California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has unveiled draft regulations that would govern how consumers get access to self-driving cars—once they are ready for the public to use them safely. What follows is a look at the main provisions, some of which will be the subject of concerted lobbying by automakers and tech giant Google, before the agency […]
Google Antsy As California Slow On Self-Driving Car Rules
Hustling to bring cars that drive themselves to a road near you, Google finds itself somewhere that has frustrated many before: Waiting on the Department of Motor Vehicles. The tech titan wants the freedom to give the public access to self-driving prototypes it has been testing on public roads since the summer. Before granting that […]
Mysterious Electric Car Startup Looking To Build $1B Factory
The luxury electric car market may be small, but it’s lucrative enough to get another jolt — this time from a mysterious startup that says it wants to re-imagine how people interact with their autos. The startup’s name is Faraday Future, and it has been hunting for a place to build what it says will […]
Avoiding Future Freeway Congestion Could Come with a Cost
Fewer of tomorrow’s freeways will be free. In exchange, drivers willing and able to pay will avoid the traffic congestion that bedevils everyone else. Toll lanes are an increasingly common solution in metropolitan regions with limited public space or money to widen highways. One increasingly popular idea is to convert carpool lanes to let solo […]
California reveals details of self-driving car accidents
California state officials released reports Thursday detailing six accidents that involved self-driving car prototypes, reversing a policy that had shielded details of how the next-generation technology is performing during testing on public roads. The disclosure came after The Associated Press successfully argued to the Department of Motor Vehicles that the agency was improperly withholding the […]
Self-Driving Cars Getting in Accidents on Public Roads
Four of the nearly 50 self-driving cars now rolling around California have gotten into accidents since September, when the state began issuing permits for companies to test them on public roads. Read: 4 Things to Know About Accidents Involving Self-Driving Cars Two accidents happened while the cars were in control; in the other two, the […]
Train Car Design Saves Lives in Crash
After a horrific crash a decade ago that killed 11 people and injured 180 more, Southern California’s commuter train network began investing heavily in passenger cars designed to protect passengers from the full force of a collision with another train or vehicle on the tracks. That investment appeared to pay off Tuesday, when a Metrolink […]
Are Driverless Cars Safe? California’s Regulators Weigh Pros and Cons
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles will miss a year-end deadline to adopt new rules for cars of the future because regulators first have to figure out how they’ll know whether “driverless” vehicles are safe. It’s a rare case of the law getting ahead of an emerging technology and reflects regulators’ struggle to balance consumer protection […]
Driving Away Car Computer Hackers
Los Angeles (AP) â Against the team of hackers, the poor car stood no chance. Meticulously overwhelming its computer networks, the hackers showed that â given time â they would be able to pop the trunk and start the windshield wipers, cut the brakes or lock them up, and even kill the engine. Their motives […]
Teaching Self-Driving Cars the Ethics of the Road
Los Angeles (AP) — A large truck speeding in the opposite direction suddenly veers into your lane. Jerk the wheel left and smash into a bicyclist? Swerve right toward a family on foot? Slam the brakes and brace for head-on impact? Drivers make split-second decisions based on instinct and a limited view of the dangers […]