Tag Archives: Transportation

Lyft is bringing rider verification to the entire nation

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This past summer, Lyft began testing its driver verification program in nine cities. Now, the feature will be available nationwide. The program mirrors Uber’s own verification system, which went live for US customers in September.

With either company, the verification system works about the same: rider names are cross-referenced against a database to ensure they are who they say they are. Failing that, riders can upload photos of government IDs to enroll. Ideally, verified identities will make drivers feel safer picking up complete strangers in their cars.

Along with the verification program, Lyft is adding a few quality-of-life improvements. The app will now inform drivers if their passengers are in areas like bike or bus lanes. Drivers in some places will also find out if a route goes through a school or traffic enforcement. Additionally, Lyft is piloting a restroom finder for drivers. Like Uber and Waze, it's also implementing real-time road alerts that allow drivers to mark accidents, heavy traffic or road closures.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/lyft-is-bringing-rider-verification-to-the-entire-nation-140013926.html?src=rss

GM’s Cruise will pay a $500,000 fine for submitting a false accident report

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GM's robotaxi unit Cruise has agreed to pay a $500,000 for submitting a false accident report as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The US Justice Department (DoJ) said that Cruise failed to disclose vital details about a serious October 2023 accident in which one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet after she was hit by another vehicle.

"Federal laws and regulations are in place to protect public safety on our roads. Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators,” said Martha Boersch, Chief of the Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division. Uber has yet to comment on the matter. 

Under the terms of the three-year settlement, Cruise must cooperate with the government, put a safety compliance program into place and provide annual reports to the US Attorney's office. The company could still be prosecuted if it fails to comply with those conditions. Cruise was previously fined $1.5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reportedly reached a settlement with the victim worth at least $8 million.

According to the US Attorney's office, a Cruise driverless vehicle operating in San Francisco ran over a pedestrian who had been thrown into its path after being struck by a separate, human-operated vehicle. The Cruise vehicle initially stopped after running over the pedestrian, but its systems failed to detect that she was still under the vehicle. It then tried to pull over to the side, dragging the woman over 20 feet. In Cruise's report to the NHTSA, it said nothing about dragging the victim after it struck her. (Cruise also omitted this information in statements to the press at the time of the accident.)

Cruise was subsequently stripped of its license to operate self-driving vehicles in California. The company stopped all operations of both its driverless cars and its manned robotaxi service in order to engage in a comprehensive safety review. CEO Kyle Vogt resigned in November and GM announced plans to slash Cruise's funding and to restructure leadership based on external safety reviews. Nearly a quarter of the company's workforce was cut that in December.

Cruise vehicles stayed off roads for several more months but returned to Arizona in April and to Houston in June under the supervision of human drivers. In September this year, Cruise recommenced operations in California, again with human drivers at the wheel. In August, the company said its self-driving vehicles would come to Uber starting next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/gms-cruise-will-pay-a-500000-fine-for-submitting-a-false-accident-report-133041789.html?src=rss

Volvo EV drivers can start using Tesla’s Supercharger network this month

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You can soon top up the battery of a Volvo electric vehicle at more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger stations across the US and Canada. That should make it much easier for Volvo drivers to find a place to charge, even though they already had access to tens of thousands of fast charge points.

Starting November 18, drivers can locate Tesla Superchargers via the Volvo Cars app or built-in Google Maps. It's possible to pay for charging sessions via the Volvo Cars app as well.

There's one teensy catch, however, especially if you have had a Volvo EV for a while: to access Tesla Superchargers and other North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers, you'll need an adapter. This costs $230 ($310 CAD) and can be ordered from authorized Volvo retailers. The automaker will start shipping them to retailers on November 18, but adapters for the EX30 will be available at a later date. That said, Volvo is including the adapter with purchases of the new EX90 flagship SUV, EX40 or EC40 starting with model year 2025.

Volvo announced in June 2023 that it would support Tesla Superchargers and the NCAS. It's one of many automakers that have backed a more standardized approach to EV charging in North America.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvo-ev-drivers-can-start-using-teslas-supercharger-network-this-month-165541360.html?src=rss

Volvo EV drivers can start using Tesla’s Supercharger network this month

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You can soon top up the battery of a Volvo electric vehicle at more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger stations across the US and Canada. That should make it much easier for Volvo drivers to find a place to charge, even though they already had access to tens of thousands of fast charge points.

Starting November 18, drivers can locate Tesla Superchargers via the Volvo Cars app or built-in Google Maps. It's possible to pay for charging sessions via the Volvo Cars app as well.

There's one teensy catch, however, especially if you have had a Volvo EV for a while: to access Tesla Superchargers and other North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers, you'll need an adapter. This costs $230 ($310 CAD) and can be ordered from authorized Volvo retailers. The automaker will start shipping them to retailers on November 18, but adapters for the EX30 will be available at a later date. That said, Volvo is including the adapter with purchases of the new EX90 flagship SUV, EX40 or EC40 starting with model year 2025.

Volvo announced in June 2023 that it would support Tesla Superchargers and the NCAS. It's one of many automakers that have backed a more standardized approach to EV charging in North America.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvo-ev-drivers-can-start-using-teslas-supercharger-network-this-month-165541360.html?src=rss

Nissan is laying off 9,000 workers and giving its CEO a pay cut

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Japanese automaker Nissan is taking a big ax to its workforce. Reuters reports that the company plans to make some steep cuts to its operation, including 9,000 jobs and 20 percent of its global manufacturing capacity.

The cuts won’t just affect workers on the assembly lines. The New York Times reports that Nissan Chief Executive Officer Makoto Uchida is taking a 50 percent pay cut from his monthly compensation.

Japan’s third-largest automaker has to cut $2.6 billion in costs this fiscal year. Nissan revised its annual profit outlook by a whopping 70 percent as its struggles to sell cars in places like China and the US “where it lacks a credible line-up of hybrid cars.” Nissan’s global sales fell by 3.8 percent for the first half of the fiscal year, witha 14.3 percent drop in China and 3 percent drop in the US.

Nissan says in a press release that it’s taking “urgent measures to turnaround its performance” beyond just making cuts to its labor force. The automaker says its planning to introduce new energy efficient vehicles to China and plug-in hybrids and e-POWER vehicles in the US. So far, the only EVs in Nissan’s garage include the Leaf and the Ariya fleet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/nissan-is-laying-off-9000-workers-and-giving-its-ceo-a-pay-cut-193050069.html?src=rss

Nissan is laying off 9,000 workers and giving its CEO a pay cut

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Japanese automaker Nissan is taking a big ax to its workforce. Reuters reports that the company plans to make some steep cuts to its operation, including 9,000 jobs and 20 percent of its global manufacturing capacity.

The cuts won’t just affect workers on the assembly lines. The New York Times reports that Nissan Chief Executive Officer Makoto Uchida is taking a 50 percent pay cut from his monthly compensation.

Japan’s third-largest automaker has to cut $2.6 billion in costs this fiscal year. Nissan revised its annual profit outlook by a whopping 70 percent as its struggles to sell cars in places like China and the US “where it lacks a credible line-up of hybrid cars.” Nissan’s global sales fell by 3.8 percent for the first half of the fiscal year, witha 14.3 percent drop in China and 3 percent drop in the US.

Nissan says in a press release that it’s taking “urgent measures to turnaround its performance” beyond just making cuts to its labor force. The automaker says its planning to introduce new energy efficient vehicles to China and plug-in hybrids and e-POWER vehicles in the US. So far, the only EVs in Nissan’s garage include the Leaf and the Ariya fleet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/nissan-is-laying-off-9000-workers-and-giving-its-ceo-a-pay-cut-193050069.html?src=rss

Lyft is partnering with Mobileye and introducing more autonomous vehicles in 2025

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Lyft has just announced plans to partner with three companies in the autonomous vehicle (AV) sector and gradually introduce their technology into its network starting in 2025. The three companies are Mobileye, May Mobility and Nexar.

Mobileye is a pioneer of self-driving technology and has also developed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Lyft’s partnership with Mobileye will allow vehicles already equipped with Mobileye’s tech to start transporting passengers to their destinations, integrating them into the Lyft network seamlessly. The technology will be available to both small and large fleets on Lyft.

Additionally, Lyft and May Mobility, another AV company, are teaming up to bring AVs to Atlanta next year. May Mobility’s technology helps these cars drive independently and will serve as a proof of concept before Lyft brings them to other locations. Riders in Atlanta can just use the app for a chance to match with Lyft’s autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans in the city.

Because AV technology is still far from mature, Lyft is working with Nexar, the world’s first vehicle-to-vehicle network provider, to gather anonymized fleet and marketplace data to improve autonomous driving technology. Nexar’s smart dashcams not only keep drivers safe but they help fleet operators monitor their drivers. Nexar has plenty of video footage, up to hundreds of millions of hours. Combining this data and Lyft’s can help improve self-driving cars. Besides optimizing its AV’s performance, Lyft wants to “jointly contribute to a more complete data set for autonomous research and development.”

This announcement aligns with Lyft’s 2022 statement saying that it intended to incorporate more self-driving cars into its services. The same year, Lyft, cooperating with Motional, introduced AVs to Los Angeles. However, Motional remarked in May that its AVs won’t deploy on a large scale just yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-is-partnering-with-mobileye-and-introducing-more-autonomous-vehicles-in-2025-140054826.html?src=rss

Kia unveils two new EV designs, including a nifty modular van

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Kia debuted two new concept vehicles at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas today. The real standout in the company's SEMA announcements is the PV5 concept EV van. Dubbed WKNDR, it's based on Kia's Platform Beyond Vehicles approach to modular design, which the business unveiled earlier this year at CES.

The PV5 uses an adaptable storage solution called Gear Head that can serve multiple functions, including an off-board, sheltered storage space for outdoor gear when the van is stationary. It can be powered by solar panels on top and by the hydro turbine wheels.

Kia also introduced the EV9 ADVNTR concept EV SUV at the event. This is an all-electric vehicle with a custom roof rack and a combination of tires and wheels designed for offroading.

The company did not provide any details about pricing or availability dates in the press release. Based on the limited information we have about Kia's plans for PVB production, the modular WKNDR van probably won't hit the roads (or charge off the roads) until some time next year at the earliest.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/kia-unveils-two-new-ev-designs-including-a-nifty-modular-van-193156344.html?src=rss

Polestar delivers the first US-made Polestar 3 EVs

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The first American-made Polestar EVs are now on the road. The Swedish automaker said on Friday it delivered the first Polestar 3 SUVs to US and Canadian customers. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden in 2022, incentivizes automakers to manufacture EVs in the US, offering tax credits for companies and buyers.

Polestar began stateside Polestar 3 production in August at its Ridgeville, South Carolina plant. Those vehicles will serve North American and European markets, complementing the company’s more established production in Chengdu, China.

The Polestar 3 electric SUV sitting by a lake.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

The automaker says American and Canadian Polestar 3 deliveries will pick up steam in the coming weeks. You can take one for a spin if you live near one of the automaker’s Polestar Spaces, essentially brand-building fancy showrooms in or near major US cities.

The Polestar 3 is billed as the company’s coming-out party, expanding the niche reach of the first two models to a more mainstream audience. Engadget’s Tim Stevens tested the EV last month and found that, apart from a few early software glitches, the $73,400 and up SUV is “great.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/polestar-delivers-the-first-us-made-polestar-3-evs-180002236.html?src=rss

Polestar delivers the first US-made Polestar 3 EVs

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The first American-made Polestar EVs are now on the road. The Swedish automaker said on Friday it delivered the first Polestar 3 SUVs to US and Canadian customers. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden in 2022, incentivizes automakers to manufacture EVs in the US, offering tax credits for companies and buyers.

Polestar began stateside Polestar 3 production in August at its Ridgeville, South Carolina plant. Those vehicles will serve North American and European markets, complementing the company’s more established production in Chengdu, China.

The Polestar 3 electric SUV sitting by a lake.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

The automaker says American and Canadian Polestar 3 deliveries will pick up steam in the coming weeks. You can take one for a spin if you live near one of the automaker’s Polestar Spaces, essentially brand-building fancy showrooms in or near major US cities.

The Polestar 3 is billed as the company’s coming-out party, expanding the niche reach of the first two models to a more mainstream audience. Engadget’s Tim Stevens tested the EV last month and found that, apart from a few early software glitches, the $73,400 and up SUV is “great.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/polestar-delivers-the-first-us-made-polestar-3-evs-180002236.html?src=rss