[251021] #Waymo #Stellantis #Wayve

Vol. 253 | 2025.10.21

Category	Company	Article
Self-driving	Waymo	Driverless taxis from Waymo will be on London’s roads next year, US firm announces
Autonomous Trucking	Stellantis, Pony.ai	Stellantis and Pony.ai Partner to Advance Robotaxi Development in Europe
LiDAR Sensor	Wayve, Micorsoft, SoftBank	Microsoft and SoftBank boost UK AI ambitions with $2B Wayve investment
ADAS	Mobileye	Mobileye to Power India’s ADAS Revolution at Inauguration of ARAI’s ADAS TEST CITY in Pune
Autonomous Driving	BYD, MOGOX	Singapore Awards Groundbreaking Contract for Level 4 Autonomous Bus Trial

Driverless taxis from Waymo will be on London’s roads next year, US firm announces

📌 Waymo will debut Europe’s first driverless taxi service in London in 2026, expanding its global robotaxi footprint amid mixed public and industry reactions.

• Waymo announced plans to launch its autonomous taxi service in London, making the UK capital the first European city to host its driverless rides.

• Vehicles will begin testing on public roads in late 2025 with trained human safety drivers before offering fully autonomous rides in 2026.

• The company will collaborate with Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport to obtain necessary permits under the UK’s Automated Vehicles Act, which will take full effect in 2027.

• The launch will position Waymo alongside local competitors like Wayve and global players like Uber, both of which plan to test driverless services in the UK.

• UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the project, citing potential benefits in job creation, investment, and leadership in autonomous mobility.

• The London Taxi Drivers’ Association criticized the initiative, calling Waymo’s vehicles a “fairground ride” and questioning their reliability in the city’s complex road network.

• Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, already operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Atlanta and has provided over 10 million driverless rides.

• The company uses a LiDAR-, radar-, and camera-based AI perception system to navigate safely in diverse conditions, claiming its vehicles are 12 times less likely to injure pedestrians than human-driven cars.

Stellantis and Pony.ai Partner to Advance Robotaxi Development in Europe

📌 Stellantis and Pony.ai will co-develop and test Level 4 autonomous electric vans in Europe, beginning with real-world trials in Luxembourg in 2026.

• Stellantis and Pony.ai signed a non-binding MoU to jointly develop and test SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Europe.

• The collaboration will integrate Pony.ai’s autonomous driving software with Stellantis’ AV-Ready BEV platform for medium-sized vans.

• Initial testing will begin in Luxembourg using the Peugeot e-Traveller, expanding to other European cities starting in 2026.

• The project focuses on light commercial vehicles (LCVs)—a segment where Stellantis’ Pro One business holds a leading European market position.

• Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platform supports hands-off, eyes-off capabilities with system redundancies and sensor suite compatibility.

• The partnership aims to deliver safe, scalable, and efficient robotaxi and mobility solutions across Europe.

• Both companies view the collaboration as a step toward broader autonomous mobility services for goods and passengers.

Microsoft and SoftBank boost UK AI ambitions with $2B Wayve investment

📌 Microsoft, SoftBank, and Nvidia are leading a $2 billion investment in Wayve to expand its AI-driven autonomous vehicle operations to Europe and Japan, solidifying the UK startup’s position in global mobility innovation.

• Microsoft and SoftBank are reportedly preparing a $2 billion funding round to invest in Wayve, valuing the UK-based autonomous driving startup at around $8 billion.

• The new funding follows Wayve’s $1 billion Series C round in 2024, led by Nvidia and SoftBank, with participation from Uber.

• Nvidia, along with venture capital firms Accel, Air Street Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Balderton, and Phoenix Court, is also part of the broader €2 billion commitment to support Wayve’s Series D round.

• The initiative comes as Wayve expands operations beyond the UK and the US to Germany and Japan, strengthening its global presence.

• In September 2025, Nvidia signed a letter of intent for a $500 million strategic investment in Wayve, highlighting continued collaboration in embodied AI for autonomous vehicles.

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang both emphasized that such investments will reinforce the UK’s leadership in AI innovation and job creation.

• Wayve began testing self-driving Nissan Ariya EVs in Tokyo, marking its first public trials in Japan ahead of a 2027 consumer launch.

• Founded in 2017, Wayve leverages AI models that learn driving behavior from real-world video data, differing from rule-based systems, and uses a sensor suite combining cameras, radar, and LiDAR.

Mobileye to Power India’s ADAS Revolution at Inauguration of ARAI’s ADAS TEST CITY in Pune

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📌 Mobileye will help launch India’s first ADAS and autonomous vehicle test city in Pune, advancing the nation’s push toward safer and smarter intelligent mobility.

• Mobileye, a global leader in ADAS and autonomous driving, will participate in the inauguration of ARAI’s ADAS TEST CITY—India’s first dedicated ADAS and autonomous testing facility—in Pune on December 12, 2025.

• The event, part of the 3rd Edition of THE ADAS SHOW, marks a milestone in India’s intelligent mobility and vehicle safety initiatives.

• ARAI’s ADAS TEST CITY provides a pseudo-urban testing environment for validating technologies like AEB, LKA, Pedestrian Detection, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

• Elie Luskin, VP of Mobileye India and China, emphasized that the project aligns with Mobileye’s global mission to enhance road safety and accelerate ADAS adoption in India.

• Mobileye leaders will deliver keynote sessions and join discussions on scaling ADAS from premium to mass-market vehicles.

• The collaboration between Mobileye, ARAI, and marketsandmarkets underscores India’s growing role in the global ADAS and autonomous vehicle ecosystem.

• The initiative highlights India’s transition toward safer, smarter, and locally validated mobility solutions supported by global technology expertise.

Singapore Awards Groundbreaking Contract for Level 4 Autonomous Bus Trial

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📌 Singapore will launch its first Level 4 autonomous electric bus trial in 2026 through an MKX–MOGOX–BYD consortium, advancing the city’s smart and sustainable mobility vision.

• Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a contract to a consortium of MKX Technologies, Zhidao Network Technology (MOGOX), and BYD Singapore to deploy Level 4 autonomous electric buses on public roads starting in late 2026.

• The project marks Singapore’s first real-world trial of fully autonomous buses for daily public transport, aimed at improving last-mile connectivity and addressing labor shortages.

• Six 16-seater BYD electric minibuses, equipped with MOGOX’s full-stack autonomous driving system (LiDAR, radar, cameras), will operate on Service 191 (one-north) and Service 400 (Marina Bay) routes.

• MKX Technologies will lead local R&D, integration, and project management.

• Each vehicle will initially include a safety operator, with data collection used to evaluate safety, passenger experience, and reliability.

• The trial aligns with Singapore’s Smart Nation and low-carbon goals, potentially expanding to 100–150 vehicles if successful.

• LTA emphasized that this initiative showcases Singapore’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and smart mobility leadership in the region.

* Contents above are the opinion of ChatGPT, not an individual nor company

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