Volkswagen Launches MOIA Robotaxi Service in Hamburg
Waymo Tries to Lobby its Way into DC, Uber’s new AV strategy to block competition, and Meet Chip, the "life utility vehicle" that could be your personal AV in the future
This week’s edition is brought to you by Voltera, the infrastructure partner scaling autonomous fleet deployment.
Top Stories of the Week
Volkswagen enters the robotaxi race with its first passenger service launch in Germany (link).
MOIA announced Wednesday that select, preregistered Hamburg residents can now book rides in a self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz van through the company’s app. Up to five vehicles will operate at initial launch, with the fleet expected to expand to as many as 10 cars…Each car will have a trained safety monitor behind the wheel who can intervene when necessary
The pilot will function more like an autonomous shuttle — or a shared robotaxi — than a private ride like those offered by Alphabet’s Waymo. Passengers traveling in the same direction may share a vehicle, while pickups and drop-offs will take place at designated virtual stops.
Waymo Wants in on DC
Waymo really wants to operate in D.C. But does D.C. want Waymo? (link, no paywall).
Here’s a full recording of the hearing if you’re bored this weekend (link).
Related: Waymo says it’ll hire hundreds in D.C. if robotaxis are approved (link). A good reminder that AVs will create new jobs, though over the long run they’re likely to displace far more driving jobs than they create.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana: We’ve autonomously driven more than 300,000 miles in Washington, D.C., safely navigating everything from crowded evenings in Chinatown to emergency scenes in the Third Street Tunnel (link).
Other Stuff
Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Strategy: Slow Their Adoption (link, no paywall). Well, that’s convenient. Uber’s Waymo partnership has already ended in Phoenix, and most of its other AV partners are still years away from meaningful scale. Slowing robotaxi adoption would certainly give the company more time for its broader AV strategy to catch up.
In New Jersey, a lobbyist representing Uber took the strategy a step further, circulating legislative language that would, for a period of three years, require any platform offering driverless ride-hailing services to have human drivers serve 85 percent of its rides.
Related: Uber’s CFO responds to regulatory capture claims (link).
Bliq wins approval to test driverless cars in Finland (link).
The approval makes Finland the second EU member state after Estonia to permit Bliq’s vehicles on public roads.
Related: Europe’s First Driverless Vehicle Approval with Bliq CEO Julian Glaab (link).
6 in 10 Gig Drivers Borrow to Make Payday Amid Rising Gas Prices and AV Uncertainty, New Report Finds (link).
Everee…released its 2026 Driver Workforce Report, a nationwide survey of 413 U.S. professional and gig drivers examining how rising fuel costs, pay timing, and the expansion of autonomous vehicles are affecting driver earnings and retention… 52.5% are concerned that autonomous vehicles will reduce the number of driving jobs available to them, as services like Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi continue expanding into new U.S. markets.
Restaurant delivery robots return to D.C. with AI upgrade (link).
Coco is launching about 25 autonomous robots serving Logan Circle, and wants to expand into Dupont Circle and beyond if demand is there.
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Had a great time celebrating the launch of Chip yesterday! Chip is a new all-electric “life utility vehicle” built for neighborhoods, campuses, resorts, and anywhere you don’t necessarily need a full-sized car, including places you do. One of the more interesting parts is Chip Go, a remote-driving service where a real human can remotely drive the vehicle for things like parking, pickups, or errands today, with the long-term goal of Level 4 autonomy in the future (link).
Avride is officially on the ground in Miami! In partnership with Uber Eats (link).
Shared Roadways, Platforms, and Benefits: Integrating Autonomous Travel Choices - The Eno Center for Transportation (link).
‘This is a genuinely interesting research survey to share your ideas for how Waymo vehicles can collect data to enhance urban environments’ (link).
Autonomous Fleets May Be Self-Driving, But They’re Not yet Fully Self-Reliant (link).
Sharing economy in the era of full automation: Evidence from autonomous vehicle on-demand mobility services (link). This research paper explores what a future city could look like with a mix of company-owned and privately owned autonomous vehicles sharing the road. Using Chicago as a case study and ridehail data from November 2024.
Waymos are everywhere in much of LA. But how many people are taking them? (link).
Though people felt less safe in Waymos compared to cars with drivers in them, that perception flipped when people were asked about how safe they felt from harassment — at least for one major demographic. “Women feel a lot safer in a Waymo compared to an Uber or Lyft,” Thomas said.
ROCSYS has been named as one of TIME’s Top 250 GreenTech Companies (link).
Ojai back seat bike storage (link).
What else we're reading/listening to
Ride AI: Ground Truth vol.3 | Building the “Air Traffic Control” for AVs with Autolane (link).
Why Are Waymos Still Blocking Bike Lanes? (link). Our latest guest piece where David Zipper takes a closer look at Waymo’s repeated incursions into bike lanes, what they mean for cyclists, and how the company’s behavior compares to human rideshare drivers, despite AVs arguably being held to a higher standard. He also explores why Waymo is incentivized to keep operating this way, and what cities could do to encourage safer curbside behavior.
Building Autonomous Vessels for Cleaner Waterways - Michael Arens, Clean Earth Rovers CEO (link). My latest podcast where we explore a very unique application of autonomy: cleaning debris from waterways, highlighting how versatile autonomy is beyond robotaxis.
AV Events
On Thursday, July 23, MobilitySF is hosting Chris Yu of ALSO and Alicia John-Baptiste for a conversation on urban mobility, smaller vehicles, better streets, and the future of cities. Rivian SF Showroom, Hayes Valley. RSVP here (link).
The Austin edition of our Urban Autonomy Summit, happening on October 14, is shaping up to be a gathering of some of the brightest minds in the AV industry, all coming together in one of the most tech-forward cities in the US. Our Detroit edition was a success and we’re bringing that same energy to Austin. Apply now to secure your spot before registration fills up (link).
‘Excited to head back to SF for [TaskUs] Forward ‘26. The conversations we had with AV and robotics leaders last year were incredible, and this year is going to be even better now that everyone is talking less about promises and more about the real operational engine required to run the technology’ (link). It’s coming up on October 28, 2026, at Above the Rim at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA (link).
‘40 30 days until #Actuate26! The full speaker lineup is here!’. Some notable speakers include Wayve CEO Alex Kendall, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson, and NVIDIA VP of AI Research Sanja Fidler. The event will take place August 18–19, 2026, at Fort Mason in San Francisco (link).
‘On July 22, Signal. returns to Kodiak HQ with Kasper Sage, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures. Join Kasper and Kodiak CEO Don Burnette for a conversation focused on how the best bets in autonomous technology are made, what investors look for, and what separates the companies that get funded from those that don’t’ (link).
AVs/Humans behaving badly
Shirtless man vandalizes Waymo in East Hollywood (link).
‘Trusted Testers, what are y’all doing???’ (link). Waymo may want to re-think cloth seats in the Ojai.
No, a Waymo did not hit a bicyclist in Miami. It was a human driver, police say (link). While police confirmed the Waymo wasn’t involved in the collision, I’d still love to see the video because I’m not entirely clear on what actually happened.
Miami Beach Police have debunked an Instagram video posted by a popular “citizens journalism” account claiming that a Waymo hit a bicyclist on Tuesday in South Beach. Miami Beach Police spokesperson Officer Christopher Bess says the driver of a Mercury Grand Marquis was parked on the side of the road and hit the cyclist when trying to make a U-turn. The driver “was determined to be at fault and was cited accordingly,” Bess said.
Robotaxi Riders Are Falling Asleep, Sparking Frantic 911 Calls (link, no paywall). Feels like something the operators need to solve. First responders shouldn’t have to spend time dealing with sleeping robotaxi passengers.
AVs behaving “goodly” :)
‘Roads are unpredictable. People run red lights, drift out of bike lanes, step off curbs without looking. The question isn't whether it happens. It's whether the vehicle is ready when it does’ (link).
Kodiak: Three trailers. 137 tons. Nearly half a football field in length… Driverless (link).
Collision Involvement Note (link).
Shout-outs
Big thanks to TDD readers at Ono, and to Mark G for referring new subscribers. If there’s someone you think would enjoy TDD, feel free to forward this email or use the referral button below, and we’ll make sure to shout out your company.
Neat Jobs
Senior Strategic Operations Associate, Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber (link) via Ana Loibner.
Senior Staff / Principal AI & Compute Architect at Zoox (link) via Zoox.
Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at Waymo (link) via Matthew Fisher.
Head of Product at Nuro (link) via Jiajun Zhu.
Mobility Manager at Metropolis in Los Angeles and New York, via Robin Riedel.
System Disruption Manager at Waymo (link) via Jackie Lindsey.
Job Moves
Jeff Beck: Honda -> Waabi (link).
Ryan Browne: Wayve -> ❓ (link).
Waqas Malik: Valeo -> Nuro (link).
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Until next week :)
-Harry