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In California, self-driving cars are immune to traffic tickets

person crossing the street


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.

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A California lake has enough lithium to power 375 million EVs

Creative Commons: Dicklyon

California’s infamous Salton Sea has been a known hotbed of lithium for years, but no one had a sense of how much “white gold” was found there. Now a new study quantifies that, and it’s impressive: The huge underground reserve of scorching hot brine located underneath the lakebed contains enough lithium to build batteries for 375 million electric vehicle batteries, making it one of the largest lithium brine deposits in the world.

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Joby AAM air taxi

Air taxi maker Joby gets $10M California pre-production AAM grant

Leading global advanced air mobility (AAM) company Joby may have decided to set up its future production line in Ohio as the most financially alluring locale vying for its presence, but California is looking to get as much job creation and economic activity from the Santa Cruz-based air taxi startup before its focus shifts east – and has just handed over a nearly $10 million grant to prove it.

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California certified as next US state to allow Mercedes’ Level 3 autonomous DRIVE PILOT

Level 3 autonomous

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.

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