Autonomous, Alternative and Experimental Vehicles

Reports concerning autonomous, electric, hydrogen, fuel cell vehicles, driverless shuttles and buses, self-driving trucks, autonomous cars, etc.

By Charles Wardell

Automotive Industry
With Driverless Cars Running Late, a Startup Tries Remote-Control Trucks
Bloomberg - Ira Boudway
For four days in February, Ben Shukman showed up to his office at Phantom Auto in Mountain View, California, sat down in front of a bank of computer …
Dow Jones
This tiny electric car is made for the city
CNN
At the 2019 New York Auto Show, Hyundai-owned Genesis unveiled an all-electric two-passenger concept car.
Apple
Apple Reportedly Seeking LiDAR Sensors With 'Revolutionary Design' for Self-Driving Vehicles
MacRumors - Joe Rossignol
Apple has held talks with at least four potential suppliers of LiDAR sensors for self-driving vehicles, providing fresh evidence of the company's renewed ambitions to enter the autonomous vehicle space,
Automotive Industry
The World’s Biggest Electric Vehicle Company Looks Nothing Like Tesla
Bloomberg
Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next. On the floor of a cavernous factory in southern …
Liberal View
Bloomberg bombshell: Electric cars will be cheaper than gasoline-powered cars in just 3 years
ThinkProgress - Joe Romm
A Bloomberg bombshell. Batteries have been getting smaller and cheaper so much faster than expected that the experts at Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) have had …
Tesla
Tesla is developing a ‘unique battery recycling system’
Electrek - Fred Lambert
Tesla confirmed this week that it is developing a “unique battery recycling system,” which the company believes will result in “significant savings” over the long-term. As we reported yesterday, Tesla
Tesla Model 3
Elon Musk makes incredible claims about Tesla Model 3 longevity, will offer battery module replacement
Electrek - Fred Lambert
Elon Musk is making some fairly incredible claims about the longevity of the Tesla Model 3. The CEO now says that a Model 3’s body and drive unit can last up to 1 million miles while the battery can last
Technology
Aston Martin’s first electric car is finally here
The Verge - Sean O'Kane
Nearly four years and a some plan changes later, the Rapide E gets its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show The first all-electric Aston Martin has finally been revealed, nearly four years after it was originally
Tesla
Tesla Gigafactory 1 battery cell production is still limited to about 23 GWh, says Elon Musk
Electrek - Fred Lambert
The situation around battery cell production at Tesla Gigafactory 1 is coming into focus over the past few days following reports about Tesla and Pansonic slowing down their investments into the battery
Tesla
Tesla’s Big Self-Driving Vehicle Announcements — Reading Between The Lines & Looking 3 Years Out
cleantechnica.com - Jennifer Sensiba
Elon Musk and Tesla have been making big promises about Full Self Driving for years, but recent announcements show us that they are confident enough …
Technology
California to allow testing of light-duty self-driving trucks
The Verge - Andrew J. Hawkins
No semi trucks, but pickup trucks and utility vans would be okay California would allow for the testing of light-duty autonomous trucks on public roads under a proposed rule announced Friday. The state’s
Tesla
Tesla Releases New Safety Report - Q1 2019
insideevs.com - MARK KANE
Tesla notes several times fewer accidents than the industry average According to the latest Tesla Vehicle Safety Report card, during the first quarter …
SF Motors becomes Seres, launches production SF5 sleek electric crossover with 300 miles of range
Electrek - Fred Lambert
SF Motors, a well-funded electric vehicle startup, is launching its brand as ‘Seres’ and unveiling the production version of the SF5, a sleek electric crossover with 300 miles of range. We have been extensively
Markets
Uber's chief self-driving scientist reveals how different the world will look when autonomous cars eventually roll out
Business Insider - Graham Rapier
Uber's plan for a global fleet of self-driving cars might be farther away than previously thought, but it's not stopping the ride-hailing giant's chief scientist from drumming up excitement for the technology.
Autonomous Vehicle
GM, BMW looking to put autonomous vehicle data on a blockchain
yahoo.com - Carol Gaszcz
General Motors and BMW are considering the use of blockchain technology as part of the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI), CoinDesk writes. …
Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3 = 60% Of US Electric Vehicle Market
cleantechnica.com
Published on April 7th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan 0 April 7th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan Looking at pure electric vehicle sales in the United States, there’s …
U.S. Dept. of Energy
US looks to launch national electric vehicle supply chain, report says
Electrek - Phil Dzikiy
U.S. government officials are looking to develop a domestic electric vehicle supply chain that would encourage the mining of materials for automakers and battery manufacturers, according to a recent report.
London introduces world's first 24-hour ultra low emission zone
smartcitiesworld.net
London has introduced what it claims is the world’s toughest vehicle emissions standard in the city centre to help reduce toxic air pollution and …
BMW
MINI Electric to be unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show
bmwblog.com
The battery weighs around 200kg and it’s fitted in the space used for the combustion-engined MINI’s exhaust and transmission tunnel. The car weighs …
Tesla
Tesla Autopilot will be able to avoid potholes on the road, says Elon Musk
Electrek - Fred Lambert
Tesla Autopilot will eventually be able to avoid potholes on the road, according to CEO Elon Musk as the automaker releases more advanced Autopilot updates. Yesterday, I logged in over 300 km (186 miles)
Environment
'The perfect storm': hydrogen gains ground on LNG as alternative fuel
The Guardian - Royce Kurmelovs
In March, the Queensland University of Technology made history when it achieved the first export of a small quantity of clean, green hydrogen produced in Australia from renewable energy, to Japanese energy
Autonomous Cars
Self-driving Cars In 10 Years: EU Expects 'Fully Automated' Cars by 2030
Forbes - John Koetsier
The European Union commissioner for transport expects full self-driving capability by 2030, she said this week at City as a Lab conference in Slovenia. That’s an important part of her “vision zero” to
Autonomous Cars
Volvo unveils driverless electric bus in Singapore
phys.org
March 5, 2019 Volvo and a Singapore university unveiled a driverless electric bus Tuesday that will soon undergo tests in the city-state, the latest …
Plug-in Hybrid EVs
Dacia Duster EV Mule Spied Hinting At Brand’s Electric Future
insideevs.com - Anthony Karr
This is likely a prototype of an electric race car from the Romanian marque.If you, just like us, are quite surprised by today’s first batch of spy …
Autonomous Cars
Hundreds of Detroit residents line up to ride in autonomous cars
Autoblog - Associated Press
DETROIT — Members of the public got the chance Friday to take a free ride in a self-driving vehicle as part of an effort to clear up confusion about the technology. Hundreds signed up for the 6-minute
Tesla
Tesla woos Wall Street and drivers with autonomous vehicle fanfare
VentureBeat - Paul Sawers
Yesterday was a somewhat mixed day for Tesla, as the electric carmaker announced that Q1 shipments fell 31% on the previous quarter, due in large part to transit delays in getting its Model 3 sedan into
Tesla
More details on “Tesla Network” autonomous rideshare service coming in April 22 webcast
Electrek - Jameson Dow
As Tesla moves towards more autonomous features on its vehicles, it has also been teasing a long-term goal of providing owners the opportunity to provide Uber/Lyft-like rides with their vehicles, letting
Technology
Wayve claims 'world first' in driving a car autonomously with only its AI and a SatNav
TechCrunch - Mike Butcher
Projects like Google’s Waymo, Uber, Cruise and Aurora are developing autonomous vehicles by throwing engineers at the problem, basing most of their platforms on rule-based systems that try to pre-empt
Dow Jones
Self-driving cars are now on the streets of Hamburg
CNN - By Charles Riley, CNN Business
London (CNN Business) — Five electric Volkswagen cars fitted with the latest in autonomous technology are now driving a section of Hamburg's streets. The carmaker announced Wednesday that its first tests