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Elon Musk Says First High-Speed Boring Tunnel Will Open In December

Elon Musk has just revealed that his highly anticipated Boring Company tunnel will be officially open on December 10. The Tesla CEO took to Twitter on Sunday to tell the world that the high-speed subway concept is “almost done.” According to the Los Angeles Times, Musk’s Boring Co. tunnel beneath the city of Hawthorne will be revealed on the evening of December 10 — opening for free rides to the public on December 11.

Elon Musk first revealed his idea for a tunnel underneath the infamous Los Angeles traffic in December of 2016.

“Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging…” he tweeted. “It shall be called ‘The Boring Company.'”

The internet immediately went into full speculation mode, wondering if Musk was joking — just musing — or whether he really did have a plan to launch a “boring” company.

Shortly after his original tweets, Musk expanded on his idea, giving the new company a motto.

“Boring, it’s what we do,” he announced.

He then tweeted that he was serious about the idea.

“I am actually going to do this,” he said on December 17, 2016.

By February of 2017, the Boring Company had begun digging a trench in the SpaceX property in Hawthorne, California. By March of that year, the company had started using a tunnel boring machine named Godot to dig in earnest. The 2-mile tunnel extends from Hawthorne along the 405 freeway and ends in Westwood, California.

The cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington D.C. jumped on the tunnel bandwagon — agreeing to issue permits for an underground system within their respective city limits. The company now runs three different boring machines, all working to bring the concept to life.

The Hawthorne tunnel will be the first tunnel to be operational, which the company has dubbed a test tunnel to demonstrate the system. The subway infrastructure shuttles people underground at 150 miles per hour on an electric platform. Riders can either sit in a vehicle carrying up to 16 passengers, or an individual can drive a car onto a platform — which is called a “skate.”

Cars and riders are moved from the surface to the underground tunnel via an elevator, and the company has suggested that cities could either employ a series of shafts into the public transportation infrastructure to move people, or individuals could have access tunnels built into their homes, parking garages or home garages.

Lucky individuals will be able to test out the system in December.

UPDATE 3-VW and Ford in talks on self-driving and electric vehicles -source

FRANKFURT/DETROIT (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Ford Motor Co are in “exploratory talks” to jointly develop self-driving and electric vehicles in a far-reaching strategic alliance meant to save the companies billions of dollars, according to a person familiar with the matter. FILE PHOTO: A car with the Volkswagen VW logo badge is seen on… Continue reading UPDATE 3-VW and Ford in talks on self-driving and electric vehicles -source

Lime recalls some scooters due to fire concerns

Lime, the electric scooter and bike-share startup, has pulled some of its scooters from the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego and Lake Tahoe. That’s because of two hardware challenges the company has experienced, Lime wrote in a blog post last night. In August, Lime says it became aware of a potential issue with some… Continue reading Lime recalls some scooters due to fire concerns

Lime Recalled Thousands of Scooters Because They Were Catching Fire

Fire Sale What’s worse than inconsiderate teens leaving electric scooters on the sidewalk? Electric scooters on the sidewalk that catch fire. The Washington Post caught wind of evidence that some of Lime’s electric scooters had bursting into flames. In response to questions from the newspaper, Lime admitted it had pulled thousands of its scooters off the streets… Continue reading Lime Recalled Thousands of Scooters Because They Were Catching Fire

GM to offer buyout to some workers in cost-cutting move: DJ

GM offering buyouts to salaried employees
29 Mins Ago | 01:32

General Motors is offering buyouts to salaried workers to help cut costs, Dow Jones reported Wednesday. About 18,000 employees are eligible.

The company said it is making the move now to take advantage of the strong economy and its own healthy performance. The largest U.S. automaker reported better than expected earnings on Wednesday, fueled by strong sales of trucks and crossovers in North America.

GM was not immediately available for comment.

The automaker is making the cuts in response to rising commodity costs, said CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson. The hope is enough workers take the buyouts, the automaker will not have to resort to layoffs.

GM's U.S. rival Ford said in early October it plans to thin the ranks of its salaried workforce by the second quarter of next year.

GM CEO Barra says the automaker is watching China trade ‘very carefully’

General Motors Chairman & CEO Mary Barra (L) and President of General Motors China Matt Tsien attend a press conference in Shanghai, China September 15, 2017.

General Motors is keeping a close eye on China, CEO Mary Barra said Wednesday.

GM said its luxury brand Cadillac had record sales in China despite an ongoing trade war that's raised prices on steel and aluminum as well as on the vehicles themselves.

“We're watching it carefully and we're very hopeful that both sides will have dialogue and get to the table to work through some very important issues that both China and the United States have as it relates to trade,” Barra told analysts on a conference call Wednesday discussing GM's third-quarter earnings. “When we look at our positioning, we have many levers that we can pull to continue to have strong performance in China.”

While Ford and other automakers have reported trouble in China for the third quarter, it was a bright spot for GM.

The company reported record third-quarter “equity income” in the country, led by a 4 percent increase in Cadillac sales there. GM uses equity income to measure its performance in the region since the company follows the standard industry practice of selling its vehicles through a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer SAIC. Each company owns a 50 percent stake in the venture.

Barra told analysts the partnership has served GM well.

“I think we have the strongest partner in China with SAIC,” she said.

“At this time we are not looking to change the 50-50 structure,” Barra added. “It has served us well, and I think the strength of our results demonstrate that.”

But at the same time, sales in the country were down 15 percent over the same quarter last year, and there are signs of trouble in the region. A recent report from Bloomberg said the Chinese government is considering a cut to taxes on auto purchases to revive flagging sales.

GM said it was able to charge more for cars during the quarter and the declines came from less its profitable segments. It also said that sales of its luxury vehicles were up.

GM offering buyouts to cut North American salaried staff

FILE PHOTO: The GM logo is seen at the General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan October 26, 2015. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) said on Wednesday it plans to cut its North American salaried workforce, starting with voluntary buyout offers but resorting to layoffs if necessary.… Continue reading GM offering buyouts to cut North American salaried staff

Honda and GAC Group to build $430 million Chinese plant for new-energy cars

FILE PHOTO: A staff member cleans Honda brand’s accord sedan model at the booth of Guangzhou Automobile Group during the Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing, China, April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo BEIJING (Reuters) – Honda Motor Co’s (7267.T) joint venture with GAC Group (601238.SS)(2238.HK) will invest 3.27 billion yuan ($469 million) in… Continue reading Honda and GAC Group to build $430 million Chinese plant for new-energy cars

Ford and Baidu team up to test self-driving vehicles in China

Nelson Ching | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Robin Li, chief executive officer of Baidu Inc.

Ford and Chinese internet giant Baidu announced a tie-up Wednesday that will see the two firms jointly test self-driving vehicles in China for two years.

The initiative will see the two companies collaborate on the development and testing of driverless vehicles that meet the Level 4 standard set by U.S. industry organization SAE International. This means that autonomous vehicles developed by the two will not require intervention from a human driver.

Ford and Baidu did not disclose any financial terms or ownership structure details of the venture.

“Working with a leading tech partner like Baidu allows us to leverage new opportunities in China to offer innovative solutions that improve safety, convenience and the overall mobility experience,” Sherif Marakby, president and CEO of Ford's autonomous vehicles unit, said in a statement Wednesday.

“This project marks a new milestone in the partnership between Ford and Baidu, and supports Ford's vision to design smart vehicles that transform how we get around.”

Ford's autonomous vehicles have already been fitted with Baidu's autonomous driving system Apollo, the two companies said in a joint statement. On-road testing of the driverless vehicles developed by Ford and Baidu is slated to start by the end of this year.

“Baidu and Ford both believe in using technology to redefine the future of mobility,” Zhenyu Li, vice president and general manager of Baidu's intelligent driving group, said in a statement.

“This project will combine our leading-edge technological know-how and understanding of China together with Ford's vehicle expertise, marking a significant step forward towards Baidu's goal of developing autonomous driving vehicles that will greatly benefit future consumers.”

The news follows an initial announcement made in June that the two companies would explore areas of cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and connectivity.

Baidu was recently added to the Partnership on AI (PAI), a U.S. ethics body devoted to establishing best practices for AI and educating society about the technology. It was the first Chinese firm to join the organization.

It has upped the competitive pressure on U.S. rivals that are ploughing significant money and resources into AI — including Google and Microsoft — and recently developed a tool which it says can translate different languages in real time.