1. Waymo Gets First Permit to Test in New York City
Waymo has received its first official permit from New York City’s Department of Transportation to test autonomous vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn—a historic first for the city. The pilot, which runs through late September 2025, allows up to eight Jaguar I-Pace vehicles on the road, each with a safety driver onboard due to state law. This permit is strictly for testing; for-hire autonomous rides remain prohibited under current Taxi & Limousine Commission rules. New York City Mayor Eric Adams championed the permit program and updated safety requirements to enable this opportunity. Waymo has already completed over 10 million rides across five US cities with a fleet of around 1,500 vehicles. The company is also expanding mapping and operations efforts in cities like Atlanta, Austin, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. This marks an important step toward bringing autonomous ride-hailing services to one of the world’s most challenging urban environments.
Read more: CNBC
2. Nvidia Joins Nuro’s $203M Funding Round
Nuro, a startup developing self-driving systems for delivery and ride-hailing, has secured an additional $97 million in its Series E round, pushing the total raised to $203 million. The funding includes contributions from new investors like Nvidia, Icehouse Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and Pledge Ventures, alongside existing backers such as Baillie Gifford. Nvidia’s involvement builds upon its prior technical collaboration with Nuro, including use of Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor platform for model training and data processing. This latest infusion brings Nuro’s total funding to around $2.3 billion, though its valuation of $6 billion now reflects a 30% drop from its $8.6 billion valuation in 2021. The company streamlined its strategy—shifting in 2024 from operating its own delivery fleet to licensing its autonomous technology to automakers and mobility providers. With this fresh capital, Nuro plans to focus on building commercial partnerships and scaling its autonomy platform globally.
Read more: TechCrunch
3. Autonomous Vehicles Could Boost Insurer Profitability: BofA
Analysts at Bank of America see a potentially profitable future for auto insurers amid the rise of autonomous vehicles. As self-driving tech reduces accidents caused by human error, the industry could benefit from shifting liability from individual drivers to commercial entities like manufacturers or fleet operators. Personal auto insurers, who traditionally lose money on liability coverage, may see improved margins as risks transfer to companies better equipped to absorb them. While accident severity may still pose cost challenges, this liability shift could reconfigure the $400 billion US auto insurance landscape in insurers’ favor. Rising premiums and repair costs in recent years only underscore the importance of adjusting risk models in the AV era. Overall, BofA believes the insurance industry may transform—and potentially thrive—as autonomy becomes more widespread.
Read more: Bloomberg
4. Popular Robotaxi Company Under NHTSA Investigation
A popular robotaxi company that recently rolled out a limited autonomous ride-service in Austin is now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for its self-driving system. The probe targets the company’s fully autonomous operations, despite claims that human oversight is still in place for safety. The NHTSA’s inquiry reflects growing scrutiny of emerging robotaxi deployments, particularly as regulation struggles to keep pace with innovation. The Austin launch was positioned as a step toward broader US expansion by the end of 2025. This development raises questions about regulatory alignment, transparency, and public trust in autonomous systems. Ongoing investigations could influence how quickly these services scale, especially in complex urban environments.
Read more: CNN
5. Self-Driving Cars and Insurance: What Changes Ahead?
As autonomous vehicles edge closer to mainstream deployment, the insurance industry is closely watching how policies will evolve. A recent analysis highlights that while fewer accidents are expected due to AV technology, the growing complexity and severity of collision incidents may not lead to lower overall costs. Instead, shifting liability away from drivers to manufacturers or fleet operators could bolster insurer profitability, even if traditional premium revenues change. The US auto insurance market, valued at around $400 billion, is set for a structural shake-up—requiring new actuarial models, claim processes, and regulatory frameworks. Insurers will need to adapt how they underwrite coverage, focusing more on commercial and product liability lines. Ultimately, the move toward autonomy may not diminish the insurance sector’s role—it might simply reinvent it.
Read more: Yahoo Finance
