Waymo recalls 672 driverless vehicles after Phoenix taxi hits utility pole, prompting software and map updates to help cars avoid fixed objects
Waymo, self-driving arm of Alphabet, said on Thursday, 13 June 2024, that it would recall 672 driverless vehicles . The recall followed a collision in May in which one vehicle struck a wooden utility pole in an alleyway in Phoenix, Arizona, while attempting a low-speed pullover manoeuvre. According to Reuters, no passengers, other road users or injuries were involved. Waymo has installed a software update and mapping improvements across the fleet. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also been examining 22 reports of Waymo robotaxis behaving unexpectedly, including 17 collisions.
How did Waymo’s mapping updates help its driverless cars avoid poles
According to the Associated Press, Waymo has completed a software update that improves how the automated driving system responds to poles and pole-like permanent objects. Reuters says the same remedy was part of the recall, and NHTSA stated that, before the update, the system could fail to avoid a pole or similar object. Waymo is saying "robust mapping updates and improvements" have already been installed in all of the vehicles. The map update adds a "hard road edge" between the pole or pole-like object and the drivable surface.
NHTSA opened an investigation in May after receiving 22 reports of Waymo robotaxis behaving in ways that potentially violated traffic safety laws, or showing other unexpected behaviour. Seventeen of those reports involved collisions. Reuters adds that on the Wednesday before the recall announcement, NHTSA said it was seeking details about a series of incidents that had raised concerns about the performance of Waymo's driverless vehicles.
What did NHTSA ask Waymo about its driverless vehicle incidents
The regulator said several incidents involved collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid. Collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and cases in which the driving system appeared to disobey traffic safety controls. NHTSA required Waymo to answer detailed questions by 6 August, including whether any vehicles had been grounded and whether tests or updates had been carried out to address specific incidents.
Waymo had issued an earlier recall in February, covering 444 self-driving vehicles after two minor collisions in quick succession in Arizona. Waymo said at the time that a software error could cause its automated vehicles to inaccurately predict the presence of a towed vehicle. The latest recall is the most recent in a series of NHTSA investigations into the performance of self-driving vehicles, after the regulator opened probes into General Motors' Cruise and Amazon's Zoox. Waymo earlier said it was proud of its performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven.
How did Waymo’s mapping updates help its driverless cars avoid poles
According to the Associated Press, Waymo has completed a software update that improves how the automated driving system responds to poles and pole-like permanent objects. Reuters says the same remedy was part of the recall, and NHTSA stated that, before the update, the system could fail to avoid a pole or similar object. Waymo is saying "robust mapping updates and improvements" have already been installed in all of the vehicles. The map update adds a "hard road edge" between the pole or pole-like object and the drivable surface.
NHTSA opened an investigation in May after receiving 22 reports of Waymo robotaxis behaving in ways that potentially violated traffic safety laws, or showing other unexpected behaviour. Seventeen of those reports involved collisions. Reuters adds that on the Wednesday before the recall announcement, NHTSA said it was seeking details about a series of incidents that had raised concerns about the performance of Waymo's driverless vehicles.
What did NHTSA ask Waymo about its driverless vehicle incidents
The regulator said several incidents involved collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid. Collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and cases in which the driving system appeared to disobey traffic safety controls. NHTSA required Waymo to answer detailed questions by 6 August, including whether any vehicles had been grounded and whether tests or updates had been carried out to address specific incidents.
Waymo had issued an earlier recall in February, covering 444 self-driving vehicles after two minor collisions in quick succession in Arizona. Waymo said at the time that a software error could cause its automated vehicles to inaccurately predict the presence of a towed vehicle. The latest recall is the most recent in a series of NHTSA investigations into the performance of self-driving vehicles, after the regulator opened probes into General Motors' Cruise and Amazon's Zoox. Waymo earlier said it was proud of its performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven.
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