China’s Best Self-Driving Car Platforms, Tested and Compared

I experienced the City NGP function under XNGP in a P7i in Shanghai, and later in a G6 in Guangzhou. With my second experience I soon realized it was a tale of two cities. In Shanghai it was quite smooth, and at least one of the interventions made was due to me being disoriented rather … Read more

Auto safety group gives most hands-free driving systems ‘poor’ ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced on Tuesday that nearly all partial driving automation systems received “poor” ratings in a new ratings program designed to improve safety on the road. The IIHS, an auto safety group, released the results of the first round of testing from its new ratings program. Of the 14 … Read more

A California bill could require robotaxi companies to report collisions and other data or risk fines

A proposed bill in California would require autonomous taxi companies to report extensive data on collisions and safety maneuvers or else face steep daily fines, continuing tough scrutiny on the companies. The vehicles are frequently seen blocking traffic and unable to navigate emergency vehicles in San Francisco, raising safety concerns among Bay Area residents and politicians. The … Read more

How green are electric cars? – podcast | Science

Electric cars might seem like a no-brainer on a warming planet, but there are plenty of people who remain sceptical about everything from their battery life to their carbon impact and the environmental and human rights costs of their parts. Madeleine Finlay consults Auke Hoekstra, known as the internet’s ‘EV debunker in chief’, to unpick … Read more

Does Anyone Really Want Autonomous Racing?

A small handful of people in the world of motorsports might find reason to care about the concept of autonomous racing. In theory this could be a new opportunity for motorsport to return to its original purpose as a crucible of automotive technological improvement. In practice, it’s boring, half-assed, and deeply unimportant. This morning I … Read more

‘Boycott Tesla’ Super Bowl ads target self-driving technology

A pair of Super Bowl ads went after Tesla’s self-driving technology on Sunday, asking viewers to boycott the company and claiming that its vehicles are unsafe. The Dawn Project’s ads follow a 2023 Super Bowl ad campaign, which featured an Autopilot-driven Tesla mowing down child-sized dummies in a parking lot.  “Here’s what Elon Musk doesn’t … Read more

Massive Layoffs Hit Troubled Robotaxi Developer Cruise

Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving development subsidiary, will lay off almost a quarter of its workforce—about 900 employees—the company announced Thursday. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring to focus the robotaxi unit on a narrower path to commercialization. Instead of expanding its commercial robotaxi service to multiple US cities, the company will relaunch its … Read more