Future Volkswagen Electric Models Will Get Bidirectional Charging Capability

Volkswagen revealed that starting next year, all future MEB-based electric models will get bidirectional charging capability. With bidirectional charging, Volkswagen’s future EVs could be capable of establishing a vehicle-to-grid interface.

Nvidia Announces DRIVE Atlan, its Most Powerful Autonomous Vehicle Processor With 1,000 TOPS of Compute Power

During today’s opening keynote of the annual GTC Technology Conference, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang unveiled NVIDIA DRIVE Atlan, the upcoming generation of its AI-powered compute platform for autonomous vehicles. Atlan will achieve an unprecedented 1,000 trillion operations per second (1,000 TOPS) of performance to handle the large number of applications and deep neural networks that run simultaneously in autonomous vehicles.

General Motors Launches Maps+, a New App-based Navigation System

General Motors announced the launch of Maps+, a new in-vehicle, app-based navigation system for select model year 2018 and newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles. Maps+ is powered by technology from mapping company Mapbox. It will begin rolling out to approximately 900,000 GM vehicles on April 30.

EPA Chief Claims Tougher Emissions, Fuel Economy Regulations Coming by July

The Biden administration is looking to put new fuel economy regulations and new limits on emissions in place as quickly as this July, as the administration wants to put the Trump administration's regulations in the past.

Some Ford Mustang Mach-E Owners Encountering Battery Bug

A software bug is putting some Mustang Mach-E crossovers into a sleep mode that doesn’t let drivers start the electric vehicle.

Semiconductor Shortage Could Result in 1.3 Million Fewer Vehicles in 2021

The semiconductor shortage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is greatly affecting the number of vehicles automakers will be able to manufacture this year.

Autonomous Vehicle Mapping Company DeepMap Named One of the Most Innovative AI Startups by CB Insights

​Silicon Valley-based mapping startup DeepMap has been named as one of the 100 most innovative companies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) by CB Insights, a National Science Foundation-backed big data company. DeepMap was selected from a pool of over 6,000 companies.

China’s Tesla Challenger Xpeng is Already Building a Second EV Factory to Support its Planned Growth

Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng Inc. announced on Thursday that it entered into a cooperation agreement with the City of Wuhan to build a new Smart EV factory. The EV factory will be Xpeng’s second production facility and will have an annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles, which will help Xpeng better compete with Tesla and other domestic rivals in the growing China EV market.

Toyota Unveils the First Two Vehicles That Will Offer its “Advanced Drive” Human-Centric Autonomous Driving System

​While electric automaker Tesla focuses on the rollout of its “Full Self-Driving'' feature that is intended to operate without human intervention, Japan's Toyota Motor Corp is taking a different approach to self-driving vehicles. Toyota has developed an AI-powered autonomous driving system called “Advanced Drive” that allows the driver and vehicle to communicate with each other, handing off control of the vehicle seamlessly between driver and vehicle as needed.

Augmented Reality & Computer Vision Company StradVision to Supply its Technology to a Leading German OEM and Tier-1 Supplier

South Korean company StradVision, a pioneer in AI-based computer vision processing technology for vehicle ADAS and autonomous driving, has announced two major partnerships with a leading German automotive OEM and Tier-1 supplier. As part of the new partnerships, StradVision is supplying its augmented reality technology, including for use in "surround view monitoring" features.

Ford is the First Automaker to Integrate In-Car Travel Recommendations From Mappo, Just in Time for Summer Road Trips

Ford Motor Co announced on Wednesday that it will integrate travel recommendations from startup Mappo directly in its vehicle navigation unit. Mappo is a Ford-backed startup based in Tel Aviv, Israel that developed a novel technology to extract quotes and locations from any books, movies and music in order to create an additional “story” layer on maps used for navigation.

Tesla Chief Elon Musk Assures Customers in China That its Vehicle Cameras Are Not Active, Addressing Recent Security Concerns

Last month the Chinese military banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes in China, citing security concerns over cameras in its vehicles. So Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is downplaying the security threats of models sold in China, assuring customers on social media that Tesla's "Sentry Mode" cameras are not active outside of the U.S.

General Motors Confirms it Will Build an Electric Chevy Silverado Pickup, Sending its Stock Price to a Record High

​Just days after teasing the new Hummer EV SUV, automaker General Motors is gearing up to build more electric pickup trucks, beginning with a battery-powered version of the popular Chevy Silverado. The electric Silverado will go into production late next year at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, a source familiar with the U.S. automaker’s plan said on Tuesday.

Lidar Startup Innoviz Technologies Launches its IPO After Merger with Special Purpose Acquisition Company Collective Growth Corp

Shares of Lidar startup Innoviz Technologies debuted on Wall Street on Tuesday after its merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Collective Growth Corp. Innoviz becomes the latest startup to merge with a SPAC to launch an IPO in order to raise new capital from investors looking for opportunities in the advanced mobility sector. The combined new company has an equity value of approximately $1.4 billion.

Tesla Stock Surges on the First Trading Day After the Company Reported Strong Q1 Deliveries

During Monday's trading session, shares of Tesla hit their highest levels since March 17 after Tesla’s encouraging Q1 production and delivery report released last Friday. Tesla’s stock closed up $29.30 (4.43%) for the day at $691.05. With Monday’s gains, Tesla is on track to add roughly $50 billion to its market value in a single day.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Hints at the Company’s Self-driving Car Plans in New Interview

During a podcast interview with journalist Kara Swisher, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company still has plans to build a vehicle capable of self-driving. Cook hinted at the company’s work in autonomous driving following recent reports about Apple’s plans to develop its own electric car.

XPeng Motors Valued at Over $8.4 Billion Files for U.S. IPO, the Company is Backed by Alibaba and Xiaomi

As existing shareholders continue to increase investments in EVs and related technologies, new participants are optimistic about China's growing electric vehicle market. As a result, electric vehicle startup XPeng Motors has strong financial backing and stamina for future development. The company has cash reserves of 8.2 billion yuan (US$1.19 billion), and is ramping up its investment in R&D.