Latest IoT Connected Vehicles News

San Francisco officials want the CPUC to slow robotaxi authorisations

San Francisco officials have sent letters to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) expressing their concerns over the pace of robotaxi deployments.

Driverless vehicle giants Cruise and Waymo have significant expansion plans for their respective operations in San Francisco. However, their existing deployments have been causing some problems for the city.

Some of the reported issues have included driverless vehicles stopping in the middle of the road for no...

31 January 2023 | Connected Vehicles

UK’s EV smart charging plan could save consumers £1,000 annually

Electric vehicle consumers in the UK are set to benefit from lower energy bills and cheaper motoring thanks to a landmark plan to unlock the potential of smart electric vehicle charging.

The Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Action Plan published today (January 17, 2023) by the Government and Ofgem, sets out steps being taken to seize on the significant potential of smart charging and make it the preferred method of long duration charging by 2025.

Smart charging harnesses...

17 January 2023 | Connected Vehicles

Beijing lifts restrictions on DiDi ridesharing service

DiDi Chuxing’s difficulties may be coming to an end as Beijing lifts restrictions on the ridesharing service.

Beijing targeted DiDi after the company raised $4 billion from selling its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In the days following the listing, Beijing launched a data security probe into DiDi on the basis that it was “illegally collecting user data”.

Amid increased US-China tensions, Beijing has sought to clamp down on Chinese firms listing in...

17 January 2023 | Applications

Oxbotica raises $140M to expand its B2B autonomous vehicle platform

B2B autonomous vehicle platform developer Oxbotica has raised a further $140 million.

The Oxford-based firm plans to use the funds to advance its goal of creating “universal autonomy” around the world.

Paul Newman, CTO and a Founder of Oxbotica, said:

“Oxbotica was founded eight years ago on the vision of Universal Autonomy—providing safe and sustainable autonomy that is independent of workplace and vehicle type.

With the greatest engineering...

11 January 2023 | Connected Vehicles

Uber launches hailing of Motional robotaxis in Las Vegas

Uber users in Las Vegas can now hail Motional’s robotaxis for autonomous trips around Sin City.

“Today, Motional becomes the first AV company to conduct all-electric autonomous rides on the Uber network for public passengers,” said Akshay Jaising, Motional’s VP of Commercialisation.

The vehicles used for the rides will be adapted Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric cars. Motional, it’s worth noting, is a joint venture between Hyundai and...

7 December 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Civil IoT Taiwan: The guardian of air quality

We have all experienced one disaster after another in recent years, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact brought about by different kinds of extreme climates.

To help overcome the challenges brought about by environmental changes, and to enhance the ability and effectiveness of digital technology in environmental governance, the Taiwan Government launched 'Civil IoT Taiwan' in 2017, with the goal of promoting cooperation between local governments and private...

6 December 2022 | Applications

Waymo launches 24/7 autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco

Alphabet subsidiary Waymo has launched San Francisco’s first 24/7 fully-autonomous ride-hailing service.

Earlier this month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) granted Waymo a permit to participate in the state’s pilot initiative to provide “driverless” autonomous vehicle (AV) passenger service to the public.

“We are seeing momentum build in this space and are working to assure the safe expansion of the driverless pilot program,” said CPUC...

21 November 2022 | AI

XPENG prepares its own robotaxi fleet, flying car, and robot

XPENG is preparing to launch its own robotaxi fleet, the world’s first fully-electric flying car, and an AI-powered robot.

The luxury vehicle maker said that its latest G9 SUV became China’s first mass-produced commercial vehicle to pass the government-led Autonomous Driving Closed-field Test. The G9 will be used for XPENG’s robotaxi fleet.

“Obtaining the road test permit by our mass-produced commercial vehicles – with no retrofit – is a major achievement,”...

25 October 2022 | Applications

Drone delivery pioneer Wing expands to Ireland

Alphabet-subsidiary Wing is flying to Ireland for the next expansion of its drone delivery services.

The company’s autonomous delivery drones pack computer vision for situational awareness and onboard flight planning and navigation systems. The drones have the ability to self-diagnose errors and respond to delivery requests on demand.

Wing currently operates pilot programs in Australia, Finland, and the US. In the coming weeks, Wing will add Lusk – a small town 20km...