In autonomous and self-driving vehicle news are Waymo, DeepRoute.ai, Aurora, Uber, NVIDIA, BorgWarner, HOLON, Glīd Technologies, Hyundai Motor Group, ZF & Horizon Robotics.
In this Article
Waymo Robotaxi Kills Beloved Bodega Cat in SF
In San Francisco’s Mission Dolores neighborhood, a robotaxi operated by Waymo allegedly ran over a long-time neighborhood cat named KitKat outside Randa’s Market, according to the store owner and a witness. The incident reportedly occurred around 11:30 p.m. when the self-driving vehicle stopped to pick up passengers and, as it pulled away, KitKat darted beneath the vehicle and was killed.
The accident has stirred emotion among neighborhood patrons, including those who dubbed the cat the “Mayor of 16th Street,” and has renewed scrutiny of autonomous vehicles and their ability to detect small animals. Waymo acknowledged the event, expressing sympathy and stating a donation will be made to an animal-welfare group in KitKat’s honor.
DeepRoute.ai Robotaxi Production Vehicle Service 2025
DeepRoute.ai, backed by over $500 million from investors including Alibaba and Great Wall Motor, announced plans to begin robotaxi operations by late 2025 using consumer-grade production vehicles. The initiative leverages the company’s existing production platform—already powering about 150,000 vehicles in China—to reduce costs and accelerate large-scale deployment.
Unlike traditional robotaxi operators that rely on custom-built fleets, DeepRoute.ai integrates autonomous systems during vehicle manufacturing, eliminating retrofitting and high-definition map expenses through its map-free navigation technology. CEO Maxwell Zhou emphasized that this unified production and robotaxi platform ensures consistency, scalability, and real-world validation from its expanding fleet.
The company sees strong global potential, particularly in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, where labor shortages, aging populations, and supportive regulations make autonomous ride-hailing economically viable. DeepRoute.ai is also establishing a European operational base to support localization and partnerships.
Aurora Expands Driverless Freight Operations
Aurora Innovation has announced the rapid expansion of its self-driving freight operations, launching a second driverless route from Fort Worth to El Paso just six months after debuting its Dallas–Houston route. The milestone comes as the company surpasses 100,000 driverless miles on public roads and prepares to deploy hundreds of trucks equipped with next-generation Aurora Driver hardware in 2026.
The new 600-mile El Paso route highlights the Aurora Driver’s value in overcoming staffing challenges and completing long hauls reliably. Aurora’s next-generation hardware, built to last over a million miles and featuring FirstLight Lidar with 1,000-meter detection range, improved all-weather performance, and reduced cost, is already being integrated across Volvo VNL Autonomous and International LT Series Class 8 trucks. Plans for highly scalable hardware with AUMOVIO are set for 2027, enabling deployment of tens of thousands of autonomous trucks.
Aurora continues to maintain a perfect driverless safety and on-time record and is scaling operations to meet growing customer demand. Partnerships with major carriers such as Hirschbach Motor Lines, Russell Transport, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and PACCAR demonstrate the company’s commitment to creating reliable, scalable, and safe autonomous freight solutions while preparing for commercial-scale deployment in 2026.
Uber & NVIDIA Global Robotaxis & AV Delivery Fleets
Uber Technologies is partnering with NVIDIA to accelerate the deployment of next-generation robotaxi and autonomous delivery fleets using NVIDIA AI architecture. The collaboration leverages the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Hyperion platform, safety-certified DriveOS, and full-stack DRIVE AV software to enable Level 4 autonomy, with Uber managing end-to-end fleet operations including remote assistance, charging, and maintenance.
Stellantis will be among the first OEMs to supply at least 5,000 NVIDIA-powered L4 vehicles for Uber’s robotaxi operations in the U.S. and internationally. The partnership also extends to a broader ecosystem of autonomy players, including Aurora, Motional, Nuro, Pony.ai, and WeRide, to create a scalable, production-ready framework for passenger mobility, trucking, and delivery.
Uber and NVIDIA are further developing a robotaxi data factory powered by NVIDIA Cosmos, aiming to collect over 3 million hours of driving data for L4 model training and validation. This integrated approach—from hardware and software to massive data pipelines—positions Uber to expand autonomous fleets globally while accelerating safe, profitable deployment of Level 4 vehicles.
Experts Warn Misleading ADAS Names Endanger Drivers
Safety experts are raising concerns about marketing terms like “Autopilot,” “Full Self-Driving,” and Tesla’s “Mad Max Mode,” which can give drivers a false sense of security about advanced driver-assistance systems. Amy Witherite, a traffic-safety attorney, warns that such labels encourage complacency and have contributed to fatalities, stressing that drivers cannot safely delegate control to these systems.
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the National Transportation Safety Board have echoed concerns, noting that many systems still require constant driver attention despite their names. An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that of 14 partially automated systems tested, 11 received “poor” safety-safeguard ratings, failing to ensure driver attentiveness, seatbelt use, or consistent emergency braking.
Experts emphasize the need for clear communication, driver education, and robust monitoring features to prevent misuse. With advanced driver-assistance technologies rapidly entering the market, responsible naming and transparent explanations of system limitations are essential to protect drivers and reduce fatalities.
Teamsters Urge Boston City Council to Regulate Robotaxi Companies
At a rally and hearing outside Boston City Hall, Teamsters Local 25 and the Labor United Against Waymo Coalition pressed the city council to pass an ordinance holding robotaxi companies accountable. The proposed measure would study the impact of autonomous vehicles, establish an advisory board, and guide future regulations for AV operations in Boston.
Union leaders warned that driverless cars threaten public safety and the livelihoods of professional drivers, accusing Big Tech of prioritizing profits over community needs. The push comes as Waymo maps Boston streets and advocates for legislation to permit driverless operation in Massachusetts. Paramedic Abby O’Brien emphasized that malfunctioning robotaxis could obstruct emergency vehicles, urging that trained human drivers remain essential for public safety.
BorgWarner to Supply Batteries to HOLON
BorgWarner has secured its first North American contract to provide battery systems for autonomous vehicles, supplying its advanced lithium NMC battery technology to the new HOLON urban—an all-electric, 15-passenger, Level 4 autonomous shuttle.
Each HOLON vehicle will use two 57 kWh BorgWarner battery packs featuring modular design, high energy density, stainless steel casing, and active liquid cooling for optimal safety and performance. The system also includes integrated contactor boxes, a multi-pack controller, and cybersecurity-compliant software.
The collaboration underscores BorgWarner’s leadership in scalable, safe, and energy-efficient mobility solutions while supporting HOLON’s goal of sustainable, inclusive urban transportation. Production of the Buy America–compliant battery packs will begin in Seneca, South Carolina, in Q2 2027, with future deployments planned across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Glīd Technologies Unveils Rāden,
Glīd Technologies will debut Rāden, the world’s first unmanned hybrid-electric road-to-rail vehicle, at the SEMA Show’s FutureTech Studio in Las Vegas. Designed for complex and off-grid logistics environments, Rāden enables autonomous first-mile freight transfers without requiring new rail infrastructure—redefining how goods move between road and rail systems.
At the heart of Rāden is EZRA-1SIX, Glīd’s proprietary AI orchestration platform that manages command, control, and large-scale fleet autonomy. The system coordinates both manned and unmanned logistics assets across ports, industrial sites, and rail corridors, supporting seamless integration with existing operations.
Glīd founder and CEO Kevin A. Damoa emphasized that autonomous road-to-rail technology is already transforming freight logistics today, not years in the future. Damoa will also join the “Solving the Hard in Hard-Tech Development” panel at the SEMA TECH Show on November 4, highlighting the challenges and innovations driving next-generation logistics infrastructure.
Hyundai Motor Group & NVIDIA Partner for Factories & Vehicles
Hyundai Motor Group and NVIDIA announced an expanded partnership to accelerate development of autonomous vehicles, smart factories, and robotics through a new AI factory powered by 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. The collaboration marks a shift from software integration to co-developing core physical AI technologies, strengthening Hyundai’s innovation pipeline in mobility and manufacturing.
The initiative, supported by the Korean government’s national AI cluster, represents a $3 billion investment in infrastructure and talent. Key elements include Hyundai’s new Physical AI Application Center, the NVIDIA AI Technology Center, and advanced data facilities in Korea.
Built on NVIDIA’s DGX, Omniverse, Cosmos, and DRIVE AGX Thor platforms, Hyundai’s AI ecosystem will unify in-vehicle intelligence, digital twins for smart factories, robotics simulation, and real-time vehicle computing. This integrated framework enables AI model training, simulation, validation, and deployment at industrial scale.
Hyundai will also leverage NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise and Isaac Sim to create digital twins of manufacturing environments and regional driving conditions—enhancing production efficiency, safety validation, and robot integration. These technologies aim to deliver fully autonomous, software-defined factories and smarter, continuously learning vehicles.
Executives from both companies emphasized the collaboration’s strategic importance: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted AI’s transformative impact on mobility and manufacturing, while Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung called the initiative a cornerstone for building Korea’s global AI leadership and next-generation industrial ecosystem.
ZF & Horizon Robotics Partner
ZF Group and Horizon Robotics announced a partnership to co-develop an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) tailored for the Chinese market, capable of supporting up to SAE Level 3 autonomy and urban Navigate on Autopilot (NOA). Mass production is planned for 2026 on a Chinese electric vehicle platform.
The new system combines ZF’s ProAI compute platform with Horizon Robotics’ high-performance Journey 6P chip, delivering over 1,000 TOPS of processing power to support advanced Transformer-based neural networks, Vision Language Models, and end-to-end driving algorithms. Features include high-speed and urban driving assistance, automated parking, and full route automation from parking lot to parking lot.
ZF executive Dr. Christian Brenneke described China as the “innovation hub” of the automotive industry, emphasizing the partnership’s role in integrating global technology with local market demands. Horizon Robotics CEO Dr. Yu Kai said the collaboration will make intelligent driving “more inclusive,” accelerating the spread of smart mobility features across a broader range of vehicles.
ZF’s scalable ProAI platform will underpin the system, allowing flexible adaptation across multiple vehicle architectures.