Federal regulators said the number of Americans who died in highway crashes last year fell by 3.6%. But the total is still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, with safety experts pointing to a variety of causes, including distracted and drunk driving, as well as failure by passengers to wear seatbelts.
The EPA announced strict new emissions standards meant to slash CO2 emissions from the nation’s heavy truck and bus fleet – among the country’s largest source of global warming gases. But the regulations could face a fight, both in Congress and the courts.
Stellantis is recalling nearly 285,000 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models due to faulty airbags that can explode and throw shrapnel.
Updated fuel economy rules from the Environmental Protection Agency delays phaseout of EV mileage rules that provide extra credits to automakers for EVs they sell as electric vehicle market faces cooling sales and demand.
The Dutch-based energy giant Shell plans to eliminate 1,000 gas stations by the end of 2025 as it begins to put more emphasis on its EV charging operations, the company said in a new report. It already operates 3,700 charging stations in the U.S. and will not only add more facilities but expand the size of existing ones.
The Biden administration is expected to roll back new rules governing vehicle emission and mileage standards, a move that should prove particularly helpful for Detroit automakers who are heavily dependent upon large, fuel-hungry models like the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Suburban. But the changes likely also will benefit some Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota and Honda, that have been reluctant to invest heavily on EV technology.
If your auto insurance has spiked recently, you might blame the company that made your vehicle. Cars, trucks and utility vehicles now collect all types of data about your vehicle. That information is often collected by automakers, then sold to insurance companies that use it to set the rates for your premium. Find out more at Headlight.News.
When robocab start-up Cruise was involved in a near-fatal pedestrian crash in California last October, many observers wondered whether that would deliver an even more deadly hit to the quest for fully self-driving vehicles. But while GM-owned Cruise has been struggling, its chief rival, Alphabet’s Waymo, is moving forward. And it just won approval from California regulators to expand its base of operations in the state.
California lawmakers are considering a bill that could require new vehicles to come with an “intelligent speed limiter” that, in most instances, would prevent motorists from driving more than 10 mph above the speed limit. Such devices have also been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, though that has gained little traction on a federal level.
Citing Chinese automobiles and trucks with internet connectivity as a possible national security threat, President Biden directed the Commerce Department to launch an inquiry into foreign software in automobiles. Get details at Headlight.News.
The recent investigation by U.S. Department of Homeland Security in metro Detroit turned up scores of counterfeit auto parts. The probe, aided by Detroit Three automakers, netted scores of inexpensive, but fake parts for Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge car parts. The bust is a microcosm of a much larger problem across the U.S. costing automakers billions of dollars. Find out more at Headlight.News.
After revising its supply chain, Cadillac once again can offer $7,500 in federal tax credits to buyers of the Lyriq EV. The automaker briefly lost those incentives after the U.S. Treasury updated guidelines under the Inflation Reduction Act on January 1. The news means Caddy gets a critical advantage over a number of competing luxury EVs that have also lost their tax credits this year.