A quick bit of breaking news that hit just as we were about to send this newsletter out. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into Waymo after its robotaxis have been spotted illegally passing stopped school buses numerous times in at least two states. Read the full story here. Tesla made a couple of moves this week ' and just before its quarterly earnings drops ' designed to show its progress, and even dominance, in automated driving technology. But, hold up, there is more to it than mere optics. The week started with Tesla offering passengers robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat. If you recall, Tesla launched a limited service in Austin last year with a fleet of modified Tesla Model Y vehicles running a more advanced version of the company's driving software known as Full Self-Driving Supervised (this one being 'unsupervised'). Human safety operators have been riding in the front passenger seat as a precaution...
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