autonomous driving

Chinese EV automaker ZEEKR has shared its Q2 2024 financial results, and its numbers are encouraging for a marque that is expanding globally and doing so quickly. In addition to financial numbers, ZEEKR’s CEO shared a few interesting company updates, including a new model and some autonomous driving tech.

Mercedes-Benz has been certified to begin testing its Level 4 autonomous driving technology in Shanghai, China. It is the first international automaker to garner approval from local regulators as the German automaker looks to set its lineup apart from stiff competition overseas.

For a couple of years, two of the leading driving systems pushing the limits of automotive autonomy have been Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) and XPeng Motors’ Navigation Guided Pilot (XNGP). Both EV automakers are leading the race in their respective markets, but neither technology is available in the opposite country (at least for now). In a cool video recently posted by XPeng, founder, chairman, and CEO He Xiaopeng tested out Tesla FSD for himself in the US and documented his experience, which you can see in the video below.

In a recent interview, Ford CEO Jim Farley discussed the American automaker’s progress in autonomous driving, stating that it has achieved Level 3, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road. However, it’ll still be a while before Ford customers get to test it out.

Daimler Truck North America has just debuted a demonstrator electric semi-truck with autonomous driving technology.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two fatal crashes involving two separate Ford Mustang Mach-Es crashing into stationary vehicles, where three people have died. In at least one of the crashes, Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver-assist system was activated at the time of the crash, while the second one is under preliminary investigation. Here’s what happened.

While many are still skeptical about the plausibility of 100% autonomous vehicles, Geely Auto is showing that its new AI digital chassis can not only safely operate on snow and ice without a driver but can also pull off fully autonomous drifting. See the EV in action in the video below.

VW is now the first vehicle manufacturer to develop a Level 4 autonomous driving (AD) service vehicle for large-scale production.

Waymo has announced that it will start offering fully autonomous ride-hailing services to the general public in Los Angeles starting tomorrow, March 14th, and that Austin, Texas will open up “later this year.”

An independent investigation that probes the madness that ensued at Cruise after one of its robotaxis dragged a pedestrian 20 feet in San Francisco last October has been released. In it, you’ll find everything from blaming it on the internet to hush-hush culture to what went wrong with the automated vehicle itself.

Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous driving unit Waymo is looking to expand its driverless robotaxi service in Los Angeles, where it is currently testing rides. Although, in light of the fallout from Cruise, it might not be smooth sailing.

Anyone living in San Francisco knows that the city has been a testing ground for hundreds of self-driving cars – and there is probably a good reason why. In light of a series of incidents, including a pedestrian who was seriously injured by a Cruise robotaxi last year, California law enforcement has its hands tied when it comes to issuing moving violations when no human is behind the wheel.

Red means stop, green means go – and turquoise now means automated driving: Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker permitted to use exterior marker lights, which means automated driving is activated, in California and Nevada.

It’s gone from bad to worse for robotaxi company Cruise in the fallout of the October incident involving a pedestrian. The company has now announced it is laying off 900 workers, one day after firing nine executives. Meanwhile, rival company Waymo pulls out ahead with new services.

EV automaker XPeng Motors is set to hold its annual 1024 Tech Day in China next week and has begun teasing some exciting technology. In addition to a roadmap of its autonomous driving technology, XPeng is also teasing robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) as topics that will be showcased.

Mercedes invited us out to Santa Monica to drive its EQS in some of the worst possible traffic conditions – and we were happy about it, because it let us test its new DRIVE PILOT system, the first actual hands-free “Level 3” autonomous drive system certified to operate in the US.

Ford Motor Company has announced that Germany is the next market where customers will gain access to its BlueCruise driver assistance technology. Following approval, Ford drivers in Germany can now take advantage of true hands-free driving on certain roadways.

General Motors (GM) has recently been given permission to begin testing Level 4 autonomous driving technology in China. Together with self-driving startup Momenta, GM will begin rolling out autonomous Cadillac Lyriqs as it looks to catch up with several other genuine competitors in the country.

Volkswagen is rolling out an autonomous driving vehicle test fleet with ID. Buzz EVs in Austin.

Califooooorniaaaaaa here we coooommmmeeeee (autonomously). Mercedes-Benz has just announced that its SAE Level 3 autonomous driver assist system, DRIVE PILOT, has been certified to operate in the entire state of California, beginning with a couple of familiar models.

Apollo Go, tech company Baidu’s robotaxi service, has received a permit to offer fully-driverless rides in Beijing, expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to three major cities in China. Following the awarded permit, Baidu is now the first company in the entire world to offer fully-driverless rides to the over 21 million residents in China’s capital city.