California Opened the Door to Robot Semis. Most of the Homework Gets Done in Texas.
California's new heavy-duty AV rules demand a million autonomous miles before a driverless semi can deploy, but up to 800,000…
Government Regulation
Tesla’s Semi Plant Opens, Rivian Recalls Nearly 99,000 EVs, and What Else Moved
Tesla's Semi factory opens, Rivian recalls 98,828 EVs over backup cameras, Geely hits four-minute charging, and the BYD question hangs…
Today in Automotive History: September 24, 1948 — Honda Is Founded With 1 Million Yen and a Bicycle Engine
Honda was founded on Sept. 24, 1948, with 1 million yen and a bicycle engine. The company born that day…
1,043 Radiators, Declared at $5.54 Each. The Parts Weren’t Fake — the Importer Was.
CBP seized 1,043 automotive radiators in Norfolk that were imported on a stolen American identity and declared at $5.54 each.…
Florida County Has No Idea Where Mysterious LPR Cameras Came From
St. Lucie County revoked authorization for 52 license plate readers on county right-of-way, then discovered its own permit file could…
Staged Car Crash Bill: What H.R. 10269 Would Actually Change
There’s a con that plays out on highways and in parking lots: a car pulls...
The Nitrous Ban Headed for a House Vote Protects Whipped Cream. Racers Get a 1972 Loophole.
H.R. 7945 would make any consumer product containing nitrous oxide a banned hazardous product 180 days after enactment. The bill…
He Imported 44 Fake Honda Airbags. The Trademark Is What Made It A Federal Crime.
Twenty counterfeit Honda airbags reached the United States labeled as desktop night lights. The federal case that followed rests on…
The Feds Want To Write One Company’s Patented Part Into America’s Next Crash Test Dummy
A new NHTSA notice on the THOR-50M crash test dummy proposes specifying a patented Humanetics spine, while a rival Kistler…
California Just Made CARB’s Silence Mean Yes on Aftermarket Parts
Governor Gavin Newsom signed three car bills on September 16. Two of them got a...
Today in Automotive History: September 23, 2020 — The Order Behind California’s 2035 Gas Car Ban
On Sept. 23, 2020, Newsom signed the order behind the California gas car ban. It never banned a gas car,…
California Will Yank Your Registration Over a Loud Exhaust Ticket. Yes, Really.
A one-day Orange County crackdown produced 18 loud exhaust citations. The real story is what happens to those tickets after…
California Redesigned Its License Plates. The Math Didn’t Change At All.
California is switching to a three-numbers-three-letters-one-number plate sequence. The math is identical to the old format, which tells you the…
Somebody Took Apart A Flock Camera And Found 1.6 Million Photos, Including One Of A Flag Patch
A hacked Flock camera's own logs show 28 photos per passing car and 50,200 vehicles in 21 days. The plate…
Nobody Can Build A Refinery In 90 Days, So The Feds Just Let Fuel Truckers Drive 16-Hour Shifts
FMCSA just handed gasoline and diesel haulers a 90-day pass to run 16-hour days. The ceiling isn't new, the justification…