Vol. 255 | 2025.11.04
| Category | Company | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Driving | Lucid, Nvidia | Nvidia, Lucid team up for true autonomous driving in future vehicles |
| ADAS | ZF, Horizon | ZF, Horizon co-develop ADAS system for Chinese market |
| Autonomous trucking | Waabi, Volvo | Waabi unveils autonomous truck made in partnership with Volvo |
| Autonomous Trucking | International, PlusAI | International, PlusAI, Nvidia join forces to advance factory-built Level 4 autonomous trucks |
| Self-driving | Waymo | Waymo’s Next Big Test Is Coming: Self-Driving Taxis In The Snow |
Huawei’s Aito M7, featuring industry-first in-cabin LiDAR
📌 Lucid and NVIDIA will co-develop Level 4 autonomy for future Lucid EVs, starting with a 2026 midsize model, while Lucid also pursues a separate L4 robotaxi path with Nuro for B2B use.
Lucid and NVIDIA announce a partnership to bring Level 4 autonomous driving to future Lucid vehicles using NVIDIA DRIVE AGX computers and DriveOS.
The first target is Lucid’s upcoming midsize vehicle, slated for 2026; L4 will operate when conditions and geofences are met, similar to Waymo robotaxis.
Before L4, Lucid will deploy “Level 2+” hands-free features on the Gravity SUV powered by NVIDIA DRIVE AV.
Lucid pursues a dual autonomy strategy: NVIDIA for consumer vehicles and Nuro’s L4 stack for B2B robotaxi services via Uber.
NVIDIA frames vehicles as “software-defined supercomputers,” positioning its full-stack automotive platform as the base for perception, planning, and control.
Lucid will adopt NVIDIA’s Industrial platform in manufacturing for predictive analytics, robotics, process optimization, configurable lines, and quality control.
Lucid says rollouts begin “in the next few years”; shares rose about 5% on the announcement.
ZF, Horizon co-develop ADAS system for Chinese market
📌 ZF and Horizon Robotics will co-develop a Level 3 ADAS for China, integrating the ZF ProAI platform and Horizon’s Journey 6P chip to enable full-scenario urban NOA and end-to-end assisted driving by 2026.
ZF Group and Horizon Robotics announced a partnership to jointly develop an SAE Level 3 ADAS system tailored for the Chinese market.
Mass production is scheduled for 2026, starting with an unnamed Chinese automaker’s BEV platform.
The system supports China’s “Navigation on Autopilot” (NOA) for urban environments and high-speed driving assistance.
ZF’s ProAI central computing platform will use Horizon’s Journey 6P processor, delivering 1,000+ TOPS of computing power for full-scenario assisted driving.
The architecture supports advanced AI models, including Transformer-based Vision Language Models (VLM), Vision Language Action (VLA), and end-to-end driving networks.
ZF emphasizes that ProAI’s scalable and modular design can adapt to all vehicle types and architectures.
The collaboration advances ZF’s localization strategy in China and leverages Horizon’s domestic AI innovation for global intelligent driving applications.
Both companies say the partnership aims to make intelligent driving more accessible and accelerate mass adoption across broader market segments.
Waabi unveils autonomous truck made in partnership with Volvo
📌 Waabi and Volvo unveiled the Volvo VNL Autonomous Truck at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, featuring the end-to-end AI-based Waabi Driver system designed for scalable, fully driverless freight operations.
Waabi launched the Volvo VNL Autonomous Truck in partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
The truck integrates Volvo’s autonomy platform with Waabi’s proprietary software stack and sensor suite.
Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun said the company aims to be the first to commercialize fully driverless trucks without human safety drivers.
The Waabi Driver is an end-to-end AI model enabling autonomous driving across highways and surface streets, designed for scalable logistics operations.
The system emphasizes factory-level integration with lightweight sensor pods and built-in redundancies for safe, global deployment.
Waabi’s collaboration follows Volvo’s venture investment in 2023 and participation in Waabi’s $200 million Series B in 2024.
Rival Aurora also partners with Volvo but currently operates trucks with human observers on routes in Texas.
Waabi plans to expand testing from Texas to nationwide operations over the next few years.
International, PlusAI, Nvidia join forces to advance factory-built Level 4 autonomous trucks
📌 International, PlusAI, and NVIDIA are partnering to build factory-produced Level 4 autonomous trucks using the DRIVE AGX Thor platform, integrating LiDAR, radar, and cameras for safe and scalable long-haul operations.
International Motors, PlusAI, and NVIDIA announced a partnership to advance the production of factory-built Level 4 autonomous trucks.
The collaboration combines International’s manufacturing and service network, PlusAI’s SuperDrive autonomous driving software, and NVIDIA’s DRIVE AGX Thor compute platform.
DRIVE AGX Thor, based on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, supports the intensive AI workloads required for perception, prediction, and planning.
Trucks will feature LiDAR, radar, and cameras for 360° environmental awareness integrated with PlusAI’s software for high-speed AI inference.
The vehicles are designed for large-scale, safe, and efficient long-haul freight operations.
PlusAI emphasized building scalable autonomy systems capable of meeting real-world fleet performance and safety needs.
International leverages its 200-year manufacturing heritage and dealer network to support production, maintenance, and deployment.
The project builds on fleet trials in Texas and marks a significant step toward the commercialization of fully autonomous trucking.
Waymo’s Next Big Test Is Coming: Self-Driving Taxis In The Snow
📌 Waymo is preparing its robotaxis to handle snow and freezing conditions, developing hardware and AI upgrades to enable reliable self-driving operations in winter climates by 2026.
Waymo is expanding testing to address one of autonomous driving’s toughest challenges: navigating snow, slush, and freezing rain.
The company currently operates in warm-weather cities like Los Angeles, Austin, and Phoenix but plans to add colder regions next.
Waymo has accumulated tens of thousands of miles of testing in snowy U.S. states to train its AI on diverse winter conditions.
Its four-step approach includes understanding weather challenges, designing generalizable solutions, validating performance, and scaling responsibly.
The next-generation Waymo Driver system will feature sensor wipers, heated components, and vehicle-to-vehicle alerts for slippery road sections.
Waymo aims to deploy winter-ready robotaxis as it prepares to launch service in Washington, D.C., in 2026.
Experts note that snow-covered signs and lane markings remain key hurdles for machine perception compared with human drivers.
Conquering winter operation is seen as essential for Waymo to compete with human-driven ride-hailing services that run year-round.
* Contents above are the opinion of ChatGPT, not an individual nor company
POV: My first ride in a Chinese self-driving taxi
