I was on vacation last week and it was delightful. But despite valiant struggles, I was not able to fully stay on top of the latest news in the autonomous vehicle world.
Here’s what I missed:
Everything we learned from the Tesla Semi and Roadster event
Zac Estrada
The Verge
The Tesla Semi drew excitement from the crowd at the Hawthorne, California facility, as people eagerly waited for Musk to emerge from the big truck. But the surprise showing of the second-generation Tesla Roadster caused explosive cheers from the second its headlights switched on.
GM Challenges Tesla With Promise of Profitable Electric Cars
Paul Lienert
Reuters
Barra said GM aims to be selling 1 million electric vehicles a year by 2026, many of them in China, which has set strict production quotas on such vehicles. On Monday, GM’s China chief said the automaker and its joint-venture partners will be able to meet the country’s 2019 electric vehicle requirements without purchasing credits from other companies.
Mercedes-Benz opens tech hub in Tel Aviv to secure lead in connected cars
Shoshanna Solomon
The Times of Israel
The Mercedes-Benz team in Israel will both develop in-house technologies and scout the ecosystem for products that could be integrated into their pipeline, either through acquisitions, long-term co-operations with startups, or investments.
Jaguar Land Rover self-driving cars hit real roads for first time
Andrew Krok
CNET
Jaguar Land Rover announced Friday that it will test its self-driving vehicles on public roads in the United Kingdom. Its vehicles will amble around Coventry as its engineers assess the systems and prepare this technology for an eventual public debut — which is still years away, it should be noted.
David Silver 