Your Daily Autonomous Vehicles Briefing

Waymo and Zoox Robotaxi Testing Linked to More Than Two Dozen Worker Injuries

• Waymo is expanding its robotaxi services, with public availability expected in Denver by the end of 2026, initially covering a 50-square-mile downtown area and designed to handle snowy conditions. The company is also preparing for a launch in San Diego. However, a Waymo vehicle in Denver was involved in its first crash as an empty self-driving unit on August 27, when a human driver rear-ended it while it was yielding to a pedestrian; the human driver was cited for following too closely.

  DenvergazetteTimesofsandiegoWestword

• Recent data indicates that non-collision testing by Waymo and Zoox has been linked to over two dozen worker injuries in 2024 and 2025, primarily caused by aggressive braking or sudden automated maneuvers. These incidents, which include sprains, strains, and whiplash, highlight the physical demands on safety drivers during autonomous vehicle development.

  MotorbiscuitBasenor

• In other developments, Tesla has begun offering employee-escorted Full Self-Driving (FSD) demonstrations to new vehicle buyers at delivery, a strategic move to encourage engagement with its subscription-only FSD model. This comes as a Tesla running the latest FSD v14.3.7 software reportedly failed to stop at an active railroad crossing on August 27, nearly colliding with a train, marking at least the third such documented incident this year.

  BasenorElectrek Co