Uber targeted by year-end.
Why it matters: A national-level permit — rather than city-by-city approvals — gives Europe a scalable regulatory template and hands a Chinese AV company a beachhead in a major EU capital.
Uber Investor Relations · 2026-09-10
05
Pony.ai and Croatian operator Verne started fully driverless robotaxi test rides with passengers on a 22-kilometer route in Zagreb, using Pony.ai's seventh-generation platform. The partnership, launched in April, has logged roughly 200,000 operational kilometers.
Why it matters: Removing the safety driver with passengers aboard in an EU capital is a milestone Chinese operators reached in Europe before Waymo, whose London and Munich services are still in the planned column.
Automotive World · 2026-09-10
06
Autonomous shuttle operator Beep closed a $20 million Series B led by Mobileye, bringing its total raised to about $130 million. Beep runs slow-speed autonomous shuttle routes and is positioning itself as the operations layer for Mobileye-powered vehicles in the US.
Why it matters: Investment is flowing beyond the ride-hail giants into the less glamorous shuttle and operations niche, where chipmaker Mobileye is buying its way into deployment.
TechCrunch · 2026-09-13