In autonomous and self-driving vehicle news are WeRide, Uber, IonQ, Enride, Zoox, Waymo, Perrone, TIER IV, Fortellix and Man Truck Bus.
Global WeRide/Uber Robotaxi Deployment
WeRide Inc. (Nasdaq: WRD), a global leader in autonomous driving technology, reported strong momentum in Q1 2025 as it accelerated international commercialization and expanded its fleet to over 1,200 autonomous vehicles. The company achieved RMB72.4 million (US$10M) in revenue, with robotaxi services contributing 22.3%—up from 11.9% the previous year.
Key developments include a major expansion of WeRide’s partnership with Uber, bringing robotaxi services to 15 more cities globally. Uber also committed an additional $100 million equity investment in the company. Following a successful deployment in Abu Dhabi, WeRide will soon launch in Dubai through collaboration with Uber and Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority.
WeRide also expanded operations in China, launching Guangzhou’s first 24-hour autonomous ride-hailing network, and rolled out commercial services for its Level-4 robobus and robovan platforms. The company received a French permit for robobus trials and deployed robosweepers in multiple Chinese cities and Singapore.
Additionally, WeRide advanced its “WeRide One” universal AV platform and announced new collaborations with Tencent Cloud and BlackBerry QNX, reinforcing its leadership in scalable, multi-use autonomous vehicle systems.
IonQ & Einride Quantum Computing 4 Global Freight Logistics
IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in commercial quantum computing, has announced a strategic investment and development partnership with Einride, a global freight mobility company specializing in digital, electric, and autonomous logistics. The collaboration aims to explore how quantum computing can revolutionize fleet optimization, routing, and scheduling—challenges that have long exceeded the capabilities of traditional computing.
By merging IonQ’s cutting-edge quantum systems with Einride’s logistics expertise, the companies seek to unlock greater efficiency, cost savings, and sustainability in freight transportation. The partnership supports IonQ’s broader effort to build a quantum-ready economy in Europe and follows its recent collaborations with Airbus, AstraZeneca, and other global firms.
This move also accelerates IonQ’s European expansion with activity in Sweden and Switzerland, where it has established innovation centers and made strategic acquisitions. The partnership highlights IonQ’s growing role in real-world applications of quantum computing across industries including logistics, manufacturing, and energy.
Zoox in Altlanta
Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, has announced its expansion into Atlanta, marking the company’s seventh testing location. The fleet will consist of retrofitted SUVs equipped with human safety operators, and will not yet be available for public rides.
Atlanta’s diverse road conditions, traffic patterns, and frequent thunderstorms offer valuable testing scenarios for autonomous driving technology. The city’s growing population and demand for ride-hailing services make it an ideal environment for testing.
This move follows a 2024 safety probe into Zoox’s vehicles after incidents of sudden braking that led to rear-end collisions. The expansion aligns with growing autonomous vehicle activity in Atlanta, where other companies like Waymo and GM-owned Cruise have also conducted pilot programs.
Uber/Waymo in Atlanta
Uber and Waymo have launched early access to autonomous rides in Atlanta, allowing select users to experience driverless transportation ahead of a broader rollout planned for summer 2025. This service utilizes Waymo’s fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, available exclusively through the Uber app. The initial service area spans 65 square miles, covering neighborhoods such as Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View.
Riders interested in participating can join the interest list via the Uber app by navigating to Account > Settings > Ride Preferences > Autonomous Vehicles. Early adopters selected from this list will receive $10 in Uber credits after their first Waymo ride and are encouraged to provide feedback to help refine the service.
Atlanta is the second city, following Austin, where Uber and Waymo have introduced this autonomous ride-hailing partnership. The collaboration aims to expand access to self-driving technology while maintaining Uber’s commitment to affordability and safety. Notably, tipping is not required for rides in Waymo vehicles.
Ohio Transit Buses Perrone-NEORide Retrofit
Perrone Robotics Inc. and NEORide, a consortium of over 30 U.S. transit agencies, have signed a Vehicle-Agnostic Kit Services Agreement to retrofit six 35-foot Gillig buses in Ohio with Perrone’s TONY™ Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s SMART Grant, the buses—operated by BCRTA, SARTA, and WRTA—will gain features such as collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and pedestrian protection without needing full vehicle replacements.
Perrone’s retrofit approach enables rapid, cost-effective safety upgrades, integrating its MAX® autonomy software and sensor suite into existing fleets. The project will include system installation, staff training, and data reporting to USDOT, with potential for expansion across NEORide’s member agencies.
NEORide Executive Director Katherine Conrad highlighted the collaboration as a national model for modern, fiscally responsible transit innovation, while Perrone CEO Paul Perrone emphasized the immediate benefits of bringing advanced safety features to legacy vehicles.
PlaxidityX Cybersecurity for TIER IV
PlaxidityX, a leading automotive cybersecurity firm, has partnered with TIER IV to support cybersecurity compliance for a Japanese government-backed autonomous bus trial at an airport. The collaboration ensures TIER IV’s low-speed autonomous minibuses meet UN-R155 and ISO/SAE 21434 standards—key regulatory requirements for deploying autonomous vehicles.
PlaxidityX conducted a gap analysis, then developed a tailored cybersecurity package that included a cybersecurity plan, incident response protocols, vulnerability monitoring, and compliance documentation such as Threat Analysis and Risk Assessments (TARA) and Cybersecurity Interface Agreements (CIAs). The project was completed in three months by PlaxidityX’s local team in Japan, ensuring fast turnaround and close collaboration.
Following the success of the engagement, TIER IV has extended the partnership to implement a full Cyber Security Management System (CSMS), reinforcing its commitment to secure autonomous mobility.
Foretellix UForetify Platform Expansion
Foretellix, a leader in data-automation for AI-powered autonomy, has announced a major upgrade to its Foretify platform, designed to cut autonomous vehicle (AV) development time in half and potentially save developers hundreds of millions of dollars. As AV makers face challenges in training AI with real and synthetic data, validating safety, and proving performance to regulators and insurers, Foretellix’s platform offers a comprehensive solution.
Foretify now enables scalable training and validation by transforming real-world drive data into rich, hyper-realistic synthetic scenarios using NVIDIA Omniverse and Cosmos technologies. The platform also includes a rigorous, data-driven safety evaluation framework to validate AV systems across diverse operational domains. Backed by major players like Toyota’s Woven Capital, Volvo, and NVIDIA, Foretellix works with clients including Nuro, Torc, Mazda, and Woven by Toyota.
Foretellix’s technology was recently honored with the “Simulation Innovation of the Year” award, recognizing its integration of high-fidelity behavioral and sensor simulations. CEO Ziv Binyamini emphasized that their data-driven approach is key to accelerating AI-powered autonomy while ensuring safety, scalability, and democratized access to AV development.
Expert Applauds Return of Human Drivers
Attorney and traffic safety expert Amy Witherite has welcomed the decision by Aurora Innovations to reinstate human drivers in autonomous trucks operating on Texas highways. The reversal came shortly after the company had planned to run driverless trucks at speeds up to 75 mph between Dallas and Houston. Witherite, who has long warned about the dangers of insufficiently tested autonomous trucks, criticized the lack of adequate federal and state oversight, warning that profit-driven companies are being allowed to self-regulate.
The absence of updated federal safety standards and recent staff losses at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have further widened the regulatory gap. Witherite emphasized the risks of 80,000-pound trucks navigating unpredictable Texas road conditions without human oversight. She credited truck manufacturer PACCAR, Inc. for demanding human presence in cabs and urged continued public and regulatory pressure to ensure safety as autonomous technology evolves.
MAN Truck & Bus Wins
MAN Truck & Bus has earned the ‘Engineering Team of the Year’ award at the ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International Awards for releasing its groundbreaking ‘TruckScenes’ data set. Featuring 747 real-world driving scenes collected from German roads, this extensive data release supports the global development of autonomous commercial vehicles. The dataset, captured using advanced sensors on test trucks, enables researchers and developers to train and benchmark autonomous systems specific to long-haul trucking. Celebrated for promoting standardization and open collaboration, MAN’s initiative marks the first time such detailed truck-specific data has been made publicly available, accelerating progress in driverless transport across Europe and beyond.