Safety & Supervision: New In-Car Prompts Spark Backlash
A recent software update adds messages to nudge drowsy or lane-drifting drivers to activate Full Self-Driving, even though the feature still requires constant human supervision. Human-factor researchers warn that encouraging automation precisely when a driver is fatigued could worsen vigilance and slow reactions, raising crash risk. The prompt also lands amid ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny of the company’s autonomy marketing. Experts say Level 2 systems must increase driver engagement when attention wanes, not reduce it. Pricing remains $8,000 upfront or $99/month, and leadership continues to pitch an “unsupervised” future while timelines are TBD.
Read more: WIRED
Robotaxi Rollout Check-In: Cautious Permits, Uneven Signals
After a small, invite-only pilot program with safety monitors in Austin, the company secured approval to test in Arizona’s Phoenix metro area, again with an in-car safety monitor, signaling a deliberately narrow footprint. Analysts contrast its map-free, vision-first approach with competitors that lean on HD maps and lidar, projecting a slower early ramp while software matures. State lawmakers in Texas previously urged a slower timeline until new AV rules took effect, underscoring policy headwinds. Expect incremental city additions, tight ODDs, and safety drivers in the near term rather than rapid, fully driverless models.
Read more: Automotive News
Waymo: Courting Business Travel—Plus An L.A. Incident
Waymo launched “Waymo for Business,” letting employers create accounts, manage usage and budgets, and streamline robotaxi rides for staff in cities including LA, Phoenix, SF, Austin and Atlanta, with airport connectivity a growing focus. Early adopters suggest corporate mobility is a logical next demand node as consumer ridership passes a reported million rides per month. At the same time, LA firefighters extinguished a back-seat fire inside a stationary Waymo in Mar Vista; the cause remains under investigation with no injuries reported. The juxtaposition highlights both scaling ambitions and the scrutiny that accompanies every safety event in AV.
Read more: Barron’s | KTLA
China’s Momenta Rethinks Listing Venue
Sources say Shanghai-backed AV software firm, Momenta, is weighing shifting its planned IPO from New York to Hong Kong amid U.S./China audit and capital-market tensions.,. The move would fit a broader pattern of Chinese mobility/AI companies seeking listings closer to home as regulatory and geopolitical risks rise. For global OEM partners using Momenta’s highway/urban NOA stacks, a Hong Kong listing could still provide capital access and liquidity, if at a different valuation regime. Watch this as a bellwether for Chinese AV financing paths into 2026.
Read more: Reuters
Insurance and Freight: Driverless Trucks Change the Risk Math
Insurers are recalibrating commercial auto models as driverless freight pilots expand, shifting liability from human drivers to OEMs/operators and raising questions about product liability, and cyber, and catastrophic-loss layers. Underwriters are focusing on sensor redundancy, remote ops, incident response, and data transparency as prerequisites for capacity. Expect bespoke captives and reinsurance structures, plus tighter requirements around safety cases and post-crash data access. For shippers and fleets, premiums may hinge on demonstrable safety KPIs over mere miles driven.
Read more: Insurance Business
