Self-driving Waymo vehicles recalled, after two minor collisions in Phoenix, and one vehicle being set on fire in San Fran.
Waymo has recalled 444 vehicles, in what has been a tough period for Alphabet's self-driving car division.
The recall announcement this week comes days after a crowd in San Francisco's Chinatown vandalised and set fire to a Waymo self-driving car using fireworks, after it steered itself into a street where a crowd of people were apparently celebrating the lunar new year.
Waymo's Peña explained that on 11 December 2023 in Phoenix, one of its vehicles made contact with a backwards-facing pickup truck being improperly towed ahead of the Waymo vehicle, such that the pickup truck was persistently angled across a centre turn lane and a traffic lane.
Waymo said that following the contact, the tow truck and towed pickup truck did not pull over or stop travelling, and a few minutes later another Waymo vehicle made contact with the same pickup truck while it was being towed in the same manner.
Neither Waymo vehicle was transporting riders at the time, and there was no injuries.
Waymo said that its team immediately sought to understand what happened.
Waymo is facing an increasingly hostile operating and regulatory environment.
Media outlets reported that on Monday this week, California lawmakers and labour unions have rallied to call for laws to not allow autonomous trucks without human drivers, amid rising safety concerns after accidents.
Waymo's rival, General Motors Cruise division, has been hit with job losses, executive departures, and major cuts to its budget, and is also facing a safety investigation after withdrawing most of its self-driving vehicles from public roads.
This came after 2 October 2023, when a pedestrian was struck by a third-party vehicle driven by a hit-and-run driver, who fled the scene.
This Cyber News was published on www.silicon.co.uk. Publication date: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:43:04 +0000