Tesla Emergency Drive Away is a new feature that lets a car shift into Drive while it remains connected to a Supercharger.
Tesla Charging announced it on X on October 1, and the update is rolling out over the air.
How Tesla Emergency Drive Away works Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable attached, so a driver had to unplug first.
Instead, shifting into Drive now brings up an “Emergency Drive Away” prompt.
Tesla Charging, on X Who gets it, and why now According to Drive Tesla Canada, the feature arrives in software update 2026.38.3.
Oct 3, 2026 · via techmymoney.com
Back in 2012, Tesla introduced a technology familiar to smartphone users: over-the-air, or OTA, updates.
But what exactly is an OTA update for a car, and what can one actually do?
Depending on the automaker and vehicle, an OTA update can be downloaded through the car's built-in cellular connection or Wi-Fi.
What Can An OTA Update Change?
How Does An OTA Update Work?
Oct 2, 2026 · via motor1.com
Connected vehicles have introduced a new concern for car owners: what happens to the personal information collected by their vehicles and related apps.
A recent study found that Ford is among several automakers whose vehicles transmit customer data to third-party companies.
For the study, researchers examined 21 vehicles and their associated manufacturer apps, including a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and a 2024 Ford Mustang GT Fastback.
Ford was among the automakers identified as transmitting personal customer information, with only two of the 21 vehicles tested not doing so.
Ford maintains that it does not engage in the practices described above, but the latest study found that one of its vehicles transmitted personal customer data to a third party during testing.
Oct 2, 2026 · via autos.yahoo.com
Ask Our Expert: Is Remote Access Software Safe to Use?
This is a great one, because some remote access trojans use the same technology as trustworthy remote access software.
In short, professional remote access software is generally safe, but you should still use it with caution.
Each of our remote access software reviews includes a section that asks, “Is this tool safe to use?”
The best remote access tools encrypt their connections and require that you use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to secure your accounts.
Oct 2, 2026 · via pcmag.com
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Oct 2, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
Key takeaways: Researchers found 19 of 21 new vehicles contacted third parties over WiFi, including ad and tracking domains.
New cars beam data to dozens of ad-tech and tracking domains, and even researchers can’t peek at what goes out over built-in eSIMs.
The vehicles contacted large technology companies, including Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, as well as other trackers.
Twenty-eight of 30 connected mobile apps sent data to at least one third-party advertising or analytics company.
Researchers were not surprised to find that apps contact prominent ATA domains, including Google’s DoubleClick and Analytics, Facebook, and Adobe.
Oct 2, 2026 · via cybernews.com
The bill would bar vehicles made by companies with more than a 15% ownership stake from Chinese entities.
“It is literally a driving spy machine on wheels,” Slotkin said of Chinese vehicles.
Chinese automakers have expanded rapidly overseas, competing aggressively on price and technology and putting pressure on established manufacturers in Europe and other markets.
But in early September, before he hosted China’s Xi, Trump again said he would not oppose Chinese automakers building cars in the United States.
But some are concerned that the 15% ownership cap could hurt companies with strong roots in the United States.
Oct 2, 2026 · via wxxv25.com
Kia EV deals and discounts in October The 2027 EV3 went on sale in mid-August, starting at about $30,000 as Kia’s most affordable electric vehicle.
The $30,000 EV3 Light currently has no special offer.
Kia is offering up to $10,000 in Customer Cash on the three-row EV9 this month.
While the all-electric Niro is on its way out, it’s also available with a $10,000 Customer Cash discount while supply lasts.
The 2026 Kia EV6 is available with a $5,000 Customer Cash discount.
Oct 2, 2026 · via electrek.co
<br /> The Connected Vehicle Security Act is entering a critical stretch in Congress, with lawmakers facing a limited legislative window to advance legislation that restricts connected vehicles and related technology from countries designated as foreign entities of concern.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, joins us on CBT Live to discuss where the bill stands and what comes next for the auto industry.
Although the bill has already cleared a key Senate hurdle, Moreno says the next challenge is aligning the House and Senate on the legislation.
Since the bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously on July 22 and was later placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, Moreno said the compressed legislative calendar makes consensus particularly important.
For dealers, Moreno says the immediate focus should be on the legislation’s remaining path through Congress and the potential implications for franchise values and the competitive landscape.
Oct 1, 2026 · via cbtnews.com
This is one in a series of posts by Radio World contributor Paul “Sarge” Kaminski about how radio shows up on the dashboard of various new car models.
The CX-5 offers choices for AM, FM/HD Radio and SiriusXM satellite radio right up front.
Using Quu’s checklist As Radio World has covered, Quu’s “In-Vehicle Visuals Report” evaluates how radio is presented in the top 100 best-selling car models.
Here’s how the RAV4’s new infotainment system scored against that list: It has AM, FM/HD and SiriusXM radio buttons.
The Toyota Audio Multimedia system does not have an apparent radio button but offers radio in the audio source screen.
Oct 1, 2026 · via radioworld.com
Northeastern University researchers tested 21 vehicles from 19 brands and found that 19 of them sent data to outside companies, often without drivers ever knowing it happened.
Vehicle telemetry, which is the stream of data a car sends about its own systems and surroundings, differs from what the paired smartphone app collects.
Researchers also noted that most drivers never read the terms they accept when setting up a vehicle app.
Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Snap and Yahoo all appeared among the top recipients of driver data across the tested vehicles and apps.
Where personal data ends up after it leaves the vehicle is a separate question.
Oct 1, 2026 · via motor1.com
From connected cars to British universities, from Russian sabotage to Iranian cyber operations, European security services are making increasingly explicit warnings public.
Taken together, however, they illustrate how far the perimeter within which European security agencies look for vulnerabilities linked to interstate competition has expanded.
It is precisely the space between those two extremes that appears to be attracting growing attention from European intelligence services.
This is happening as the political room for manoeuvre of many European governments could soon narrow.
In that sense, public intelligence warnings can begin to function as policy signals.
Oct 1, 2026 · via decode39.com
And the more connected the car becomes, the less its understanding of the weather depends solely on what its own sensors can see.
Your Car Can Measure The Temperature Itself The simplest piece of weather information is also one of the oldest: outside temperature.
Your Car Can Learn About Weather From Other Cars This is where modern connected vehicles start to feel a little futuristic.
Your car doesn't necessarily know what the weather is because it has a single magical weather sensor.
Weather services: External weather information can fill in conditions the car can't directly observe.
Oct 1, 2026 · via motor1.com
According to a new analysis from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle thefts fell 21 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same stretch of 2025.
Law enforcement agencies reported 268,415 stolen vehicles between January and June, a rate of roughly 77.81 thefts per 100,000 people.
“Vehicle thefts continue to decrease across the country, and it’s encouraging to see that every state experienced a decline,” said NICB Chief Operating Officer Tim Slater.
A Shifting Criminal Landscape The NICB cautioned against reading the data as a sign that vehicle crime is fading away.
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau analysis released September 30, 2026.
Oct 1, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
The bill would bar vehicles made by companies with more than a 15% ownership stake from Chinese entities.
“It is literally a driving spy machine on wheels,” Slotkin said of Chinese vehicles.
Chinese automakers have expanded rapidly overseas, competing aggressively on price and technology and putting pressure on established manufacturers in Europe and other markets.
But in early September, before he hosted China’s Xi, Trump again said he would not oppose Chinese automakers building cars in the United States.
But some are concerned that the 15% ownership cap could hurt companies with strong roots in the United States.
Sep 30, 2026 · via whec.com
Northeastern University academics and the nonprofit Consumer Reports unveiled the findings Tuesday, revealing that 19 of 21 major auto manufacturers studied collect and broadly disseminate customers’ private data.
Twenty-eight of 30 car connected apps shared data with at least one third-party advertising or analytics firm, the report said.
“As such, the companies that collect driver data are often the first node in a vast personal data ecosystem.”
As a result, the release said, the web pages can collect consumer data, typically without the driver knowing.
Many automakers also told Consumer Reports that some of the third-party companies the data is fed to are barred from “independently using or selling” it.
Sep 30, 2026 · via therecord.media
What is changing is the ability to organize them around the driver, vehicle and trip.
A connected vehicle could identify that its fuel level is low while the navigation system knows the route.
Fuel loyalty programs already demonstrate how rewards can steer that decision outside the vehicle.
Bringing that type of offer into the connected car environment could move the incentive closer to the moment the driver decides where to refuel.
Control of the payment credential is divided among several parties.
Sep 30, 2026 · via pymnts.com
Gasgoo Munich- Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, and the Beijing municipal government gathered in Beijing on September 28 for a press briefing on the upcoming 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicle Conference.
Jointly organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the conference is scheduled for October 21 to 23 at Beijing Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center.
Under the theme "Gathering Wisdom and Energy, Connecting the Infinite — Steadily Advancing into a New Era of Autonomous Driving," the event aims to establish a premier platform for policy alignment, technical co-creation, industrial integration, and global cooperation.
Six thematic forums will cover policy and regulations, standards, key technologies, application ecosystems, connected collaboration, and digital and intelligent transformation.
Six concurrent side meetings will address in-vehicle communication technology, automotive brand globalization, the automotive chip ecosystem, autonomous driving testing and verification, AI industry empowerment, and multi-scenario autonomous driving applications, rounding out the event's exchange framework.
Sep 30, 2026 · via autonews.gasgoo.com
We’ve covered cars and privacy a few times before, especially after Mozilla researchers described cars as a “privacy nightmare.”
The results reinforce an uncomfortable reality: connected vehicles are data-collection platforms on wheels.
The results in a nutshell: Both vehicles and companion apps contacted third-party domains, including those associated with advertising and tracking.
But consumers should not need an academic study to discover who their car or its app is sharing data with.
Review app permissions, turn off optional data-sharing settings, avoid linking unnecessary accounts, and ask manufacturers what data they retain, share, and delete.
Sep 30, 2026 · via malwarebytes.com
Your Car Is Not Watching Traffic With A Camera Your navigation system doesn't need to see a line of stopped cars to know that traffic is moving slowly.
Google similarly says aggregate location data from people using Google Maps can be used to understand traffic conditions on roads around the world.
TomTom says its traffic-prediction system combines floating-car data with historical traffic information, including traffic flow, average speeds, travel times, and incident information.
Historical traffic data: Past driving patterns help establish what is normal for a particular road and time.
Another thread from the same subreddit noted that historical traffic data and mathematical models can help navigation services distinguish an ordinary slowdown from an unusual traffic jam.
Sep 30, 2026 · via motor1.com