Study shows Waymo’s robotaxi platform provides significantly higher safety performance than human drivers
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.
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French equipment manufacturer Manitou has committed to a joint venture with Chinese forklift manufacturer Hangcha that will see the two companies develop and manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries to support the electrification of the heavy material handler space.
Manitou is well-known in the West, so they need no introduction. Hangcha, though, is arguably just as capable of a company, having opened its first forklift plant in 1956, manufacturing others’ designs under license. They developed their own, in-house material handler in 1974, and have racked up hits ever since. Hangcha is currently the world’s eighth-largest manufacturer of industrial vehicles globally (sounds wrong, but here’s the source).
The plan for the JV is to upgrade the two companies’ deployed fleets of existing lead-acid battery-powered vehicle with longer lasting lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries to expand their operational lifespan. From there, the focus could switch to diesel retrofits and, eventually, the joint development of entirely new products.
“Deepening strategic cooperation with Manitou Group and jointly establishing a lithium battery joint marks a new phase in the partnership between the two sides, which is a milestone in Hangcha global industrial layout,” explains Zhao Limin, Chairman and General Manager of Hangcha Group. “Leveraging Hangcha’s core technological and manufacturing strengths in lithium battery solutions, we will collaboratively enhance solution capability of new energy industrial vehicle power systems. This partnership perfectly aligns with our shared objectives to accelerate electrification transformation and drive sustainable development, while providing robust support to the broader industrial vehicle market.”
Manitou MHT 12330
Once production begins, the joint venture factory will play a key role in supporting Manitou Group’s “LIFT” strategic roadmap. LIFT aims to expand Manitou’s electric vehicle lineup of telehandlers and forklifts, and have EVs account for 28% of total unit forklift sales by 2030. Hangcha Group, meanwhile, has publicly stated its intention to become 100% electric by the end of 2025.
This joint venture plans to recruit employees including engineers, operators, sales representatives and after-sales service technicians. Le Mans Metropole will support the recruitment and local integration and training of future employees.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Manitou; images by Manitou, via Belkorp AG.
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Environment
With another tariff deadline looming, these 10 things are going the right way for stocks
New car buyers like to talk about the latest tech and resale value, but most people don’t buy new cars. The used car market is 3x bigger than new, and if you’re content to let the last guy take that big depreciation hit by scoring a great deal on a reliable, low-mile used car you could save thousands on your next EV.
I know what you’re thinking: these posts are always weird because they’re disproportionally impacted by the COVID-era supply chain disruptions, and the obscene dealer mark-ups that came along with them.
But looking into the data shows trends that are much closer to the kind of think you’d expect to see before COVID, with high-end luxury models like S-Class Mercedes that trade on being new and shiny taking massive depreciation hits and more mainstream offerings from brands like Toyota and Honda that trade on economy and reliability holding strong.
That usual luxury brand hit seems like it’s being compounded over at Tesla, where Elon Musk’s highly publicized political leanings have polarized support for the brand, and alienated a huge portion of the market. Demand for new and used Tesla vehicles has plummeted, and iSeeCars reports that the Tesla Model S suffered the biggest percentage price drop of all makes and models over the last twelve months, showing the pioneering electric sedan’s average price in June 2025 at $46,700, nearly 16%, or $8,800 lower than it was 12 just months earlier.
This isn’t a post about Tesla, though (not intentionally, at least). Instead, it’s about those EVs that have lost the most value since they were first sold new five-ish years ago. So, if you’re looking for a great deal on a pre-loved EV, you could do a lot worse than the list, below, presented in order from biggest “loss” of value.
Top 10 fastest-depreciating EVs
| Make & Model | MSRP | Avg. 5 yrs | >Difference | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audi Q8 e-tron | $74,400 | $20,958 | -$53,442 | -71.9% |
| 2 | Jaguar I-Pace | $72,000 | $20,047 | -$51,953 | -72.2% |
| 3 | Tesla Model S | $74,990 | $27,835 | -$47,155 | -62.9% |
| 4 | Nissan Leaf (SV Plus) | $36,190 | $13,000 | -$23,190 | -64.1% |
| 5 | Tesla Model X | $79,990 | $32,940 | -$47,050 | -58.8% |
| 6 | Mercedes EQS | $104,400 | $41,121 | -$63,279 | -60.6% |
| 7 | Tesla Model Y | $44,990 | $23,775 | -$21,215 | -47.2% |
| 8 | Hyundai Kona Electric | $32,675 | $13,860 | -$18,815 | -57.6% |
| 9 | Tesla Model 3 | $38,990 | $20,950 | -$18,040 | -46.3% |
| 10 | Porsche Taycan | $99,400 | $48,445 | -$50,955 | -51.3% |
| 11 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | $39,995 | $21,600 | -$18,395 | -46.0% |
Disclaimer: the models and pricing shown, above, were sourced from CarsDirect, Carscoops, iSeeCars, USNews, and Yahoo!Finance. These deals may not be available in every market, and the standard “with approved credit” fine print should be considered implied. Check with your local dealer(s) for more information.
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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