At AutoMobility LA, panelists agreed that autonomy is going on straight away. The subsequent step is to interrupt down barriers to wider adoption.
While a gentle, cold rain sent fleet attendees scrambling for canopy on the Gilbert Lindsay Paza, those that found shelter under the foremost stage tent enjoyed a warm discussion on the longer term of autonomous transport.
The panel took place on Nov. 20 as a part of AutoMobility LA, the media day on the annual LA Auto Show in downtown Los Angeles. With representatives from Zoox, Kodiak Robotics, Lyft/Flexdrive, Honda, and PAVE, the panel delivered a practical assessment of where autonomous mobility stands and what it means for fleets.
Moderated by Katelyn Magney-Miller, communications director at PAVE (Partners for Automated Vehicle Education), the conversation targeting what’s real, what’s scaling, and what still must occur for autonomy to change into an on a regular basis operational tool.
Constructing Autonomy from the Ground Up
Michael White, who leads product at Zoox, opened by explaining why the corporate selected a completely ground-up design for its robotaxi — no steering wheel, no pedals, and a cabin built for riders only.
“Our vehicle isn’t like the rest on the road,” White said. “It’s designed to offer riders agency. It might probably be a loading lounge, a workspace, or simply a cool place to hang around with friends.”
Zoox hit two major milestones in 2025: tens of hundreds of public rides in Las Vegas, and, on the identical day because the panel, its first public waitlist riders in San Francisco.
“Autonomy is here,” White said. “Where it hasn’t permeated is on a regular basis life.”
For Zoox, true arrival will occur when people stop considering by way of “rides” altogether. “When the lexicon changes from ‘I want a ride’ to ‘I want to get something done between point A and point B,’ that’s when autonomy has arrived,” White said. “And when it becomes a verb — ‘We’ll Zoox the youngsters to soccer’ — that’s when it’s a part of every day life.”
Driverless Trucking Moves from Pilots to Revenue
While robotaxis are grabbing headlines, probably the most concrete progress could also be happening within the heavy-duty trucking sector.
“If anyone is wondering, autonomous trucks are here,” said Lauren Harper, chief of staff at Kodiak Robotics. “The query now could be how they’re going to scale.”
This 12 months was the primary where multiple players reached real driverless milestones. Aurora Innovation launched a driverless lane between Dallas and Houston, Waabi recorded a driverless run, and Kodiak crossed a significant operational threshold: a customer within the Permian Basin now owns and operates 10 autonomous trucks equipped with Kodiak’s system.
“It’s a unclean place, a tricky job,” Harper said. “And we’re adding value today in a region where it’s extremely difficult to rent and retain drivers. These trucks are generating revenue, and that’s recent this 12 months.”
Scaling will hinge on its manufacturing partnerships, reminiscent of its partnership with Roush Industries, known for its race cars and propane-powered trucks.
It is going to also depend on AI capabilities that transcend detection
“AI has had massive, rapid improvement,” she said. “Our system can now transcend detection to understanding. As an alternative of just saying, ‘That’s a fireplace hydrant,’ it may possibly reason, ‘The road looks flooded from that hydrant; traversability could also be difficult; move to the left.’ That’s a game-changer.”
Harper also stressed that safety stays each the most important challenge and the most important opportunity.
“With autonomy, every driver can change into your safest driver,” she said. “A software improvement will be deployed to the complete fleet immediately.”
On display at AutoMobility LA, Silicon Valley startup Tensor is aiming to be the primary automaker to sell a purpose-built robocar with a steering wheel that retracts during autonomous driving.
Rideshare: Public Trust and Fleet Integration
For Lyft and Flexdrive, its owned fleet division, autonomy is already reshaping fleet operations. “Automation is a turning point,” said John Parks, CEO of Flexdrive. “It allows us to scale in a different way.”
Today, dispatching relies on matching a rider to a human driver. “With an AV, that negotiation goes away,” Parks said. “We are able to dispatch immediately and position supply where demand is.”
That translates directly into shorter door-to-door time, higher utilization, and faster scaling.
Parks also pushed back on the concept public trust is an insurmountable barrier.
“A decade ago, the concept of moving into a stranger’s automotive was bizarre,” he said. “Today Lyft has over 100 million lively users a 12 months. AVs will follow the same arc.”
Convenience will likely be the accelerant. “When people ride in a very driverless vehicle, nobody within the front, the adoption goes to climb quickly,” he said.
A Fragmented Policy Landscape
The U.S. stays a world outlier in a single critical area: a national AV framework.
“One lesson from Europe and Asia is how essential a consistent national system is,” said Brian Bautsch, director of safety strategy at Honda. “Here, we depend on a patchwork of state and even municipal policies. A consistent framework is critical for protected, efficient deployment.”
Bautsch highlighted Honda’s experience with consumer Level 3 automation, pointing to the 2021 Honda Legend, the primary such vehicle in the marketplace.
“It had zero crashes when Level 3 was activated,” he said. “That’s why getting life-changing technology into more people’s hands is the headline I need to see.”
Fleet Takeaways
For a fleet audience, the panel highlighted several near-term themes:
- AV Freight Will Arrive First
Autonomous trucking is now in revenue service within the Permian Basin; driverless milestones are accelerating; AI is increasing operational domain and safety potential.
- Robotaxis Will Influence Customer Expectations
The rider experience Zoox is designing may soon reset expectations for time use, productivity, and luxury.
- AVs Will Reshape Fleet Management Tasks
Parks noted that robotics can eliminate inconsistency and human error in maintenance tasks reminiscent of torquing lug nuts.
- Policy Fragmentation Still Holds the Industry Back
Without federal consistency, fleets operating across multiple states face uneven rulemaking, testing conditions, and compliance requirements.
- Autonomy May Increase Safety at Scale
“Every driver can change into your safest driver,” Harper said.
Magney-Miller closed by reminding the audience of the protection crisis: “Roadway safety today is a public-health crisis,” she said. “Greater than 40,000 people die on U.S. roads every year. That is something we are able to fix.”
This Article First Appeared At www.automotive-fleet.com
