{"id":"69de45ff-bc82-47dc-904a-3a0223f93939","slug":"regulatory-action-2026-06-26-waymo","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"NHTSA proposes amending federal brake standards for autonomous vehicles without human drivers","summary":"NHTSA published a proposed rulemaking to amend FMVSS No. 135 Light vehicle brake systems by removing requirements for hand and foot operated brake controls in vehicles that operate without a human driver, while retaining stopping distance performance requirements. This represents a meaningful step in modernizing the federal regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.","occurredAt":"2026-06-26T12:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956","deploymentId":"e7cd9869-2e0f-4829-affa-53b958c66323","companyId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"minor","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"other","regulatoryBody":"NHTSA","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-07-06T06:33:59.566Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-14T21:53:38.350Z","model":{"id":"c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956","companyId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","modelName":"Waymo Driver (6th gen)","slug":"waymo-driver-gen6","description":"The sixth-generation Waymo Driver is Waymo's autonomous driving stack for fully autonomous robotaxi service. The platform integrates 13 cameras, 4 lidars, 6 radars, and external audio receivers, with overlapping 360° coverage and a detection range up to roughly 500 meters in nominal conditions. Compared to the fifth-generation system on the Jaguar I-PACE, the sixth-gen system uses 42% fewer total sensors. Waymo says the per-unit hardware cost is targeted under $20,000 — a more than 50% reduction from the 5th-gen system. Currently runs on the Zeekr RT (sold as the “Ojai” robotaxi, purpose-built without a steering wheel or pedals) and the Hyundai IONIQ 5; began fully autonomous commercial operations in February 2026.","formFactor":"av","industryVertical":"passenger_transport","environment":"road","maturityStage":"commercial","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"drive_mode":"fully_autonomous","generation":6,"lidar_count":4,"radar_count":6,"camera_count":13,"vehicle_platforms":"Zeekr RT (Ojai); Hyundai IONIQ 5","external_audio_receivers":true,"detection_range_m_nominal_approx":500,"target_unit_cost_usd_under_waymo_stated":20000},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2024/08/meet-the-6th-generation-waymo-driver/","label":"Waymo blog — Meet the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (primary announcement, sensor suite + cost targets)","publishedAt":"2024-08-19"},{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2026/02/ro-on-6th-gen-waymo-driver/","label":"Waymo blog — Beginning fully autonomous operations with the 6th-gen Driver (primary, commercial launch)","publishedAt":"2026-02-12"},{"url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/waymo-begins-deploying-next-gen-ojai-robotaxis-to-extend-its-us-lead.html","label":"CNBC — Waymo begins deploying next-gen Ojai robotaxis (third-party trade coverage of the launch)","publishedAt":"2026-02-12"},{"url":"https://www.wardsauto.com/news/archive-auto-waymo-6th-generation-driver-autonomous-driving-hardware-robotaxi-lidar-ai/725519/","label":"WardsAuto — Inside the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (third-party deep-dive on the hardware suite)","publishedAt":"2024-08-29"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Autonomy level","value":"fully autonomous (SAE Level 4)"},{"label":"Sensor suite","value":"13 cameras, 4 LiDARs, 6 radars, external audio receivers (EARs)"},{"label":"Detection range","value":"up to ~500 meters in nominal conditions"},{"label":"Sensor cost (6th-gen)","value":"Targeted under $20,000 per unit on top of vehicle cost; >50% reduction from 5th-gen"},{"label":"Sensor reduction","value":"42% fewer sensors vs 5th-gen (29 cameras→13, 5 LiDARs→4, radar unchanged at 6)"},{"label":"Camera specs","value":"17-megapixel imager — generation ahead of other automotive cameras in resolution, dynamic range, low-light sensitivity"},{"label":"LiDAR","value":"Waymo custom in-house: 360-degree top lidar + perimeter lidars; cost reduced >90% from $75K off-the-shelf to ~$7,500 (2017), now likely <$1,000/unit"},{"label":"Radar","value":"Waymo custom imaging radar — 360-degree view, enhanced resolution, tracks moving/stopped objects"},{"label":"Compute platform","value":"NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (2,000 TOPS FP8, Blackwell architecture) + Waymo custom Google TPU-based compute; dual redundant computing engines"},{"label":"5th-gen sensor cost (Bloomberg)","value":"~$9,300 per vehicle for 24 sensors (cameras, radar, lidar) on Jaguar I-PACE"},{"label":"Per-mile operating cost","value":"Estimated ~$1.40–$2.31/mi operating cost; passenger price ~$42/mi (vs Uber/Lyft ~$30/mi)"},{"label":"Cash contribution margin","value":"63% cash contribution margins (JPMorgan estimate, Aug 2024); 35% fleet utilization"},{"label":"Price","value":"6th-gen Driver targeted under $20,000 per unit"},{"label":"Vehicle platforms","value":"Zeekr RT (Ojai); Jaguar I-PACE (5th-gen); Hyundai IONIQ 5 (announced)"},{"label":"Fleet size","value":"~3,000 vehicles total (Nov 2025); 500,000+ paid rides/week; 14M+ trips in 2025"},{"label":"Key suppliers","value":"NVIDIA (DRIVE Thor), Waymo in-house (LiDAR, cameras, radar, software), Google (TPU, Gemini), Jaguar Land Rover (I-PACE platform), Geely/Zeekr (MIX platform)"},"5th gen sensor cost=$9,300 per car (24 sensors: cameras, radar, LiDAR — excludes compute)","6th gen Driver cost=Under $20,000 per unit (50%+ reduction from 5th gen)","Vehicle platform=Jaguar I-PACE (luxury EV, ~$70K base MSRP); Zeekr platform next","Compute=NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (or custom Waymo compute)","LiDAR=Waymo custom in-house LiDAR (not external supplier)","Fleet=Thousands of vehicles; expanding to Zeekr platform","Per-mile operating cost=Targeting profitability at scale; 6th gen key to reducing per-mile cost","6th gen launch=Feb 2026, fully driverless operations began, targeting 1M weekly rides"],"createdAt":"2026-05-25T04:41:57.633Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T17:18:48.073Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":3500,"unitsInFieldVerified":1500,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":3500,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":"2026-07-08T00:00:00.000Z","unitsSource":[{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2025/05/scaling-our-fleet-through-us-manufacturing","label":"1,500 vehicles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin"},{"url":"https://www.theverge.com/news/661025/waymo-fleet-size-factory-arizona-jaguar-robotaxi-zeekr","label":"Waymo says it will add 2,000 more robotaxis into 2026"},{"url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/waymo/comments/1r2xc8p/","label":"Waymo has said it plans on adding only 2,000 more vehicles in 2026, for a total fleet size of 3,500"},{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZBbunKAnFX/","label":"Waymo runs 577 robotaxis in Texas"}],"salesModel":"not_sold","priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":"autonomous","autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":{"id":"e7cd9869-2e0f-4829-affa-53b958c66323","modelId":"c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956","versionId":null,"locationId":"fb8edc1a-123a-4d92-8767-b58d01f7410c","operatorId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","ownerId":null,"slug":"waymo-driver-gen6-sacramento-california","status":"announced","firstSeen":"2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","statusChangeReason":null,"contractType":null,"pilotOutcome":null,"endedAt":null,"unitsOnSite":null,"tasksPerformed":["delivery"],"shiftStructure":null,"hoursPerDay":16,"siteType":"airport","operatorConfirmed":null,"humanSupervisionOnsite":null,"locationPrecisionTier":"city_centroid","deploymentScale":"undisclosed","siteEnvironment":"outdoor","operatorType":"maker_operated","sourceQualityTier":2,"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.electrek.co/2026/08/15/waymo-18-county-expansion","title":"Waymo wins California approval to expand robotaxis across 18 counties"}],"notes":"CPUC approved Waymo to expand driverless robotaxi service across 18 California counties including Sacramento as a new market.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Regulatory approval","value":"CPUC approved 18-county expansion"},{"label":"Date","value":"August 2026"}],"reviewNote":null,"exposureHours":null,"deploymentMilesEstimate":null,"exposureBasis":null,"customerSegment":"consumer","scaleTier":"undisclosed","contractValueUsd":null,"contractValueBasis":null,"customerCompanyId":null,"customerExternalName":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T04:21:06.790Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T14:23:46.797Z"},"company":{"id":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","name":"Waymo","slug":"waymo","description":"Waymo is [Alphabet](/companies/alphabet)'s autonomous driving subsidiary. It operates the Waymo One robotaxi service in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Miami, and runs Waymo Via for autonomous trucking. Spun out of Google's self-driving car project as a standalone Alphabet subsidiary in December 2016.","status":"subsidiary","founded":2009,"hq":"Mountain View, CA","hqLat":37.3893889,"hqLng":-122.0832101,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:54:38.143Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"waymo.com","fundingTotal":"27100000000","type":"both","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://waymo.com","label":"Waymo — Company website"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo","label":"Wikipedia — Waymo (history, operations, ownership)"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Valuation","value":"$126B post-money (Feb 2026 Series D)"},{"label":"Funding raised","value":"~$27B lifetime ($16B Series D, Feb 2026, largest AV round ever)"},{"label":"Weekly rides","value":"~500,000 paid/week (targeting 1M by end-2026)"},{"label":"Ride volume","value":"15M in 2025; 20M+ lifetime"},{"label":"Autonomous miles","value":"127M+ fully autonomous"},{"label":"Safety claim (Waymo)","value":"90% fewer serious-injury crashes vs. humans (company-stated)"},{"label":"Operating markets","value":"~11 US metros (Waymo One)"},{"label":"Vehicle","value":"Jaguar I-PACE, 6th-gen Waymo Driver"},{"label":"Recent recalls","value":"School-bus passing; ~3,800-vehicle San Antonio flood recall"},{"label":"Active investigations","value":"NHTSA (Santa Monica child injury); NTSB (TX school-bus)"},{"label":"wikidata","value":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15330"},{"label":"wikipedia","value":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo"},{"label":"Hero image candidate","value":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Waymo_self-driving_car_front_view.gk.jpg (source: Wikimedia Commons, license: CC BY-SA 4.0, Quality image)"},{"label":"Miami depot 1","value":"Operational depot in Wynwood District, Miami (verified, field-inspected 2026)"},{"label":"Miami depot 2","value":"Future depot adjacent to Miami International Airport (under preparation, 2026)"},{"label":"Austin depot","value":"Operations facility on Stassney near Burleson Rd, south of Ben White, Austin TX"},{"label":"Mesa manufacturing hub","value":"Magna retrofits Jaguar I-PACE vehicles for Waymo fleet in Mesa, AZ"},{"label":"IIHS safety rating","value":"Independent IIHS study: Waymo L4 driverless crash rate 68% lower than human drivers (July 2026)"},{"label":"Fleet size (July 2026)","value":"3,800+ vehicles across 10 cities"},{"label":"Valuation (Feb 2026)","value":"$126B — raised $16B to fund expansion"},{"label":"Uber partnership status","value":"Exploring exit — notified Uber of independent entry Jan 2028. Parted ways in Phoenix May 2026."},{"label":"Austin/Atlanta dispute","value":"Waymo questioned cleanliness/routing of Uber-operated vehicles. Uber raised concerns about financial terms and weather-related unavailability."}],"aliases":["Waymo LLC","Waymo One","Google Self-Driving Car Project","Waymo Driver","Alphabet Waymo","Google Waymo","Google self-driving car"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":"greenhouse","atsSlug":"waymo","factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":2500,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-25T03:56:10.060Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T22:26:55.637Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"a06a8667-b17f-4deb-9152-45da25acb77f","incidentId":"69de45ff-bc82-47dc-904a-3a0223f93939","url":"https://environmentalhealthsafetybrief.sidley.com/2026/06/29/nhtsa-proposes-amending-federal-brake-standards-for-autonomous-vehicles/","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"NHTSA Proposes Amending Federal Brake Standards for Autonomous Vehicles","sourceName":"Sidley","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-06T06:33:59.947Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T06:33:59.947Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"666385c0-dd54-49f2-bc71-9620b5c5e465","incidentId":"69de45ff-bc82-47dc-904a-3a0223f93939","status":"active","reason":null,"source":"agent:depth","effectiveAt":"2026-07-06T06:34:00.333Z","createdAt":"2026-07-06T06:34:00.335Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/regulatory-action-2026-06-26-waymo","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/regulatory-action-2026-06-26-waymo","headline":"NHTSA proposes amending federal brake standards for autonomous vehicles without human drivers","description":"NHTSA published a proposed rulemaking to amend FMVSS No. 135 Light vehicle brake systems by removing requirements for hand and foot operated brake controls in vehicles that operate without a human driver, while retaining stopping distance performance requirements. This represents a meaningful step in modernizing the federal regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.","identifier":"69de45ff-bc82-47dc-904a-3a0223f93939","datePublished":"2026-06-26T12:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"regulatory action","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":1,"primary_source_types":[]}}}