State Of Autonomy: June Recap

Starsky Robotics — if you see this livery in Florida, you’re part of a driverless driving test. (Of course, you’re perpetually in an ongoing driving test with everyone else on the road, but that doesn’t sell on the newsstand.)

Every month, I recap the news articles I’ve consumed around autonomous vehicles, calling out the highlights and keeping track of market progress. This is also your chance to nominate a topic for discussion next month.

Have you checked your mail recently? It’s possible a car manufacturer offered you a partnership. Aurora-Fiat-Chrysler, Waymo-Renault-Nissan, Softbank-Toyota-Honda-Hino-Mazda-Suzuki-Subaru… they’re sounding less like a transportation entity and more like a seasoned truck stop divorcee.

Apart from the immediate-yet-fleeting value proposition of building “cars” as we know them today, having carmakers on an AV firm’s side is useful when we consider how much public perception impacts acceptance of new technology. If there’s anything the OEM lawyers & lobbyists have done well to date, it’s convince consumers that their road-going technology is safe. Good to have that kind of muscle in your corner when facing a skeptical public, who is ironically skeptical in large part because carmakers historically did such a good job fooling people into thinking conventional cars were safe.

This Month’s Highlights:

• Aurora Ramps Up Series B Funding To $600MM, In Part From Hyundai/Kia; Related: Aurora To Partner With Fiat-Chrysler On Commercial Van Development; Related: Volkswagen Backs Out Of Aurora…