TechCrunch Mobility: The battle over robotaxi rules
TechCrunch Mobility: The battle over robotaxi rules
TechCrunch Mobility：自动驾驶出租车规则之争
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Last week, I wrote about Uber and Waymo and how their partnership appears to be deteriorating. I predicted the two companies would end up on opposing sides of autonomous vehicle policy. That wasn’t a guess. For the past several weeks, I’ve been talking to sources and digging through correspondence Uber sent to the D.C. Council, which is evaluating a proposed bill that would allow autonomous vehicles to operate in Washington, D.C. 上周，我撰文探讨了 Uber 和 Waymo 之间似乎正在恶化的合作关系。我曾预测这两家公司最终会在自动驾驶汽车政策上站在对立面。这并非猜测。在过去的几周里，我一直在与消息人士交谈，并深入研究了 Uber 发给华盛顿特区议会的信函，该议会目前正在评估一项允许自动驾驶汽车在华盛顿特区运营的提案。
What I found: Uber and Waymo are already on opposite sides of the proposal, sparring behind the scenes and in public. Uber has made a particularly interesting argument in its effort to shape the rules that govern autonomous vehicles. Uber, which opposes the D.C. bill, argues it would displace for-hire human drivers and hand Waymo a de facto monopoly. Instead, it has lobbied for a system that would require robotaxis to operate on a ride-hailing network alongside human drivers. 我的发现是：Uber 和 Waymo 在该提案上已经站在了对立面，双方在幕后和公开场合展开了交锋。Uber 在试图制定自动驾驶汽车管理规则时，提出了一个特别有趣的论点。Uber 反对这项华盛顿特区的法案，认为它会取代人类网约车司机，并让 Waymo 获得事实上的垄断地位。相反，Uber 游说建立一种制度，要求自动驾驶出租车必须与人类司机在同一个网约车网络中运营。
Insiders tell me the “hybrid” approach has little chance of becoming law. But if it did, it would leave AV developers like Waymo with two suboptimal choices: either put their robotaxis on ride-hailing apps like Uber or employ human drivers alongside fleets of robotaxis that took years and hundreds of millions of dollars to develop. 知情人士告诉我，这种“混合”模式几乎不可能成为法律。但如果真的实施，像 Waymo 这样的自动驾驶开发商将面临两个次优选择：要么将他们的自动驾驶出租车接入 Uber 等网约车应用，要么在耗时多年、投入数亿美元开发的自动驾驶车队旁边，额外雇佣人类司机。
A D.C. Council hearing on Monday drew representatives from Lyft, Tesla, Uber, and Waymo, along with dozens of disability rights and accessibility advocates, local business and industry groups, highway safety organizations, government officials, labor unions, and think tanks. My takeaway — based on the public testimony and the calls and texts I received afterward — is that Waymo is one of the few companies that generally likes the bill. Much of the rest of the industry does not. 周一举行的华盛顿特区议会听证会吸引了来自 Lyft、特斯拉、Uber 和 Waymo 的代表，以及数十位残疾人权利和无障碍倡导者、当地商业和行业团体、公路安全组织、政府官员、工会和智库。根据公开证词以及我随后收到的电话和短信，我的结论是：Waymo 是少数几家总体上支持该法案的公司之一，而行业内的大多数其他公司则持反对意见。
Tesla’s senior policy adviser, India Herdman, echoed concerns I’ve heard from multiple AV developers, including objections to the 180-day, 250,000-mile mandatory testing requirement; the $1 million application fee; the $5 million permit fee; and the $0.15-per-mile tax. Tesla, along with other companies, argued that testing miles accumulated in other jurisdictions should count toward the mileage threshold. Waymo, which has been testing its AVs with human safety operators in Washington, D.C., has already surpassed the 180-day and 250,000-mile requirements. That means if the bill passed as written today, Waymo would enter the market with at least a six-month head start. 特斯拉高级政策顾问 India Herdman 重申了我从多家自动驾驶开发商那里听到的担忧，包括对 180 天、25 万英里强制测试要求的反对；以及对 100 万美元申请费、500 万美元许可证费和每英里 0.15 美元税费的异议。特斯拉和其他公司认为，在其他司法管辖区积累的测试里程应计入里程门槛。Waymo 一直在华盛顿特区配备人类安全员进行自动驾驶测试，目前已超过了 180 天和 25 万英里的要求。这意味着如果该法案按目前文本通过，Waymo 将至少获得六个月的市场领先优势。
Deals!
交易动态！
Uber is considered a ride-hailing and delivery giant. It is now cementing that status through a $14.8 billion deal to acquire Germany’s Delivery Hero. If the deal closes — and it will absolutely take time to overcome the regulatory hurdles — Uber will get access to nearly 100 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The upshot: Uber’s delivery footprint will double. Delivery Hero also made a separate agreement to sell its business in 14 markets, where Uber Eats is already operating, to New York-based investment firm SSW Partners for $1.6 billion. Uber 被视为网约车和外卖巨头。现在，它正通过一项 148 亿美元的交易收购德国的 Delivery Hero，以巩固这一地位。如果交易完成（克服监管障碍肯定需要时间），Uber 将进入欧洲、中东、拉丁美洲和亚洲的近 100 个市场。结果是：Uber 的外卖业务版图将翻倍。Delivery Hero 还达成了一项单独协议，将其在 Uber Eats 已运营的 14 个市场的业务以 16 亿美元的价格出售给总部位于纽约的投资公司 SSW Partners。
Other deals that got my attention … 其他引起我注意的交易……
Self Inspection, a San Diego-based startup trying to disrupt the vehicle inspection process, raised $10 million in a round led by the family office of Sheryl Sandberg. Tire distributor U.S. AutoForce and automotive lender Westlake Financial made strategic investments. Early-stage funds Costanoa Ventures, Rebellion Ventures, and BrightCap Ventures also invested. 总部位于圣地亚哥、旨在颠覆车辆检测流程的初创公司 Self Inspection 在由 Sheryl Sandberg 家族办公室领投的一轮融资中筹集了 1000 万美元。轮胎分销商 U.S. AutoForce 和汽车贷款机构 Westlake Financial 进行了战略投资。早期基金 Costanoa Ventures、Rebellion Ventures 和 BrightCap Ventures 也参与了投资。
Senra, a startup modernizing how wire harnesses are made, raised $65 million in a Series B round co-led by Lowercarbon and Interlagos with participation from General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Founders Fund, among others. 致力于实现线束制造现代化的初创公司 Senra 在 B 轮融资中筹集了 6500 万美元，由 Lowercarbon 和 Interlagos 共同领投，General Catalyst、红杉资本、Andreessen Horowitz 和 Founders Fund 等参与投资。
Zepto, the Indian fast-delivery company, is seeking a valuation in an initial public offering well below its $7 billion peak, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources. 据彭博社援引匿名消息来源报道，印度快送公司 Zepto 正在寻求首次公开募股（IPO），其估值远低于 70 亿美元的峰值。
Notable reads and other tidbits
值得一读及其他花絮
Chip Motors, a Miami-based startup, revealed a low-speed small EV designed for short errands and families, and with some automated driving capabilities. 总部位于迈阿密的初创公司 Chip Motors 发布了一款低速小型电动汽车，专为短途代步和家庭使用而设计，并具备一定的自动驾驶功能。
The Los Angeles Police Department is reportedly ending its deal with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that helps law enforcement track vehicles using thousands of its license plate cameras placed across the United States. 据报道，洛杉矶警察局正在终止与 Flock Safety 的合作。Flock Safety 是一家监控公司，通过在美国各地部署的数千个车牌识别摄像头帮助执法部门追踪车辆。
Lucid Motors is pushing back — and hard — on a report that claimed the EV maker was weighing whether to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company’s comms team, its CEO, and a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission all say the same thing: The rumors are false. The initial report sent the company’s stock down more than 50% on Tuesday, its biggest intra-day drop ever. The stock has since recovered and is now trading about 28% higher than it was prior to the big drop. Lucid Motors 对一份声称该公司正在考虑申请第 11 章破产保护的报告进行了强力回击。该公司的公关团队、首席执行官以及向美国证券交易委员会提交的文件都表达了同样的意思：这些传言是虚假的。最初的报告导致该公司股价在周二下跌超过 50%，创下其有史以来最大的盘中跌幅。此后股价已回升，目前的交易价格比大跌前高出约 28%。
Lyft CEO David Risher says it’s the “Good Uber,” per Wired. 据《连线》杂志报道，Lyft 首席执行官 David Risher 称 Lyft 是“好版 Uber”。
Manual, or standard, transmission vehicles are a dying breed, according to preliminary government data that shows just 0.6% of new vehicles made for the U.S. in 2025 had stick shifts, the Washington Post reported. I own two manual vehicles. Does that make me a driving unicorn? 据《华盛顿邮报》报道，政府初步数据显示，2025 年为美国制造的新车中，仅有 0.6% 配备手动变速箱，手动挡汽车正濒临灭绝。我拥有两辆手动挡汽车。这是否意味着我是驾驶界的“独角兽”？
The National Transportation Safety Board said the driver of a Tesla who crashed into a house in June had pressed the accelerator pedal to 100%, overriding the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. 美国国家运输安全委员会表示，6 月份撞向房屋的特斯拉司机当时将油门踏板踩到了 100%，从而覆盖了该公司的全自动驾驶（监督版）软件。
San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie has urged state regulators to toughen rules on autonomous vehicles after Waymo robotaxis became immobile in heavy July 4 traffic, ran out of power, and blocked key streets, further compounding the gridlock. In a letter (parts of which are excerpted here) Lurie outlined four core requirements he would like to see enacted to ensure robotaxi companies can “perform reliably” during extraordinary events. 旧金山市长 Daniel Lurie 敦促州监管机构收紧对自动驾驶汽车的规定。此前，Waymo 的自动驾驶出租车在 7 月 4 日的拥堵交通中无法移动、电力耗尽并阻塞了关键街道，进一步加剧了交通瘫痪。在一封信中（此处摘录了部分内容），Lurie 概述了他希望实施的四项核心要求，以确保自动驾驶出租车公司在突发事件中能够“可靠运行”。