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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Environment
Trump halts wind projects, including Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Dominion stock drops 5%
Thanks to a clever, fully electric swing system and “boom up” power assist features, the big PC365-11 hybrid excavator from Komatsu promises better performance and serious fuel savings compared to conventional diesel machines.
Komatsu says its PC365-11 hybrid excavator uses a “boom-up” power assist feature that captures and stores kinetic energy during different operation cycles, then taps into that power to provide an extra energy boost when needed. The result is 15% more productivity and a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency when compared to non-hybrid excavators in ~40 ton class.
“The PC365LC-11 was engineered for excellence in multifunction applications by leveraging its innovative electric powertrain system to boost job site productivity while reducing fuel consumption,” says Matthew Moen, Komatsu’s product manager. “To highlight these performance enhancements, we’re emphasizing the concept of ‘multifunction plus’ as the defining feature of this machine.”
How it works
Komatsu’s hybrid system replaces the conventional hydraulic swing function with a fully electric swing motor that draws power from an ultracapacitor (as opposed to a battery) energy storage unit. As excavator slows or stops swinging, something like a regenerative braking system captures the kinetic energy that would normally be lost as heat and stores it in the capacitor. Once there, the stored energy can be quickly released to power the swing motor or assist the engine, delivering up to an extra 70 hp when needed to support heavy lifting or digging cycles.
And, thanks to Komatsu’s proprietary software, all of this energy capture and reuse happens automagically during normal work, without the need for external charging. The fuel savings happen because removing the hydraulic load from the ICE engine allows it to run at an ultra-low idle, while the productivity comes from the greater power and overall speed of the electric operations vs. conventional hydraulics.
Electrek’s Take
Trust me when I tell you that Komatsu didn’t wake up one day and decide to build a capacitor-based hybrid crane. One of their customers had the idea and came to them, promising orders. That’s what Komatsu does – from undersea remote control dozers to lunar mining rigs (above), if you bring Komatsu an order, they will absolutely find a way to fill it.
As for PC365-11 hybrid excavator, it’s packed with clever tech, overall – offering significant fuel, emissions, and TCO reductions without dramatically changing the operational logistics of an existing fleet’s operations. That’s all the sales pitch it needs.
SOURCE: Komatsu, via Equipment World.
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For serious fleet buyers, safety isn’t a “nice-to-have,” it’s an absolute must – and Kia’s new PV5 electric van meets that need with a positively stellar, five-star safety rating on the tough European NCAP safety test.
The new “do-it-all” Kia PV5 showed strong performance across a number of key safety categories, including Occupant Protection, Safety Assist/Crash Avoidance, and Post-Crash Safety. The PV5’s robust suite of standard ADAS technologies that includes AEB, Lane Support System, and Speed Assistance System also helped the new electric work van to deliver top marks in the NCAP’s “real world” test scenarios.
“The PV5 opens a new chapter in practical, electrified mobility, offering generous space and modular versatility for everyday use,” explains Sangdae Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the (relatively) new PBV Business Division at Kia. “Achieving the top Euro NCAP five-star rating is clear validation of its safety performance and will serve as strong momentum as Kia expands its PBV lineup across Europe.”
The Euro NCAP tests highlighted the strong performance of a number of the PV5’s ADAS features, specifically calling out the following:
- Demonstrated strong responsiveness in vehicle-to-vehicle scenarios
- Provides additional protection for pedestrians behind the vehicle
- Avoided collisions in most pedestrian and cyclist test cases
The Kia PV5 slots into familiar territory for US buyers, landing roughly in the same size class as the Ford Transit Connect or Ram ProMaster City, with ~180 cubic feet of interior cargo space available, which is plenty to make it attractive for last-mile delivery and trade work in tight urban markets.
Globally, the PV5 is offered with a number of battery options, including a smaller 43.3 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) pack, as well as larger Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) packs at 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh. The longest-range versions are good for about 250 miles of estimated range – more than enough for Kia to make a case for it as a practical, city-focused alternative to much larger (and pricier) electric vans.
Larger vans, by the way, that may not have that 5 star Euro NCAP rating.
Kia PV5
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kia; photo by Scooter Doll.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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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