Government/Legal

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s biggest oil driller said Wednesday it will commit $250 million to help fund a proposed pipeline that would gather carbon dioxide produced by ethanol plants across the Midwest and pump it thousands of feet ...

U.S. weighs cutting Russian oil imports amid broad public support

The Russian supertanker Astro Lupus waits in the Gulf of Mexico to unload a cargo of Russian crude oil in Houston. (2002, Getty Images) WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is weighing cutting U.S. imports of Russian oil and ways to ...

$1 billion deal with Putin has Renault pinned down in Russia

The logo of Russia’s carmaker AvtoVaz, a member of the Renault-Nissan alliance, on the hood of a Lada in Moscow. (AFP via Getty Images) Volkswagen AG, BMW AG and Toyota are among the automakers who have idled Russian plants ...

Tesla gets green light for German gigafactory

POTSDAM — Tesla has received approval for its German gigafactory near Berlin, the state of Brandenburg where plant is located said on Friday, ending months of delay for the landmark site that was initially supposed to open last summer. ...

Ex-Nissan exec Greg Kelly's suspended sentence lets him go home

TOKYO — A Tokyo court gave Greg Kelly, a former American executive at Nissan Motor charged with underreporting his boss Carlos Ghosn’s pay, a suspended sentence, but cleared him of most of the charges. The verdict announced Thursday of a ...

West Virginia bill aims to ban OTA updates and a lot more

The West Virginia Automobile Dealer’s Association (WVADA) wants OEMs to get all the way off its back about, well, seemingly everything. The WVADA confirmed to The Drive that it “helped introduce” bill HB 4560 to the state legislature, 32 ...

Buttigieg tells states to focus on safety for pedestrians, bikes

WASHINGTON — The federal government has a fresh warning to states seeking billions of dollars from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law to widen roads: Protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists or risk losing funds. In a new report submitted ...

2021-22 Dodge Challenger Hellcat drops manual option

The six-speed manual has been dropped from the 2022 Dodge Challenger Hellcat at least temporarily while it awaits a powertrain calibration update that will allow it to be sold again, Road & Track reports. The combination has been unavailable ...

More automakers suspend or limit operations in Russia

Global auto and truck makers have suspended some business in Russia following that country’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces invaded Ukraine last week, marking the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. Many ...

Toyota restarts Japan production after supplier cyberattack

TOKYO — Toyota will restart domestic production from Wednesday after a cyberattack on a supplier ground the automaking giant’s factories to a one-day halt, sparking concerns about vulnerability in Japan’s Inc’s supply chain. No information was available about who was ...

Automakers suspend some business in Russia following invasion

These Russian GAZ Tigr infantry mobility vehicles were destroyed by Ukrainian fighters in Kharkiv on Monday. (Getty Images) Global auto and truck makers, including Sweden’s Volvo Cars and Germany’s Daimler Truck, on Monday suspended some business in Russia following that ...

Subaru, Kia buyers caught in right-to-repair fight over cars

Driving a rugged Subaru through snowy weather is a rite of passage for some New Englanders, whose region is a top market for the Japanese automaker. So it was a surprise to Subaru fans when Massachusetts dealerships started selling ...

Automakers idle production after Ukraine invasion; other firms also scramble

Cars stream out of Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russian forces close on the capital. (Reuters) Several companies, including automakers Volkswagen and Renault, tire maker Nokian Tyres, and farm equipment giant John Deere, on Friday outlined plans to shut or shift ...

SEC probes Tesla stock sales by Elon Musk and brother Kimbal

Kimbal Musk (AP) The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal violated securities laws when selling shares in the company late last year, according to a person familiar with ...

Formula 1 won't race in Russia

Following Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine and growing criticism, Formula 1 has announced that, at least for now, it won’t be holding the 2022 Russian Grand Prix. We say “for now” because of this part of the organization’s official statement: ...

Putin attack on Ukraine also attacks the world's energy prices

Russian anti-war protesters fill the streets of St. Petersburg on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine may seem like a remote conflict to Americans more concerned ...

USPS snubs EPA, moves forward with delivery vehicle order

The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it cleared the final regulatory hurdle to placing orders for next-generation mail vehicles — and getting some of them on delivery routes next year — despite pushback from the Environmental Protection Agency. Postmaster ...

Vettel won't race in F1's Russian Grand Prix after Ukraine attack

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel says he will not race in the Russian Grand Prix in September after Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine earlier Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling. After President Vladimir Putin ...

NHTSA probes 1.7 million Hondas over unexpected automatic braking

DETROIT — U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the automatic emergency braking systems on more than 1.7 million newer Hondas can stop the vehicles for no reason. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has 278 complaints ...

NYC using sound detection devices to ticket loud cars

What do an Egyptian statue in Manchester, a BP refinery in Azerbaijan, and a BMW M3 in New York City have in common? All have had their noise or vibration levels measured by detection equipment sourced from English firm Intelligent ...

Hyundai applies to patent 'sliding tailgate'

In 1996, Porsche debuted its newest 911 Targa with an expensive mechanical twist. Instead of the Targa’s traditional, removable roof panel, the 993-series 911 featured a glass roof that slid back, like a giant sunroof, to rest just ahead ...

Volkswagen considers IPO of Porsche to help fund shift to EVs

Volkswagen AG is preparing an initial public offering of Porsche, seeking a listing of its most profitable asset to help boost the parent’s valuation and fund the push into electric vehicles. VW’s preferred shares surged as much as 10% ...

High gas prices from Russia's Ukraine threat pose risk to Biden

Ukrainian soldiers conduct live-fire exercises near the town of Chuguev, in anticipation of a Russian invasion. (AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON — With the continuing threat of Russia invading Ukraine, a foreign policy crisis is colliding with one of President ...

Tesla 'phantom braking' probe launched by NHTSA

DETROIT — U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can stop on roads for no apparent reason. The government says it has 354 complaints from owners during the ...

Tesla sued over alleged suspension failure in fatal Florida crash

San Francisco — Tesla has been sued over an alleged suspension failure in a crash that killed the driver and a passenger in Florida last year and sparked a federal probe. The 2021 Model 3 vehicle had a “defective ...

NHTSA sets adaptive headlights rule early — we may get them soon

As big proponents of adaptive headlights — lights that actively dim small sections of the high-beam to provide both maximum illumination without blinding drivers and pedestrians — we were excited to learn that passage of last year’s infrastructure bill ...

Speed cameras making a comeback? How to win hearts and minds

Among the many things we didn’t realize counted as infrastructure, we recently learned that the Biden administration’s infrastructure law has money for local governments to install speed cameras. Oh joy, you probably thought, speed cameras. It’s part of a new ...

FTC says robocalling extended car warranty company is a scam

Those of you old enough, remember when the telemarketing industry made answering your landline more hassle than it was worth? Then, after more than a decade of that plague, remember when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began enforcing the Do ...

Elon Musk calls NHTSA the ‘fun police’ over Boombox recall

Elon Musk apparently isn’t pleased with pressure the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put on Tesla to conduct its 11th recall in the U.S. in just over three months. Asked by a Twitter follower on Saturday what the rationale was ...

French 'Freedom Convoys' head towards Paris, and police checkpoints

PARIS — France will deploy thousands of police in and around Paris on Friday and over the weekend and set up checkpoints at toll stations on major roads leading into the capital to keep “Freedom Convoy” motorists out, the city’s ...

2019 Gardena crash was a perfect storm for Tesla's imperfect Autopilot

Another year has passed, and Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system is still a really cool demonstration suite that creates more work than it replaces. Its predecessor, the highway-only Autopilot, is also back in the news for being associated with a fatal ...

Tesla recalls 27,000 cars over windshield defrosting problem

Tesla has issued a recall for 26,681 vehicles in the Unites States due to a software error that could lead to problems with the windshield defroster. According to documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a software ...

NHTSA reviews Tesla driver complaints over false braking

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. safety regulator said on Wednesday that it is reviewing consumer complaints that Tesla vehicles are activating the brakes unnecessarily, in the latest regulatory scrutiny of Tesla’s vehicle safety. In May, Tesla chief executive Elon ...

Tesla recalls over 817,000 vehicles for seat belt chime programming

DETROIT — Tesla is recalling more than 817,000 vehicles in the U.S. because the seat belt reminder chimes may not sound when the vehicles are started and the driver hasn’t buckled up. The recall covers the 2021 and 2022 ...

Prepare to slow down: States get infrastructure cash for speed cameras

WASHINGTON — Drivers, beware: Speed cameras could be on their way to a location near you thanks to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law. Under new federal guidance issued Wednesday, states can now tap billions of federal highway dollars for ...

Tesla recalls 'Full Self-Driving' software that runs stop signs

Tesla’s most recent update to its so-called Full Self-Driving (Beta) software included an “Assertive” mode that allowed vehicles to roll through stop signs at speeds of up to 5.6 miles per hour, without coming to a complete stop. Turns out ...

U.S. road deaths keep record pace as risky driving persists

Friends of Tina Tintor light a candle at a roadside memorial where she and her dog Max died in November. Police say former Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs was driving his Corvette at up to 156 mph with a ...

23 charged with faking car crashes, collecting nearly $1 million

Sometimes when you read about crime, doesn’t it seem like life would be easier for the perpetrators if they simply worked legitimate jobs? The Tri-Cities Herald in Washington state reports that 23 people have been charged with faking a series ...

VW and Ohio agree to $3.5 million diesel emissions settlement

WASHINGTON — Volkswagen agreed to a $3.5 million settlement with Ohio over claims the German automaker violated state laws by manipulating vehicle computer software in its vehicles to mask carbon dioxide emissions, the state attorney general said. In November, ...

GM will spend $6.5B and add 4,000 jobs at Michigan EV factories

LANSING, Mich. — General Motors is poised to announce next week major electric-vehicle investments in Michigan, with plans to spend $6.5 billion and create up to 4,000 new jobs at two plants. The state’s economic development board is expected ...

Government/Legal

TECH NEWS LATEST

CATEGORIES