There are still many questions surrounding the plausibility of full-fledged autonomous robotaxi operations around the world, but Waymo, one of the current leaders in the segment, is putting at least one stigma to rest. A new study conducted with the help of reinsurance provider Swiss Re used hundreds of thousands of liability claims to demonstrate that robotaxi vehicles using the Waymo Driver platform deliver significantly higher safety performance than vehicles operated by a human driver.

Much of the world is still not completely sold on robotaxis. Some local residents have revolted against the sustainable, autonomous technology, using an orange cone as their symbol of opposition.

That said, Waymo remains confident in that exciting future of mobility and is trekking forward in its operations while others falter. This year alone, we’ve seen Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., expand its robotaxi footprint in the US alongside news of expansions to new roads in other countries like Tokyo.

While the presence of EVs operated by the Waymo Driver platform continues to grow, the average person still has many fears about getting in a robotaxi without a driver. It’s human nature to believe you can perform certain tasks better than a computer, and sometimes, that’s correct.

However, when it comes to the processing power and vision capabilities of many robotaxis being tested today, it’s often not the case. In terms of a new data study presented by Waymo and Swiss Re, the results are not even close. Waymo robotaxi vehicles deliver undeniably better safety performance than the most high-tech vehicles operated by human drivers on the road today.

Waymo’s robotaxi delivers better safety, less damage

Waymo shared data-driven evidence of the safety advantages of its autonomous robotaxi technology in a blog post today. The study was conducted with the help of Swiss Re, one of the world’s leading reinsurers, which analyzed collision-related liability claims from 25.3 million fully autonomous miles driven by Waymo.

The study uses auto liability claims aggregate statistics as a proxy for at-fault collisions to determine overall safety performance, expanding previous research published by Waymo. Swiss Re compared Waymo’s liability claims to human driver baselines based on its internal data from over 500,000 claims and over 200 billion miles of exposure.

Swiss Re concluded that robotaxi vehicles with Waymo Driver demonstrated better safety performance compared to human-driven vehicles, achieving an 88% reduction in property damage claims and a 92% reduction in bodily injury claims.

To put things in a real-world perspective, during the 25.3 million miles Waymo Driver has traversed, its robotaxis were only involved in nine property damage claims and two bodily injury claims (both bodily injury claims are still open).

For the same distance, human drivers would be expected to have 78 property damage and 26 bodily injury claims.

Even compared to newer vehicles (2018-2021 models) equipped with more robust advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like automated emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane-keeping assistance, Waymo still shined. Swiss Re’s data found that Waymo Driver showed an 86% reduction in property damage claims and a 90% reduction in bodily injury claims. Waymo’s chief safety officer Mauricio Peña elaborated:

Auto insurance claims data, traditionally used to assess human driver liability and risk, is a powerful tool in evaluating the safety performance of autonomous vehicles. This is a truly groundbreaking study that not only validates the Waymo Driver’s strong safety record, but also provides a scalable framework for ongoing assessment of the impact autonomous vehicles make on road safety.

It’s hard to deny Waymo’s safety record to date when you combine the Swiss Re study with the robotaxi developer’s own safety impact data. That study explains that over 25 million fully autonomous miles, Waymo Driver had fewer serious collisions than human drivers, independent of who was at fault.

Furthermore, the Swiss Re study provides clear evidence that Waymo had zero responsibility in a large majority of the collisions its robotaxi vehicles were involved in.

Waymo and other robotaxi developers have a long road ahead of them to win the general public over to enable widespread operations, but safety should not be the inhibitor to someone not wanting to take a ride in one. Similar to EV adoption as a whole, a lack of education and understanding remains a huge hurdle for widespread adoption, but the data doesn’t lie.

Sure, there will still be collisions, and occasionally the robotaxi may be at fault, but those numbers will continue to pale in comparison to those of a vehicle operated by a human.

Waymo told Electrek there was no payment issued by either party for this study and it was purely a research partnership. The paper has been submitted to a scientific journal, and the pre-print is available here. 

Renewable energy tax credits are likely safe

Business loan programs are in trouble

An ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy

There’s nothing worse than a weak cargo e-bike that struggles on hills and under heavy loads. That’s why Heybike ensured the deck was stacked in riders’ favor when they built the Heybike Hauler electric cargo bike. With a 1,400W peak-rated motor and 28 mph speeds, it sounded ready to rock n’ roll. And now that I’ve been testing one out for a while, here are my thoughts on the latest budget-oriented yet high-power family e-bike.

Want to see what it’s like to ride one of these e-bikes yourself? I’ve got a video review below. Or keep reading for the full written review.

Heybike Hauler Video Review

Heybike Hauler Tech Specs

• Motor: 750W continuous (1,400W peak) rear geared hub motor
• Top speed: 45 km/h (28 mph)
• Range: Claimed up to 136 km (85 mi) with second battery
• Battery: 48V 18Ah (864Wh) battery in down tube and optional 48V 12.5Ah external battery for 1,464Wh total
• Brakes: FastAce hydraulic two-piston disc brakes on 180 mm rotors
• Max load: 200 kg (440 lb)
• Bike weight: 40-44 kg (88-97 lb) with single or double battery option
• Extras: LCD display, LED head & tail lights with turn signals, right-side thumb throttle, double (Y) kickstand, suspension fork, 3″ semi-fat tires, smartphone app connectivity, three color options (yellow, white, and blue), and included fenders & rear rack

Power and speed, whether you want it or not

As a Class 3-aspiring electric bike, the Heybike Hauler can reach speeds of up to 45 km/h (28 mph), though weirdly it can be done on both throttle and pedal assist. Normally, Class 3 e-bikes will have their throttles cut out at 20 mph, so this is a bit outside the scope of even a liberal interpretation of the three-class e-bike system. However, many people do like the ability to ride fast on throttle only, so I’m sure this will make a lot of people happy to hear.

The 1,400W motor also ensures riders are accelerating quickly and climbing hills like a champ, both of which are important to cargo e-bikes which can often be loaded down with extra weight.

Heybike claims a max load capacity of 440 lb (200 kg), which is a massive amount of weight and probably more than most people will ever need to carry. The bike itself is already between 88 to 97 lb (40-44 kg) depending on the variant, so we’re talking about some serious poundage here.

Two battery options for long-range riding

I love dual battery electric bikes, and even more than that, I love e-bikes that let you decide if you want that second battery.

The Heybike Hauler can come with either a single 864Wh battery, which is already a big pack, or you can get a second battery for a total of 1,464Wh of capacity.

That’s a ton of battery, and the company claims a range of up to 85 miles (136 km), though only in pedal assist. Even on throttle only, you’re likely going to get more than half of that, which is a lot of range for a big e-bike.

The Hauler comes loaded with several nice features, including foldup foot rails in the back and built-in side protectors so kids’ feet don’t wander into the rear wheel. I do wish the frame rails in the back were a little more exposed though so there were more options for lashing cargo down, but at least the guards look very nice and match the styling of the bike.

The paint is also weirdly high-end, especially for an e-bike that starts at a fairly budget price of just US $1,399. The blue paint looks like metal-flake automotive paint and is really eye-catching!

There are also other nice features, like a clearly visible LCD display, head light and tail light with turn signals (though I still wonder how effective such turn signals really are), a wide double kickstand for stable parking and child loading, a second side stand for quick parking on level ground, and punchy hydraulic disc brakes.

What isn’t as good?

There’s a lot to like here, but I’ve got my gripes as well. The front fork feels fairly cheap and just doesn’t offer the kind of quality suspension you get with even marginally better forks.

It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. It just is. It checks the box for a suspension fork and it means you won’t feel like your wrists are going to shatter after hopping a curb, but I have to wonder about longevity there.

Next, the bike doesn’t track very well without hands on the bars. That’s not going to be an issue to many people, but it is an indication that the geometry of the bike, namely the rake angle and trail of the front end, isn’t ideal. I can no-hands ride many of my other e-bikes for miles, but the Hauler wants to dip me off as soon as I release the bars.

Still some good value

This is definitely not the best cargo e-bike out there, but with an entry price of US $1,399, it was never trying to be. What the Hauler sets out to do is offer cargo-carrying abilities at a price that most families can more easily afford.

This is a solid entry in the market, provides some awesome high-speed throttle-only riding, and has some beautiful metal-flake paint options. There are other cargo e-bikes out there with wider market penetration that definitely give the hauler a run for its money, but the unique features of the Hauler like its folding running boards, smartphone app, and questionably-legal 28 mph throttle, could be the saving grace that keeps it competitive in the crowded market.

Compared to more expensive and higher-quality cargo e-bikes, it has something to offer to anyone shopping on a tighter budget and who can’t afford a $3,000+ cargo e-bike.