Toyota pulls out self-driving e-Palettes from the Paralympics
Four days into the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020, Toyota removed its self-driving e-Palette vehicles from the event following a collision with a person. The automaker made the decision Friday, according to Reuters, a day after one of the pods hit a visually impaired athlete who was walking nearby. According to a video statement from Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, reported in…
Tesla’s iPhone app features two new home screen widgets
Tesla is rolling out a major update for its iOS smartphone application with new controls, improved management, and cool graphics. Version 4.0 also gives you the choice between two different-sized new widgets for your iPhone home screen. As detailed by Tesla Software Updates, both feature the same information: the name of the car, battery percentage, location…
Lucid is offering two variants of its luxury EV
Lucid is giving potential owners of its $169,000 luxury electric sedan the choice between two variants. The Lucid Air Dream Edition will be available in a “Performance” or “Range” version that ultimately leaves you to decide between speed and real-world driving range. Its promises 1,111 horsepower, which rivals the Tesla Model S Plaid, and can hit 0-60…
GM working with AT&T to bring 5G to its vehicles in 2023
General Motors and AT&T are teamed up with plans to bring 5G to cars in 2023. Some model year 2024 vehicles, which should start arriving in 2023, will be the first GM models equipped with 5G. Among GM’s 2024 models is the electric Hummer SUV. GM vehicles from the model year 2019 and so on with 4G LTE capabilities will have…
GM will reportedly replace Chevy Bolt battery modules
GM has informed Chevy Bolt EV users that it will replace all the modules in their batteries with new ones due to fire risk. This is the step the automaker has taken to address issues in some Bolt EV models that make their batteries more likely to have fire risk. As the publication notes, GM…
Chevy shows off four-wheel steering on its new EV
Not to be outdone by the Rivian R1T’s “tank-turning” feat or the Hummer EV’s crab-walking capabilities, Chevrolet on Wednesday shared a sneak peak of its own all-wheel steering trick arriving with the upcoming Silverado EV. This system is designed to reduce the vehicle’s turning radius at low speeds and improve handling and control at higher speeds. Many details…
Renault and China’s Geely will form a hybrid-focused joint venture
Renault is looking to revive flagging sales in China. It has agreed to set up a joint venture with a major auto manufacturer in the country. Renault will share tech and resources with Geely (which owns Volvo and Polestar) to bring Renault-branded hybrid vehicles to China. The companies plan to take advantage of Geely’s supply chain and manufacturing capabilities. Renault will…
Virgin Galactic starts selling tickets to space again for $450,000
You now have a chance to purchase a seat aboard one of Virgin Galactic’s space tours — provided you can afford to pay $450,000 for it. The company has reopened ticket sales less than a month after Richard Branson, its founder, flew with other “mission specialists” for Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed spaceflight. It made the announcement alongside…
Tesla will pay $1.5 million to settle Model S battery complaints
Back in 2019, Tesla pushed an over-the-air update to its Model S sedans following an incident wherein the vehicle caught fire in a Hong Kong parking lot. As CNBC notes, it said at the time that the update will revise “charge and thermal management settings” on Model S and Model X vehicles to “help further protect the battery and…
Tesla Semi truck release delayed to 2022
Tesla’s Semi truck won’t start hauling cargo this year either. The automaker has revealed during its most recent earnings call that it has pushed back the truck’s arrival — yet again — to 2022, three years after its original launch target in 2019. Last year, the company announced that it had to delay the vehicle’s release to 2021 but…