Self-Driving Vehicle Updates: WeRide, Waymo, Whale Dynamic, Cyngn, Aeva, Mobileye, TIER IV, and Perrone Robotics Lead the Way in Autonomous Innovations
In a significant leap forward for the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry, several cities in the United States are set to witness the expansion of testing and deployment operations in 2025. The cities of Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio are gearing up to join the AV revolution, with key players such as Waymo, Perrone Robotics, and WeRide leading the charge.
Perrone Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous vehicle (AV) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), celebrated its contributions to the industry on National Autonomous Vehicle Day. Over the past year, Perrone's technology has powered autonomous and advanced driver-assistance operations across diverse sectors, including public transit, university campuses, military off-road applications, and community mobility.
Meanwhile, Waymo, a leading player in the AV industry, plans to expand its testing operations to Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio in 2025. The expansion aims to evaluate Waymo's self-driving technology across a variety of urban environments, regional traffic patterns, and weather conditions. Waymo's current operations include large-scale robotaxi services in cities such as Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with plans to expand to more than 10 cities by 2027.
In Houston, Texas, Aurora has been testing self-driving trucks on highways between Houston and Dallas, indicating an active autonomous vehicle presence in the area. However, specific public robotaxi deployments or ride services in Houston have not been reported recently. Texas is a leading state in autonomous vehicle legislation and testing, but some political pushback remains, including calls from Democratic lawmakers to delay Tesla's robotaxi rollout until new safety laws take effect in September 2025.
San Antonio is among the cities where Waymo has tested autonomous driving technology, though primarily focused on testing rather than full commercial robotaxi deployment. No major deployment timelines in San Antonio are indicated yet, but expect possible expansion by 2027.
In Orlando, Florida, there are no specific recent announcements or reported deployments of autonomous vehicles or robotaxi services.
In Austin, Texas, Tesla prepared a pilot launch for its self-driving "robotaxi" service, scheduled initially for late June 2025 with 10 to 20 Model Y cars. This pilot would be open to public riders, marking Tesla's first public autonomous ride-hailing effort. However, Democratic lawmakers requested a delay until the new safety law effective September 1, 2025.
Other key developments include WeRide's expansion across the Middle East, including fully driverless Robotaxi testing in Abu Dhabi, and WeRide's partnership with Uber to deploy Robotaxis in 15 cities globally. WeRide has also deployed Robobuses in key locations and introduced the Robosweeper S1 at King Fahad Medical City.
The TIER IV Autoware Partner Program offers users hands-on training and support, making it ideal for both newcomers and experienced developers looking to validate their systems in real environments. TIER IV has launched the DTV Starter Kit, a drivable test vehicle designed to simplify the development and validation of autonomous systems, integrating seamlessly with Autoware, the open-source platform pioneered by TIER IV.
Mobileye, a leading provider of advanced driver-assistance systems, announced that its next-generation Mobileye Imaging RadarTM will be integrated into a Level 3 eyes-off, hands-off automated driving system by a major global automaker beginning in 2028. The radar for autonomous systems offers superior accuracy, height perception, and long-distance hazard detection at highway speeds exceeding 75 mph (130 kph), featuring 11 TOPS of processing power, over 1,500 virtual channels, and detection ranges up to 315 meters.
In conclusion, the most active deployments and imminent timelines are in Austin, Texas, with Tesla's limited robotaxi pilot expected in mid-2025, potentially postponed due to new regulations. Houston sees autonomous truck testing but no major passenger robotaxi deployment yet, and San Antonio has testing by Waymo but awaits broader rollout. Orlando currently shows no public autonomous vehicle deployments or timeline information. As the AV industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see more cities joining the autonomous revolution in the coming years.
Perrone Robotics, a key player in the AV industry, utilizes technology in sectors like public transit and community mobility, demonstrating the fusion of finance and technology in the autonomous vehicle domain. Waymo, another major player, plans to use technology for testing and evaluation of self-driving cars in Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio in 2025, showcasing the investment in technology for expansion and improvement in the AV sector.
