autonomous cars

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Uber's Self-Driving Car Was Going 40mph, Didn't Slow

The latest on the crash that killed pedestrian Elaine Herzberg

(Newser) - The death of a 49-year-old pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday night is being called the first time a person has been killed by a self-driving vehicle, and Wired provides some perspective: "Human drivers kill just 1.16 people for every 100 million miles driven. Waymo and Uber and...

Self-Driving Uber Kills Woman Crossing an Arizona Street

Tempe police have identified her as Elaine Herzberg, 49

(Newser) - A self-driving Uber vehicle fatally struck a woman crossing the street in Tempe, Ariz., late Sunday. The woman, who AZ Family reports has been identified as Elaine Herzberg, 49, was not within a crosswalk; she was taken to a nearby hospital and died there. The vehicle was in autonomous mode...

GM's 'Eerie' New Car: Look, Ma, No Steering Wheel

Gas and brake pedals in self-driving car are gone, too

(Newser) - But what do you do with your hands? A question usually reserved for people posing for photographs or performing a monologue can now be asked by potential buyers of General Motors' newest self-driving car. That's because the latest incarnation has no steering wheel, or accelerator or brake pedal, swapping...

'Safety' Feature in Self-Driving Cars Was Actually 'Pretty Scary'

Waymo thought letting passengers take over controls would be safer—but it wasn't

(Newser) - When Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car division that started in 2009 as a Google initiative, decided to offer an autopilot "out" for passengers—meaning they could take over the vehicle's controls if a dangerous situation arose—it seemed like a practical and needed feature. But the company's...

Critics Worry Over Safety If 'Self Drive Act' Passes

States wouldn't hold sway over design, construction of autonomous vehicles

(Newser) - As Uber, Waymo, and other Silicon Valley companies duke it out on the autonomous-vehicle scene, a House vote Wednesday will determine how and when those vehicles hit US roads. The Mercury News reports on the ballot-casting for the so-called "Self Drive Act," which spells out what role states...

Domino's Delivering Pizzas, Ditching Actual Delivery Guy

Chain begins test with driverless cars

(Newser) - No ring of the doorbell, just a text. No tip for the driver? No problem in this test, where Domino's and Ford are teaming up to see if customers will warm to the idea of pizza delivered by driverless cars. Starting Wednesday, some pizzas in Domino's hometown of...

A Virginia Driver Is Masquerading as a Car Seat

It's part of a Virginia Tech study of autonomous cars

(Newser) - It's still a couple of months until Halloween, but some in Arlington, Va., are already dressing up—as car seats. An NBC Washington reporter spotted a seemingly autonomous van driving around Arlington on Monday. On closer inspection, he realized there actually was a driver—the man was just disguised...

A New Uber Foe: Partnership of Lyft, Alphabet's Waymo

Self-driving vehicle sector just got even more competitive with new deal announcement

(Newser) - Lyft has the brawn via its nationwide fleet of taxis, Waymo has the brains with its self-driving technology, and together they just decided to make lots of money. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times report on a Sunday announcement from the two companies on a sparsely detailed deal...

Uber on Driverless Car Infraction: Blame the Human

Company is in talks with California regulators

(Newser) - Negotiations over whether Uber must stop its newly launched self-driving car service in San Francisco have concluded without a clear resolution, according to California transportation regulators. The state has threatened legal action if the ride-hailing company continues to pick up passengers without the correct permit, the AP reports. Uber says...

Self-Driving Truck Makes Beer Delivery

Otto truck traveled 120 miles through Colorado

(Newser) - It was a beer run like no other: Anheuser-Busch says it has completed the world's first commercial shipment by self-driving truck , sending a beer-filled tractor-trailer on a journey of more than 120 miles through Colorado, the AP reports. The company says it teamed with self-driving truck-maker Otto and the...

Tesla: We&#39;re Fixing Autopilot
Tesla: We're Fixing Autopilot
Sep 11, 2016 3:17 PM CDT

Tesla: We're Fixing Autopilot

Company says improved radar will result in fewer crashes

(Newser) - Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the electric car company is making major improvements to the Autopilot system used by its vehicles, which will dramatically reduce the number and severity of crashes they're involved in, the AP reports. Sunday's news comes in the wake of a May crash involving...

Free Uber Rides Coming to Pittsburgh—Without Drivers

Company testing autonomous vehicles with 'safety' humans behind the wheel

(Newser) - If you're in Pittsburgh over the next few weeks and see a Ford Fusion cruise by with a driver who doesn't seem to be doing much behind the wheel, you may be witnessing one of Uber's new self-driving cars. Even though many analysts have said the advent...

Coming in 2021: a Ford Without Pedals

Fully autonomous vehicle will be used for ride-sharing

(Newser) - A car without pedals or even a steering wheel? The curious and the brave need wait only five years, apparently. Ford announced Tuesday that it will release a fully autonomous vehicle in 2021 that needs no input from the driver. In fact, it needs no driver at all. The car...

3rd Tesla Autopilot Crash Reported

But this one may have been due to driver error

(Newser) - A Tesla Model X owner tells CNN Money that his car crashed while in Autopilot mode over the weekend in Montana. The owner, who identified himself only by his last name, Pang, says he wants to talk to Tesla to determine whether the accident was the car's fault or...

A 'Tragic' First: Driver Killed in Self-Driving Car Crash

He was using a semi-autonomous mode in his Tesla at the time

(Newser) - For the first time, a driver has been killed in a fatal crash while driving a car in autopilot mode. The accident, which happened in Florida in May but has only now become public knowledge, occurred when the driver was using his Tesla Model S in the semi-autonomous Autopilot mode...

Google's Self-Driving Cars Are Learning How to Honk

Engineers are teaching the autonomous vehicles

(Newser) - If you thought self-driving cars might cause honking to become a thing of the past, think again. Google engineers are teaching Google's autonomous vehicles how to honk, a company report from May reveals, per USA Today . "Our self-driving cars aim to be polite, considerate, and only honk when...

Google's 'Robot' System Can Now Be Considered Legal Driver

This could be a big step

(Newser) - Up until recently, Google's self-driving cars have been limited to real-world activity only in certain states (i.e., not on the federal level), and only under certain conditions, Quartz notes. But this week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted a Feb. 4 letter saying Google's self-driving system,...

Volvo: By 2020, No One Will Die in Our Cars

Company makes bold pledge

(Newser) - Volvo has just come out with a gutsy move, making what CNN Money is calling a "shocking pledge"—that not a single person will be killed or even seriously injured in a new Volvo car or SUV by 2020. (Not including a driver who does something "really,...

Tesla's New 'Autopilot' Car Wins Rave Reviews

Elon Musk reveals dual-engine Model S that can self-park

(Newser) - Tesla's newly unveiled version of its electric car is earning headlines that include phrases such as "the future of driving" ( Business Insider ). Much of the buzz centers on the vehicle's automated driving system—it falls short of being considered a self-driving car, explains CEO Elon...

California Gets Ready for Driverless Cars

New law creates regulations for testing self-driven vehicles

(Newser) - Attention, Amanda Bynes : Your driverless car is ready. California, which perhaps coincidentally seems to bear the brunt of starlets driving under the influence of stardom, has passed legislation clearing the way for autonomous cars on its roads. "Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality,"...

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