Beijing lifts restrictions on DiDi ridesharing service

DiDi Chuxing’s difficulties may be coming to an end as Beijing lifts restrictions on the ridesharing service.

Beijing targeted DiDi after the company raised $4 billion from selling its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In the days following the listing, Beijing launched a data security probe into DiDi on the basis that it was “illegally collecting user data”.

Amid increased US-China tensions, Beijing has sought to clamp down on Chinese firms listing in...

17 January 2023 | Applications

Oxbotica raises $140M to expand its B2B autonomous vehicle platform

B2B autonomous vehicle platform developer Oxbotica has raised a further $140 million.

The Oxford-based firm plans to use the funds to advance its goal of creating “universal autonomy” around the world.

Paul Newman, CTO and a Founder of Oxbotica, said:

“Oxbotica was founded eight years ago on the vision of Universal Autonomy—providing safe and sustainable autonomy that is independent of workplace and vehicle type.

With the greatest engineering...

11 January 2023 | Connected Vehicles

Japanese firms team up to protect connected cars

NTT Communications and DENSO are joining forces to respond “to the threat of increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks against vehicles.”

The companies are developing the Security Operation Center for Vehicles (VSOC).

Hackers target connected cars for numerous reasons, including location tracking, data gathering, and causing physical harm.

NTT brings to the partnership its vast knowledge and solutions in fields such as networking and cloud computing....

18 October 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Ex-Apple engineer pleads guilty to stealing autonomous car secrets

A former Apple engineer has pled guilty to stealing hardware and schematics for the company’s autonomous car project.

Xiaolang Zhang was arrested at San Jose International Airport back in 2018 while attempting to catch a last-minute flight to China.

Zhang was accused of stealing circuit boards and a Linux server from Apple’s secret development labs. He also allegedly transferred a 25-page document to his wife’s laptop that included technical manuals and engineering...

23 August 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Uber begins testing bus and train bookings in the UK

Uber has begun testing a feature that allows UK citizens to book rail and bus transport.

By allowing users to book alternative transport types at the same time as their traditional car rides, Uber hopes to become a one-stop shop for journeys.

"We’re excited to launch our new travel offering this summer, allowing a seamless door-to-door travel experience across the UK," said Andrew Brem, GM of Uber UK, in a statement.

For the feature, Uber has teamed up with...

3 August 2022 | Applications

China to hit mobility giant Didi with a $1B fine

Chinese authorities are set to hit mobility giant Didi with a $1 billion fine, a move that could end a torrid period for the firm.

Didi has been in the spotlight of the Chinese government after the company raised $4 billion from selling its stocks in New York.

Beijing launched a data security probe into Didi in the days after its New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing; claiming that it was “illegally collecting user data”. However, both the country’s regulators and...

20 July 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Cisco and Verizon demo millisecond C-V2X connectivity using MEC

Cisco and Verizon have partnered up to demonstrate millisecond C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything) connectivity.

The partners used a proof-of-concept demo in Las Vegas to show how cellular and MEC (mobile edge compute) technology can be combined to unlock innovative new solutions for connected vehicles.

“This test is a huge milestone in proving that the future of connectivity for IoT applications can be powered by cellular,” said Krishna Iyer, Director of Systems...

31 March 2022 | 4G

Vodafone aims to improve European road safety with new platform

Vodafone is launching a platform that uses data from connected vehicles and devices to improve the safety of European roads.

The new ‘Safer Transport for Europe Platform’ (STEP) is free and compatible with all in-vehicle navigation systems and third-party map apps.

By facilitating faster and more efficient information-sharing between road users, transport authorities, and each other, Vodafone believes it can greatly improve road safety.

Joakim Reiter, Chief...

30 March 2022 | Applications

Pony.ai agrees to recall its self-driving system

Pony.ai has agreed to advice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall its self-driving system.

NHTSA says that it’s the “first recall of an automated driving system”.

On 28 October 2021, a Pony.ai vehicle crashed into a street sign in Fremont, California after turning right. No-one was injured in the incident, but it was enough for California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to suspend Pony.ai’s driverless testing...

9 March 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Baidu wants to deploy robotaxis in 100 cities by 2030

Chinese tech giant Baidu has set out plans to deploy robotaxis in 100 cities by 2030.

Baidu’s first target is to cover 65 cities by 2025, followed by a further 35 cities by 2030.

The roadmap was unveiled by CEO and Co-Founder Robin Li during Baidu’s Q4 2021 earnings call.

Revenues from Baidu Core increased 21 percent year-over-year in 2021, driven by a 71 percent increase in non-advertising revenue–showing the company is finding success away from its...

2 March 2022 | Connected Vehicles