BMW reveals steering wheel for self-driving iNext electric SUV

BMW iNext steering wheelOnce cars are able to drive themselves, drivers—er, occupants—shouldn't need steering wheels to control them. Yet when BMW teased a new picture of its planned self-driving, electric iNext SUV last month, the photo showed nothing more than a steering wheel—which itself is not even round. BMW says that in the iNext the driver is no...

Study: Americans have little confidence in EVs, less in self-driving cars

Chevrolet Bolt EV Cruise Automation test mule in San FranciscoCar shoppers know electric-cars are good for the environment, but relatively few would consider buying one, according to results released Tuesday by J.D. Power and Associates. In its first-ever Mobility Confidence Index, 61 percent of respondents told the automotive polling juggernaut that they agree that electric cars are better for the...

Tesla Navigate on Autopilot drives itself poorly, Consumer Reports finds

Consumer Reports Tesla Model 3 testing Navigate on Autopilot [CREDIT: Consumer Reports]Tesla says it has improved its self-driving Navigate on Autopilot system with its latest software update. Consumer Reports begs to differ. Last month, Tesla updated its Navigate on Autopilot software to allow its cars to change lanes automatically, without prompting or warning the driver. This gives the system the ability, for example, to navigate...

Report: Apple once attempted to buy Tesla

Tesla Model S Autopilot testing with IIHS [CREDIT: IIHS]Tesla has long been called the Apple of automakers for its alternative approach, its rampant fan base, and its Silicon Valley roots. But the interest could go deeper. Financial analyst Craig Irwin of Roth Capital Partners revealed Tuesday that Apple tried to buy Tesla in 2013, but was rebuffed. He said that the tech company bid $240 a share for...

GM builds new electric architecture for EVs, self-driving cars

General Motors next-generation electrical platformAs future cars go electric, self-driving, and more connected with the outside world, they're going to faster connectivity inside the vehicle. To that end, General Motors just introduced a new electronic platform for its vehicles that it says can carry 4.5 terabytes of processing power per hour, five times what the current system can carry. It will...

AAA survey finds more optimism over self-driving cars than in EVs

Image from 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric-car ad by Ourisman Chevrolet, Rockville, MarylandMore Americans think most cars will be able to drive themselves in 10 years than the number who think most cars will be electric in that time frame. That's according to a survey released Thursday by AAA, the nation's leading automobile club and provider of roadside assistance. According to the organization's latest Green Car Guide, only 40 percent...