It’s freaky enough when hackers can disable brakes, control a steering wheel or shut down an engine as a vehicle goes down the road. But hacking can happen when a car is vacant, and there’s apparently a device making its way over from Europe that tricks keyless systems into unlocking and starting a car for theft. Read more…
Visit link:
There’s A New Way People Can Break Into Cars With Keyless Entry Systems And Drive Off
An anonymous reader writes: In the arms race to build self-driving vehicles, Uber-owned Otto just reached a landmark milestone by completing the first-ever commercial cargo run for a self-driving truck. On October 20, the self-driving truck left Fort Collins, Colorado at 1 a.m. and drove itself 120 miles on I-25 to Colorado Springs. The driver, who has to be there to help the truck get on and off the interstate exit ramps, moved to the backseat alongside a crowd of transportation officials to watch the historic ride. 2, 000 cases of Budweiser beer filled the trailer. “We’re just thrilled. We do think this is the future of transportation, ” James Sembrot, senior director of logistics strategy at Anheuser-Busch, told Business Insider. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read this article:
Uber’s Self-Driving Truck Went on a 120-Mile Beer Run To Make History
If you live in California, you may soon start to see self-driving cars on the road with no operators to be seen. California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Thursday a bill that allows a self-driving vehicle with no operator inside to test on a public road. Currently, companies are legally able to test self-driving cars in California as long as the operators are located inside the vehicles when they are being tested. Fortune reports: The bill introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla allows testing in Contra Costa County northeast of San Francisco of the first full-autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel, brakes, accelerator or operator. New legislation was necessary because although driverless vehicles can be tested on private land like the office park, the shuttle will cross a public road on its loop through the campus. The new law means that two cube-like Easymile shuttles that travel no faster than 25 mph (40 kph) will be tested for a period of up to six months before being deployed and used by people. In an interview with Reuters in March, Bonilla said the “natural tension” between regulators concerned about safety and lawmakers trying to encourage innovation in their state necessitated a new bill. “They’re risk averse and we’re saying we need to open the door here and take steps (to innovate), ” Bonilla said, calling the driverless shuttle project “a very wise first out-of-the-gate opportunity” to show how the technology could work safely. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Continue reading here:
New California Law Allows Test of Autonomous Shuttle With No Driver
Back in 2006 Elon Musk casually revealed the plans for what Tesla Motors has mostly accomplished in the decade since, and now (after some teasing) he’s back with part two . While the original “Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan” explained how the company’s vision extended beyond its Roadster to cars that would become the Model S and Model 3 , what’s next is even bigger. Besides adding a compact SUV and pickup truck to its model line, don’t expect to see any Tesla’s coming out that are cheaper than the Model 3. Instead, as Musk envisions, the rollout of fully self-driving automobiles will allow owners to put their car to work when they’re not using it, and make ownership economically viable for anyone. Tesla Master Plan, Part Deux https://t.co/XQeTlsoEdE — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2016 Tesla’s also working on a heavy duty cargo truck under the name “Tesla Semi, ” and a bus, both of which Musk expects to unveil in 2017. The truck is supposed to “deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate.” An autonomous electric bus would make the driver a “fleet manager, ” provide added seats and better acceleration, and even take people all the way to their destination or respond to summon buttons placed at existing bus stops. Developing… Source: Tesla Blog
More:
Tesla Master Plan pt. 2 explains how everyone gets an electric car
A San Diego-based EV conversion company salvaged a charred Ferrari ( they had many to choose from ) by turning it into what the company claims is the first fully electric Ferrari, a 415-horsepower electric tire-crusher. It’s glorious, if a little blasphemous. Read more…
View article:
The World’s First Electric Ferrari Ditches The V8 For Tire-Crushing Electric Motors
When video surfaced of a hoverboard in action a few weeks ago—not those ones that roll around on the ground, but a hoverboard that actually flies—there were plenty of YouTube comments questioning its authenticity. It is most definitely real, and its creator just set a world record for distance in a hoverboard flight. Read more…
Read more here:
This Hoverboard Actually Flies And It Just Set A World Record
The new Disneyland in Shanghai doesn’t open until June 16th, but we’ve got a new drone’s-eye view of the progress at the new park. It will be the first Disney park in mainland China, and we can expect three things from it: It’s going to be busy; it’s going to have some cool new rides; and it’s going to make Disney a ton of money. Read more…
One company is done battling a gig economy -related lawsuit, at least in California. Lyft has agreed to grant its drivers more workplace protection and to pay $12.5 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit. The California drivers who filed the lawsuit against the company wanted to be reclassified as employees in order to receive minimum wage and benefits, as well as to get Lyft to pay for their gas and vehicle maintenance. While they’ve unfortunately failed to get their status changed — they’re still considered contractors — drivers in the state will get part of the settlement fund based on the hours they’ve put into working for the company. Lyft also can’t drop drivers whenever it wants. The company can only terminate someone based on a number of predetermined reasons, such as low passenger ratings. Even then, the driver will be given the chance to air their side of the story. Finally, drivers who consistently get high ratings and who passengers pinpoint as their favorites will be rewarded with bonuses. Jackdaw Research chief analyst Jan Dawson told Reuters that while Lyft is losing millions, it still got off “fairly lightly.” Reclassifying drivers as employees, he said, would have cost the company much, much more. Uber wasn’t able to prevent a similar case from becoming a full-fledged class action lawsuit, but this proves it’s possible to settle with the plaintiffs without changing how the company operates. [Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images] Source: Reuters , Bloomberg
Read More:
Lyft will pay $12.25 million to settle drivers’ lawsuit in CA
Tax season already sucks for independent contractors, but some Uber drivers who logged on to the company’s Partners portal to receive their 1099s are complaining about an especially nasty surprise: Instead of their own information, drivers say they received the tax forms of other drivers. Read more…
Continue Reading:
Uber Screwup Exposed Driver’s Social Security Number and Tax Info
Turns out we’re way closer to our self-driving car future than most of us expected. US Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced at the Detroit Auto Show (pdf) Thursday that the Obama administration will have a national blueprint for autonomous vehicle standards by July. What’s more the administration is earmarking $4 billion of the 2017 budget to create a decade-long program that will support and accelerate development of the technology. “We are on the cusp of a new era in automotive technology with enormous potential to save lives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transform mobility for the American people, ” Secretary Foxx said in a statement. Currently, each state has individual laws regarding the burgeoning technology. This forces automakers and early adopters like Google to juggle multiple sets of rules and regulations, depending on where in the country the technology is being built. For example, California recently decided that a human “driver” be present at all times should something go wrong. This program should reduce the number of hoops companies have to jump through by creating an overarching, national-level development framework. Via: Re/Code Source: Department of Transportation (pdf)
View article:
US government announces $4 billion self-driving car program