Latest Transportation technology News

Five facts about electric vehicles in 2024

Dec. 26, 2024 09:41 AM EST

DETROIT (AP) — Electric vehicles had another whirlwind year around the globe, driven by buyers in China, and growth in parts of Europe and the United States, despite headwinds. In a milestone for China, the world's biggest auto market, EVs hit 50% of new car sales in July. That...

China's getting a big electric car battery swapping boost in 2025. Would that work across the globe?

Dec. 18, 2024 17:31 PM EST

Detroit (AP) — China will soon see a massive expansion of electric vehicle battery swapping, as global battery maker CATL said Wednesday it is investing heavily in stations there next year. Battery swapping is not new — but it's had a challenging journey. Adoption of electric...

China's CATL is planning a major expansion of battery swapping for electric vehicles

Dec. 18, 2024 10:58 AM EST

XIAMEN, China (AP) — The world's largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles said Wednesday it will get into battery swapping in China in a big way starting next year. The idea behind battery swapping is to refuel quickly, similar to filling a conventional car with gas....

Barcelona subway recycles energy from braking into power to charge electric cars

Dec. 18, 2024 06:45 AM EST

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Barcelona subway grinds to a halt, the doors slide open and commuters pour out to go about their daily business. Little do they know that as they do so, a burst of energy is sent up to street level to help charge an electric car. Barcelona...

Schools are cutting bus service for children. Parents are turning to ride-hailing apps

Dec. 16, 2024 08:47 AM EST

CHICAGO (AP) — Ismael El-Amin was driving his daughter to school when a chance encounter gave him an idea for a new way to carpool. On the way across Chicago, El-Amin’s daughter spotted a classmate riding with her own dad as they drove to their selective public school on the...

GM to retreat from robotaxis and stop funding its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit

Dec. 10, 2024 18:04 PM EST

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors said Tuesday it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems for personal vehicles like...

Polluted communities hold their breath as companies struggle with California’s diesel truck ban

Dec. 10, 2024 12:32 PM EST

Standing in his front yard in Wilmington, Jose Ulloa can’t get a sentence out without coughing. Heavy-duty trucks, headed to and from the Port of Los Angeles, pass in front of his home all day, their engines roaring and their exhaust spewing into the air. Ulloa, who was diagnosed...

Consumer Reports survey finds electric vehicle reliability improving but lagging gas models

Dec. 05, 2024 13:58 PM EST

DETROIT (AP) — The reliability of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids has dramatically improved, narrowing a wide gap with gas-powered automobiles, according to the latest survey by Consumer Reports. But vehicles with internal combustion engines and gas-electric hybrids are...

Greek city of Thessaloniki gets new metro system with driverless trains after years of delays

Nov. 30, 2024 19:55 PM EST

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — The metro system in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki opened Saturday featuring driverless trains, and tens of thousands of people braved blustery, rainy weather to wait outside the stations to try them out. The single 13-station subway line was...

Crew mistakes caused the sinking of a New Zealand navy ship off Samoan coast, inquiry finds

Nov. 28, 2024 21:52 PM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Mistakes by members of the crew caused a New Zealand navy ship to plow into a reef off the coast of Samoa, where it caught fire and sank, according to the preliminary findings of a military Court of Inquiry released Friday. The ship’s crew did not...