The Industry Innovation Report
Ford Hopes Cheaper EVs Can Convince Skeptics
Ford has thrown down a gauntlet to Tesla by touting its upcoming range of cheap electric cars, as both companies grapple with slowing demand for EVs. CEO Jim Farley confirmed in Ford's Q1 earnings call that the company is working on new affordable EVs...
Musk: Robotaxi, AVs Are Tesla’s Future
Tesla Inc. announced its first quarter earnings for 2024, with the company losing its position as the world’s top EV manufacturer to the Chinese giant BYD in the number of units shipped. The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, touted the company’s artificial intelligence plans...
GM Unveils Plans For Autonomous Driving Unit Cruise Relaunch
Detroit-based automaker General Motors (NYSE:GM) on Tuesday detailed its plans for the relaunch of its autonomous driving unit Cruise, months after it paused operations owing to the involvement of one of its robotaxis in an accident in San...
China Green-Lights Mass Production Of Autonomous Flying Taxis
The EHang EH216-S autonomous flying taxi is the first eVTOL ready for mass production and could lead the way for flying cars around the world. Autonomous flying taxis could soon be a reality after vehicle manufacturer EHang obtained the world’s first production...
Packs Of Dog-Shaped Robots Could One Day Roam The Moon
This summer, a group of scientists will travel to Oregon's snow-capped Mt. Hood to train a dog-shaped robot named Spirit how to walk. The slopes of Mt. Hood are strewn with volcanic rocks and sprinkled with glaciers, a rugged environment that researchers think...
Supersized Clownfish Robots Could Be Coming To Waterways In The Middle East
The world’s oceans, lakes and rivers are under mounting pressure from climate change, growing demand, urbanization, and pollution, threatening their ability to sustain life. Without better data to understand the health of increasingly stressed waterways, the fight to...
Colorado Companies Join Coalition In Methane-Seeking Space Mission
Colorado has led the nation on regulating methane emissions and now companies in the state are major contributors to a new satellite expected to be an important tool in identifying and quantifying the emissions globally. Space & Mission Systems, formerly Ball...
Mercedes Is First Automaker To Sell Level 3 AVs In The US
Mercedes is now the first automaker to sell a car with advanced autonomous features in the United States, meaning the vehicle doesn't technically require drivers to pay close attention to the road. As of April 11, Mercedes had 65 vehicles that support its Drive...
Senate Democrats Urge Crackdown On AVs And Driver Assist
Two prominent Senate Democrats are calling for increased scrutiny of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) like Tesla’s Autopilot, arguing that the unimpeded flow of highly automated vehicles on public roads in recent years risks exacerbating...
Making Crops Colorful For Easier Weeding By Robots
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes so that they...
