Daniel Okafor

Daniel reports on autonomous vehicles, drones, and the policy environment around them. Grounds speculation in regulation, economics, and real outcomes.

Autonomy

California's new AV permit rules will reshape who can run robotaxis in 2027

A revised set of permitting rules from the California Public Utilities Commission tightens the requirements for autonomous vehicle services. The companies most affected are not the ones making headlines.

Daniel Okafor · 22 May · 3 min

Autonomy

Tesla's robotaxi launch faces a regulatory wall it cannot bypass with software

Tesla's robotaxi service has been demonstrated. The path to commercial scale runs through state-by-state permitting that is significantly harder than the company's posture suggests.

Daniel Okafor · 22 May · 3 min

Autonomy

China's robotaxi market is now larger than America's by ride volume

Baidu's Apollo Go and Pony.ai together now complete more daily autonomous rides than Waymo. The policy environments explain why.

Daniel Okafor · 3 May · 3 min

New IFR data shows South Korea has overtaken Singapore in robot density. The policy environment explains how.

Daniel Okafor · 1 May · 3 min

University campuses have become the only setting where sidewalk delivery robots consistently make money. The reasons are instructive.

Daniel Okafor · 1 May · 3 min

Policy

South Korea quietly becomes the most robot-dense country in the world

Autonomy

Autonomous delivery robots are profitable in exactly one environment