Autonomous
Autonomous technologies now drive significant change in trucking and freight transportation. Transport Topics autonomous coverage provides a comprehensive look at that change. It provides the latest details on deployment concepts such as advanced driver-assist systems, transfer hubs, teleoperations, platooning and off-road automation and latest analysis of the companies who are manufacturing, adopting and investing in these technologies. Readers can follow the impact such deployment has on everything from policy and infrastructure initiatives to highway congestion, fuel consumption, fleet management, driver management and business investment.
California Places Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ Under Review
LOS ANGELES — California’s Department of Motor Vehicles is reviewing whether Tesla is violating a state regulation by advertising its vehicles as being fully autonomous without meeting the legal definition of self-driving.
Embark Trucks Add HP to Partner Development Program
Self-driving truck technology developer Embark Trucks Inc. announced HP Inc. is joining its partner development program to test and deploy autonomous freight and provide data and feedback to Embark.
May 14, 2021EV Startups Lose More Than $40 Billion After Taking SPAC Route Public
At their highs, five electric vehicle startups that went public through mergers with special purpose acquisition companies were worth $60 billion. The corrections that followed have been brutal.
Forklift Driving Becomes Desk Job in Phantom-Mitsubishi Deal
Phantom Auto, a California-based startup focusing on remote vehicle operation, has struck a deal to provide logistics equipment heavyweight Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. with software that enables forklifts to be operated remotely from thousands of miles away.
VW Plans to Have Autonomous Microbus Ready for Roads in 2025
Volkswagen AG plans to offer a highly automated version of the hippie-era microbus it’s reviving as an electric van as the carmaker commercializes self-driving technology along with startup Argo AI.
Elon Musk Plays Nice as ‘SNL’ Host
Elon Musk’s “Saturday Night Live” episode on May 8 was neither controversial nor disruptive. It was, in the end, a decent but rather uneventful evening, neither the flaming car wreck his detractors expected or edgy show for which his fans were hoping.
Mercedes Unveils Electric Van for Growing Battery-Powered Lineup
Mercedes-Benz is giving a sneak peek of an electric van that is among the models broadening its battery-powered range over the next year.
Driverless Truck Startup Plus to List in $3.3 Billion SPAC Deal
Self-driving truck technology developer Plus announced it entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. V, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.
Lion to Locate Largest EV Plant in Illinois
The Lion Electric Co., a manufacturer of all-electric medium- and heavy-duty urban vehicles, announced it selected Joliet, Ill., for the construction of its U.S. manufacturing facility, with building to ramp up in the second half of this year.
Tesla Engineer Says Musk Overstated Tesla Autopilot Capability
One of Tesla Inc.’s engineers told California authorities that CEO Elon Musk overstated the capability of Autopilot, the company’s driver-assistance system, early this year.