We would all be whizzing round in robotaxis by now if Elon Musk had been right.
Instead, fully self-driving vehicles are struggling to get away from the starting grid and some investors are betting that driverless trucks would reach the chequered flag first.
Only a year ago, start-ups developing robotaxis were pulling in eight times more funding than firms working on autonomous trucks, buses and logistics vehicles, but the gap has narrowed dramatically this year.
With fewer regulatory and technological hurdles, trucks operating on major highways, fixed delivery routes or in environments far from cyclists and pedestrians, such as mines and ports, are