Self-driving car companies zoom ahead, leaving U.S. regulators behind

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Self-driving vehicle companies from Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) to General Motors Co’s (GM.N) Cruise are racing to start making money with their technology, outrunning efforts by regulators and Congress to write rules of the road for robot-driven vehicles. On Tuesday, Cruise said that SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) will invest another… Continue reading Self-driving car companies zoom ahead, leaving U.S. regulators behind

Waymo can keep some driverless data secret for another 22 days

Waymo had small win Monday in its fight to keep certain details about its autonomous vehicle operations from public view. The Alphabet-owned company filed a lawsuit last week against the California Department of Motor Vehicles to keep some information from its autonomous vehicle deployment permit, as well as emails between the company and the DMV,… Continue reading Waymo can keep some driverless data secret for another 22 days

Cruise’s Vogt Says Autonomous Driving Business Plans On Track After CEO Shakeup – Forbes

GM-built electric Origin vehicles are to join Cruise’s fleet by 2023. Cruise Cruise, the autonomous driving company backed by General Motors, is moving toward the launch of commercial operations and hasn’t altered its business plans following the unexpected departure of former CEO Dan Ammann in December, says cofounder and interim CEO Kyle Vogt.  Vogt, who… Continue reading Cruise’s Vogt Says Autonomous Driving Business Plans On Track After CEO Shakeup – Forbes

The Station: Waymo sues to protect trade secrets, Wisk lands more Boeing capital and a chat with Toyota’s chief scientist

The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click The Station — to receive it every weekend in your inbox. Hello readers: Welcome to The Station, your central hub for all past, present and future means of moving people and packages from Point A to Point B. As… Continue reading The Station: Waymo sues to protect trade secrets, Wisk lands more Boeing capital and a chat with Toyota’s chief scientist

Waymo sues California DMV to keep driverless crash data under wraps

Waymo filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles to keep driverless car crash data from being made public. The autonomous vehicle operator, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, claims that such data should be considered a trade secret. The news of the lawsuit was first reported by the Los Angles… Continue reading Waymo sues California DMV to keep driverless crash data under wraps

Musk’s bets on Tesla: no human drivers this year, robots next

Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Jan 27 (Reuters) – Tesla’s most important products this year and next will not be cars, CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday, but software that drives… Continue reading Musk’s bets on Tesla: no human drivers this year, robots next

Automotive Lobbying Group Abandons the Term “Self-Driving”

The training wheels are starting to come off. The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a Washington, DC-based lobbying group representing a number of auto industry heavyweights, has renamed itself to the “Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association” (AVIA), a notable shift away from the term “self-driving,” The Verge reports. While the group didn’t directly mention Tesla in its… Continue reading Automotive Lobbying Group Abandons the Term “Self-Driving”

The self-driving car industry is abandoning the term ‘self-driving’ and leaving it to Tesla

So long, Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets; hello, Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association! The AV industry’s top lobbying group in Washington, DC is rebranding, dropping the reference to “self-driving” in exchange for a more straightforward moniker. The group, which was founded in 2016 by Waymo, Ford, Lyft, Uber, and Volvo, lobbies lawmakers to pass legislation favorable… Continue reading The self-driving car industry is abandoning the term ‘self-driving’ and leaving it to Tesla

Geely and Renault sign agreement to take on S. Korean car market, together

Chinese automotive giant and Volvo/Polestar parent company, Geely, has signed an agreement with the French Renault Group to launch a new collaboration intended to bring fuel-efficient hybrid electric cars to South Korea, as well as export sales into other Asian markets. The Renault-Geely collaboration represents a continuation of efforts made by both companies in producing… Continue reading Geely and Renault sign agreement to take on S. Korean car market, together

Mercedes-Benz teams up with Luminar on self-driving tech

The Mercedes-Benz logo is pictured at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany, September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register San Francisco, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will partner with self-driving sensor maker Luminar Technologies Inc (LAZR.O) to enable fully automated driving on… Continue reading Mercedes-Benz teams up with Luminar on self-driving tech