This Tuesday, May 8, 2018, file photo shows a Waymo logo displayed on the window of a car at the Google I/O conference in Mountain View, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
It's the year 2021 and cars still aren't flying en masse, but automakers like Waymo are apparently making progress in the world of autonomous driving technology.
"In October, we launched a service where people can download our Waymo app and hail a fully autonomous ride-hailing service that doesn't have any human operatives in it, and it'll take them where they need to go," David Quinalty, head of federal policy and government affairs at Waymo, recounted for Cheddar.
While the Waymo ride-hailing service is limited to the metro Phoenix area, Quinalty said the company looks to expand that service beyond the state of Arizona.
In addition to ride-hailing, the company also operates an autonomous delivery service that includes partnerships with UPS and Walmart. For Quinalty, the onset of the pandemic highlighted just how beneficial autonomous driving technology can be.
"For Waymo, taking the human driver out of the vehicle holds great promise for making our roads safer, for helping people get to where they need to go more easily, and perhaps also to keep people healthy," he said.
Autonomous Vehicle Expansion Under Biden
With President-elect Biden set to be sworn in next week, Quinalty said he expects the administration to "continue the bipartisan work that the U.S. Department of Transportation has been doing for the last several years on autonomous technology."
As the former policy director for communications and technology in the U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology, Quinalty said he expects to work with the Biden administration to enact policy that will promote the growing field.
"President-elect Biden has talked about ensuring that the American auto industry 'wins the 21st century,' and there's really no way to do that without fostering the safe and timely deployment of fully autonomous vehicles," he stated.
While some Americans might not welcome the idea of getting into a driverless car, Quinalty said safety, above all else, comes first. After completing 6.1 million autonomous driving miles around the metro Phoenix area, the company reported 18 crashes and 29 near-misses between 2019 and September 2020.
For Quinalty, the ultimate goal, not just for Waymo but for this entire industry, is to perfect the technology so that it can be implemented as part of the everyday lives of Americans. He also said he believes the industry should start adopting practices that are uniform across the board as it becomes more mainstream, starting with dropping the term "self-driving" as a way to be accurate in marketing.
"There's a lot of different types of technology out there when it comes to motor vehicles and consumers need to understand what their vehicle can do. No one wants to be in a situation where they may be overconfident in the capabilities of their vehicle and end up in a situation that jeopardizes their safety or the safety of those around them," Quinalty said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
