In response to a petition from taxi drivers, advocates for disabled riders — and even some Uber Black drivers — a Philadelphia judge has said that Uber’s UberX car service is operating illegally in the city, regardless of a deal reached last week to allow UberX to temporarily operate in Philly without threat of legal action. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Tesla Won’t Disable Autopilot Feature Amid NHTSA Investigation
By 7.12.16
Tesla’s Autopilot function isn’t going anywhere, company executives say, despite a recently launched federal safety investigation into what part the feature played in the first fatality crash to occur while the semi-autonomous function was activated, and a reported probe into whether Tesla properly informed its investors of the collision. [More]
Taxis Still Provide More Rides Than Uber In New York City
By 7.12.16
Since bursting onto the transportation scene, Uber has served as a contentious rival for traditional taxis, with the industry arguing that the ride-hailing service has taken away business and depleted driver’s take-home pay. But a new report suggests that simply isn’t the case, at least in New York City, where traditional cabs continue to dominate the streets. [More]
IKEA Recalls 1.7 Million Topple-Prone Dressers In China After Media Frenzy
By 7.12.16
Swedish home-goods merchant IKEA is a global retailer, which unites all of humanity in having the exact same dressers in our bedrooms. While the Malm and other dressers that are especially prone to toppling over were recalled in the United States and Canada, the company sold the products in its stores all over the world, and they weren’t recalled in other markets, notably the European Union and or China. Now, after two weeks of state-controlled media fuss, IKEA in China has recalled the dressers. [More]
Tesla Probed By SEC Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
By 7.12.16
Nearly two weeks after Tesla announced the first fatal crash in one of the company’s electric vehicles while operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode, federal regulators are reportedly investigating whether the carmaker was forthright with offering information about the crash to investors. [More]
Rainbow Chip Cake, Carrot Cake, Blueberry Pancake Mix Recalled Due To Possible E. Coli-Laden Flour
By 7.11.16
The massive flour recall due to E. coli contamination at a General Mills flour plant has expanded, and has now reached the shelves of cake and pancake mixes. Potentially contaminated products include Krusteaz blueberry pancake mix, and Betty Crocker rainbow chip and carrot cake mixes. Yes, those Betty Crocker rainbow chips. [More]
GM Giving Lyft Drivers Early Access To New Electric Chevy Bolt
By 7.11.16
Back in March, General Motors announced that a portion of its $500 million investment in ride-sharing service Lyft would go toward renting SUVs to prospective drivers for $99/week. Today, the carmaker announced it would expand that service to two additional cities and offer these drivers a chance to be the first to get their hands on the new Chevy Bolt electric car. [More]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Teases “Top Secret Masterplan”
By 7.11.16
Over the years, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has attempted to drum up excitement for the company’s new endeavors by teasing them on social media, promising to soon unveil something “major,” like last summer’s worst kept secret: that the company would begin making solar-based batteries for homes and businesses. Well, the hype-loving CEO — who could use a boost after the last couple of weeks [link to an autopilot story]– is at it again, teasing a “top secret masterplan.” [More]
Safety Regulators Looking Into Brake Failure In 400K Harley Davidson Motorcycles
By 7.8.16
After receiving reports of three accidents resulting in two injuries, federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into possible brake failure in several Harley-Davidson motorcycle models. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Ford Explorers Over Concerns Exhaust Could Enter Cabin
By 7.8.16
Federal regulators are investigating complaints from more than 150 Ford Explorer owners that potentially dangerous exhaust fumes may be leaking into the SUV’s cabin.
[More]
Volkswagen’s Emissions Scandal Tab Just Grew By $86M
By 7.7.16
Last week, Volkswagen agreed to pay at least $15 billion to settle federal allegations that it used so-called “defeat devices” in nearly 500,000 diesel-engine vehicles in the U.S. to skirt emissions standards behind it. While the settlement is a first step for VW, the second step came this week when the carmaker agreed to pay an additional $86 million to settle similar charges in California. [More]
Lyft Launches “Premier” Luxury Ride Service To Rival Uber Black
By 7.7.16
What’s a luxury-loving customer to do when they want to ride in style? Uber has its “Black” tier of service offering trips in more luxurious vehicles, and now Lyft is launching a new offering called Premier to compete for those customers willing to pay for the privilege of a fancier car. [More]
Police: Uber Driver Arrested For Refusing To Transport Group Of Blind People With Service Dogs
By 7.7.16
Uber has been called out in the past by blind customers and advocacy groups for the blind for drivers who refused to transport service animals, settling a lawsuit over that issue in May with the company promising to take steps to prevent such discrimination. But it seems some drivers still don’t understand that they’re required to accept service animals, with police in Orlando arresting an Uber driver who allegedly drove away from blind passengers with guide dogs. [More]
Uber Can Operate Legally In Philly During Public Transportation Snafu
By 7.7.16
Even though Uber vehicles are readily available throughout Philadelphia, many of the ride-hailing company’s services are still illegal in the city. But with more than 115 regional rail cars pulled from service last weekend over safety concerns, a temporary truce will allow Uber to operate without threat of fines or arrest in the City of Brotherly Love.
[More]
Tesla Claims There’s No Evidence Autopilot Was Used Before Recent Model X Crash
By 7.6.16
Tesla said Wednesday that there is no evidence to support the report that the Model X vehicle involved in a recent crash in Pennsylvania was operating in its semi-autonomous “autopilot” mode. [More]
Second Crash Reported Involving Tesla Vehicle Operating In Autopilot
By 7.6.16
UPDATE: Tesla is now claiming that, counter to police accounts of the incident, the autopilot mode may not have been engaged at the time of the crash.
Less than a week after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an inquiry into the fatal crash of a Tesla vehicle operating in its semi-autonomous “autopilot” mode, a second self-driving Tesla has reportedly been involved in a crash. [More]
Great, Now Someone Can Steal Your Car Using A Laptop Computer
By 7.6.16
If car theft seems like a low-tech crime to you, you’re forgetting the extent to which computers are now standard car parts. Computer control of automobiles makes some cool features possible, but one of those features may be that thieves can start a vehicle using a portable computer. How? Police in Houston, where a culprit was caught on camera, aren’t actually sure how they did it. [More]
Massive IKEA Dresser Recall Means Long Phone Queues, Illegal Resales Online
By 7.1.16
IKEA is finally offering a fairly consumer-friendly recall on furniture that has tragically killed six children in the last three decades. Unfortunately, the massive recall effort is not exactly going as planned to keep the dangerous dressers out of consumers’ homes. [More]
