Autonomous

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has expanded the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative from a pilot to a full program.

Elon Musk is not only the world’s richest person, he lays claim to the biggest net worth ever recorded: $208 billion as of Jan. 8. What he does with it will be closely watched.

Cruise, the self-driving car startup majority owned by General Motors Co., has hired former Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Operating Officer Gil West for the same position as it prepares to start offering paid robotaxi rides in San Francisco.

Elon Musk, the outspoken entrepreneur behind Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, is now the richest person on the planet.

The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded $49.6 million to support projects that incorporate transportation-related technologies.

Oxbotica, a U.K. company that makes software for running autonomous vehicles, has raised $47 million in a fresh funding round that will go toward developing and deploying its products.

Aeva, a laser-sensor startup founded by two ex-Apple Inc. engineers, is poised to increase its war chest by $200 million with an investment by a Hong Kong-based hedge fund ahead of its public listing via a reverse merger.

Robotics company Nuro announced Dec. 23 that it has acquired Ike Robotics Inc., which builds automated trucking technology.

Self-driving technology startup Kodiak Robotics announced it was selected as a CES 2021 Innovation Awards honoree, with the presentation to come during the first all-digital CES, which runs Jan. 11-14.

With an eye toward the future of transportation technology, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan released the state’s Connected and Automated Vehicle Strategic Framework.