Toronto, Ontario — In this weekly electric and autonomous vehicle report, the province of Alberta has officially passed legislation that will require–once officially signed into law–a registration fee for electric vehicle (EV) drivers; while a recent video circulating social media shows a Waymo robotaxi colliding with a delivery robot in a robot-on-robot mix-up.
Provincial price-ups
According to the provincial government, Albertans who drive electric vehicles will have to pay a $200 annual registration fee later this year.
The legislation, which falls under Bill 32 of the province’s budget report, is expected to come into effect in early 2025.
The $200 fee, when it comes into effect, is in comparison to the $93 that internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle drivers pay.
With this new fee on the horizon, Alberta has become the second province to charge drivers for EVs in the country, following Saskatchewan’s appointment of the rule in 2021.
The Albertan government indicated that the new fee is necessary because electric vehicle drivers don’t have to pay the same fuel tax used to fund highway maintenance in the province.
The government also claims that EVs are harder on roads because the vehicles are heavier than their ICE alternatives.
Previous reports indicated this fee was due to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, but this has since been disputed.
Robo rumble
A video currently circulating social media shows a Waymo robotaxi and a Service Robotics delivery robot in what online commenters are describing as an inter-robot-species conflict.
The footage—which was originally taken in Los Angeles, California from a dashcam—specifically shows the service robot attempting to cross a street before being hit by the Waymo vehicle as it turns a corner.
While the Waymo robotaxi did attempt to hit the brakes, the video shows it knocking the delivery robot over.
However, while the Waymo robotaxi may seem to be entirely at fault, according to the person who originally filmed the video, the Service robot had reportedly run a red light only moments before the impact.
As noted by TechCrunch, the Waymo robotaxi registered the delivery robot as an inanimate object rather than as a pedestrian and so while it did attempt to brake, this action did not occur fast enough.
To see the video, click here.
