Wayve & Uber Can Now Deploy Robotaxis in London

This one is not about home energy upgrades, but here is the news: self-driving car company Wayve and Uber have received approval from Transport for London to run robotaxis in the city. A robotaxi is a car that drives itself, without a driver controlling it directly. For now, a trained safety driver still sits in the car and can take over if needed.

Wayve builds its self-driving system into Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles, using cameras and radar. The approval means the vehicles, the driver, and Uber as the operator all now hold the licenses London requires. More than 100,000 Londoners have signed up on a waiting list for a chance to try a ride once the service launches to the public.

Wayve has also partnered with Nissan and Stellantis on self-driving technology and has drawn investment from Nvidia, Microsoft, Uber, and Mercedes. Uber says it now works with more than 30 self-driving companies as part of a plan to mix robotaxis and regular drivers on its app.

This is a transportation and technology story, not an energy-efficiency one. It has no bearing on home heating, cooling, insulation, or rebate programs, so there is nothing here that changes plans for upgrading a house.