Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo: Autonomous Vehicles, Lidar, and Mobility Tech

Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo: Autonomous Vehicles, Lidar, and Mobility Tech

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Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo: Autonomous Vehicles, Lidar, and Mobility Tech episodes

  • Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Dirt Roads

    Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most stubborn edge cases for autonomous vehicles: unpaved dirt and gravel roads. While highway driving is nearly solved, rural and off-road routes present unique challenges — from loose surface material that scrambles LiDAR returns to dust clouds that blind cameras. The hosts examine why Tesla's vision-only approach struggles where lidar-heavy systems also fail, and discuss how the industry is adapting its sensor fusion strategies for the last mile of rural autonomy. They reference recent trades in Rivian and Lucid as indicators of market sentiment around off-road and rugged autonomy, and touch on the broader implications for autonomous trucking and agricultural vehicles.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #DirtRoads #GravelRoads #LiDAR #Tesla #Rivian #Lucid #SensorFusion #EdgeCases #RuralAutonomy #AutonomousTrucking #Technology #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #MobilityTech #AVChallenges

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    9 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Cant Handle Left Turns

    In this episode of Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna tackle one of the most deceptively difficult maneuvers for autonomous vehicles: the unprotected left turn. They break down why intersections without a dedicated left-turn arrow remain a major edge case, using data from Waymo and Cruise operations in San Francisco and Phoenix. The hosts discuss the decision-making challenges around oncoming traffic, pedestrian crossings, and occlusion, and reference recent stock moves for Tesla and Lucid as context for the industry's uneven progress. By the end, you'll understand why left turns are a key benchmark for full autonomy and why they still trip up even the most advanced systems.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #LeftTurns #Waymo #Cruise #Tesla #LucidMotors #AutonomousDriving #EdgeCases #Intersections #Lidar #SensorFusion #AVSafety #SanFrancisco #Phoenix #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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    7 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Struggle With Faded Lane Markings

    Episode 122 of Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo drills into a deceptively simple problem: faded lane markings. Lucas and Luna break down why computer vision systems fail when paint disappears, how road quality varies across the US, and why companies like Tesla and Waymo treat this as a long-tail liability. They reference recent robotaxi rule debates and touch on the staggering costs of re-striping America's roads. A focused look at the gap between highway autonomy and the messy reality of infrastructure.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #LaneMarkings #ComputerVision #RoadInfrastructure #Waymo #Tesla #Robotaxi #LongTailProblem #EdgeCases #MachineLearning #SensorFusion #Lidar #CameraBasedSystems #InfrastructureSpending #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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    7 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Car Washes

    Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most deceptively tricky edge cases for autonomous vehicles: the automated car wash. Why do lidar and camera systems get confused by spinning brushes, soap spray, and tight tunnels? They break down the physics of signal interference, the software challenges of navigating a confined space with no GPS, and why even Waymo and Cruise haven't solved it yet. Plus, a look at what this means for the timeline of true driverless deployment — and a nod to the listeners who keep this show ad-free.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #Lidar #CarWash #EdgeCases #Waymo #Cruise #Tesla #Robotaxi #MobilityTech #SensorFusion #AI #MachineLearning #AutonomousDriving #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Podcast

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    8 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Drive-Thrus

    Episode 120 dives into a deceptively hard problem for autonomous vehicles: the drive-thru lane. Lucas and Luna explore why fast-food restaurants are a worst-case scenario for self-driving systems — combining tight spaces, unpredictable human behavior, weird architecture, and the absence of clear road markings. They cite Waymo's recent one-hour San Francisco outage and Lucid's surprising 33% stock surge to frame the discussion. The episode also touches on how companies like McDonald's and Starbucks are experimenting with AI order-taking, and why the 'last ten feet' of autonomy remain the hardest. A concrete look at an everyday edge case that AVs still can't crack.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #DriveThru #Waymo #Lucid #FastFood #AVChallenges #EdgeCases #Lidar #LastMile #Technology #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Podcast #Autonomy #AI #Robotaxis

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    9 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Merge on Highways

    Lucas and Luna tackle one of the most frustrating gaps in autonomous driving: merging onto highways. Lucas explains why Tesla's Full Self-Driving, Waymo, and others still struggle with the physics of high-speed yield—especially when the merge lane is short or traffic is heavy. He cites a recent study from the University of Michigan showing that autonomous systems fail to complete merges 8% of the time in simulation, and that number jumps to 22% when the merge lane is shorter than 300 feet. Luna pushes back on whether this is a hardware or software problem, and Lucas digs into sensor range limits, prediction uncertainty, and the 'gap acceptance' dilemma. They also touch on today's market moves: Tesla down 3.5% over five days, Rivian flat, and Lucid up 33% on the week—with a note that Waymo's San Francisco service briefly paused earlier today, raising questions about edge cases at highway speeds. A focused, concrete episode on a surprisingly stubborn problem.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #HighwayMerging #TeslaFSD #Waymo #Lidar #SensorFusion #GapAcceptance #UniversityOfMichigan #TrafficEngineering #EdgeCases #AVSafety #TeslaStock #LucidMotors #Rivian #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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    7 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Toll Plazas

    Episode 118 examines a persistent blind spot in autonomous vehicle perception: toll plazas. As of July 2026, self-driving systems struggle with the chaotic geometry of multi-lane toll booths, transient barriers, and unpredictable human behavior at payment points. Lucas and Luna break down why Tesla, Waymo, and others still rely on disclaimers for these zones, using real data from recent pilot programs in Florida and New York. They discuss how lidar and camera fusion fails when concrete islands, toll gates, and variable lane markings create extreme edge cases. Listeners learn one concrete reason the robotaxi future remains stalled at the toll plaza—and what sensor fusion advances might finally solve it.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #TollPlazas #Lidar #Tesla #Waymo #Robotaxi #SensorFusion #Perception #EdgeCase #Technology #AutonomousDriving #AV #Mobility #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #PodcastEpisode #AIcars

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    14 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Potholes

    In Episode 117, Lucas and Luna tackle a surprisingly stubborn problem for autonomous vehicles: potholes. Self-driving cars rely on predictable road geometry, but a pothole is a random, textureless void that confuses both lidar and cameras. We look at recent research from Waymo and a startup called Seeva, which shows that current systems fail to detect potholes at speed about 40% of the time. The hosts discuss why deep learning models trained on pristine data struggle with road damage, and how one startup is using thermal cameras to spot subsurface weaknesses before they become craters. The episode also touches on the market impact — Rivian and Lucid are up this week, partly on optimism about real-world testing — and asks whether pothole avoidance is a feature or a fundamental safety requirement. A concrete look at the gap between lab performance and the actual roads we drive on.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #Potholes #Waymo #Seeva #Lidar #ThermalCameras #RoadSafety #Infrastructure #DeepLearning #ComputerVision #Rivian #LucidMotors #AutonomousDriving #TechPodcast #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Technology

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    12 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Tunnels

    In this episode, hosts Lucas and Luna dive into the specific challenges autonomous vehicles face when entering tunnels – from GPS signal loss to lidar confusion in low-light, confined spaces. They reference the recent Waymo traffic fiasco in San Francisco, which involved a tunnel incident, and discuss how lidar and camera systems struggle with the sudden brightness change at tunnel exits. The conversation touches on Lucid's 16.4% stock jump following their new sensor fusion patent, and why even the most advanced systems from Waymo and Cruise still delegate tunnel navigation to a 'blackout' fallback mode. Tune in for a focused 10-minute breakdown of one of autonomy's most stubborn edge cases.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #Lidar #Tunnels #Waymo #Cruise #LucidMotors #SanFrancisco #GPS #SensorFusion #EdgeCases #Autonomy #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LucasAndLuna #MobilityTech #AIVehicles

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    6 min
  • Why Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Handle Animal Crossings

    Episode 115 of Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo explores why autonomous vehicles struggle to detect and react to animals on roadways—from deer to livestock to pets. Using a 2025 incident in California where a Waymo swerved to avoid a coyote but rear-ended a parked car, Lucas and Luna unpack the perception and prediction gaps. They discuss lidar's limitations with animal silhouettes, the challenge of training data for rare wildlife encounters, and why even Tesla's vision-only approach has trouble with moose. Market data shows Tesla dropping 4.1% in the last five days while Lucid jumps 16.4%, hinting at shifting investor sentiment. The episode also connects to Uber's $14.8 billion Delivery Hero deal, framing how autonomous delivery vehicles might navigate unpredictable animal crossings. A must-listen for anyone curious about the edge cases still blocking Level 5 autonomy.

    #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #AnimalCrossings #Waymo #Tesla #LucidMotors #Lidar #ComputerVision #EdgeCases #AutonomousDelivery #Uber #DeliveryHero #CoyoteAccident #MooseTesting #PerceptionAI #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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    8 min

About Self-Driving Cars with Fexingo: Autonomous Vehicles, Lidar, and Mobility Tech

From the publisher's feed

Lucas and Luna dissect the business of autonomous mobility — not the hype, but the unit economics, sensor supply chains, and regulatory timelines that separate viable players from vaporware. Each episode opens with fresh data: lidar sensor prices from Yole Group, NHTSA accident reports, Waymo and Cruise fleet expansion figures, and the latest SPAC filings from mobility-tech startups. Lucas, a journalist covering automotive tech for a decade, presses the numbers: 'Is L4 deployment actually accelerating, or are we just seeing more test miles reported?' Luna, an engineer turned product strategist, matches him with on-the-ground sourcing — what a procurement manager at a Tier 1 supplier told her about LiDAR yield rates, or why a city planner in Austin chose to restrict autonomous delivery bots. Together, they build a grounded picture of who's winning the talent war (former Tesla Autopilot engineers now at Aurora), which chip fabs are securing long-term contracts for radar SoCs, and why insurance premiums for robo-taxis remain a hidden drag on unit economics. They don't forecast a future; they interrogate the present. Can the autonomous-vehicle industry survive a capital winter? When does a prototype become a product? This show is for the investor, engineer, or policy analyst who needs to know where the puck is — not where the press release says it is.