Teamsters urge NHTSA to deny Cruise Origin exemption

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union is urging U.S. auto safety regulators to deny a petition by General Motors to grant an exemption to Cruise, the automaker’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, that would allow it to build its Origin AV…

Can Bird’s Spin acquisition give it the lift it needs?

Back in the scooter craze days of 2019, Bird was valued at a whopping $2.5 billion.

EV boat startup Arc wades into watersports with $70M in fresh funding

Arc is making a splash with investors as it wraps up deliveries of its limited edition $300,000 electric boat and eyes its next target: watersports. And, specifically the kind that require a wake. The Los Angeles-based electric boat startup, which desi…

US lawmakers push Ford to hand over documents on battery deal with China’s CATL

Ford may have paused its plans to build a $3.5 billion EV battery factory with CATL, but it hasn’t relieved pressure from Republican U.S. lawmakers who are investigating the automaker’s agreement with the Chinese company. The probe, which w…

Lucid opens EV factory in Saudi Arabia, home of its largest shareholder

Luxury EV maker Lucid Group has opened its first international factory in Saudi Arabia, the home of its largest shareholder. The factory, located in Jeddah, will have initial capacity to assemble 5,000 Lucid vehicles annually, according to the company….

Mercedes take the wheel: Testing Drive Pilot L3 autonomy in traffic

The day is finally here: There’s a self-driving car available for purchase in the US. Or, at least, there will be within the next few months. Mercedes-Benz is bringing its Drive Pilot-equipped cars to California and Nevada, and, when they’re deployed, you’ll not only be able to take your hands off the wheel but also take your eyes off the road.

Drive Pilot is the first proper SAE Level 3 autonomy system on the road, meaning when the car is driving itself you, the driver, aren’t even liable for the car’s behavior. That’s an impressive feat, but it’s one that comes with a lot of caveats. The biggest is that it only works at up to 40 mph, and even then only in clear weather conditions. You have to be on a highway that has been mapped by Here’s HD maps, and you must have a car ahead of you.

There are restrictions within the car, too. You can’t take a nap, can’t turn around and look at the people in the back seat (at least not for long), and, perhaps most frustrating, you still can’t use your phone. That’s a lot of can’t, sadly, but Mercedes-Benz promises this is just the beginning, with higher speeds and more flexible use-cases to come with time. What’s it like today? Check out our test drive to see.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mercedes-take-the-wheel-testing-drive-pilot-l3-autonomy-in-traffic-140038217.html?src=rss

Travel wheelchair Revolve Air launches on Kickstarter

Revolve Air, a travel wheelchair that can fold to cabin luggage size, is now available for pre-orders on Kickstarter at a cost of $4,999.

First drive: Navigating LA freeways with Mercedes’ hands-off, eyes-off automated driving system

Time, as they say, is money. Mercedes-Benz is looking to put some time back in your pocket with the advent of its automated driving system that will let drivers stream a movie, text or talk to a passenger without watching the road ahead or having their…