Latest news with #NHTSA
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Killer Roads In Dallas: What Highways Ranked Among Nation's Most Dangerous?
A new report examining tens of thousands of U.S. roads shows that some Dallas area highways rank among the deadliest in the country. Future Bail Bonds study examined data from 96,000 roads nationwide from 2019 to 2023. Three Dallas County highways ranked among the 150 deadliest roads in the country. The report leveraged the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data. I-30 was found to be the deadliest roadway in Dallas, recording 76 fatal wrecks during the examination period. Nationwide, it ranked 23rd overall in terms of fatalities and the fourth-deadliest in the state. This is not the first time I-30 has been included on a list of the most dangerous roads. Earlier this year, The Dallas Express detailed a report from that ranked the interstate the fifth worst for fatalities in 2022. According to the latest study, two other local roadways were listed among the top 150 deadliest. Loop 12 ranked No. 115 in the United States, registering 45 fatal wrecks between 2019 and 2023. I-635 was listed at No. 132 in the country, recording 43 crashes during that period. I-15 in San Bernardino County, California, which runs from Southern California to Las Vegas, was considered the deadliest road in the country. The roadway logged 196 fatal car crashes in the reporting period. Within Texas, I-45 in Houston had the highest number of fatal vehicle wrecks at 88. The roadway from Dallas to Galveston was considered the 16th deadliest in the nation. 'From 2019 to 2023, motor vehicle crashes claimed 186,284 lives across 96,257 roads in the United States, underscoring the persistent danger on American roadways,' the report said, per CultureMap Dallas. In 2024, the Dallas City Council passed a measure to lower the speed limit from 70 to 65 miles per hour on a portion of U.S. 75 Central Expressway that is considered particularly dangerous. As part of its Vision Zero plan, the city has targeted eliminating all traffic-related deaths and cutting severe injury crashes by 50% by the end of the decade.
Qatar Tribune
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Qatar Tribune
Tesla to build its first grid-scale power plant in mainland China
Agencies Tesla announced Friday that it signed an agreement to build its first grid-scale energy storage power station project in mainland China. The project will help with the flexible adjustment of grid resources, and 'effectively solve pressures relating to urban power supply,' Tesla said in a post to the Chinese social media platform Weibo. 'After completion, this project is expected to become the largest grid-side energy storage project in China,' Tesla added. Such energy storage systems help to enhance stability in the electricity grid at a time when there are greater supplies of solar and wind power. Chinese media outlet Yicai reported that Tesla Shanghai, Shanghai authorities and China Kangfu International Leasing Co. held a signing ceremony Friday for the project. It added that the deal involved investments of 4 billion yuan ($560 million). The contract comes at a moment of tension between Washington and Beijing, with the two sides yet to hash out a long-term trade agreement following tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. China and the United States negotiated a 'framework' agreement in London earlier this month following two days of marathon talks. In another development, US highway safety regulators are reviewing answers Tesla gave in response to the agency's questions about the safety of its self-driving robotaxi in poor weather, the agency said on Friday, ahead of plans to deploy the vehicles as soon as this weekend. Tesla has sent invitations to a small group of people to join in a limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday, according to posts and email screenshots on social media. In a letter last month, NHTSA asked Tesla to answer detailed questions by June 19 on its plans to launch paid robotaxi service in Austin, to assess how the electric vehicle maker's cars with full self-driving technology will perform in poor weather. The agency said it has received Tesla's response 'and is in the process of reviewing it. Once our review has been completed the public file will be updated.' Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the front passenger seat, the posts showed. NHTSA asked Tesla if vehicles 'will be supervised or otherwise monitored by Tesla in real time.' NHTSA has been investigating Tesla full self-driving collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The probe covers 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. The agency said in May it was seeking additional information about Tesla's development of robotaxis 'to assess the ability of Tesla's system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions' as well details on robotaxi deployment plans and the technology being used. NHTSA said in May it wants to know how many vehicles will be used as robotaxis and the expected timetable for availability of robotaxi technology for vehicles controlled by people other than Tesla. NHTSA's letter asked Tesla to describe how it intends to ensure the safety of robotaxi operations in reduced roadway visibility conditions such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow. It also wants to know what happens if poor visibility is encountered during a ride. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he will focus on safety in the trial, with humans remotely monitoring the vehicles.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Tesla's 'Robotaxi' won't be driverless, set to launch with 'human monitors'
Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi service will launch on June 22, but the first rides won't be as driverless as promised. Invitations sent to select Tesla investors and influencers confirm that a human "safety monitor" will occupy the front passenger seat — a significant shift from CEO Elon Musk's earlier pledge of rides with 'no one in the car.' The move comes amid increasing scrutiny from regulators and marks a cautious first step for Tesla's autonomous ambitions. According to the invitation, monitors will accompany riders during initial trips, which must be booked between 6 a.m. and midnight within a designated geofenced area — excluding airports. Tesla has given me permission to share the parameters of use for their Model Y Robotaxi service, starting this Sunday June 22nd in Austin, Texas. The Early Access phase is invitation-only. Parameters of Use: • You must read through and agree to the attached Terms of Service,… — Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 20, 2025 Service may also be limited or suspended in bad weather. The limited pilot will involve between 10 and 20 Tesla Model Y vehicles. While Musk previously claimed these would be capable of unsupervised operation and remote management during emergencies, the current inclusion of human safety staff raises questions about the timeline for achieving full autonomy. Each rider may bring one guest aged 18 or older. Tesla has not yet announced a public rollout date beyond the invite-only phase. The launch also comes as Tesla faces mounting regulatory pressure. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently requested more information about the system's ability to operate in low-visibility conditions, citing concerns over its safety performance in inclement weather. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Texas — where Tesla is headquartered — have asked the company to delay operations until new autonomous vehicle legislation comes into effect in September. The law will require robotaxi services to obtain authorisation from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles before running without a human driver. Next week, Tesla plans to launch robotaxis in Austin— before Texas' new AV safety law takes effect. We're urging a delay until those safety standards are in place. Public trust comes from safety and transparency. We look forward to working with Tesla to achieve both. #txlege — Senator Sarah Eckhardt (@SarahEckhardtTX) June 18, 2025 Despite the scaled-back debut, Tesla's robotaxi trial remains a key milestone in the company's broader push toward full self-driving technology — one that Musk has repeatedly described as central to Tesla's future. Whether the service evolves into the fully autonomous system envisioned by Musk remains to be seen.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla is set to launch its robotaxi service in Austin this weekend, entering a crowded autonomous vehicle field
The launch of Tesla's robotaxi service is tentatively set for this weekend in Austin, Texas, entering a crowded arena of autonomous vehicles already operating in the city. Tesla is competing with driverless Waymo taxis that are already transporting people around the city, while Amazon's Zoox and Volkswagen are testing robotaxis there too. Tesla's driverless taxi service launch has been highly anticipated by investors and fans, however, officials and lawmakers have expressed automotive safety concerns. On Wednesday, Texas lawmakers sent a letter to Tesla urging the company to delay its robotaxi service launch until September, when a new state law regulating autonomous vehicles takes effect. It adds to another letter, sent by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Tesla last month, asking for additional safety information about its robotaxi rollout. That same month, Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, acknowledged the need for national regulations around autonomous vehicles. 'It's going to be important to have a unified set of national regulations for self-driving cars,' he told CNBC. 'Otherwise, you're going to get into this weird situation where, if you're driving from Maine to New York, you're going to go through 10 different sets of regulations. Cars are going to behave differently. It's not going to make any sense.' Here's what we know about the driverless service set to launch this weekend. For the initial launch of the fully autonomous ride-hailing robotaxi service, Tesla will use its internal fleet of Model Y electric vehicles, updated with the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, without a driver. If the autonomous cars run into a safety issue, a remote driver can step in and take control of the vehicle. The Cybercab is Tesla's driverless taxi that will also rely on the FSD software without a human driving the vehicle. The initial launch of Tesla's robotaxi service won't include the Cybercab because it isn't expected to go into production until at least 2026. Musk says each Cybercab will likely cost less than $30,000 to produce. The fully autonomous vehicle won't have a steering wheel or pedals and will have a large center touchscreen. The two-passenger vehicle won't have a backseat or a rear window but will have a rear cargo area. Musk says it won't have a traditional charging port and will rely on inductive (wireless) charging, which will charge by parking over a pad embedded in a designated charging area. Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch sometime in June. Bloomberg News then reported the launch was poised to happen on June 12, citing a person familiar with the matter. Two days before the anticipated launch, Musk reposted a video on X that showed Tesla testing a self-driving Model Y car in Austin, with what appeared to be no driver. Later that day, Musk replied to a user on X that the tentative rollout of the robotaxi service was June 22. 'We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,' Musk said. He also indicated that the first driverless trip from the Tesla factory to a customer's house will take place on June 28, which is the billionaire's birthday. The letter that Texas Democratic lawmakers sent Wednesday to Tesla's director of field quality urged the company to delay the robotaxi service launch until a new Texas law takes effect, on Sept. 1. The law revises previous state guidelines for autonomous vehicles and requires the operators to receive prior authorization from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The letter states that in order to get that authorization, Tesla needs to show: that the vehicles can operate while abiding by state traffic laws, have a recording device, comply with federal standards, are properly registered and insured, and can 'achieve a minimal risk condition' if the autonomous system stops working. The Texas lawmakers asked the company to provide 'detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law upon the launch of driverless operations in Austin' if they decide to proceed with the launch over the weekend. Yahoo News has reached out to Tesla for comment. In addition to the Model Y taxis being remotely monitored at first, Musk told CNBC that the vehicles will also be 'geofenced' to certain areas of Austin that Tesla considers the safest to navigate. 'We want to deliberately take it slow,' Musk said. 'I mean, we could start with 1,000 or 10,000 [robotaxis] on day one, but I don't think that would be prudent. So we will start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40.' For the initial launch, the robotaxi service is expected to only be available to Tesla employees or by invite. 'The service will probably not be available to the general public for several months, analysts said,' according to the New York Times. Musk says he hopes to have by the end of 2026 'over a million Teslas' doing 'unsupervised full self-driving, where you do not need to pay attention.' Musk had originally promised in 2019 that there would be 1 million self-driving robotaxis on the road by 2020.
CNA
2 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
US auto safety agency reviewing Tesla answers on robotaxi deployment plans
WASHINGTON :U.S. highway safety regulators are reviewing answers Tesla gave in response to the agency's questions about the safety of its self-driving robotaxi in poor weather, the agency said on Friday, ahead of plans to deploy the vehicles as soon as this weekend. Tesla has sent invitations to a small group of people to join in a limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday, according to posts and email screenshots on social media. In a letter last month, NHTSA asked Tesla to answer detailed questions by June 19 on its plans to launch paid robotaxi service in Austin, to assess how the electric vehicle maker's cars with full self-driving technology will perform in poor weather. The agency said it has received Tesla's response "and is in the process of reviewing it. Once our review has been completed the public file will be updated." Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the front passenger seat, the posts showed. NHTSA asked Tesla if vehicles "will be supervised or otherwise monitored by Tesla in real time." NHTSA has been investigating Tesla full self-driving collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The probe covers 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. The agency said in May it was seeking additional information about Tesla's development of robotaxis "to assess the ability of Tesla's system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions" as well details on robotaxi deployment plans and the technology being used. NHTSA said in May it wants to know how many vehicles will be used as robotaxis and the expected timetable for availability of robotaxi technology for vehicles controlled by people other than Tesla. NHTSA's letter asked Tesla to describe how it intends to ensure the safety of robotaxi operations in reduced roadway visibility conditions such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow. It also wants to know what happens if poor visibility is encountered during a ride.
