The Verge - Transportation Posts |
- Uber rides are getting safer, but the roads are deadlier than ever
- Apple CarPlay will let you pay for gas from your driver’s seat
- Driverless Cruise robotaxis stop working simultaneously, blocking San Francisco street
- The FCC authorizes SpaceX’s Starlink system to be used on vehicles in motion
- GM’s reportedly only making about 12 Hummer EVs a day
- Elon Musk’s ‘Teslas in Tunnels’ Las Vegas project is still happening, and here’s the first station
- Why big tech companies are so quiet on abortion rights
- Airline cancellations are spiking as July Fourth looms
- BMW is the latest to adopt Android Automotive
- Biden administration launches $1 billion effort to correct racist highway designs of the past
| Uber rides are getting safer, but the roads are deadlier than ever Posted: 01 Jul 2022 07:13 AM PDT  Uber trips are getting safer, with the company reporting far fewer sexual assaults in 2019 and 2020 as compared to previous years. But the number of traffic deaths during Uber rides is rising, reflecting the increasingly dangerous conditions on US roads. Uber said 3,824 sexual assaults occurred during trips in 2019 and 2020, a 38 percent drop from the 2017–2018 report, which logged 5,981 assaults. The decrease could be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an 80 percent drop in Uber's ride-hailing business during 2020. Still, Uber says the vast majority of trips, 99.9 percent, occur without a safety incident. Uber says that 20 people were killed in... |
| Apple CarPlay will let you pay for gas from your driver’s seat Posted: 01 Jul 2022 07:07 AM PDT  During its WWDC event a few weeks ago, Apple announced iOS 16, highlighting a "next-generation" CarPlay experience that automakers might not be ready for any time soon. It also announced a new "fueling and driving tasks apps" feature that you will actually be able to use once the update is released.
This week, Reuters reports at least one gas chain has an implementation of the feature in its pipeline, enabling a new way to find gas stations and pay at the pump using just your car's infotainment screen.... |
| Driverless Cruise robotaxis stop working simultaneously, blocking San Francisco street Posted: 01 Jul 2022 04:08 AM PDT  A group of driverless Cruise robotaxis blocked traffic in San Francisco for hours on Tuesday evening after the cars stopped working without explanation. Details of the incident were shared on Reddit (and spotted by TechCrunch) and illustrate how driverless vehicles are still experiencing teething problems in real-life settings. Cruise, which is backed by General Motors and Honda, has been testing its technology in San Francisco since February, but only launched a commercial robotaxi service last week. The cars have no human safety driver at all but operate under certain restrictions. They only offer lifts on "select streets" between the hours of 10PM and 6AM when the weather conditions are favorable, and can drive no faster than 30mph.... |
| The FCC authorizes SpaceX’s Starlink system to be used on vehicles in motion Posted: 30 Jun 2022 03:36 PM PDT  Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted SpaceX authorization to use its Starlink satellite internet system on vehicles in motion — including cars, trucks, boats, and aircraft. It's a big win for SpaceX's Starlink system, potentially opening up the service to a more diverse range of use cases and customers. SpaceX requested regulatory approval from the FCC in March of last year to allow Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM) Starlink terminals to be used in moving vehicles. To tap into the system and receive broadband internet coverage, customers must purchase a personal ground-based antenna, or user terminal, that is designed to connect with any orbiting Starlink satellites that happen to be overhead. Up until now, those... |
| GM’s reportedly only making about 12 Hummer EVs a day Posted: 30 Jun 2022 02:39 PM PDT  Months after General Motors started delivering its first Hummer EVs, the company is reportedly only producing around 12 of the massive electric trucks a day, according to The Wall Street Journal. That's an abysmally slow pace, even compared to how many electric trucks other automakers are making: the Journal says Ford's producing around 150 F-150 Lightings a day, whereas Rivian's Q1 production numbers indicate it's making somewhere between 30 and 40 EVs a day (Rivian didn't immediately respond to The Verge's request for more specific numbers). Recently, GM announced that it was raising the Hummer EV's price by $6,250, citing "higher prices for parts, technology and logistics," according to CNBC. Around 77,500 people have signed up for... |
| Elon Musk’s ‘Teslas in Tunnels’ Las Vegas project is still happening, and here’s the first station Posted: 30 Jun 2022 01:03 PM PDT  The first passenger station in the "Vegas Loop" network of vehicle tunnels that's being built by Elon Musk's Boring Company was revealed Thursday. The station is situated underneath Resorts World Las Vegas, the first in what is expected to be 55 stops along 29 miles of tunnels. The Boring Company already operates a small version of this "Teslas in Tunnels" system underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, which opened in early 2021 and involves two 0.8-mile tunnels. Afterward, Musk's startup proposed a massive citywide expansion that was eventually approved by Clark County officials last year. The system uses human-controlled Model X and Y vehicles to transport passengers, despite Musk's previous statements about using sleds to carry... |
| Why big tech companies are so quiet on abortion rights Posted: 30 Jun 2022 10:56 AM PDT  After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, companies across the tech industry rushed out messaging on where they stood. Apple said its health plan had long covered travel costs for out-of-state reproductive health care; Microsoft said it would expand its health coverage to include travel costs for abortion; Google even said it would pay for employees to relocate in light of the ruling, no questions asked. For the most part, they were quick, makeshift policies aligning these companies with the right to choose and granting benefits that supported that stance. But by and large, their responses weren't full-throated repudiations of the Supreme Court's ruling, let alone stands against any state that would seek to ban abortion. ... |
| Airline cancellations are spiking as July Fourth looms Posted: 30 Jun 2022 08:39 AM PDT  Ahead of the July Fourth weekend, airlines are facing a wave of concern over flight cancellations — and new pressure from Washington to make sure they're not leaving travelers in the lurch. Wednesday saw more than 2,000 cancellations in a single day, according to FlightAware data, with uncertainty continuing into the holiday travel season. The surge in canceled flights is particularly bad because it's happening across all airlines, straining the system's capacity and leaving many travelers unable to reach their destinations. A Washington Post report on Tuesday detailed the human cost of those cancellations, with travelers sleeping on airport floors or canceling trips altogether. A deeper look at the data shows cancellations really have... |
| BMW is the latest to adopt Android Automotive Posted: 30 Jun 2022 08:16 AM PDT  Google's Android Automotive OS has been gaining traction in the industry, and this week, BMW announced it will be adopting the platform for some future vehicles. The company plans to develop their BMW Operating System 8 infotainment software using Android Automotive for some vehicle models beginning in March 2023 but also maintain the current Linux-based version for others. BMW Group's lead developer for the digital driving experience, Stephan Durach, said it's about having a second technological approach. "We are integrating the best aspects of all worlds — that could be our own in-house developments, Open Source or commercial software products, depending on what the specific solution looks like," said Durach. Android Automotive is a... |
| Biden administration launches $1 billion effort to correct racist highway designs of the past Posted: 30 Jun 2022 02:00 AM PDT  The Biden administration announced a $1 billion effort to rectify racist infrastructure decisions of the past, such as highways that were built by bulldozing Black communities. The program, which the Department of Transportation is calling "Reconnecting Communities," will in some cases tear down highways that were built with the expressed purpose of creating physical barriers between mostly Black and minority communities. Other projects will focus on building new infrastructure, like greenways to promote cycling and walking or transit programs, like rapid bus lines to reconnect communities to urban cores. "Our focus isn't about assigning blame. It isn't about getting caught up in guilt or regret. It is about fixing a problem," said... |
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