So, we had a simple question: when will we be able to catch a robotaxi in Europe?
And why cant we yet?
The difference between the two areas comes down to two things: regulations and ideology.
However, lets take a step back.
There are five levels of vehicle automation:
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At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself autonomously under limited conditions.
In the future, a Level 5 vehicle will drive itself under all conditions.
Currently, there are no such vehicles on the road.
These vehicles are built from scratch without conventional driving controls, such as a steering wheel or wing mirrors.
EasyMile operates throughout Europe, being most active in Germany and France.
The UK is underwhelming and limited to several roboshuttle services on commercial land.
And theres actually only one operator with plans to offer a taxi service.
Theres been no news since.
Currently, two companies in the States offer paid taxi-style Level 4 services within predefined areas: GM-ownedCruiseand Alphabet-ownedWaymo.
Well, the answer comes back to the very beginning of the article: regulations and ideology.
Its already home to the worlds biggest tech companies and investors.
Things are very different in Europe, as the EU requires agreement across multiple countries.
To find out more about how this functions, I spoke with Barnaby Simkin fromNVIDIA.
And this seems to be catching on.
The EU passed theGeneral Safety Regulationin July.
And this is where we get to the ideology part of the argument.
Effectively, the US and Europe have differing views about how automation should fit into the future of mobility.
In the US,45% of peoplehave no access to public transportation.
The figures are still shocking though.
In 2021, the US government announced a$108 billioninvestment into public transport, its largest to date.
Sounds huge, right?
Most people ride in private cars, and since investments in public transport are lacking.
As a result, cities see autonomous ride-hailing as a way to get people away from car ownership.
By comparison, in Europe, operators like EasyMile gain permits to plug public transport service gaps.
This year the company launched a service at theTerhills resortin Belgium.
Nor is it a demonstration.
Now, five EasyMile autonomous shuttles are running the route at a much higher frequency.
But first, the focus must be on reducing emissions to zero now.
At a time of financial uncertainty, these businesses are focusing onmeeting their carbon emission targets.
This expensive undertaking focuses on replacing ICE fleets withEVs, not investing in autonomous vehicle tech.
Again, very unlike the US.
But is it really bad that the continent isnt overflowing with autonomous cars?
In other words, being first means you take the most risks.
Recently Ford-owned robotaxi company Argo.aiclosed down.
And its not only Ford questioning the economics.
And theres still a long way to go.
But Europes strategy entails danger as well.
The US would effectively be siphoning money off into a different nations economy.
He suggests the most important thing is not that every single car is driving autonomously in every condition.
This will be the next step.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
