The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has approved Uber’s request to resume testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads in the Pittsburgh area. The approval, effective Monday and lasting for one year, comes about nine months after one of Uber’s autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian. Testing was suspended after March 18 crash […]
Electronic Driving Systems Don’t Always Work, Tests Show
Testing by AAA shows that electronic driver assist systems on the road today may not keep vehicles in their lanes or spot stationary objects in time to avoid a crash. The tests brought a warning from the auto club that drivers shouldn’t think that the systems make their vehicles self-driving, and that they should always […]
GM to Launch Self-Driving Vehicles in Big US Cities in 2019
General Motors Co. expects to carry passengers and deliver goods with self-driving vehicles in big cities sometime in 2019, telling investors it’s moving quickly and plans to be ahead of other automakers and tech companies. The Detroit automaker made the announcement at an investor presentation in San Francisco Thursday, saying that based on its current […]
Most Automakers Report October US Sales Gains
Ford, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen reported sales gains for October, defying expectations that buyers would pull back and that fewer people than expected would replace hurricane-damaged vehicles. Fiat Chrysler and General Motors reported declines as most automakers posted monthly sales numbers Wednesday. At Ford, sales rose 6 percent due to a big gain in […]
What’s Holding Back Self-Driving Cars? Human Drivers
In just a few years, well-mannered self-driving robotaxis will share the roads with reckless, law-breaking human drivers. The prospect is causing migraines for the people developing the robotaxis. A self-driving car would be programmed to drive at the speed limit. Humans routinely exceed it by 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 kph) – just […]
Study: Technology Trouble Dents Car and Truck Reliability
Technology glitches including Bluetooth phone pairing and misunderstood voice commands put a dent in car and truck reliability scores in a major survey of automobile owners. Lexus and Porsche tied for the top spot, leading all brands for dependability in the survey released Wednesday by the consulting firm J.D. Power. But electronic problems caused trouble […]
Michigan Lets Autonomous Cars On Roads Without Human Driver
Companies can now test self-driving cars on Michigan public roads without a driver or steering wheel under new laws that could push the state to the forefront of autonomous vehicle development. The package of bills signed into law Friday comes with few specific state regulations and leaves many decisions up to automakers and companies like […]
Tesla To End Free Use Of Supercharging Stations
Electric car maker Tesla Motors says it will end free use of its worldwide charging station network. The company says cars ordered after Jan. 1, 2017 will get roughly 1,000 miles worth of credits at the supercharging stations. After credits are used, owners will have to pay fees. Cars ordered or sold on or before […]
GM Starts Producing 200-Mile Electric Chevrolet Bolt
It can go more than 200 miles on battery power and it costs less than the average new vehicle in the U.S. But in an era of $2 per gallon gasoline, the Chevrolet Bolt probably won’t do a whole lot to shift America from gasoline to electricity. General Motors has started making Bolt hatchbacks on […]
US Probes Ford Vehicles for Steering, Door Latch Problems
Two Ford Motor Co. models are under investigation by U.S. safety regulators for problems similar to those that have caused nearly 3 million other Ford vehicles to be recalled. The probes cover about 643,000 vehicles including 380,000 Edge SUVs from the 2011 to 2013 model years, and nearly 263,000 Fusions from the 2010 model year. […]