The Innovation Report
Texas Passes Law Requiring EV Owners To Pay $200 Per Year
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a legislative proposal into law on May 13 that will make all electric vehicle (EV) owners in the state responsible for paying a $200 annual fee, The Dallas Morning News reported. The law, which will take effect on Sept. 1, will...
China’s First Electric Pickup Truck Headed For International Markets
A new fully electric pickup is headed for international markets. And no, it’s not a Rivian or a Ford. China’s own Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Group) announced its first batch of electric trucks for export rolled off the assembly line Tuesday. The...
Major Automakers Will Build EV Charging Network To Rival Tesla
Seven major automakers say they’re joining forces to build a North American electric vehicle charging network that would rival Tesla’s and nearly double the number of fast-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada. General Motors, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and...
Autonomous Shuttle Set To Serve Cumberland, GA
A new self-driving electric shuttle is now available in the Cumberland area for Atlanta Braves fans, employees of nearby businesses, and others visiting the major destinations in the district.The Cumberland Community Improvement District officials on Tuesday unveiled...
Chinese AV Tech Raises Concerns, US Transportation Chief Says
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Thursday his agency has national security concerns about Chinese autonomous vehicle companies in the American market after some lawmakers called for restrictions on their operations. "Whether we are talking...
NASA, DARPA To Launch Nuclear Rocket To Orbit By Early 2026
NASA and the U.S. military plan to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Earth orbit in late 2025 or early 2026. The project, known as DRACO ("Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations"), aims to give an in-space test to nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP),...
Waymo Taps The Brakes On Its Autonomous-Trucking Project
Six years after launching its autonomous-truck program, Waymo has said it’s decided to focus more on developing its ridesharing ambitions using its self-driving cars and minivans. The California-based, Alphabet-owned company said its decision to effectively put...
Smithsonian Adds Autonomous Vehicle To Its Museum
Nuro’s first generation autonomous shuttle prototype R1 has been added to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as part of Earth Day 2023. The R1 was introduced in 2018 and was built to carry not passengers but goods. It gave Nuro the ability to see...
Battery Shortage Forces GM To Pause Commercial EV Production
General Motors has idled production of some of its electric vehicles due to a battery shortage. BrightDrop—a GM startup brand that's building last-mile delivery vans for companies like FedEx and Verizon—has stopped building EVs at its plant in Ingersoll,...
EV Chargers Could Be A Serious Target For Hackers
Given that EV chargers must be connected, securing them is important. However, research by Sandia National Laboratories indicates that thus far, EV charger companies haven’t done the best job at protecting their systems. Researchers investigated a variety of...
