Tesla workers in Germany complain about home visits from their bosses
Enlarge / Tesla's factory in Gruenheide, Germany.Sean Gallup/Getty Images Tesla's German car factory on the outskirts of Berlin allegedly operates under a "culture of fear," and its workers take sick leave at more than three times the industry average. The plant, which was targeted by arsonists earlier this year, is now experiencing a degree of…
Flaw in Kia’s web portal let researchers track, hack cars
When security researchers in the past found ways to hijack vehicles' Internet-connected systems, their proof-of-concept demonstrations tended to show, thankfully, that hacking cars is hard. Exploits like the ones that hackers used to remotely take over a Chevrolet Impala in 2010 or a Jeep in 2015 took years of work to develop and required ingenious…
EV sales remain healthy despite online doom and gloom
Aurich Lawson | Getty Images Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 8 percent of new vehicle sales in June and July of this year and should be above 8 percent for September, according to estimates from S&P Global Mobility. While growth has slowed from the 50 percent year over year we experienced in 2023, the trend is…
The 1963 Ford Cardinal—too radical for America at the time
Enlarge / This was supposed to be Ford's answer to the VW Beetle, a small, light, efficient, front-wheel drive car called Cardinal. Ford Between 100 percent tariffs and now an impending ban on software, it's clear that America's auto industry is more than a little worried about having its lunch eaten by heavily subsidized Chinese…
Tesla Full Self Driving requires human intervention every 13 miles
Enlarge / An independent automotive testing company has evaluated Tesla FSD, and it found some concerning results.PonyWang/Getty Images Tesla's controversial "Full Self Driving" is now capable of some quite advanced driving. But that can breed undeserved complacency, according to independent testing. The partially automated driving system exhibited dangerous behavior that required human intervention more than…
Car software patches are over 20% of recalls, study finds
Getty Images Software fixes are now responsible for more than 1 in 5 automotive recalls. That's the key finding from a decade's worth of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall data, according to an analysis from the law firm DeMayo Law. While that's a sign of growing inconvenience for drivers, the silver lining is that…
US to ban Chinese connected car software and hardware, citing security...
Getty Images The US government is readying its latest measure to defend local automotive manufacturing. In May, US President Joe Biden levied new 100 percent tariffs targeted at specific Chinese automakers. Now, the US Commerce Department is set to enact a de facto ban on most Chinese vehicles, by prohibiting Chinese connected car software and…
Hybrid RV with a solar roof can power your home in...
Enlarge / This is Thor and Harbinger's test bed for a new Class A hybrid RV.Thor Electrification is moving through different parts of the automotive industry at different speeds. And soon, it will be time for the recreational vehicle segment to start adding batteries and electric motors. Today, Thor Industries revealed a new hybrid class…
Headlamp tech that doesn’t blind oncoming drivers—where is it?
Enlarge / No one likes being dazzled by an oncoming car at night. Getty Images Magna provided flights from Washington, DC, to Detroit and accommodation so Ars could attend its tech day. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. TROY, Mich.—Despite US dominance in so many different areas of technology, we're sadly somewhat of a…
Tesla’s Superchargers open up to GM EVs today—adapters needed
Enlarge / The Hummer EV and its gargantuan 205 kWh pack is among the GM EVs that gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network today.GMC Starting today, electric vehicles made by General Motors gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network for the first time. GM signed a deal with Tesla last June to allow its…
