Industry

Fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has said he wants to stand trial on charges of financial wrongdoing in order to clear his name. He spoke to the BBC after France issued an international warrant for his arrest, citing allegedly suspect payments. Mr Ghosn said he was “expecting” the move though he was “surprised at

Getty Images Car maker Nissan is to stop producing vehicles under the Datsun name, which has a more than century-long history. It was one of the brands that helped Japanese car makers become established globally after the Second World War. Despite selling millions of cars around the world, the Datsun name was phased out in

Ford boss Jim Farley has a lot riding on this moment. On Tuesday, the Detroit carmaker celebrates the formal start to production of the electric version of the F-150 pickup, the best-selling vehicle in America for decades. It’s a milestone seen as critical for Ford – and for the environment – as the company seeks

YOKOSUKA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co. is showing off a next-generation lidar system it says will let vehicles conduct high-speed emergency maneuvers without a hand on the wheel or foot on the brake. The advanced driver-assist system will debut in the mid-2020s and is part of Nissan’s push to equip nearly every new model with

Volvo Cars’ venture capital arm has invested in battery technology startup StoreDot, betting the company’s fast charging tech could be a game-changer as the automaker rolls out new electric vehicles. “We believe StoreDot has very interesting battery technology,” said Alexander Petrofski, head of the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “They specialize in anode material, improving charging

Electric vehicles might provide more than everyday transportation. The U.S. Department of Energy believes the ever-growing number of EVs on the road can serve as energy-storage devices that supply electricity — and resilience — throughout the country’s electrical grid. The department took steps to hasten that possibility last week by establishing a first-of-its-kind agreement between

Tesla Inc. expects to reach volume production of a new ‘robotaxi’ vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals by 2024, CEO Elon Musk said on the automaker’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. The goal of the new model, which would use Tesla’s still-incomplete “full self-driving” software, is to reach the lowest cost per mile for a

Even those companies in China whose factories are operating under so-called closed-loop systems might be forced to stop work due to parts shortages or logistical challenges that make moving people and goods around the country near impossible, a European chamber of commerce has warned. “A few companies are running in closed-loop production now. Those companies

Derrick Monet and his wife, Jenna, were driving on an Indiana interstate in 2019 when their Tesla Model 3 sedan operating on Autopilot crashed into a parked fire truck. Derrick, then 25, sustained spine, neck, shoulder, rib and leg fractures. Jenna, 23, died at the hospital. The incident was one of a dozen in the

The cumulative electric-only range on vehicles sold worldwide in 2021 was more than 1 billion miles for the first time, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. As sales climbed and efficiency improved, e-range — as AlixPartners calls the electric-only range metric — stood at 1.2 billion miles in 2021. Approximately two-thirds was added in the second

Automakers are driving toward eliminating emissions in their vehicle fleets, production plants and supplier networks. Mercedes-Benz said last week that it will more than halve its carbon footprint per passenger vehicle by the next decade compared with 2020 levels. The luxury marque will source 70 percent of its energy needs for production through renewable energy

Vietnamese electric automaker VinFast set pricing for a battery-lease program and introduced a partnership with Electrify America for fast-charging on its national network. VinFast, which started making gasoline cars in 2019 and delivered its first EV last year, is showing three electric crossovers at the New York auto show. The automaker is targeting initial sales

The Nasdaq Stock Market has notified Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc. that the EV startup has fallen out of compliance with its listing rules, signaling more trouble for the struggling company. The notice was issued to Electric Last Mile, which trades under the ticker ELMS, after it failed to file required periodic reports with the

Rising gasoline prices have prompted some commuters to consider ditching their cars for e-bikes. Both sales and general interest in e-bikes and scooters have increased, according to several micromobility companies, since Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine sent gasoline prices soaring. With commuters seeing benefits ranging from financial savings to health improvements, experts are wondering whether

Qualcomm Inc. last week closed on its acquisition of Swedish tech supplier Veoneer’s Arriver software stack, giving the tech giant a larger foothold in the emerging mobility space. Don’t expect Qualcomm to stop there. “Qualcomm is focused on this market and this space for the long haul, and this is just the start,” said Nakul

Self-driving tech company Aurora is ramping up its efforts to deploy autonomous trucks throughout Texas. The company said Wednesday it is expanding operations in the state beyond its Dallas hub, adding terminals in El Paso, Fort Worth and Houston. Aurora anticipates the interstates that connect those cities will be “high-volume routes” for commercial service expected

BERLIN — Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles division plans a full-electric vehicle based on the ID Buzz that will use self-driving technology. The vehicle would be significantly different from the ID Buzz, which VW is rolling out as a passenger van and light commercial vehicle, Carsten Intra, the head of the commercial vehicles unit, said in remarks

Qualcomm Inc. said Monday it completed its acquisition of Swedish tech supplier Veoneer’s Arriver software stack, giving the semiconductor giant a larger foothold in advanced driver-assistance technology. “Something like this positions us extremely well,” said Nakul Duggal, general manager of Qualcomm’s automotive business. “Traditionally, we’ve been a provider of silicon and software. But now, with

The use of augmented reality could have far-reaching implications for navigation systems, with multiple automakers already deploying the technology to enhance the way vehicles display information about driving conditions and the surrounding environment. As advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving continue to evolve, augmented reality technologies could also be an enhancement, providing a more immersive

The electric powertrain has transformed how vehicles operate and look. Not just because of changing style, but because new technologies are triggering new looks and ideas. Automakers are rethinking electric vehicle design to account for the new propulsion systems and other component changes. For instance, with no bulky transmission running down the wheelbase, the vehicle

While many startups and established battery manufacturers are working on revolutionary cell technology that would radically improve electric vehicle range while slashing costs, Tesla and partner Panasonic are pushing forward with an evolutionary step that could make significant improvements almost immediately. Tesla’s new 4680 battery format follows company tradition of using cylindrical cells from mass-market

A new recycling industry, with the technology to break down end-of-life lithium ion batteries and prepare the rare metals they contain for reuse, is taking shape to support a sustainable North American electric vehicle supply chain. Recycling is not just an environmental move — it is a cost issue, said Tim Johnston, co-founder and chairman

Work done by General Motors and NASA has led to the creation of robotic, grip- strengthening gloves that the space agency says could help both astronauts and assembly-line workers on the job. Ironhand, as the glove is called, was named a NASA commercial invention of the year in 2020 and was the result of years

As automakers build more electric vehicles, a lack of charging infrastructure continues to be a barrier for some shoppers. That concern has sparked some companies to offer EV charging solutions that sidestep complex hard-wired infrastructure challenges. Two of them, Renewable Innovations and SparkCharge, have different approaches in technology, but their missions are the same: Break

TOKYO — Electric vehicles are finally finding traction as sales and investment plans rapidly expand. But automakers say EVs will really take off with the arrival of solid-state batteries. The next-generation power packs promise safety, cost, weight and performance improvements over today’s lithium ion batteries. And crucially, they could spur wider EV adoption in popular

The growing demand for electric vehicles is upending the automotive supply chain at a time when it was already stressed by the coronavirus pandemic, rising material prices and semiconductor shortages. The industry’s push for new technologies and solutions is enormous, and R&D work is underway around the industry. During 2019 and 2020, the world’s top

Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit, said it would begin offering rides in San Francisco without a driver behind the wheel, seeking to catch up to rival Cruise on its home turf. The driverless rides will be available only for Waymo staff to start, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Waymo also announced plans

Vietnamese automaker VinFast will build an electric vehicle assembly plant and a battery manufacturing facility in Chatham County, N.C, with an initial $2 billion investment. VinFast, which opened its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles last year, intends to move rapidly into the North America EV market with the VF 8 and VF 9 crossovers currently

WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will review whether startup technology firm Pony.ai complied with government reporting requirements for driverless crashes. Earlier this month, Pony.ai agreed to issue a recall for some versions of its autonomous driving system software after an October crash in California. The recall covered three vehicles that

The new world of immersive in-vehicle entertainment has emerged as a space for business opportunities by many in the automotive industry. It has also sparked concerns regarding the safety of all this new technology. With those worries in mind, perhaps highlighted by Tesla’s scrap with federal regulators over gaming, contributor Marcus Amick spoke with Highway