China’s robotaxis charged ahead in 2021

Autonomous driving startups in China are in an arms race to put passengers in their machine-driven vehicles. Every few weeks, news arrives that another major player has got the greenlight to launch a new pilot program or a small-scale service. These press releases, often dotted with regulatory jargon and flowery language to aggrandize the companies’ […]

GM finally agrees California can set vehicle emissions rules as it preps to scale EVs

In what appears to be a politically and economically savvy move by General Motors, the automaker said Sunday it recognized California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to set its own vehicle emissions standards. GM previously backed the Trump administration’s efforts to bar the state from enforcing its own rules for new vehicles, a position […]

GM delays production of new Chevy Bolt EVs until end of January

General Motors will continue to delay production of new Chevrolet Bolt EVs at the company’s Orion assembly plant in Michigan “through the week of Jan. 24, 2022,” the company said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The automaker said it would instead “continue to focus on battery module replacements” for tens of thousands […]

GM acquires 25% stake in electric boat company Pure Watercraft

General Motors has taken a 25% stake in Seattle-based electric boating company Pure Watercraft. GM’s move reflects a broadening interest in all things EV, including boats and other vehicles, and comes as part of the automaker’s commitment to invest $35 billion in electric and autonomous technology through 2025. Pure Watercraft makes all-electric outboard motor systems, […]

GM has started shipping replacement battery modules for recalled Chevy Bolt EVs

General Motors has started shipping to dealers replacement battery modules for recalled Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles after delays caused by shutdowns at multiple manufacturing plants as a result of the widespread shortage of semiconductors. The two battery assembly facilities, in Holland and Hazel Park, Michigan, resumed production at the end of September. At that time, […]

Cruise plans to have ‘tens of thousands’ of Origin AVs on roads in coming years

Cruise expects to leap from a limited commercial robotaxi and delivery service that will start in earnest in 2022 to a business of “tens of thousands” of its purpose-built Origin AVs on the road over the next few years. The eye-popping projections will be reached, according to CEO Dan Ammann, through a combination of regulatory […]

GM builds new center to unlock cheaper, longer range batteries

General Motors is building a new facility at its Warren, Michigan campus aimed at unlocking breakthrough cell technology that will drive down the cost of batteries while improving their range. The automaker said Tuesday that the initial phase of the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center, which will be about 300,000 square feet and located on […]