The EV startup is teaming up with Crayola on a special lineup of wraps for its paint-less electric trucks. Colors include Cerulean, Fern, Jersey Tomato, Razzmatazz, and Dandelion. Why they didn’t think to include Burnt Sienna is beyond me.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a rare warning to autonomous vehicle developers to address the “recent, disturbing trend” of driverless vehicles interfering with law enforcement and other first responders. According to NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison:
Over the past several months, NHTSA has identified a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders. The agency has documented multiple instances in which AVs drove directly into active emergency scenes, blocked the paths of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to basic safety conditions like flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire, and traffic cones.
The letter follows a meeting earlier this year between NHTSA and emergency responders to hear their driverless car headaches. The agency says it expects operators to respond with solutions by the end of July.
The company is ramping up testing in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver with the introduction of rider-only operations. Only Waymo employees will get to ride in the vehicles for now, but the company says it expects to kick off public trips soon. Waymo is also testing its newest vehicle, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, with a safety specialist present. No word on when the Hyundais will join the robotaxi fleet.
Because otherwise your Waymo might “snitch” to the cops, as in the case of two 15-year-olds in California. According to 404 Media, the two teens were detained after the robotaxi company reported them for drinking and shooting Orbeez from the vehicle. Seems like the kind of behavior you may invite when you open up your unsupervised ridehailing service to the underage. But also Waymos are covered in cameras, inside and out, and have been known to report wrongdoing to the cops. Basically they’re roving surveillance machines!
The Amble One is an open-air electric vehicle designed for hotels and resorts. Could it be the right fit for America’s truck-fatigued buyers too?
The Drive has new pics of Ford’s $30,000 prototype electric truck, giving us our best look at the pint-sized truck’s real door handles and giant interior touchscreen. But maybe the most interesting aspect, as noticed by mobility investor Reilly Brennan, is the new camouflage that features soccer balls, sail boats, hearts, and other emoji-like symbols. No poops, fortunately.
The EV company is telling investors to expect better sales than originally predicted, thanks to a strong start for the “make or break” R2 vehicle. Rivian previously projected sales of 62,000-67,000 vehicles for the year, but now expects to deliver 65,000-70,000. This comes after Rivian said it delivered 12,194 vehicles in the second quarter, a 14.4 percent gain year over year. The new forecast could signal strong demand for the R2, which just started customer deliveries last month. For a deeper look at what the R2 means for the company, check out my recent feature.
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The terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but the lawsuit concerned a 71-year-old woman who was killed by a Tesla Model Y driver using Full Self-Driving. It was the first known pedestrian fatality linked to FSD, Bloomberg reports. The news comes as Tesla faces another lawsuit from the family of a Texas woman who was killed in her home by a speeding Tesla driver.
