Autonomous Vehicle Newsletter — January 9, 2026
Ford Targets “Eyes-Off” Level 3 Driving on its Next Affordable EV Platform
Ford says it plans to introduce “eyes-off” Level 3 automated driving as part of the next generation of its BlueCruise system, with a target launch window around 2028. The company tied the capability to vehicles built on its upcoming “Universal EV” platform, starting with a roughly $30,000 electric pickup expected to enter production in 2027. Today’s BlueCruise is hands-free but still “eyes-on,” and it’s currently limited to a mapped network of divided highways—so the big unanswered question is whether the next system expands meaningfully beyond that use case. Ford also did not confirm key hardware details publicly (including whether lidar will be used), which matters for performance, cost, and regulatory positioning. Overall, it’s another sign that major automakers are prioritizing scalable, consumer-priced automation rather than moonshot “full autonomy” timelines.
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Crashes and Accountability: Who Gets “The Ticket” When Nobody is Driving?
A national Investigate TV report highlights how real-world crashes involving autonomous vehicles are intensifying questions about responsibility and enforcement. Using Phoenix-area examples, the story points to federal data showing at least 202 reported crashes involving vehicles operated by a popular robotaxi company in Arizona from 2021–2024, including 31 injury collisions—while also noting that databases can be heavily redacted and don’t always clarify fault. The report describes incidents where police reportedly faulted the autonomous vehicle in a collision, but citation practices vary, especially when there is no human driver “in control” at the moment of impact. Riders and other drivers interviewed describe close calls and confusion about what to do in the aftermath of a crash with a driverless system. The broader takeaway is that public acceptance is likely to hinge as much on clear rules (insurance, citations, reporting) as on raw safety statistics.
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Nvidia + Partnerships: AV Momentum Shifts to “Platforms,” Not Solo Moonshots
Reuters reports that chipmakers, cloud providers, and auto suppliers used CES to showcase new alliances aimed at lowering the cost and complexity of deploying autonomous systems. The article frames the sector’s past as “expensive failures and endless delays,” but says companies are betting that better AI tooling and shared ecosystems can speed validation and rollout. Examples include a cloud provider partnering with a major supplier to support commercial deployment efforts, and an autonomous trucking firm teaming with a large automotive supplier on manufacturing hardware and sensors. Nvidia also unveiled a next-generation platform that it says will power new robotaxi efforts, including a multi-company alliance involving an EV automaker, an autonomy developer, and a major rideshare platform. The piece also underscores a strategic pressure point: Western firms trying to keep pace with China’s rapid push on advanced driver-assistance and higher-level autonomy.
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Congress Revisits AV Rules: Scaling Vehicles “Without Controls” Back on the Table
A key House committee is preparing to examine legislative proposals that could ease deployment of autonomous vehicles that don’t have traditional human driving controls (think steering wheels and mirrors). One idea in discussion would dramatically raise the annual cap on the number of exempt vehicles allowed under current law (from 2,500 to as high as 90,000), a change that advocates argue is necessary for large-scale robotaxi commercialization. The hearing is scheduled for January 13, 2026, and comes after years of federal stalemate that left companies navigating a patchwork of state rules and slow exemption pathways. Separate legal analysis notes that proposed frameworks are also focusing on passenger safety basics—like ensuring an occupant can command the system to reach a minimal-risk condition and exit the vehicle—and on creating better data pipelines for crash reporting. The practical impact: if Congress moves, it could unlock purpose-built “no-controls” vehicle designs faster, but it will also amplify scrutiny from safety, labor, and consumer groups.
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Phoenix “Edge Case” Goes Viral After Robotaxi Drives Onto Light-Rail Tracks
An incident in south Phoenix shows how rare “edge cases” can dominate the public narrative around autonomy. Local reporting describes a situation where a passenger exited a popular robotaxi company vehicle after it drove onto light-rail tracks near an oncoming train, with bystander video capturing the moment. A professor interviewed in the story characterizes it as the kind of unexpected scenario where the vehicle “drove like a machine rather than a person,” especially amid changes to the roadway environment. The report also notes the area had construction and that the rail infrastructure in that spot was relatively new, which may have contributed to routing or perception challenges. Transit officials said the episode caused no significant delays and the scene was cleared quickly, but it’s an example of how operational design domains (ODDs) can be stress-tested by constant real-world change.
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