Road safety directly impacts insurance premiums, liability exposure, and infrastructure spending across the U.S.—yet fatality rates resisted improvement for years. The automotive industry faced regulatory pressure over annual deaths, spurring advances in vehicle safety features. Road design also shifted, with changes to intersections and street layouts showing measurable impact. But the real question is whether those efforts are actually working. New traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals they are. Recent studies show a clear downward trend in fatalities. Technology embedded in vehicles, autonomous systems coming online, and smarter road infrastructure are all factors that are impacting road safety. Triumph Law Group, a personal injury law firm in Phoenix, unpacks what the data actually shows and where the safety improvements are coming from. Triumph Law Group Road Accident Statistics Unpacked Annual figures on traffic safety are produced by the NHTSA and DOT. While the driving data for 2025 is still a statistical projection rather than containing final, firm numbers, the trend toward fewer fatalities is clear. Specifically, it's estimated that deaths from auto collisions fell 6.7% year on year, from just over 39,000 in 2024 to 36,640 last year. Q4 of 2025 was the 15th consecutive quarter in which a decline in fatalities was recorded, and researchers are confident that this trend represents a rebalancing of road safety following the unexpected disruption associated with the pandemic. So, while we’re not yet at historic lows, there’s clear, continuous movement in the right direction. To further cement the improving safety conditions, the report estimates that for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on U.S. roads, just 1.10 fatalities occur. That’s a decline from the 1.19 fatalities per 100 million VMT calculated in 2024. Only one other year in the history of recording
Jul 20, 2026 · via wpxi.com
| China | | China's policy-industry synergy powers AI for inclusive growth | | | | | | As the first light spread across an orchard on the outskirts of Wuhan in central China, Zhang Shuwang loaded crates of freshly picked fruit onto a small autonomous delivery van. After scanning a QR code with his customers' addresses, he stepped back and watched as the vehicle quietly made its way down a country road. Developed by Zelostech, the van uses real-time sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate without relying on costly high-definition maps, making autonomous deliveries feasible even in remote rural areas. For years, getting fruit to market was Zhang's biggest headache. The nearest wholesale market is about 60 kilometers away, and truck drivers were often reluctant to make the trip. At best, he could make one delivery a day. Sometimes the fruit spoiled before it ever left the orchard. That changed last year, when Zhang's son suggested he try the robovan. "Within a month, I saw the difference," Zhang said. "Now the fruit we pick in the early morning reaches customers the very same day. On busy mornings, the van can make three to four trips, and my annual income has gone up by at least 30 to 40 percent." Zhang is one of a growing number of ordinary people in China who are benefiting from AI as the technology spreads beyond big cities and large corporations to improve the lives of farmers, doctors and small business owners. That shift is also the backdrop to the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, which opened in Shanghai on Friday. Inside the exhibition halls, visitors crowd around Huawei's latest AI computing supernode system Atlas 950; Kimi K3, the world's largest open-source model with 2.8 trillion
Jul 20, 2026 · via bjreview.com
Zoox issues recall after robotaxi drives through heavy smoke in Las Vegas LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Zoox issued a software recall after one of its robotaxis drove through heavy smoke at an emergency scene in Las Vegas. The Amazon subsidiary told federal regulators that an unoccupied autonomous vehicle encountered the smoke at an active fire scene on June 20. The incident happened in Las Vegas, a source with knowledge of the recall told News 3. No cones were set up, and the vehicle entered the scene before braking hard while trying to steer away. It came to a stop, and with a teleguidance tactician's guidance, the vehicle went into reverse. First responders then set up cones to block two lanes. Zoox said it investigated the root cause and developed a software update to better detect and respond to heavy smoke. The updated software was released on July 15 to all 105 affected Zoox vehicles. "Based on the conducted review and analysis, this is the only event of this kind that Zoox has experienced," states the report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Rides with Zoox's fleet of robotaxis are currently available in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Earlier this month, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison called on autonomous vehicle developers to focus their resources on improving interactions with first responders. "To state it bluntly: an AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public," Morrison wrote. A Zoox spokesperson provided News 3 with the following statement: "Zoox has submitted a voluntary software recall notice to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following an internal review of a June event, in which an unoccupied Zoox vehicle entered an active fire scene obscured by heavy smoke that had not yet been marked off
Jul 20, 2026 · via news3lv.com
On the road to autonomous vehicles Dear Editor, The future of Jamaican transportation is shifting like sunlight over the Blue Mountains — gradual, golden, and brimming with possibility. Beneath the asphalt of progress and the hum of innovation lies a quiet revolution, driven not by wheels alone, but by signals from the stars. As satellite broadband unfurls across land and sea and roadways are reimagined through ambitious projects like the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme, Jamaica inches closer to a dream once thought distant — self-driving vehicles. Whereas connectivity once faded into the misty hills and ocean spray, new players like Starlink and Amber Group now beam signals from the heavens. Their mini-satellites orbit silently, weaving a digital net that links cars, boats, and devices even in the island’s most hidden corners. Amber Group CEO Dushyant Savadia sees this clearly: vehicles that glide through valleys and cruise across coastlines without losing signal, no longer tethered by fragile terrestrial networks. For a country long beset by patchy rural coverage, this marks a pivotal moment. With motor vehicle theft approaching $1 billion in value by March 2025, real-time tracking and remote security through satellite broadband offer powerful shields. As ReadyNet and other satellite providers join the fray, the idea of autonomous vehicles begins to shimmer on the horizon. Self-driving cars, once the stuff of science fiction, could soon whisper across Jamaican roads, drawing guidance from cloud-based intelligence. Satellite broadband might not yet provide perfect latency, but it lays the groundwork. Still, no smart car can drive where roads crumble or vanish. Enter the SPARK; a sweeping effort to renew Jamaica’s roads, not just with fresh asphalt, but with purpose. It envisions highways designed for tomorrow, detailed with maps, marked with precision, and managed in partnership with
Jul 20, 2026 · via jamaicaobserver.com
Amazon.com Inc’s driverless-car business issued a software recall across its fleet after one of its robotaxis struggled to navigate through heavy smoke, the latest in a string of incidents involving autonomous vehicles at emergency scenes. Zoox released a software update for all 105 vehicles operating on public roads, according to a document published on July 17 on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website. The move affects the company’s purpose-built robotaxis and not a separate testing fleet of retrofitted vehicles. The voluntary recall stems from an incident on June 20, when an unoccupied Zoox vehicle approached the scene of a fire that was obscured by heavy smoke, braking hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop, according to the document. Later, first responders placed traffic cones at the scene, blocking two of the three through-lanes. No one was injured, and Zoox said it’s not aware of any other instances of this kind. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company said the software update "enhances the existing capability of detecting active EV scenes by adding the ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke in certain situations.” A series of AV safety mishaps has put a spotlight on how self-driving cars sometimes struggle to handle situations human drivers commonly encounter. Alphabet Inc’s Waymo – the leading operator of paid robotaxi rides in the US – recently recalled thousands of vehicles and suspended freeway operations after its cars drove through construction zones at speed. The company has also faced scrutiny after its vehicles sometimes failed to slow or stop for school buses. NHTSA is working to develop new safety requirements governing how autonomous vehicles behave on the road. Administrator Jonathan Morrison told Bloomberg in an interview this week that the agency aims to finalise the new requirements before
Jul 20, 2026 · via thestar.com.my
Authors: Avinash Singh, Sunita Singh Download free PDF Asia Pacific Autonomous Forklift Market Size & Share 2026-2035 Report ID: GMI16369 | Published Date: July 2026 | Report Format: PDF/Excel/Dashboard/Platform Download Free PDF Explore Our Licensing Options: Jump to Content Market Size Market Trends Market Analysis Market Share Market Companies Industry News Table of Contents Frequently Asked Questions Research Methodology Related Reports Download Free PDF Asia Pacific Autonomous Forklift Market Get a free sample of this report Get a free sample of this report Asia Pacific Autonomous Forklift Market Is your requirement urgent? Please give us your business email for a speedy delivery! Asia Pacific Autonomous Forklift Market Size The Asia Pacific autonomous forklift market was valued at USD 1.8 billion in 2025, reflecting the region's rapid progression from semi-automated materials handling toward fully integrated, sensor-driven intralogistics systems across warehouse, manufacturing, and distribution environments. The market is projected to reach USD 8.2 billion by 2035, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8% over the forecast period of 2026â2035, according to the latest report published by Global Market Insights Inc. Asia Pacific Autonomous Forklift Market Key Takeaways Market Leader: Toyota Industries Corporation led with over 17% market share in 2025. Leading Players: Top 5 players in this market include Toyota Industries Corporation, Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd., Kion Group AG / Linde Material Handling, Hikrobot Technology Co., Ltd., SIASUN Robot & Automation Co., Ltd., which collectively held a market share of 36% in 2025. The early-year estimate of USD 2.2 billion in 2026 confirms that adoption is already accelerating at the front end of the forecast window, grounded in structural demand rather than cyclical momentum. The convergence of labour scarcity, e-commerce volume growth, and government-backed smart manufacturing programs is elevating autonomous material handling from an operational experiment to a capital
Jul 20, 2026 · via gminsights.com
US woman with 2025 Tesla Legacy Model Y turns on Full Self Driving while passenger has no idea it exists and her reaction is priceless Published on Jul 20, 2026 at 8:04 AM (UTC+4) by Alessandro Renesis Last updated on Jul 20, 2026 at 8:04 AM (UTC+4) Edited by Mason Jones This Tesla owner took a passenger for a drive in her Model Y without actually telling her about FSD. The system came as a shock for two reasons. But, to her credit, the passenger realized quite quickly why so many people love it. But there are a couple of things we need to address. There are a couple of misconceptions surrounding Tesla FSD The main misconception regarding FSD is a bit more technical, and most people won’t even notice. Autonomous cars are categorized across four or six levels depending on how you count them. Level 0 is zero electronic aids, which is impossible in a modern car, and Level 5 is full autonomy with no human intervention or override. That’s the theory. In practice, most people agree the true range is between Level 1, little to no autonomy with things like ABS or traction control, and Level 4, which is de-facto full autonomy like Waymo. A lot of people might assume that Tesla’s FSD must be Level 4 but it isn’t, it’s actually Level 2. That doesn’t make a practical difference, but it’s better for Tesla for liability reasons. However, when they introduced Robotaxi, they had to categorize it as Level 4 to compete with Waymo. The second caveat is geo-targeted FSD is only available in select markets for legal reasons, because it needs to be approved by relevant authorities – both regional and local. As a result, the one you get in the US – the one that
Jul 20, 2026 · via supercarblondie.com
UrbanMatrix Technologies Showcases at WAIC: From Navigation to Data Collection, Completing the Critical Link for Embodied AI Implementation In July 2026, at the WAIC in Shanghai. Stepping into the Embodied Intelligence Exhibition Zone, a subtle atmosphere mixed with anxiety and fanaticism permeated the entire pavilion. At the WAIC two years ago, only 18 enterprises ventured into this field; last year, the number had soared to 80; and this year, the number of exhibitors has quietly exceeded 200. Behind this growth rate faster than Moore's Law, not only are various end players shining brilliantly; as the architectural dividends of model algorithms hit a phased bottleneck, data Infra supply chain players that were once hidden deep underwater, represented by Aegis Technology, have also begun to step into the spotlight. I. How Data Became the Achilles' Heel of Embodied Intelligence To understand the importance of data to embodied intelligence, autonomous driving is the best mirror. If we break down embodied intelligence into different segments, autonomous driving is actually just a specific sub-task within the embodied intelligence landscape. Yet even giants like Tesla and a host of Chinese new-energy vehicle startups, despite millions of user data points continuously uploaded to the cloud and nearly a decade of relentless focus, still tread carefully when facing all kinds of bizarre corner cases. The scenarios faced by embodied intelligence are more than an order of magnitude more complex than those of autonomous driving: The first layer is the geometric dimensional upgrade from 2D to 3D: cars only need to handle movement on the X-Y plane, while the hand-eye coordination of robots operates in a fully open three-dimensional space. The second layer is the exponential explosion of degrees of freedom: cars only have a steering wheel, accelerator and brake, while humanoid robots often have dozens of degrees of
Jul 20, 2026 · via eu.36kr.com
As physical artificial intelligence (AI) becomes capable of operating in real-world environments, ensuring cybersecurity from the vehicle design stage is becoming increasingly critical, according to Song Jong-hyuk, head of the Automotive Security Threat Research Institute at Autocrypt. Autocrypt is an AI mobility cybersecurity company established in 2019 through the spin-off of the automotive security business unit of Pentasecurity. The company provides in-vehicle software security, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, and automotive cybersecurity solutions. Physical AI refers to AI models capable of perceiving, making decisions, and controlling physical devices such as vehicles and robots. Put simply, it enables AI to move beyond software and interact directly with the physical world. As software-defined vehicles (SDVs) become central to the automotive industry and physical AI emerges as a key technology trend, automotive cybersecurity is expanding beyond vehicles themselves to encompass cloud platforms and road infrastructure. Leveraging expertise accumulated through autonomous driving security, Autocrypt is broadening its business into the physical AI sector. "Security policies must be properly incorporated from vehicle design through the development process, and we are building an architecture that integrates security technologies across the entire infrastructure, including communications between servers and roadside equipment," Song said. "The goal is to apply security throughout the entire lifecycle so that physical AI can operate safely in the real world." In physical AI environments, cyberattacks targeting sensor data or remote control commands could directly result in accidents. Song said preventing such incidents requires security specifications to be incorporated from the earliest stages of development and integrated protection across in-vehicle systems, cloud platforms, and roadside infrastructure. One of the organizations under Song's leadership is the company's Red Team, which systematically identifies vulnerabilities in automotive cybersecurity systems by examining external attack paths into vehicles. "The Red Team's highest priority is to identify external entry points that attackers could
Jul 20, 2026 · via thelec.net
Waymo really wants to operate in D.C. But does D.C. want Waymo?
Liam Scot
The Washington Post
July 19, 2026, 6:27 p.m. ET
Washington was, once, a national pioneer in autonomous vehicle policy. That was back in 2012, when the D.C. Council passed one of the country’s first pieces of legislation outlining protocols for driverless cars.
Then the capital fell behind.
Jul 19, 2026 · via detroitnews.com
In connected car news are FocalPoint, STMicroelectronics, LightPath Technologies, Lyft, Curb, Uber, Delivery Hero, Ford, BMW, OpenAI, HERE Technologies, Esri, Honda, Google, MicroVision, Luminar Technologies & Bosch. In this Article FocalPoint and STMicroelectronics Commercialize Software-Defined GNSS for Automotive ADAS FocalPoint Positioning has finalized a commercial agreement with STMicroelectronics to integrate its S-GNSS Auto software architecture into the ST Teseo hardware platform. The deployment transitions an initial collaboration established in May 2025 into a commercialized firmware upgrade designed for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The integrated solution is engineered to mitigate positioning degradation within dense urban canyons and under heavy foliage by targeting multipath interference and signal reflection challenges common to standard global navigation satellite systems. The joint architecture relies on FocalPoint’s proprietary Supercorrelation technology running directly on the open programmable platform of STMicroelectronics’ Teseo V and Teseo VI chipsets. Global field testing demonstrated that the firmware-enhanced Teseo receivers outperform standard commercial-grade positioning systems under degraded signal conditions. The development roadmap also incorporates FocalPoint’s Precise+ technology, aiming to achieve sustained sub-meter accuracy to meet the localization constraints required for advanced driver assistance systems and vehicle-to-everything communications. The commercial roll-out targets immediate integration within active and next-generation OEM vehicle architectures. Evaluation kits combining the S-GNSS Auto software stack with Teseo V and Teseo VI silicon are currently available for ecosystem validation. Through this commercial framework, FocalPoint has also achieved status as an ST Authorized Partner, facilitating the long-term convergence of software-defined positioning logic with automotive-grade telematics and autonomy hardware. LightPath Technologies Secures Eleven Million Dollar Follow-on Infrared Camera Order for C-UAS Applications LightPath Technologies, Inc. has received an 11 million dollar follow-on purchase order for infrared cameras from a leading global technology customer, targeted for counter-unmanned aerial systems applications. The contract reinforces the defense contractor’s position in the public safety and
Jul 19, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
In autonomous and Self-driving vehicle news are Teamsters, Tesla, NTSB, Bio-Waste in AVs and NHTSA. Teamsters & Unions Lobby Against DC AV Bill A coalition of labor groups including Teamsters Local 639, SEIU 32BJ, and ATU Local 689 testified before the Washington, D.C. City Council to block Bill 26-0684, the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act. The proposed legislation seeks to establish a regulatory framework permitting commercial robotaxi operations, notably Waymo, within the District of Columbia. Union representatives argue the bill lacks sufficient labor protections and poses a direct threat to the livelihoods of professional drivers and municipal transit workers. The legislative pushback in Washington, D.C. mirrors a broader national trend where similar AV deployment bills have stalled or failed. State legislatures in Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, and Virginia have all declined to pass comparable authorization bills in 2026 amid ongoing public concern over safety and driver displacement. Labor advocates are positioning the resistance as a critical defense of middle-class transport jobs against unregulated automation, urging the council to prioritize public safety and workforce preservation over technology sector lobbying. NTSB Verifies Manual Override In Fatal Katy Tesla Crash The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary investigation report confirming that the driver of a 2025 Tesla Model 3 manually overrode the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system prior to a fatal crash in Katy, Texas. Electronic data retrieved from the vehicle indicated that while Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) was actively engaged, the 44-year-old operator, Michael David Butler, fully depressed the accelerator pedal to 100% capacity. The continuous telemetry override caused the vehicle to accelerate to 73 mph in approximately six seconds—more than double the posted 30 mph speed limit on the residential two-lane roadway—before breaching the curb and colliding with a residential structure. The impact resulted in the
Jul 19, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
Institution news The team beat off competition from more than 100 universities to take the title, finishing ahead of University of Modena and University of Birmingham in one of the world's toughest student engineering competitions. University of Liverpool are the winners of the Concept Class event, while Oxford Brookes University won the FS-AI autonomous vehicle competition. But Formula Student is about far more than crossing the finish line. From the first scrutineering check to the final Endurance run, thousands of future engineers spent the week proving they have the innovation, teamwork and technical skills to tackle some of engineering's biggest challenges. Alongside the overall championship, teams battled for honours across Engineering Design, Endurance, Sprint, Acceleration, Business Presentation, Cost & Manufacturing and Formula Student AI. The full list of winners is available here. This year's competition also saw a higher scrutineering pass rate, the first hybrid vehicle winner and increased number of AI entries, highlighting the ever-rising standard of the competition. Dan Jones, Formula Student Chief Judge, said: "Formula Student isn't about building the fastest car. It's about building better engineers. Every challenge the teams face mirrors the sort of problems they will encounter in industry - designing under pressure, managing budgets, solving technical issues, working as a team and delivering against demanding deadlines. Those are the skills employers are looking for, and that's why Formula Student continues to produce engineers who go on to make a real impact across Formula 1, motorsport and the wider engineering profession." Joyce Achampong, Senior Leadership Lead Formula Student at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "Formula Student is so much more than a competition. It's where the next generation of engineers discover what they are capable of. Over the last few days, we have seen incredible innovation, resilience and teamwork from every university that
Jul 19, 2026 · via imeche.org
Apple recently filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the AI company of a pattern of misconduct aimed at getting current and former Apple employees to share confidential information. (In response, OpenAI said it is “not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit.”) On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I debated whether this lawsuit will cast a shadow over OpenAI’s much-discussed plans to get into the hardware business (starting with a mobile smart speaker) and go public. “Even setting aside whether or not the court grants any kind of injunctive relief or any kind of restraining order over what OpenAI is doing, it just naturally can lead to that sort of situation where it’s going to cause some delays in what OpenAI is working on,” Sean suggested. “Which I’m sure was probably part of the reasoning behind Apple doing this. They don’t do this stuff willy nilly.” With all those plans on the line, will OpenAI try to settle this as quickly as possible, or did it learn from its recent courtroom victory against Elon Musk that it can endure the cost and embarrassment of a trial? Kirsten, at least, predicts the latter. Keep reading for a preview of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. Kirsten Korosec: Sean, how do you feel about Sam Altman listening to you with a little device maybe in your pocket? Sean O’Kane: I’m good. Maybe that’s predictable, but I’m good. No thanks. We’ll get into it, I’m sure, but this is allegedly the first product that OpenAI has been working on in its hardware division with Jony Ive and company. They’ve been really coy ever since that weird video they put out last year of them sitting at that coffee shop or bar
Jul 19, 2026 · via techcrunch.com
Waymo's robotaxis are now a common sight on the streets of Miami, and with their proliferation comes a practical question that more and more residents are asking: what should one do if one of these driverless vehicles is involved in an accident? According to a report by El Nuevo Herald, the company has established a clear protocol for these cases, although the legal aspects can become significantly more complex than in a conventional accident. The first thing is the most urgent: if there are injured people, call 911 immediately. Waymo warns that the vehicle may continue to drive after a collision to reach a safe place to stop, and the interior ceiling light will turn on if the system detects that an impact has occurred. To exchange information with the company, there are four options: call 1-844-263-9885, write to insurance@waymo.com, complete an online form, or scan the QR code located on the front doors of the vehicle. The Waymo support team receives an automatic notification for any incident, and a representative will arrive at the scene to assess the situation. "It is extremely important to take photos and videos after the collision to preserve evidence of the incident," said Ted Hollander, attorney at The Ticket Clinic. If the passenger is traveling within the robotaxi when the crash occurs, they should also obtain the information from the other driver involved: name and insurance information. Waymo offers limited medical coverage for all passengers involved in a collision, regardless of who is at fault or whether they have additional insurance. The company clarifies that, once information has been exchanged, it is not necessary to wait for a representative unless indicated by the authorities present at the scene. From a legal standpoint, accidents involving robotaxis introduce a different landscape compared to traditional collisions. "If,
Jul 19, 2026 · via en.cibercuba.com
Analysis SHANGHAI – As the first light spread across an orchard on the outskirts of Wuhan in central China, Zhang Shuwang loaded crates of freshly picked fruit onto a small autonomous delivery van. After scanning a QR code with his customers’ addresses, he stepped back and watched as the vehicle quietly made its way down a country road. Developed by Zelostech, the van uses real-time sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate without relying on costly high-definition maps, making autonomous deliveries feasible even in remote rural areas. For years, getting fruit to market was Zhang’s biggest headache. The nearest wholesale market is about 60 kilometers away, and truck drivers were often reluctant to make the trip. At best, he could make one delivery a day. Sometimes the fruit spoiled before it ever left the orchard. That changed last year, when Zhang’s son suggested he try the robovan. “Within a month, I saw the difference,” Zhang said. “Now the fruit we pick in the early morning reaches customers the very same day. On busy mornings, the van can make three to four trips, and my annual income has gone up by at least 30 to 40 percent.” Zhang is one of a growing number of ordinary people in China who are benefiting from AI as the technology spreads beyond big cities and large corporations to improve the lives of farmers, doctors and small business owners. That shift is also the backdrop to the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, which opened in Shanghai on Friday. Inside the exhibition halls, visitors crowd around Huawei’s latest AI computing supernode system Atlas 950; Kimi K3, the world’s largest open-source model with 2.8 trillion parameters; and the world’s first agentic AI phone, alongside a range of humanoid robots and
Jul 19, 2026 · via macaupostdaily.com
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Last week, I wrote about Uber and Waymo and how their partnership appears to be deteriorating. I predicted the two companies would end up on opposing sides of autonomous vehicle policy. That wasn’t a guess. For the past several weeks, I’ve been talking to sources and digging through correspondence Uber sent to the D.C. Council, which is evaluating a proposed bill that would allow autonomous vehicles to operate in Washington, D.C. What I found: Uber and Waymo are already on opposite sides of the proposal, sparring behind the scenes and in public. Uber has made a particularly interesting argument in its effort to shape the rules that govern autonomous vehicles. Uber, which opposes the D.C. bill, argues it would displace for-hire human drivers and hand Waymo a de facto monopoly. Instead, it has lobbied for a system that would require robotaxis to operate on a ride-hailing network alongside human drivers. Insiders tell me the “hybrid” approach has little chance of becoming law. But if it did, it would leave AV developers like Waymo with two suboptimal choices: either put their robotaxis on ride-hailing apps like Uber or employ human drivers alongside fleets of robotaxis that took years and hundreds of millions of dollars to develop. A D.C. Council hearing on Monday drew representatives from Lyft, Tesla, Uber, and Waymo, along with dozens of disability rights and accessibility advocates, local business and industry groups, highway safety organizations, government officials, labor unions, and think tanks. My takeaway — based on the public testimony and the calls and texts I received afterward — is
Jul 19, 2026 · via techcrunch.com
Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup July 12-18, 2026 | | The Auto Channel — Trusted automotive reporting for 31 years. This article is part of The Auto Channel’s independent automotive coverage library — one of the longest-running automotive publications online (since 1995). Our editors test, research, and document vehicles, technologies, recalls, and ownership experiences to help drivers make informed decisions. Unlike short news blurbs, our content is written for long-term usefulness — explaining what the vehicle is, why it matters, and how it affects real owners. Coverage includes reviews, specifications, safety data, recall history, industry context, and real-world driving impressions collected over decades of reporting. Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup July 12-18, 2026 | | The full version of today’s News Nuggets — along with hundreds of thousands of additional articles, reviews, and editorial insights — can be found in The Auto Channel’s Million-Page Automotive Library, built and indexed over three decades. To dive deeper, simply copy any headline and paste it into this or any Site Search box on The Auto Channel. LEARN MORE FROM THE WEB'S LONGEST RUNNING AUTOMOTIVE COLUMN | | Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrapup July 12-18, 2026 * June vehicle prices. New-vehicle prices increased modestly in June, according to data released by Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive brand. The average transaction price (ATP) for a new vehicle purchased in June increased less than 1% year over year to $49,758, as buyers continued to migrate to a mix of more affordable vehicles. Vehicle sales in June were healthy, with the seasonally adjusted average rate (SAAR) at 16.5 million, the highest point in 2026. Sales volume, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates, was higher by 7.6% year over year. Sales of subcompact SUVs – ATP of $31,113 in June – increased by more than 23% year
Jul 19, 2026 · via theautochannel.com
A power outage knocked out traffic signals across parts of San Francisco‘s Richmond District and Presidio on Saturday morning. This time, Waymo got out of the way before things went sideways. The company said it paused service in the area for about an hour starting shortly after the outage began, a precaution it says was informed by two earlier incidents — a December blackout and a Fourth of July fireworks celebration — that left dozens of its driverless vehicles stuck in the street. A Waymo spokesperson said there were no reported problems on Saturday, describing the pause as a chance to assess conditions on the ground before resuming rides. San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias confirmed there were no known issues. The Waymo spokesperson said the company stayed in contact with San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management throughout the outage, and that some service adjustments in the affected area remained in place as of Saturday afternoon. The outage began around 9:45 a.m., according to PG&E spokesperson Edgar Hopida, and initially affected about 9,400 customers in the Richmond and Golden Gate Park neighborhoods. The outage occurred during routine switching work between the N and K substations, done to let crews perform maintenance without de-energizing larger sections of the grid, Hopida added in a late afternoon update. PG&E said it will investigate further to determine what went wrong. An automated alert briefly and incorrectly told 120,000 customers they’d lost power — the result, Hopida said, of a notification system rolling the outage up to a larger protective device. The false alert stemmed from a data-transmission issue between SmartMeter and PG&E’s Outage Management System, Hopida said, which “communicated a much larger outage than was reality.” Power was restored to all but 2,500 customers by 12:10 p.m., Hopida said, and all customers
Jul 18, 2026 · via sfstandard.com
Tesla has spent the first half of 2026 pulling back from December highs. Our proprietary model answers the key question: where does the risk-reward stand from here? Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) trades at $391.06 as of July 16, 2026. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Tesla is $439.50, implying 12.39% upside over the next 12 months. The recommendation is buy, with high (90%) model confidence. 24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Current Price | $391.06 | | 24/7 Wall St. Price Target | $439.50 | | Upside | 12.39% | | Recommendation | BUY | | Confidence Level | 90% | A Pullback From December Highs Tesla is down 3.81% over the past week and 13.04% year to date, but still up 21.57% over 12 months. The stock sits 15% below its 52-week high of $498.83. Fundamentals tell a constructive story: Q1 2026 revenue rose 15.78% year over year to $22.39 billion, non-GAAP EPS of $0.41 topped expectations, and automotive gross margin expanded to 21.1% from 16.2%. Free cash flow jumped 117% to $1.44 billion, and FSD paid subscribers hit 1.28 million, up 51%. The Case for $493 and Higher Our bull scenario points to $492.94, a 26.05% total return. Catalysts include Cybercab production has just started, Semi ramps this year, and CFO Vaibhav Taneja’s guidance to “over $25 billion of CapEx” in 2026 for six factories, AI infrastructure, and Terafab. Elon Musk described unsupervised FSD reaching customer cars “probably in the fourth quarter” and Optimus as “the biggest product ever”. Robotaxi is live in Austin, Dallas, and Houston with zero reported incidents. Polymarket traders assign an 81.5% probability to Tesla beating its next earnings report. What Could Push Shares to $383 Our bear case lands at $383.32, a
Jul 18, 2026 · via 247wallst.com