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☆ Robotaxi regulators say Tesla hasn’t contacted them about plans teased by Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( David Ingram | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Musk hinted at his plans in a brief post late Friday afternoon on X, writing: "Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8." Musk has talked about a robotaxi service for years. In 2019, he discussed plans to launch a robotaxi fleet using Tesla vehicles that people had leased and then returned. Musk has also talked about a robotaxi service with decentralized ownership, in which Tesla owners could rent out their cars for fares. Amazon subsidiary Zoox has said it has authorization from Nevada to operate a robotaxi service, which hasn't launched.

Persons: robotaxis, Tesla, Elon Musk, Brad Templeton, Templeton, Cruise, Musk, Zoox, hasn't, Eli Rohl Organizations: The California Department of Motor Vehicles, California Public Utilities Commission, NBC, DMV, Google, General Motors, Phoenix, Toyota, Car Dealers Association, Reuters, Cruise, Transportation Department, Nevada DMV, The, The Nevada DMV, California DMV Locations: California, San Francisco, Los Angeles, leaseholders, Arizona, Nevada, The Nevada

☆ Hollywood's newest star is the Waymo robotaxi
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Waymo can now operate its Waymo One service in Los Angeles. AdvertisementWaymo is now approved to operate its driverless vehicles in Los Angeles and additional parts of the Bay Area. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed concern about Waymo vehicles blocking the roads when emergency vehicles are trying to pass, which has happened several times in San Francisco. Waymo vehicles have been filmed cutting off road access and blocking public transport and emergency vehicles. There are also a few incidents of Waymo vehicles injuring people.

Persons: —, Waymo, Julia Ilina, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Ilina, Illina, Tilly Chang, Cruise Organizations: Service, California Public Utilities Commission, Los, San, Los Angeles Mayor, Cruise, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, DMV Locations: Los Angeles, Bay, California, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Francisco Peninsula, San Francisco —, San Francisco County

Alphabet's Waymo robotaxi unit won approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand service to parts of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, according to a notice posted to the regulator's website on Friday. "Waymo may begin fared driverless passenger service operations in the specified areas of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula, effective today," the release said. In mid-February, Waymo initiated a voluntary recall filing notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying it would fix software issues. The latest notice applies to the commercial ride-sharing service Waymo One. WATCH: Crowd burns Waymo in San Francisco

Persons: Alphabet's, Waymo, Apple, Elon Musk's Tesla, Cruise robotaxis Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, San, National, Traffic Safety Administration, California Department of Motor Vehicles, General Motors, Cruise, Palo Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco Peninsula, Phoenix, California, Palo Alto, San Mateo County, San Francisco

☆ GM’s Cruise Ordered by California Regulator to Testify About October Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A California regulator said Cruise omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding an October incident involving a pedestrian. Photo: John G. Mabanglo/Zuma PressGeneral Motors ’ Cruise has been ordered to testify before the California Public Utilities Commission over allegedly misleading comments it gave to regulators about an incident in October in which a pedestrian was hit. The CPUC said the self-driving car firm omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding the incident. A woman was hit by a human-driven car and thrown into the path of a driverless Cruise vehicle, which collided with the pedestrian and dragged the person about 20 feet. Cruise could face a fine of up to $1.5 million, the latest blow to the company’s operations in recent months after the company lost its driverless permits in California and CEO Kyle Vogt resigned.

Persons: John G, Mabanglo, Motors ’, CPUC, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Zuma Press, Motors, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: California

Barra said at a media event an ongoing outside external safety review will guide the company's path forward and is expected to be completed in early 2024. "We'll work through the challenges we have right now at Cruise," Barra said. She declined to offer an opinion on whether she thought regulators have treated Cruise more harshly than Tesla Autopilot. She also declined to say how much money GM is willing to spend on Cruise going forward until it completes its assessments and has a plan to move ahead. Reporting by Joseph White and David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Barra, Barra, Cruise, Joseph White, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates Organizations: General Motors, DETROIT, Detroit, California Public Utilities Commission, Thomson Locations: Cruise, United States, California

The San Francisco skyline is seen behind a self-driving GM Bolt EV during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Friday ordered Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 hearing for "misleading the Commission through omission regarding the extent and seriousness of the accident" and "making misleading public comments regarding its interactions with the commission." Cruise's troubles are also a setback for an industry dependent on public trust and the cooperation of regulators. GM had told investors Cruise and its technology could generate $50 billion a year in revenue by 2030. Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco and David Shepardson in Washington, Additional reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Richard Chang and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Cruise, Kyle Vogt, Daniel Kan, Jose Alvarado, Ashlyn Kong, Kong, ”, Tim Piechowski, Waymo, John Reynolds, Gavin Newsom, Mary Barra, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Abhirup Roy, Richard Chang, Nick Zieminski Organizations: San, GM Bolt, REUTERS, General Motors, GM, California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC, Cruise, Capital Research, California's Department of Motor Vehicles, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco , California, U.S, California, United States, Washington

☆ California regulator allows PG&E rate hike for wildfire mitigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The state's biggest utility, PG&E, serves more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. The APD set the 2023 revenue requirement at $13.52 billion, reflecting an 11% increase from 2022. According to the regulator, customers would see an increase of $32.62 on their bills, compared with PG&E's request of $38.73. One of the main wildfire mitigation efforts PG&E has been undertaking is undergrounding, or burying power lines. This lessens the need for public safety power shutoffs — a last resort during dry, windy conditions to reduce the risk of sparking a wildfire.

Persons: Seher, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas, E, Thomson Locations: Northern, Central California, powerlines, Bengaluru

☆ Here's what reportedly led to Cruise robotaxis getting banned in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Officials have banned Cruise robotaxis in San Francisco, warning they are a risk to public safety. Cruise was banned from operating its robotaxi service in San Francisco on Tuesday, with regulators warning that the controversial autonomous car company's vehicles posed "an unreasonable risk to public safety" following a series of accidents. "I can confirm that Cruise showed the full video to the DMV on October 3rd, and played it multiple times," they said. Cruise has been a controversial presence in San Francisco ever since it received approval to run its robotaxi service 24/7 in the city in August. AdvertisementAdvertisementFollowing the suspension of its driverless permits, Cruise announced that it would pause its driverless car services in San Francisco entirely.

Persons: Cruise, —, didn't Organizations: Service, California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, Cruise, CA, NHTSA Locations: San Francisco, California

[1/2] A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company’s headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. NHTSA's preliminary evaluation covers about 594 vehicles and is the first step before the agency seek to force a recall. In December, NHTSA opened a separate safety probe into the autonomous driving system in Cruise vehicles after reports of two injuries in rear-end crashes. NHTSA said Cruise vehicles "may engage in inappropriately hard braking or become immobilized." The DMV in August said it was investigating "recent concerning incidents" involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco and asked the company to take half its robotaxis off the roads, a request Cruise complied with.

Persons: Heather Somerville, Mary Barra, Cruise, robotaxi, David Shepardsin, Nick Carey, Abinaya, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Jan Harvey, Nick Zieminski Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, Rights, General Motors, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, GM, Cruise, California Department of Motor Vehicles, California Public Utilities Commission, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Cruise, Washington, London, Bengaluru

☆ California regulator proposes $45 mln penalty for PG&E over 2021 Dixie fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A firefighter continues to hold the line of the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, U.S., August 10, 2021. REUTERS/David Swanson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Monday proposed a $45 million shareholder-funded penalty against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for its connections to the destructive 2021 Dixie wildfire. The proposed penalty, pending CPUC Commissioner's approval, consists of a $2.5 million fine to the California General Fund, $2.5 million payment to tribes impacted by the fire for remediation, and $40 million for capital expenditures to transition records to electronic format. CPUC enforcement staff is recommending this penalty under an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) and Agreement, as per a release on the state regulator's website. Reporting by Anjana Anil and Swati Verma in Bengaluru; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Swanson, Anjana Anil, Swati Verma, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, California Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California General Fund, Thomson Locations: Taylorsville , California, U.S, California, Bengaluru

☆ San Francisco officials want to stop robotaxis operating 24/7 after one got stuck in concrete and others caused traffic chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

San Francisco is getting ready to tell robotaxi operators: not so fast. San Francisco wants robotaxi operators to slow things down amid a series of unfortunate events. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions to the California Public Utilities Commission, the regulatory body that voted in favor of full-scale robotaxi services this month, asking for permits to be temporarily suspended, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Previously, Waymo could only offer rides without charge and Cruise was limited to operating in about a third of San Francisco. However, San Francisco residents have been increasingly vocal about their city becoming a dangerous test-bed for driverless car technology amid fears the robotaxis will cause havoc.

Persons: Francisco, Cruise, General Motors, David Chiu, Aaron Peskin, Axios, Waymo Organizations: General, California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Chronicle, Cruise, San Francisco, of Supervisors, San Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco City

☆ Self-driving car company Cruise agreed to reduce its driverless fleet by 50% after a spate of recent crashes. San Francisco officials previously pushed for a slower rollout of robotaxis.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

City officials previously told Insider the approval would be "premature." Cruise, a self-driving car company, agreed to slash its driverless taxi operation in San Francisco by half on Friday following reports of two separate crashes involving its vehicles. One Cruise vehicle also drove into wet concrete at a construction site. Another collision occurred that evening, in which another vehicle ran a red light "at a high rate of speed," the company told Insider. Tilly Chang, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), previously told Insider that her agency believes approving the permits would be "premature."

Persons: Alphabet's Waymo, Darcie Houck, robotaxis, Cruise, San Francisco, Tilly Chang, Chang, We've, Joe Castiglione, SFCTA's, CPUC, Castiglione Organizations: California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, California Public Utilities Commission, CBS, City, San, San Francisco County Transportation Authority Locations: California, San Francisco, San Francisco County, —

☆ California regulator probes crashes involving GM's Cruise robotaxis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. The statement from California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) came after a Cruise robotaxi was involved in a crash with an emergency vehicle in San Francisco late on Thursday, the latest accident involving the self-driving cars. The two have been running robotaxi tests limited by times and geographic areas within San Francisco. San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion," he said in a statement. Reporting by Abhirup Roy and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco; editing by Diane Craft and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Heather Somerville, robotaxi, Cruise, David Chiu, Abhirup Roy, Hyunjoo Jin, Diane Craft, Sonali Paul Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, San Francisco Police Department, Reuters, California Public Utilities Commission, City, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Cruise

☆ GM's Cruise robotaxi collides with fire truck in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Initial investigation shows the collision occurred when a fire truck was operating in an emergency with its forward facing red lights and siren on, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement to Reuters. The San Francisco Fire Department did not respond to requests for comment. The two have been running robotaxi tests limited by times and geographic areas within San Francisco. San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion," he said in a statement. Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Heather Somerville, robotaxi, Cruise, David Chiu, Abhirup Roy, Diane Craft Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, General Motors, Twitter, San Francisco Police Department, Reuters, Cruise, San Francisco Fire Department, California Public Utilities Commission, City, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Cruise

☆ A driverless car in San Francisco drove right into wet concrete and got stuck after seemingly mistaking it for a regular road: 'It ain't got a brain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A driverless Cruise car got temporarily stuck in wet concrete in San Francisco on Tuesday. A driverless Cruise car with no passengers got stuck in wet concrete at a construction site in San Francisco on Tuesday, SFGATE first reported. "It thinks it's a road and it ain't because it ain't got a brain and it can't tell that it's freshly poured concrete," Harvey told SFGATE. A rise in commercial AVs in San Francisco would "inevitably lead to an increase in traffic congestion and the number of dangerous incidents," Chiu's office said in a press release. "San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion, which outweigh whatever impacts AV companies may experience from a minimal pause in commercial deployment."

Persons: SFGATE, Paul Harvey, Harvey, Rachel Gordon, Cruise, Gordon, David Chiu, Chiu, Waymo Organizations: San Francisco Department of Public, New York Times, Times, California Public Utilities Commission, General Motors, Google Locations: San Francisco, California, SF, Francisco

kevin rooseAnd you’re listening to “Hard Fork.”casey newtonThis week on the show, Sam Bankman-Fried goes to jail. If you give me, like, 1 percent of the internet, that’s going to give me an aneurysm. And those three are actually going to get to live that out. So I actually think the classroom of the future looks remarkably like the classroom today, but you reverse what you’re doing in it. And I think that’s another piece, is we have to not be delusional about what has actually happened in education.

Persons: casey newton, Joe Rogan, kevin roose You’re, casey newton They’ve, kevin roose They’ve, who’s, kevin roose, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, Sam Bankman, Fried, what’s, Wharton, Ethan Malek, kevin roose Casey, I’ve, casey newton Guy’s, David Jaffe Bellini, David, ” david jaffe bellini, casey newton Hi, ’, he’s, david jaffe bellini, david jaffe bellini That’s, they’re, Sam’s, there’s, that’s, Casey, — casey newton, david jaffe bellini I’m, he’d, Caroline Ellison, Caroline Ellison’s, Caroline, She’s, we’ve, they’ve, Sam, He’s, I’m, haven’t, It’s, You’ve, There’s, you’re, Ryan Salem, hasn’t, Gary, Nishad, They’ve, SBF, casey newton Look, Harlem Globetrotters ’, it’s, Kevin, casey newton Oh, kevin roose David Jaffe Bellini, we’re, kevin roose It’s, “, casey newton Sure, Ethan Mollick Ethan, kevin roose Ethan Mollick, ” ethan mollick, ethan mollick, That’s, casey newton Tell, ChatGPT, ethan mollick —, you’ve, Steve Jobs, don’t, You’ll, ethan mollick Oh, casey newton Well, We’ve, kevin roose I’m, Ethan, casey newton It’s, they’d, you’ll, They’re, Ethan Mollick, casey newton —, should’ve, let’s, Cruise, casey newton That’s, — david jaffe bellini, kevin roose —, ”, Alex, casey newton Hey, casey newton Yes, Kyle Vogt, Franciscans, I’ll, kevin roose Totally, casey newton Yep, Uber, casey newton Right, Dirk, Kevin kevin roose, shouldn’t, — casey newton Yes, casey newton Don’t, Rachel Cohn, Davis, We’re, Jen Poyant, Caitlin Love, Sophia Lanman, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto, Paula Shoeman, Tam, David McCraw, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresti, Jeffrey Miranda Organizations: Spotify, The New York Times, FTX, Conference, NFL, Google, “ New York Times, MDC, Republican, Alameda, Twitter, Harlem Globetrotters, Washington Generals, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Fork University, Caud Academy, they’re, TA, . University, University, Hard Fork, Wharton, DMs, San, San Francisco, Cruise, Department of Motor Vehicles, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Virginia Tech Transportation, YouTube Locations: New York, California, Bahamas, Alameda, FTX, autodelete, Caroline, Wharton, GPT, Kenya, America, San Francisco, Charlotte , North Carolina, Texas, North Beach, Cruise, Franciscans, robotaxis, AVs, Rhode Island, Zurich, Paris, Madrid, Swiss, Switzerland

☆ Cruise robocabs got stuck in San Francisco, causing a bizarre traffic jam, which the company blamed on a festival taking up too much wireless bandwidth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some self-driving Cruise cars created a traffic jam when they stalled in San Francisco on Friday night. Self-driving Cruise cars stalled in San Francisco on Friday night, leading to a bizarre traffic jam captured on video. Reports suggest that around 10 Cruise cars were involved in the buildup, which is said to have lasted for about 15 or 20 minutes. The San Francisco Standard reported that Cruise cars also stalled on other streets near Golden Gate Park that night, leading to a road closure. He told The Los Angeles Times that he was inundated with texts, emails, and videos from constituents about the stalled cars.

Persons: Cruise, Kendrick Lamar, Janelle Monáe, Aaron Peskin, Jeffrey Bilbrey, KPIX, CPUC, AVs, John Reynolds Organizations: Morning, California Public Utilities Commission, Cruise, General Motors, Google, San Francisco Standard, San Francisco, Supervisors, Los Angeles Times Locations: San Francisco, California, Beach, Golden, North Beach

☆ Driverless cars stall in San Francisco, causing a brief traffic jam
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —San Francisco residents were caught off guard this weekend after Cruise self-driving cars caused a traffic jam, according to social media posts. The obstruction came a few days after California regulators approved robotaxi companies to operate their driverless cars 24/7 throughout the city. One account, FriscoLive415, said the incident was a “complete meltdown.”Witnesses told CNN affiliate KPIX-TV that the driverless cars were blocking intersections Friday evening for about 15 minutes, causing concern that driverless cars could impede emergency vehicles from accessing the area. That means residents and visitors to San Francisco will be able to pay a fare to ride in a driverless taxi, ushering in new automated competition to cab and ridehail drivers. The San Francisco Police Officers Association, San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798 all wrote letters to the CPUC expressing concerns that autonomous vehicles could impede emergency responders.

Persons: FriscoLive415, Cruise, it’s “, ”, ” Cruise, Cruise didn’t, ” Aaron Peskin, Peskin, Drew Pusateri, Tracy McCray Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, CNN, San, Supervisors, Los Angeles Times, California Public Utilities Commission, Waymo, San Francisco Police, Association, San Francisco, Sheriffs ’ Association, San Francisco Fire Fighters, “, San Francisco Fire Department Locations: New York, San Francisco, California, Beach, San Francisco’s, North Beach

☆ Regulators give green light to driverless taxis in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Nadia Bidarian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

San Francisco first responders, city transportation leaders and local activists are among those who shared concerns about the technology. “Today’s permit marks the true beginning of our commercial operations in San Francisco,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, in a press release. Until Thursday’s vote, Cruise and Waymo could offer only limited service to San Francisco residents. The San Francisco Police Officers Association, San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798 all wrote letters to the CPUC in the week leading up to the originally scheduled vote on June 29. 2022 was the worst year on record for traffic fatalities in San Francisco since 2014, according to city data.

Persons: Cruise, “, ”, Tekedra Mawakana, Drew Pusateri, General Motors, Matthew Sutter, Justin Sullivan, Critics, Tracy McCray, Jeanine Nicholson, ” Nicholson, Waymo, Genevieve Shiroma, ” Shiroma Organizations: CNN, Cruise, San Francisco, California Public Utilities Commission, Waymo, General, Francisco, San, San Francisco Police, Association, Sheriffs ’ Association, San Francisco Fire Fighters, San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Locations: California, San Francisco, San, Waymo, San Francisco , California, “

☆ Robotaxis get the green light to roam the streets of San Francisco at any hour of the day
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cruise and Waymo got the go-ahead from state officials Thursday to offer driverless rides 24/7. Robotaxi companies Cruise and Waymo have been given the go-ahead from state officials to offer driverless rides in San Francisco at any hour of the day. Before it got the green light from officials, Cruise and Waymo had been authorized to offer its services from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m in limited areas of San Francisco. "Today's permit marks the true beginning of our commercial operations in San Francisco," Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a blog post . San Francisco firefighters were forced to smash the front window of a Cruise driverless taxi in January to stop it from running over their hoses as they were engaged in active firefighting.

Persons: Cruise, Waymo, CPUC, Kyle Vogt, Tekedra Mawakana, Darcie Houck, Francisco firefighters, AVs, John Reynolds, Waymo didn't Organizations: California Public Utilities, Morning, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: California, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mountain, Francisco

☆ California agency to vote on San Francisco robotaxi expansion amid heavy opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Heather Somerville/File PhotoSAN FRANCISCO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Amid strenuous pushback from San Francisco officials and many residents, a California state agency is set to vote on Thursday on a proposal to allow the city to be blanketed in self-driving taxis at all hours. But the vote at the meeting that begins at 11 a.m. PDT (1800 GMT) comes amid vigorous opposition from transportation and safety agencies in San Francisco. The CPUC has twice delayed the vote, in part because of the mounting opposition. Outfitted with spinning sensors, Waymo and Cruise vehicles are an arresting sight around San Francisco, particularly to visitors unaccustomed to cars with no human driver behind the wheel.

Persons: Heather Somerville, Cruise, Waymo, Greg Bensinger, Jamie Freed Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, San Francisco, Motors, California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, San

☆ San Francisco drives tech; will it drive away robot taxis?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company?s headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. Futuristic test vehicles from Cruise and Waymo are a common sight in some parts of San Francisco. The vote comes at a critical time for San Francisco, which is grappling with thousands of tech job losses, firms leaving the city, and COVID-era work-from-home policies that have contributed to a hollowed out downtown. loadingRamón Iglesias, another San Francisco resident, said that though he’d seen the videos and some erratic behavior from the cars, he supports the expansion and worries any further obstacles could drive tech companies away. “We have a very strong Luddite segment here in San Francisco and you see places like Las Vegas and Miami go out of their way to embrace tech,” said Iglesias, a data scientist.

Persons: Heather Somerville, Waymo, ”, Kyle Vogt, X, ” Cruise, San Francisco, Cruise, Julia Ilina, Mike Smith, Ramón Iglesias, he’d, Iglesias, “, London Breed, Greg Bensinger, Peter Henderson, Diane Craft Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Motors, San, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Cruise, California Public Utilities Commission, Las, Ford, Tesla, Francisco, FIRST, ”, London, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Francisco, San, San Francisco County, State, dazzled, Dallas, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles

☆ Firefighters smashed the window of a driverless Cruise taxi to stop it running over their hoses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Firefighters smashed the front window of a Cruise autonomous car to stop it from running over hoses. Another Cruise car ran over a fire hose when it was in use at an active fire scene in June 2022. The incidents were noted in a letter sent by San Francisco officials to regulators on Wednesday. San Francisco firefighters smashed the front window of a Cruise driverless taxi to stop it from running over their hoses. A similar incident occurred in June 2022 when a self-driving Cruise car ran over a fire hose that was in use, the letter says.

☆ California to vote on hotly debated change in rooftop solar policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Solar installers from Baker Electric place solar panels on the roof of a residential home in Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California, U.S. October 14, 2016. For decades, Californians with rooftop panels have been credited for excess power at or near the full retail electricity rate. Solar companies counter that the changes would slow new installations and threaten California's clean energy and climate change goals. California's three investor-owned utilities are Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG.N), Southern California Edison (EIX.N) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE.N). Customers installing solar with a battery, for example, would save about $136 a month under the plan, compared with $100 a month with just solar.

In a 250-page proposed decision, regulators outlined reforms to the so-called "net energy metering", a state policy that issues credits to solar energy customers for generating excess electricity and feeding it back to the grid. The proposal will not affect current home solar owners and will maintain their current compensation, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said. Shares of rooftop solar system providers, including Sunrun Inc (RUN.O), SunPower Corp (SPWR.O) and Sunnova Energy International Inc (NOVA.N), closed 20% to 27% higher on Thursday. "This has been an overhang for rooftop solar stocks that would be alleviated if passed similar to today's proposal," said Morningstar analyst Brett Castelli. "The CPUC's new proposed decision would really hurt.

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