Industry

In a surprise move, General Motors joined forces with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to recommend tougher emissions rules for passenger vehicles. But skeptics remain unconvinced by the company’s professed commitment to going green, citing GM’s history of battling tougher fuel economy rules. GM and the EDF are recommending that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Kittyhawk, the air-taxi company backed by billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page, will be closing down, dealing a setback to the long-elusive dream of developing flying cars. “We’re still working on the details of what’s next,” the company said on Twitter last week. The company’s technology is expected to live on in the form of its

Bridgestone has partnered with Teledyne Brown Engineering to design and build a crewed lunar terrain vehicle. The Japanese tire manufacturer is teaming up with automaker Nissan North America to offer NASA, a vehicle capable of navigating the moon’s harsh terrain. Commercial space company Sierra Space and aircraft producer Textron are also joining Bridgestone, Nissan and

General Motors is getting into the business of grocery store carts, but not the usual kind with that one squeaky, wobbly wheel. GM’s BrightDrop unit has signed Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, to be the first customer for its new temperature-controlled Trace Grocery “eCart” for online order fulfillment starting later this year. BrightDrop, which

GRAND RAPIDS — Economic developers confirmed Friday that electric vehicle battery maker Gotion Inc. is planning a nearly $2.4 billion factory near Big Rapids, aiming to create 2,350 jobs in the next decade. An application submitted to the state Thursday by The Right Place — West Michigan’s economic development agency — seeks approval for a

Electric vehicle startup Bollinger Motors said it’s developing an electrified refrigerated truck with trailer and truck body manufacturer Wabash. The companies announced Wednesday that Wabash’s lightweight composite technology, called EcoNex Technology, will be combined with Bollinger’s electric chassis cab to create a Class 4 refrigerated truck. EcoNex reduces the amount of electricity needed to maintain

NEW YORK — Qualcomm’s automotive design-win pipeline has surged to $30 billion, up from about $19 billion only two months ago, the company said Thursday. The fast-growing figure reflects Qualcomm’s efforts to become a prominent automotive presence, CEO Cristiano Amon said during the company’s first automotive investor day. At the core of Qualcomm’s automotive business

Getty Images Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million cars in the US because the windows might close too fast and pinch people’s fingers. Documents produced by American regulators show the windows may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it is a safety-standards violation. Tesla says a software

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Earl Carter is forming a congressional caucus on vehicle data access that could lead to federal legislation. The Georgia Republican has sent a letter to colleagues in the House and Senate, inviting them to join the caucus and address policy issues related to access to and control of data generated by

Kittyhawk, the air-taxi company backed by billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page, will be closing down, dealing a setback to the long-elusive dream of developing flying cars. “We have made the decision to wind down Kittyhawk,” the company said on Twitter. “We’re still working on the details of what’s next.” The company’s technology is expected to

STOCKHOLM/BERLIN — More than a dozen automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. have signed up with a platform for patent licences from 51 tech companies, aiming to simplify access to wireless technology and avoid costly legal battles. Conflicts have stemmed in part from different views among carmakers, suppliers and tech firms over

Rental car company Hertz Global Holdings plans to order up to 175,000 General Motors electric vehicles over the next five years, the latest move by the rental car firm to add zero-emission models. Hertz and GM on Tuesday announced a joint agreement in which the rental car firm will order Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for all new vehicles to be equipped with passive alcohol-detection systems that can limit or prevent the operation of vehicles by impaired drivers, according to recommendations released Tuesday. The agency’s recommendations follow an investigation into a 2021 crash in Avenal, Calif., that killed nine people, including

Traffic fatalities on U.S. roads declined in the second quarter, halting an almost two-year rise even as Americans are driving more. Some 10,590 people died in car crashes from April through June, down 4.9 percent from the same period in 2021, according to estimates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Monday. Fatalities had been

HANOVER, Germany — Daimler Trucks is migrating its battery chemistry to a formula that eliminates nickel and cobalt to improve durability and reduce competition with the passenger car business for scarce materials. Daimler will gradually move its vehicles to lithium iron phosphate batteries it has developed in partnership with China’s CATL. Iron and phosphate cost

As more autonomous vehicles operate in pilot programs and limited commercial deployments in multiple states, questions linger over how they should interact with law enforcement. Some autonomous driving tech companies have encountered problems. In April, a robotaxi operated by General Motors-backed Cruise was pulled over by San Francisco Police Department officers for driving without its

Getty Images German car making giant Volkswagen (VW) has said it is aiming for a valuation of up to €75bn ($75bn; £65.8bn) for Porsche when the luxury brand is floated on the stock market. Trading in the shares is due to start in Frankfurt on 29 September. A prospectus will be published on Monday, after

DETROIT — As cyberthreats to the auto industry grow, companies need to improve communication and cooperation to avoid hacks that could grind business to a halt, executives and regulators said at the Auto-ISAC cybersecurity summit in Dearborn, Mich. “Hackers thrive when companies aren’t sharing information, when colleagues don’t talk and when private and public sectors