Automakers have been selling data about the driving behavior of millions of people to the insurance industry. In the case of General Motors, affected drivers weren’t informed, and the tracking led insurance companies to charge some of them more for premiums. I’m the reporter who broke the story. I recently discovered that I’m among the… Continue reading How G.M. Tricked Millions of Drivers Into Being Spied On (Including Me)
Author: New York Times Online News
VW Workers in Tennessee Vote to Join UAW Union
In a landmark victory for organized labor, workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee have voted overwhelmingly to join the United Automobile Workers union, becoming the first nonunion auto plant in a Southern state to do so. The company said in a statement late Friday that the union had won 2,628 votes, with 985 opposed,… Continue reading VW Workers in Tennessee Vote to Join UAW Union
Fake Tags Add to Real Chaos on American Roads
After hearing complaints about streets filled with cars with expired temporary license tags, the mayor of St. Charles, Mo., invited his constituents to send in photos of bad plates. He received more than 4,100 in a year — from a city of about 71,000 people. A Washington, D.C., Council member wants to make it easier… Continue reading Fake Tags Add to Real Chaos on American Roads
Tesla Will Recall Cybertruck in Latest Setback
Tesla has agreed to recall nearly 4,000 of its Cybertruck pickups to fix an accelerator pedal that can get stuck, raising the risk of crashes, a federal safety agency said on Friday. The defect could cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a notice posted on its website.… Continue reading Tesla Will Recall Cybertruck in Latest Setback
Tesla Will Lay Off More Than 10% of Global Workforce
Signs of turmoil at Tesla multiplied on Monday after the electric car company told employees it would lay off more than 10 percent of the work force to cut costs and two senior executives resigned. The job cuts, amounting to about 14,000 people, come as the company faces increasing competition and declining sales. The management… Continue reading Tesla Will Lay Off More Than 10% of Global Workforce
Most N.Y.C. Drivers Who Honk Are Breaking the Law. Can They Be Stopped?
Hardly a second had passed since the light turned green, but there was already a symphony of honks and beeps and toots urging traffic forward on Columbus Avenue. About a minute later, a deep, foghorn-like honk rumbled from a dump truck as it turned onto 89th Street. It was a typical weekday morning on the… Continue reading Most N.Y.C. Drivers Who Honk Are Breaking the Law. Can They Be Stopped?
What Happened When a German Car Factory Went All Electric
Zwickau, a city in Germany’s east, may not be as famous as Detroit, but its economy has revolved around internal combustion engines since August Horch established Audi here at the beginning of the 20th century. So when Volkswagen announced in 2018 that it would convert its Zwickau factory, the largest private employer in the area,… Continue reading What Happened When a German Car Factory Went All Electric
Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over a Fatal Crash Involving Autopilot
Tesla on Monday settled a lawsuit that blamed the automaker’s driver-assistance software for the death of a California man in 2018, averting a trial that would have focused attention on the company’s technology several months before it plans to unveil a self-driving taxi. The trial stemming from the death of Wei Lun Huang, an Apple… Continue reading Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over a Fatal Crash Involving Autopilot
NASA Picks 3 Companies to Help Astronauts Drive Around the Moon
NASA will be renting some cool wheels to drive around the moon. Space agency officials announced on Wednesday that they have hired three companies to come up with preliminary designs for vehicles to take NASA astronauts around the lunar south polar region in the coming years. After the astronauts return to Earth, these vehicles would… Continue reading NASA Picks 3 Companies to Help Astronauts Drive Around the Moon
Ford Slows Its Push Into Electric Vehicles
Ford Motor on Thursday delayed the production of at least two new electric cars and said it would pivot to making more hybrids. Its decision was the latest sign that large automakers have been forced to rethink their strategy for electric vehicles because sales for those models are slowing. The shift by Ford and automakers… Continue reading Ford Slows Its Push Into Electric Vehicles