Europe's Self-Driving Cars Aren't Even at the Starting Line (bloomberg.com)
- Reference: 0179973044
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/11/05/1533219/europes-self-driving-cars-arent-even-at-the-starting-line
- Source link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-05/europe-s-self-driving-cars-aren-t-even-at-the-starting-line
Markus Villig, chief executive of Estonian ride-hailing company Bolt Technology, told Brussels officials in mid-October that Europeans will move about their cities in American robotaxis by 2030 unless the European Commission acts quickly. He called for investment, regulatory clarity and restrictions on foreign competitors. Traffic laws governing self-driving tests vary at national and city levels across Europe. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech in Turin about AI adoption days before Villig's visit. Last week, Henna Virkkunen, the commission's technology chief, gathered carmakers and technologists to create a harmonized framework for self-driving cars. Waymo announced plans to provide driverless rides in the United Kingdom starting in 2026.
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-05/europe-s-self-driving-cars-aren-t-even-at-the-starting-line
All the problems I've had with taxis (Score:5, Interesting)
have never been with the driver. Cleanliness is usually the the big issue and all the GPUs and sensors in the world won't fix this.
Re: (Score:2)
They will make it worse because the driver at least has an incentive for his vehicle to be clean. A robot taxi doesn't care if the previous passenger vomited in the seat.
Surveilling Shame. (Score:2)
> have never been with the driver. Cleanliness is usually the the big issue and all the GPUs and sensors in the world won't fix this.
Gen Narcissism should get used to the fact that the Surveillance State bringing the ride itself, is always watching.
You know that whole 5-star rating system society loves to abuse? Goes both ways.
Best not act like a disrespectful cunt in a NotYourCar. You'll find your microchip getting shut off.
[1]https://youtu.be/HJwFG3MsgEU?t... [youtu.be]
[1] https://youtu.be/HJwFG3MsgEU?t=96
Re: (Score:1)
> Cleanliness is usually the the big issue and all the GPUs and sensors in the world won't fix this.
Why not? Car takes a photo of its own interior before the ride. Car takes a photo of its interior after the ride. GPUs analyze images to determine if the car has been damaged or significantly dirtied. If so, fine the rider for the cleaning fee and for the time the car is out of service.
Apart from Wayve? (Score:5, Interesting)
A big part of operating in Europe is that it's harder to have a self driving car when you don't have huge, wide, straight roads with obnoxious anti-pedestrian laws. Thre are no jaywalkers in London, only pedestrians. This is why no one is currently operating in European cities.
And as for who will be first, Waymo is ni a race with the UK's Wayve as to who will start powering self driving cars in London first.
Also Europe in general is famed for stronger regulation, and the roads in the UK and most of Europe are significantly safer than the US. I don't especially want to be run over in the name of progress towards a future that I'm not sure I want.
Re: (Score:3)
Yeah was going to say, its hard enough for a *human* to get around in a car in a european city, between unmarked lanes and non-standard road sizes and sudden changes and super narrow one way streets through the medieval part of town, its not really a priority here...you can use a french city as a torture test for your self-driving if you want to see if it 'really works' I guess..
Re: (Score:2)
That's not why. Waymo is testing in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. NYC by the way has also recently legalized jaywalking.
The idea that machines don't / won't beat humans at continuous vigilance and precise movement doesn't make much sense to me, since machines are great at that. The safety issue already favors automation and the gap will only grow. (More specifically, safety already favors certain self-driving implementations, like Waymo... obviously in general, "automation" can also be total crap i
Re: (Score:2)
> NYC by the way has also recently legalized jaywalking.
And:
> continuous vigilance and precise movement ... since machines are great at that.
Right. Put these two factors together and you'll have a situation where nobody will be moving around in robotaxis, either European* or American. It'll be a bunch of Waymos waiting for some hobo wandering around in the middle of the road.
*Actually, the Europeans don't put up with out of control behavior nearly as much as Americans do. In American cities, it takes weeks for "support services" to move tent camps. On a visit to Amsterdam a few years ago, I watched them move a tent camp with water cannons.
Re: (Score:2)
Some years ago Nissan was testing self driving cars around London, but I don't know what happened to that. I remember watching something on NHK about Japanese efforts, and how they were considered behind the US ones, but more conservative and safer.
Tesla is being investigated yet again for it's "Mad Max" mode. I'm okay with Europe not having that.
Whatabout (Score:2)
I've read that Heathrow Airport has a small but functioning Personal Rapid Transit system, and that Europe in general much better suited (socially and physically) to public transit in general. Are those things accurate? Is there a chance that expanding PRT would be a better path for Europe than getting into a competition over full on robo-taxis?
Re: (Score:2)
Let's put it like this: I live in a village (less than 10,000 inhabitants) directly neighboring a small city (130,000 inhabitants). In my village, we have seven bus lines, one train stop with trains running every 30 mins, and a tramway line (and a second one, which is technically not on village territory, but from my place, it's a 5 min walk).
Europe has public transport (Score:5, Informative)
> Europeans will move about their cities in American robotaxis by 2030
If the trend continues, Europeans will move about their cities in trains, trams and buses, also on bikes.
Most European cities want cars out, self-driving or not.
Ever traveled on the roads in Europe? (Score:3)
I remember watching huge travel buses making a blind turn (no stopping) around a corner on a road that would be considered way too narrow in the US. They have to honk (and other vehicles have to listen for the honk) otherwise they risk a head-on collision. Even when things are fine and people do what they are supposed to do, there's many instances where someone has to be the one to back up and let the other vehicle go first. I also had the fun of driving a car rental in Rome where most intersections don't have a stop sign or any formal method to establish right-of-way. You just "figure it out". Now imagine all that with with some AI hallucinations in the mix. No thanks.
Re: (Score:2)
Sort of the unintended consequence of having firmly laid out rules and signage. Everyone feels entitled to a specific outcome without having to resort to cooperation.
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> I remember watching huge travel buses making a blind turn (no stopping) around a corner on a road that would be considered way too narrow in the US.
While this is indeed a thing it is worth remembering that edge cases have nothing at all to do with rollouts of such technology. Most major cities in Europe would have little problem supporting self-driving taxis, especially outside of their pedestrianised town centres which may be medieval in some cases. Sure I had to do a 3 point turn to get around a corner in Montpellier just to navigate, and I'll bet you a dollar an robotaxi will need to be fished out of a canal in Amsterdam in its first year, but there
Re: (Score:2)
There are worse situations like that in Chinese driving, yet they have self-driving cars and even trucks delivering goods: [1]https://www.youtube.com/shorts... [youtube.com]
[1] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wwDj5PTlBeE
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> Now imagine all that with with some AI hallucinations in the mix.
You think that large language model technology is the same as the tech that runs autonomous car mapping and obstacle avoidance? lol.
Re: (Score:2)
Waymo has the honk part down: [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
(well sort of).
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvs0K1LG1ac
Ok (Score:2)
So last time I heard Milwaukee practically has no public transport for all intents and purposes. Is that still the case?
In Zurich on the other hand you get from anywhere in the city to anywhere else in the city in 15 mins.
Self-driving cars? Who cares?!
Re: (Score:2)
Last time I was there, I remember downtown being fairly walkable but I didn't enjoy driving there. So I assume that's probably still the case. This country hates public transit.
EasyMile is *way* behind... (Score:2)
... I've never even heard of them getting into an accident, let alone killing anyone! They do run shuttle buses to IKEA, though.
Maybe (Score:3)
The principal reason for this is that lots of us here in Europe neither want, nor need them.
Mass transport in Europe is better funded and more integrated in general. It's not a second class option, especially the major cities, where often you don't need a car at all, or to be stuck in traffic in another car, whether it has a driver or not.
The geography, and especially the topology of European cites, with road networks that are significantly different to most North American and modern Chinese cities aren't amenable to autonomous cars that aren't always good at navigating those topologies. Think of how bad some of Elon's dustbins are at it.
... and finally, those of us who aren't using public transport might just sometimes want to just drive, because there are lots more enjoyable driving experiences in Europe.
There just appears to be this constant inability in the minds of corporate America that other places don't have the social conditions, seemingly lack of concern for driver or pedestrian safety, or the physical characteristics of the USA to necessitate what they are selling. These are not European defects, merely differences, and we're quite happy with them, thanks.
American Taxis? (Score:2)
American cars have so far been struggling to even get their ADAS features approved for use. Tesla can't even enable FSD approved in most jurisdictions. Who on earth thinks Europe is ready to let robo taxis run wild here?
Now a bigger questions: Why does every market need to home bake every technology? As much as it pains me to support the idea of buying anything American in 2025, it's not such a major problem if we end up using Waymo robotaxis is it?
Disclaimer: This post is posted on my Chinese / Taiwanese b
Self-driving cars are driven by psychopaths (Score:2)
Driving is a social activity.
You stop for someone who wants to cross the road. You don't just follow traffic laws and keep traffic flowing.
This requires a small amount of direct communication. Eye contact. Hand gestures.
As a bicyclist and pedestrian, I have often had to wave cars along when they've stopped for me. I can't do that to a self-driving car.
You also have to assess potentially dangerous situations, that are out of the ordinary.
AI is notoriously bad at being useful at handling situations they have
Maybe im wrong (Score:2)
I cant imagine a lot of european cities giving a shit or wanting self driving cars for several reasons including narrow roads and efficient public tranportation systems.
Re: Oh noes (Score:2)
Strange reply.
Iâ(TM)m in Europe and found it an insightful comment.
I think many really donâ(TM)t realise the number of jobs on the line - my friends (devs/engineers) have all been made redundant, and out of market for over a year, with very limited dev jobs available.
One of them, highly skilled, has applied for over 400 jobs, hardly any replies, but those that do, state the "unprecedented number of applicants".
I think many devs will be sidelined to only a few lead/senior positions, who will spend