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Tuesday, January 20, 2026
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Germany Proposes the Introduction of Black Boxes in Self-driving Cars

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Tesla self-driving technology

It’s going to be a while longer before everyone gets on board with the whole self-driving idea. Just look at the recent headlines surrounding Tesla’s Autopilot test. People will need time to adjust to the concept of being driven around by their cars on public roads.

According to tech companies and automakers, there will be another stage between the current situation of the road traffic and the fully autonomous (level 4) vehicles.

Before self-driving cars will be capable of roaming around with no human intervention, they will still need a relatively alert human occupant behind the wheel, ready to take control of the vehicle if necessary.

It’s not just automakers behind the push for self-driving vehicles. Not only in the US but elsewhere, governments are also excited by the technology’s potential of significantly curbing the annual death toll caused by car accidents.

According to a Reuters report, Germany’s transport ministry wants to help drivers of self-driving cars to ease up a bit while they’re being transported from point A to point B. To do that, he proposed the cars to be equipped with the vehicle version of a plane’s black box.

In other words, the ‘drivers’ – who will still be required to sit behind the controls – will be more relaxed knowing that the car has on-board data recorders that keep an eye on its autonomous behavior.

Tesla electric car

More than any other automaker out there, Tesla has shown that the proposal is possible. The company’s electric vehicles are in continuous communication with Tesla’s servers.

Most importantly, the carmaker has shown it’s not afraid to check data logs after a crash to see exactly the state of the car at the time and what caused the crash.

The most recent kerfuffle has shown that Tesla did not involve Autopilot at all in a recent incident with its self-driving technology, causing a collective gasp in the media.

Other automakers are working on improving their semi-autonomous driving modes. At the moment, any Volvo, Tesla, or Audi (level 2 cars) has only one way of knowing if you’re an alert passenger: by monitoring if you’re holding the steering wheel or not.

It’s possible, however, that the next Audi A8 will also feature a camera that will check to see if the driver is capable of taking control in case of an emergency.
Image Source: Fortune

Google May Launch Self-Driving Taxi Service

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self-driving-taxi-service

Image source: hereisthecity.com

A recent report claims that Google may launch a self-driving taxi service. This could mean that the relationship between the tech giant and the app-based transportation provider called Uber is flourishing. An executive from Google is in Uber’s board of directors and the tech company is a major investor in the company.

Uber was established in 2009 and since then has expanded its ride requesting app all over the world and was able to raise a fund of $1.2 billion. This sum includes an investment from Google Ventures of $258 million. On Monday Uber revealed that it was partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to develop technologies that will boost Uber’s wish of making reliable, safe transportation for everyone. The new Uber Advanced Technologies Center near the Carnegie Mellon University campus will research “the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology.”

This means that Uber is considering manufacturing self-driving cars. That, along with Google’s interest in creating a cab service, might mean that the two companies will start working on a self-driving taxi service. It’s been reported that there are already people working in Uber’s new center, a corporate facility separate of the CMU. The university has a lot of experience in autonomous navigation. Some of the Curiosity rover software is linked to CMU.

But Uber and Google aren’t the only companies that show interest in the self-driving car market. For instance, both Audi and Daimler grabbed the public’s attention at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas by revealing their autonomous cars.

Google unveiled its prototype of self-driving vehicle late last year. The company is currently testing it on the Silicon Valley test track and is expecting to try the new car this year in Northern California on the streets of the city.

By combining such a car with a taxi service, Google could make Uber’s journey even tougher. Even though Uber is growing rapidly and has a lot to offer, the company still faced criticism for the way it treats drivers and competitors. There have been reports of assaults on passengers by drivers and many other unpleasantries that seem to affect the company’s image.

The chief legal officer from Google who is also in Uber’s board, David Drummond has reportedly said to some of his fellow members of the board that Google is working on a service that may compete with the one offered by Uber. A source claims that the board is currently considering whether to ask Drummond to resign from his position or not.

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