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this post was submitted on 03 May 2026
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I think the lesson here is don’t use waymo. Pay a human
Oh so you're telling me that there's some kind of value provided by paying a human to do a job instead of automating it? You should write an academic paper about this.
Not defending Waymo, but you're supposed to open the trunk either using the button on the touch screen in the car, or the button in the app. They tell you do do this in the app. If you open it this way when getting in, it'll automatically open at your destination too.
As far as I know, the button on the back of the car itself isn't integrated with their computer system for whatever reason.
Also keep the passenger door open until you've got everything. I do the same thing with taxis and Ubers too.
Actual LPT is always in the comments...
That's a lot of words to defend Waymo.
Not defending them; I'm just stating what their app says to do since I've used it before whereas other people might not know.
As far as I know, the button on the back of the car itself isn't integrated with their computer system for whatever reason.
Whose fault is that...?
Probably a design issue where they couldn't hook into one of the car's systems? I'm not sure.
Their current cars are just temporary anyways. Jaguar doesn't even make them any more - they stopped producing the model that Waymo uses at the end of 2024.
They're currently partnering with Zeekr to build a brand new one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo_Ojai
If they can literally steer and accelerate the car with a computer, they could surely detect if a door or latch was opened at any point.
Hobbyists have been doing it for cheap using home assistant and cheap sensors, I'm sure a company valued at 100+ Billion could too.
That's what I thought too. I'm not sure why it's not the case.
They could have run a whole ass extra wire to the trunk release button input if they wanted to, they just didn't want to.
But I like how friend-shaped that Zeekr is.
Hell, my wife’s entirely manual Jeep (manual door locks, manual window cranks, etc.) still has a sensor that warns you if the tailgate is open…
Indeed, but not the pressed/unpressed state of the trunk latch release button, right?
LOL extra wire.
They already should have a normal controller there... button state, lock state, lid angle, a motor if it's the luxury config...
Well yes, but integrating that is hard and would require talking to Jaguar. Waymo could have pulled a single wire if they wanted to.
but integrating that is hard
No harder than all the other points where Waymo IT needs to talk with car IT.
You'd think so.. buuuut.. sometimes the people problem is greater than the technical ones.
I can foresee the trunk release talking to a controller with one-time-programmable ROM. I can see the trunk release button being activated or deactivated by messages from the body control module. I can imagine the controller reporting trunk open/closed based on its latch, but not having a way to report to the BCM if the button was -pushed- rather than the lock/latch actuated.
But all of this is already decided and designed and built in the car IT. The trunk is really nothing special, it is actually one of the simplest controllers in a car.
Yes. Which is why it will be cost-optimised to hell. And could conceivably not have a way to tell you the button state vs whether or not it should/shouldn't open. One requires bi-directional communication. And to change the behaviour of something that cost-optimised will require a different mask rom, possibly. Or they just can't be bothered to make a separate SKU just for Waymo for a lifetime-limited rental car product.
Sometimes something very simple has a bunch of stupid structural reasons it can't be done without spending real money.
Okay, that would be shitty but no empathy for the guy using fucking Waymo.
I prefer my bicycle.