Uber Clashes With San Francisco Over Self-Driving Cars
Uber San Francisco Technologies Inc. remained defiant on Friday in the face of pressure from California regulators and the mayor here to shut down a test of autonomous vehicles. In a conference call with media Friday, an Uber executive said the company wouldn’t apply for California’s autonomous-driving permit because its vehicles require a human in the driver seat to intervene when needed.
Uber notice on self-driving cars in San Francisco
The California Department of Motor Vehicles sent Uber a notice asking it to terminate its pilot self-driving car service in San Francisco last week, but Uber has continued to operate its vehicles in spite of that order. Now, the California State Department of Justice has followed up, with an order from the Attorney General’s office that adds some teeth to the DMV’s earlier request.
UBER REFUSES TO STOP SELF-DRIVING IN SF
Uber will continue providing people with rides aboard its San Francisco fleet of self-driving cars, its technical chief said today, defying state regulators who have told the startup to put the cars in park. The intransigent move is sure to bring a rebuke from lawmakers who are threatening to sue.
YOU CAN HAIL A SELF-DRIVING UBER IN SAN FRANCISCO
Starting today, anyone in San Francisco who hails an UberX could find themselves in the backseat of a luxury, self-driving Volvo XC90, complete with leather interior, spinning LIDAR sensor, and a trunk full of computing power. It’s where I found myself last week, after being invited out to the Bay Area for a sneak peak before the official launch.For the last few months, Uber’s self-driving cars have been prowling the streets of San Francisco, forecasting the inevitable moment when the ride-hailing giant starts inviting passengers to take autonomous trips in the city where it first launched over seven years ago. That moment has finally arrived.
UBER’S COLLABORATION WITH VOLVO COULD GIVE IT AN EDGE
Compared to the Ford Fusions Uber is using in Pittsburgh, the XC90’s self-driving technology is more streamlined and integrated into the vehicle. There were only seven cameras, down from 22 on the Fusions. He now serves as senior director of engineering at Uber’s Advanced Technology Group focused on autonomous driving. I spoke to Ron while standing in between an Otto self-driving truck and an Uber self-driving Volvo a less-than-subtle message about the company’s unabashed embrace of autonomous technology
