Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

New Delhi: India is set to enter a transformative "smartphone era" for cars in 2025, with the introduction of vehicles featuring 5G M2M connectivity and advanced AI technologies, according to the latest findings from Techarc's India Connected Consumer Report 2025. The report said the automotive sector will skip 4G and will enable connectivity using the latest 5G cellular technology. It observed that consumers are interested in spending money on improving the value proposition in terms of features, quality and experience rather than exploring too many smart devices. "22 per cent of the respondents shared about considering optimising their smart devices portfolio. Among the new set of categories, smart/connected cars is generating high interest among consumers. 55 per cent of the respondents said that they have come across news or information about smart/connected cars in recent times," it said. Starting in 2025, passenger cars in India will be equipped with 5G M2M connectivity, on-device GenAI, and cloud connectivity, making advanced technologies accessible across various price segments, it added. In-vehicle computing and artificial intelligence (GenAI), along with cloud applications, will become essential components of cars, enabling real-time data processing to support drivers effectively. Most cars priced at Rs 20 lakh and above will feature these technologies as standard. The cumulative revenues from automotive chipset companies have already surpassed USD 1.5 billion, with companies like Qualcomm and MediaTek leading the market. Some of the familiar applications that consumers will be able to use while driving include communication apps for audio/video conferencing, OTT entertainment apps, music streaming, podcasts, online shopping, vehicle maintenance, and servicing. "With connectivity and the technologies it brings to the cars, the future of the automobile sector will be fundamentally determined by the auto-technologies that will influence the overall experience, performance, comfort, safety and entertainment available to the drivers as well as the passengers. "So far, such features were seen as luxury or high-end experiences. But starting 2025, many of these will become mainstream for cars in India," Techarc AutoTech Analyst Sadat Ahanger said. With 22 automobile manufacturers producing nearly 5 million passenger vehicles annually in India, the country is poised to become a leader in the global 5G M2M market within the next few years, the report said. About 21 per cent of respondents said MG Motors is the leader in providing <keyword id="24016739" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="connected-cars-in-India" source="keywords">connected cars in India</keyword>, followed closely by Kia Motors at 18 per cent and Tata Motors at 15 per cent, it added. Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki also ranked among the top-five brands in this category. The report draws insights from a survey of 4,500 "connected consumers" across metro and non-metro cities. The report defined a connected consumer as one owning at least 3 smart devices in addition to a smartphone.

India to shift to 'smartphone era' for cars embracing 5G, advanced AI in 2025: Report

In these divided times, everything is political, from the news we consume to the fast food we binge. But consciously or unconsciously, no consumer choice says "us vs. them" more than what car we choose to drive. To get a sense of how our rides reflect our political leanings, we compared <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/methodology-for-car-database-united-states-of-automobiles-2024-10">1.7 million vehicles</a> listed on CarGurus with the results from the 2020 presidential election. We included only counties that were strongly red or blue — those where either Donald Trump or Joe Biden won by at least 19 percentage points. Then we placed every car on a political spectrum from reddest to bluest.Explore the United States of Automobiles• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-car-models-interactive-guide-politics-color-brand-location-2024-10">See where in America your vehicle is most popular</a>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-most-popular-car-models-state-city-county-geography-2024-10">Check out the cars your neighbors love most</a>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-car-colors-boring-black-white-gray-cost-cutting-2024-10">Cars used to be really colorful. What happened?</a>• <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/methodology-for-car-database-united-states-of-automobiles-2024-10">How we crunched the numbers</a>The results were illuminating. The most Republican vehicle in America? The Jeep Wrangler. The second most Republican vehicle? The Jeep Gladiator. And eight of the 10 reddest vehicles are American-made. If you like Trump, you probably like Chevys.<h2 id="eef577ae-00d6-446b-89e7-1387ed3ffdbb">Top 10 most Republican vehicles</h2>The reverse was true for blue counties. The most Democratic vehicle in America is the Toyota Prius. And eight of the 10 bluest vehicles are foreign-made. If you like Biden, you probably get your oil changed at a VW dealership.<h2 id="951e1f99-f84d-49be-9311-17ef080c9719">Top 10 most Democratic vehicles</h2>But most interesting of all are the vehicles that appeal to both sides of the political divide. Despite some of its models ranking high with Republicans, the purplest carmaker in America — the one that spans the widest range on the red-blue spectrum — is Jeep. The automaker, it turns out, has made a conscious effort to transcend tribalism and forge a bond with Americans of every political leaning: veterans who drove a Jeep in the Army, soccer moms concerned about space and safety, tree huggers eager to get off-road, MAGA lovers looking for an all-American ride. (Never mind that Jeep is owned by Stellantis, a multinational automotive conglomerate headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.)"To develop a culture around an entire brand — it's not luck of the draw," says Ivan Drury, the director of insights for Edmunds, a leading guide for car shoppers. "It takes direction and purpose. What Jeep pulls off is extremely difficult."It began with the Jeep Wrangler, the brand's most iconic model. First offered for sale in 1987, the Wrangler recalled the glory days of the Greatest Generation, while offering an off-road aesthetic that appealed to red and blue alike. From there, Jeep made sure that drivers could grow up — and grow old — with the brand. Dave Kelleher, a Jeep dealer in swing-state Pennsylvania, has watched customers graduate from Jeep to Jeep as their lifestyles changed. A young man in his 20s might start out in a Wrangler, and a wife and a few kids later he has cycled up through the Grand Cherokee, a larger family car that starts at $38,800, and the Grand Wagoneer, a three-row luxury SUV whose sticker price can soar into the six digits. "The halo of Wrangler brings people into the brand," Kelleher says, "and that DNA is still in every other Jeep they sit in."<h2 id="21b0fac9-f8c9-4bb6-8428-b4b60d236b81">How purple is your car brand?</h2>Jeep's appeal is so widespread, in fact, that its fans have launched a dizzying array of online clubs and forums, from "Jeep Girls" and "Outlaw Jeep," to "Deep and Dirty Jeep Club." Owners stage Jeep Jamborees all across the country, from the desert of Moab to the mountains of Appalachia. They line the streets of the Toledo Jeep Fest, an annual celebration of the brand in the city where the iconic Wrangler is assembled. And ever since the COVID pandemic, they've started leaving rubber duckies on each other's cars — an inside signal to other drivers that you're both a part of the club. In an age of political extremes, America may be, as Lincoln feared, a house divided. But with enough Jeeps parked in front of the house, perhaps there's still a hope we can remain united.Text by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/mark-healy">Mark Healy</a>, founder of Flipturn Creative Studios, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/nora-naughton">Nora Naughton</a>, BI's senior auto reporter. Data by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/andrew-thompson">Andrew Thompson</a>, creator of <a target="_blank" href="https://components.one/">Components</a>, a cultural research project.

Red car, blue car: see where your ride ranks on the political spectrum

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="20948500" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mira-Murati" source="keywords">Mira Murati</keyword> is leaving <keyword id="19918823" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="OpenAI" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="OpenAI" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="OpenAI">OpenAI</keyword>, causing shockwaves in the <keyword id="20790511" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tech-sector" source="keywords">tech sector</keyword>.</li><li>Murati's departure follows a series of high-profile exits from OpenAI this year.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mira-murati-openai-cto-leaving-executive-memo-staff-2024-9">Mira Murati announced on Wednesday</a> that she is leaving OpenAI, where she served as chief technology officer and interim CEO after <keyword id="19918827" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sam-Altman" source="keywords">Sam Altman</keyword> was briefly ousted in November. Her departure immediately set off shockwaves across the tech sector. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-25/openai-cto-mira-murati-says-she-will-leave-the-company">Bloomberg reported</a> that employees used a "WTF" emoji in Slack in response to the news. There's also rampant speculation on X about why she is leaving — and where she'll end up next. And then, of course, there are the memes on social media, poking fun at the high-profile departures that have happened this year. One VC joked that OpenAI lacked a C-suite. Others pointed to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/_thatstartupguy/status/1839037417912783194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1839037417912783194%7Ctwgr%5Ef6eb4801b303d0ceadb67d0b3b6778b877e6d9a6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmuse.insider.com%2Fstory%2F66f48f0b69657a7deb4de735">2023 </a><a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/_thatstartupguy/status/1839037417912783194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1839037417912783194%7Ctwgr%5Ef6eb4801b303d0ceadb67d0b3b6778b877e6d9a6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmuse.insider.com%2Fstory%2F66f48f0b69657a7deb4de735">Wired magazine cover</a> featuring CEO Altman, Murati, former chief scientist and cofounder Ilya Sutskever, and Greg Brockman, the company's president and cofounder. Wired, at the time, called the OpenAI execs the world's "AI overlords." Of the four, only Altman and Brockman are left at the company, and Brockman is on extended leave through the end of the year. Sutskever announced his departure from OpenAI in May and launched his own AI startup focused on safety. The snark on X, meanwhile, has reached critical mass. A few hours after Murati announced her departure, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-openai-note-more-staff-exits-barret-bob-2024-9">two other OpenAi departures </a>were announced on X: Bob McGrew, the company's chief research officer, and Barret Zoph, the vice president of research. Left on the leadership team are CFO Sarah Friar; Chief Scientist Officer Jakub Pachocki, who replaced Sutskever: Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap; and Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil. Of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/638f67f7-5375-47fc-b3a7-af7c9e05b9e0">11 cofounders</a> of OpenAI from 2015, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crew-of-10-helped-sam-altman-found-openai-dwindled-2-2024-8">only Altman, Brockman (who, again, is on leave), and Wojciech Zaremba remain</a>. One of the cofounders, Elon Musk, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. Musk dropped, then reopened the suit in August, saying he believed he was helping start a nonprofit and had been "deceived." OpenAI responded to the lawsuit, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-fightingwars-alot-of-fronts-2024-8">telling Business Insider</a> in an August statement: "As we said about Elon's initial legal filing, which was subsequently withdrawn, Elon's prior emails continue to speak for themselves." OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI on McGrew and Zoph's departures. The brain drain has also included other high-profile exits, including former researcher and head of alignment <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jan-leike-ilya-sutskever-resignations-superalignment-openai-superintelligence-safe-humanity-2024-5">Jan Leike</a>, who announced his resignation in May, shortly after Sutskever. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-safety-researchers-quit-superalignment-sam-altman-chatgpt-2024-5" target="_blank">Daniel Kokotajlo and William Saunders</a>, who worked on OpenAI's governance and safety teams, left in the first half of the year. Additionally, OpenAI cofounder John Schulman left in August to join OpenAI rival Anthropic — where Leike also landed. And another cofounder, Andrej Karpathy, left in February 2024. In August, Kokotajlo said that about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-lost-nearly-half-agi-safety-team-ex-researcher-2024-8">half of the people focused on AI safety had left the company</a>. "It's not been like a coordinated thing," he told Fortune. "I think it's just people sort of individually giving up." OpenAI, which was founded in 2015, has been the dominant player in the AI race since the launch of ChatGPT in late November 2022. It has since launched more sophisticated versions of ChatGPT, its text-to-image model DALL-E, and GPT 4o. The startup also announced a voice assistant, a text-to-video model named Sora, and its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-o1-product-name-strawberry-2024-9">most sophisticated AI model, o1</a>, which the startup said can reason. But rivals — including some OpenAI investors like Microsoft — are catching up. On Wednesday, Meta announced that Meta AI is on track to be "the most used AI assistant in the world." OpenAI's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-openai-mission-drift-for-profit-nonprofit-structure-investment-2024-9">latest funding round </a>— which would bring its valuation to $150 billion — is now nearly complete and could include investors like Apple and Nvidia, per <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-19/openai-to-decide-which-backers-to-let-into-6-5-billion-funding?embedded-checkout=true">Bloomberg</a>. And Altman, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/open-ai-sam-altman-equity-stake-valuation-private-nonprofit-9">according to Reuters</a> and Bloomberg, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/open-ai-sam-altman-equity-stake-valuation-private-nonprofit-9">could be in for a large payday</a> with a reported company restructuring that would shift the startup away from its current nonprofit status. Correction: September 26, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated when Daniel Kokotajlo and William Saunders left OpenAI. They left in the first half of this year, not last year.

The OpenAI talent exodus has become the joke of the moment in tech world

<ul class="summary-list"><li>London-based Wayve is one of Europe's buzziest self-driving startups, attracting funding from Microsoft and SoftBank.</li><li>The company is now expanding into the US, and has started testing its vehicles in California.</li></ul>Europe's buzzy self-driving startup is about to face a new challenge — driving on the opposite side of the road.London-based Wayve has ambitious plans for global expansion after receiving backing from Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoftBank.The company announced in October that it would start testing its advanced driver assist technology in California, joining <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-ride-six-hours-longest-youtube-sf-san-francisco-robotaxi-2024-10">Waymo</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-full-self-driving-mode-fsd-zoox-robotaxi-amazon-2024-10">Amazon-backed Zoox</a> in driving on public roads in the US.That will see its vehicles face a similar headache to human drivers traveling across the Atlantic — switching from UK roads, where cars drive on the left rather than the right."There's going to be some new challenges, whether it's driving on the right side of the road, four-way stop signs, or right turn on a red. These are things that we don't have in the UK," Alex Kendall, Wayve's CEO, told Business Insider in an interview.Wayve's self-driving software is trained on the streets of London and other UK cities, known for being narrower and more crowded than the wide-open roads of California.<div type="image" title="Alex Kendall, CEO of Wayve" height="1875" width="2500" msid="115141699" hostid="261" sizebytes="463596"></div>But the startup, which recently raised over $1 billion from investors including Microsoft and Nvidia, is confident that it can make the leap.Wayve's fleet of Ford Mach-Es uses an end-to-end AI model that learns how to drive from real-world testing and simulations.That's a different approach from companies like Waymo, which rely on radar systems like lidar and high-precision mapping to limit their vehicles to operating in certain areas.Tesla has shunned lidar to rely exclusively on cameras and AI for its driver-assist systems, with Elon Musk previously <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-wrong-about-self-driving-strategy-needs-lidar-experts-2018-9">calling lidar a "crutch."</a> Tesla still spent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-lidar-technology-spending-luminar-elon-musk-comments-2024-5">at least $2 million on the technology</a> in the first quarter of 2024, though it is unclear what it was used for.Kendall said Wayve's approach allowed the company's software to generalize and adjust to new rules of the road in much the same way a human would.He told BI that Wayve was already seeing its vehicles learn to read four-way stop signs, weeks after it started testing a fleet of Ford Mach-Es with safety drivers in California."That level of behavior took us significantly more time and effort to learn in the UK. So what that shows to us is that we are generalizing," said Kendall.<h2 id="1fbecf35-04cd-448e-9e22-ef758d053a82">Big year for Wayve</h2>The expansion to the US caps a big year for Wayve, whose AI-first approach to autonomous vehicles has caught the eye of everyone from Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun to Bill Gates, who praised the company last year after taking one of Wayve's vehicles for a spin.The London-based startup has opened new offices in Vancouver and San Francisco, with Kendall saying the latter was partly to be closer to partners such as Microsoft and Nvidia.Wayve has also struck a partnership with Uber, which Kendall described as a three-way partnership that will see the two companies work with automakers to equip consumer vehicles with Wayve's driver-assist technology before gradually scaling up to fully autonomous robotaxis that will be deployed on Uber's platform.The Wayve CEO said gaining access to data from a network of millions of consumer vehicles across the globe would help Wayve's tech learn how to drive in different environments and cultures — a crucial step towards building fully autonomous vehicles."Ultimately we want this technology to be able to work anywhere around the world. That's going to require some exposure to data around the world," Kendall said.<h2 id="421bb542-72e6-4cff-b4c5-b4719abebeb4">Robotaxi wars</h2>After years of promises and false starts, autonomous vehicles seem to have taken a big step closer to breaking through to the mainstream.Alphabet-owned Waymo, which runs its robotaxi ride-hailing network in several US cities, recently said it serves<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-third-quarter-earnings-report-q3-2024-2024-10"> around 150,000 paid rides</a> a week, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-is-pouring-billions-into-waymos-self-driving-vehicles-2024-7">up from 50,000 in Q2</a>.Despite scrutiny <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi-empire-scrutiny-fsd-full-self-driving-2024-10">over its Full-Self-Driving technology</a>, Tesla is also set to join the robotaxi wars after unveiling a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-elon-musk-fan-robotaxi-event-experiences-cybercab-2024-10">steering wheel-less "Cybercab"</a> at an event in California in October.Wayve has taken a different approach. Rather than building its own robotaxi fleet, the company plans to license its software to different automakers. Kendall said this would give Wayve a crucial advantage over firms like Waymo, which currently only operate in certain cities."I think the way that the way that autonomy will succeed at scale is through a system that has the intelligence to make decisions itself. And a geofenced approach fundamentally limits the utility of such a system," said Kendall.Ultimately, Kendall said that autonomous vehicles will only have their "ChatGPT moment" once they expand beyond specially modified robotaxis into everyday consumer vehicles."I would argue that getting this into consumer vehicles is what's going lead to that experience. It's not constrained, geofenced, affluent robotaxi models," he said.<div type="image" title="Wayve self-driving car testing in California" height="667" width="1000" msid="115141702" hostid="261" sizebytes="105528"></div>Kendall added that Wayve's "embodied" AI system's ability to understand the physical world has applications beyond self-driving cars and hinted that Wayve could one day join <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-optimus-humanoid-robots-robotaxi-day-2024-10">Elon Musk's Tesla in entering the robotics field</a>."The majority of the work we do is in the physical world. Having intelligent and trusted machines that we can delegate tasks to and free up time for what matters most is something I'd love to enable," he said."I think the first example of that we'll see is with self-driving, but longer term there's going to be a huge wealth of opportunities. I'd love Wayve to help get us into this age of autonomy," he added.

Wayve's CEO talks teaching self-driving cars to handle US roads

Sixty-six percent of <keyword id="23012810" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="road-traffic-deaths" source="keywords">road traffic deaths</keyword> in <keyword id="19952305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Southeast-Asia" source="keywords">Southeast Asia</keyword> are of <keyword id="20239488" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pedestrians" source="keywords">pedestrians</keyword>, motorized <keyword id="20937113" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="two-wheeler-riders" source="keywords">two-wheeler riders</keyword>, and <keyword id="20007750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cyclists" source="keywords">cyclists</keyword>, while the highest traffic fatalities in India are among two- and three-wheeler riders, according to the latest <keyword id="20738786" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO-report" source="keywords">WHO report</keyword>. The "WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on <keyword id="20187029" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="road-safety" source="keywords">Road Safety</keyword>" was launched during "Safety 2024", the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 2024. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, 30% of reported road traffic deaths involved users of powered two- and three-wheelers. Occupants of four-wheeled vehicles make up 25% of the deaths and pedestrians account for 21 %. Cyclists represent 5% of the deaths. The remaining 20% include occupants of large vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, and other or unknown user types. "In the WHO Southeast Asia Region, the share of reported road traffic deaths is 46% for users of powered two- and three-wheelers, 12 for occupants of four-wheeled vehicles, 17% for pedestrians, 3% for cyclists and 22% for others. In all these countries, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, motorised two-wheeler users and bicyclists) constitute 66% of the total reported road traffic deaths," the report said. "Drivers or riders of two and three-wheelers constitute the highest proportion among all road user categories in India (45.1%), Maldives (100 %), Myanmar (47%) and Thailand (51.4%)," it added. The WHO noted that no country in the South Asian region had achieved the target of reducing its estimated road traffic deaths by 50 %. However, considerable reduction in the WHO's estimated road traffic deaths occurred in the Maldives and Thailand, where estimated road traffic deaths decreased by 46.2% and 41.7 %, respectively. On the contrary, reported road traffic deaths in the region increased by 15 % in the 2010-2021 period. At the country level, no member state of the Southeast Asia Region with more than 10 million population has reported a decrease in road traffic deaths during this period. "However, it should be noted that the reported number of road traffic deaths in Thailand reduced by 22.9% between 2016 and 2021. The estimated road traffic deaths too increased in Bangladesh, India and Nepal during the period 2010-2021 by 23 %, 2% and 25%, respectively," the report said. Etienne Krug, director of the WHO's Department for Social Determinants of Health, said road traffic crashes were a major crisis of the 21st century. "...a large proportion of people who die in road crashes are those who cannot afford to buy a car. This is urgent time to take action. The report reveals that the crisis is huge but we need to understand and act with determination that prevention is possible and needs strict enforcement," he said. The three-day conference is being hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi; George Institute for Global Health in collaboration with the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS), National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and co-sponsored by WHO. "To reduce inequities, we must acknowledge that injuries disproportionately impact vulnerable communities -- because we are far behind in addressing real problems with real solutions. Lived experience shows how policy shapes differential exposure, risk, and outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for change," said Jagnoor Jagnoor, head of injury division at George Institute for Global Health. During the conference, the international experts are uniting with a shared goal of "building a safer future for all: Equitable and sustainable strategies for injury and violence prevention". The conference will focus on five key themes -- improving coordination and collaboration among stakeholders, strengthening capacity for research and practice, integrating injury prevention with global health agendas such as sustainability and equity, empowering communities, and promoting informed policymaking.

Pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheeler riders constitute 66% of road fatalities in Southeast Asia, says a WHO report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Helene caused at least 6 EV fires in Florida, according to state officials.</li><li>Saltwater can corrode lithium-ion batteries, leading to short-circuits and fires.</li></ul>Soon after Hurricane Helene barreled into northwestern Florida, local government officials <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1886706438505288&amp;ref=sharing">shared footage</a> of an electric vehicle catching fire in a flooded garage.The video, posted by Pinellas County officials on social media, came with a warning for EV owners about the risks posed by salt water, which can corrode lithium-ion batteries and cause them to short-circuit and overheat. Don't "charge, drive, or store your EV or E-bike in your home or garage,"the post said. It recommended they "move the EV or E-bike 50 feet away from any other combustible material" and "have the vehicle towed to a dealership for inspection."Florida officials said on Tuesday that they had <a target="_blank" href="https://myfloridacfo.com/news/pressreleases/press-release-details/2024/10/02/fire-safety-alert-cfo---state-fire-marshal-jimmy-patronis--lithium-ion-batteries-are-ticking-time-bombs-in-wake-of-hurricane-helene">since confirmed 16 lithium-ion-battery fires</a> related to Hurricane Helene's storm surge, six of which were in EVs. Electric golf carts, e-bikes, and other battery-powered devices are also a hazard. The fires led Florida's chief financial officer and fire marshal, Jimmy Patronis, to call on automakers to be more proactive about notifying customers about moving their EVs to higher ground ahead of a storm (as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-electric-vehicles-evs-owners-fire-risk-safety-tips-2024-10">Gov. Ron DeSantis</a> did before Helene arrived) and about what to do if an EV is flooded."It's not too late for these manufacturers to send out notifications and fire safety information directly to their consumers," Patronis said in a statement, adding that his office was coordinating with emergency responders to make residents aware of the risks.The warnings come at a critical time for the EV industry. Consumer demand for EVs has been slower than expected this year, and Republicans including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-elon-musk-tesla-electric-vehicle-tax-credit-oil-2024-7">JD Vance have attacked the industry</a> in the run-up to the presidential election in November. J.D. Power has forecast that EVs will account for 9% of the market this year — a figure the group <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jdpower.com/business/resources/jd-power-revises-ev-retail-share-forecast">revised down from 12% because of slower adoption</a>. Surveys have suggested that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-charging-range-improving-americans-still-dont-want-electric-cars-2024-9">Americans are a lot more concerned about finding chargers</a> than safety, but viral videos of EV fires could fuel skepticism.Brent Gruber, the executive director of J.D. Power's electric-vehicle practice, told Business Insider that because of the recent fires, his team planned to begin tracking consumers' concern about EV fires.Some data from the Transportation Department and Tesla suggests EVs catch fire less often than hybrid or gas-powered cars on the road or in crashes. Saltwater storm surges during Hurricanes Ida, Ian, and now Helene pose a risk to lithium-ion batteries, but it's not clear how often EV fires occur during extreme weather events.A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its data on vehicle fires was limited to fires after fatal crashes. The agency said that since Hurricane Ian struck Florida in 2022, it has monitored reports of EV fires during coastal storms in the southeastern and northeastern US and in California. It said reports of EV fires resulting from saltwater flooding came only from Florida."More research is underway to better understand the interaction of high-voltage battery systems and saltwater immersion," the spokesperson said. They added that the agency had proposed updating some safety requirements for EV batteries to reduce the risk of these fires.Albert Gore, the executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, which represents EV makers like Tesla and Rivian, told Business Insider that manufacturers had done a lot of outreach over the past decade to local fire departments about EV-battery safety. He emphasized that the fires seemed to be limited to coastal regions where saltwater storm surge is a risk and argued that EVs in general are much less likely to catch fire than gas-powered vehicles."The most important piece of information to communicate is if you live in an area where there's a risk of hurricanes and storm surge, it's really important to move that vehicle to higher ground," Gore said.Several fire departments along Florida's coastline told Business Insider that they'd been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-vehicle-fires-what-to-know-2023-11">educating their emergency responders</a> and the public about how to prevent and put out EV fires since Hurricane Ian in 2022.Kelsey Grentzer, a spokesperson for the government in Pinellas County, which covers St. Petersburg and Clearwater, said that so far during Hurricane Helene, emergency responders in the county had been called out to at least 93 vehicle fires. Grentzer said they were still analyzing the breakdown of how many were gas cars versus EVs.Heather Mazurkiewicz, a spokesperson for the North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District, which covers Naples, didn't have an exact figure for Helene but said the district had been taking the problem seriously."There's no predictability as to how or when a fire will start from the battery compartment. They're extremely volatile," Mazurkiewicz said.Even after an EV battery fire appears to be extinguished, lingering stored energy can cause what's known as a "thermal runaway," a cycle of overheating and over-pressurizing. Putting out the battery fire can require more than 10,0000 gallons of water, Mazurkiewicz added.The volatility was on display in the Pinellas County officials' viral video. The EV owners <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox13news.com/news/electric-vehicle-catches-fire-garage-destroys-home-during-hurricane-helene">told a local Fox affiliate</a> that they narrowly escaped their home in Siesta Key as it became engulfed in flames and that they didn't know that a small amount of flooding could ignite the EV.

Viral videos of EVs catching fire after Hurricane Helene raise safety concerns in Florida

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tesla stock surged as much as 8% after a report said President-elect Donald Trump plans to ease self-driving car regulations.</li><li>The incoming Trump administration is aiming to prioritize a federal framework for autonomous vehicles.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> stock surged as much as 8% on Monday after a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-17/trump-team-said-to-want-to-ease-us-rules-for-self-driving-cars?srnd=homepage-americas">Bloomberg</a> report said the incoming Trump administration is seeking to relax autonomous driving regulations.That would be a boon for Tesla, which has staked its future on launching fully autonomous electric vehicles in the coming years.According to the report, President-elect Donald Trump's transition team told advisors that they plan to make implementing a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles a top priority for the Department of Transportation.The current federal rules are strict about car manufacturers selling large quantities of vehicles without steering wheels or foot pedals.For reference, Tesla CEO and Trump ally Elon Musk recently <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-cybercab-robotaxi-details-production-earnings-call-2024-10">unveiled an autonomous vehicle</a> named the Cybercab with no steering wheel or foot pedals.Tesla said it plans to begin selling the Cybercab in 2026.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allows manufacturers to deploy only 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually. Legislative efforts to increase the self-driving restriction to 100,000 vehicles per manufacturer a year have repeatedly failed.A request for comment from the Trump transition team was not immediately returned.According to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, if restrictions on fully self-driving vehicles are eased, Tesla will be the main beneficiary, calling it a "significant tailwind for Tesla's autonomous and AI vision heading into 2025.""Musk's significant influence in the Trump White House is already having a major influence and ultimately the golden path for Tesla around Cybercabs and autonomous is now within reach with an emboldened Trump/Musk strategic alliance playing out in real time and very in line with our thesis," Ives said in a note on Sunday.Ives estimates autonomous vehicles are a $1 trillion opportunity for Tesla, and if realized, could catapult Tesla to a $2 trillion valuation over the next 12 to 18 months, representing potential upside of 76% from current levels.Tesla stock has surged 37% since Donald Trump's election win earlier this month.

Tesla stock jumps 8% on Trump administration plan to relax self-driving car rules

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dylan O'Brien told Men's Health his safety concerns over a stunt in "The Maze Runner" were ignored.</li><li>He was hit by a vehicle in a "life-changing" incident.</li></ul>Dylan O'Brien claimed his concerns that a stunt on "The Maze Runner: The Death Cure" wasn't safe were ignored, resulting in an accident that left him needing reconstructive surgery. O'Brien played the lead in the dystopian "Maze Runner" action trilogy. The franchise was relatively successful, making $924 million worldwide.In 2016, O'Brien filmed a stunt for the third film, "The Death Cure," where he was meant to jump between two vehicles. Instead, he was pulled from a moving car and then hit by another vehicle.In 2020, O'Brien told <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2020/10/dylan-obrien-feeling-broken-traumatic-maze-runner-accident-the-education-of-fredrick-fitzell-1234598699/">Deadline</a> that recovery was a "rough and long road" and he felt "fucking broken." He suffered a facial fracture, concussion, and brain trauma.Since recovering, O'Brien has starred in a number of big projects including "American Assassin" with Michael Keaton and Netflix's "Love &amp; Monsters." He also plays Dan Akroyd in the upcoming <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-movie-cast-vs-real-people-snl-2024-8">"Saturday Night" movie</a>.In an interview with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a62354765/dylan-o-brien-saturday-night-interview/">Men's Health</a> published on Monday, O'Brien said: "I learned after the accident to not conflate taking care of yourself and looking after yourself."Don't let them manipulate you into thinking that is being difficult, because I can look at that day and know I was a 24-year-old kid who was raising concerns about how we were approaching things, and they were not listened to, they were not respected."And then what happened happened. And by all accounts, it was all pretty gotten away with, I would say, as well."He added: "It was a life-changing incident. I've approached everything differently, you could say, particularly with regards to standing my ground on set."It's very commonplace in the culture for young actors to be controlled, and the way they strive to do that is by always being like, 'Oh, don't become difficult. Don't be a pain in the ass. Or Are you complaining, are you being difficult?' Things like that."Representatives for Wes Ball, the director of "The Maze Runner: The Death Cure," and 20th Century Studios did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.There have been a number of incidents in recent years where stunts have gone wrong and severely injured or killed people on film sets. In 2021, actor<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alec-baldwin-shooting-rust-cinematographer-dead-timeline-2021-10"> Alec Baldwin accidentally shot</a> and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming "Rust."In July 2023, California passed a bill imposing tighter guidelines and restrictions for gun safety on film sets in the state.

Dylan O'Brien says he was ignored when he raised safety concerns about a stunt that left him 'broken' 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Good morning! Add this to the list of things that might scare you about artificial intelligence: losing your home. Real-estate scammers are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scammers-use-ai-deed-fraud-title-theft-to-steal-homes-2024-10">using AI tools to commit deed theft</a>, with the owner of a $137.5 million mansion saying they're among the victims.In today's big story, Tesla reports earnings this afternoon with the <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-q3-earnings-preview-wall-street-auto-margins-robotaxi-2024-10">focus back on its cars business</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Breaking down the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starboard-jeff-smith-74-page-presentation-pfizer-13-monitor-2024-10">74-page slideshow</a> activist investor Starboard presented to Pfizer.</li><li>Tech: Amazon's $100 billion data center dream <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-data-centers-delays-costs-power-labor-shortages-aws-ai-2024-10">is turning into a bit of a nightmare</a>.</li><li>Business: A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak-tied-quarter-pounders-2024-10">sent its share price tumbling</a>.</li></ul>But first, back to basics.If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h3 id="7fa5f018-5b05-4a37-a8dc-d3f89138bcb3">The big story</h3><h2 id="5fd547b9-ec52-41fc-8e08-4f4b27dd8097">Tesla the car company</h2><div type="image" title="Photo illustration of Elon Musk." height="882" width="1176" msid="114513508" hostid="261" sizebytes="107410"></div>Tesla has spent plenty of time discussing the future, but Wall Street wants to bring the EV giant back to the present.Elon Musk's company reports third-quarter earnings this afternoon, and analysts are focused on its core auto business. Business Insider's Matthew Fox has a rundown on <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-q3-earnings-preview-wall-street-auto-margins-robotaxi-2024-10">analysts' expectations ahead of Tesla's big day</a>.(To get real-time updates on Tesla's earnings, be sure to check out our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-tsla-earnings-call-report-live-updates-2024-10">live blog here</a>.)Musk has spent time talking up everything but the cars his company currently sells. From robotaxis to autonomous vehicles and bartending bots, Tesla's earnings calls have been heavily focused on what's next instead of what's now.Tesla has good reason to avoid talking about the present. Its sales dropped for two straight quarters <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-q3-deliveries-sales-stock-price-2024-10">before righting the ship in Q3</a>. It'll now take a massive fourth quarter for its 2024 sales to eclipse last year's figure.Touting robotaxis and pitching the company as a leader in artificial intelligence has eased the pain (and helped the stock price), but even that has its limit. Tesla's share price is still down more than 12% year-to-date after its flashy robotaxi event <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi-cybercar-analysts-self-driving-fleet-ai-2024-10">mostly fell flat with investors</a>.That's why all eyes are back on its core business of selling cars, including the status of its industry-leading profit margins.The report could signal the worst is behind Tesla … or is yet to come.<div type="image" title="Generel Motors photo collage" height="1500" width="2000" msid="114513510" hostid="261" sizebytes="91326"></div>Tesla also needs to worry about what's in its rearview mirror.General Motors' third-quarter earnings report topped estimates, leading to a nearly 10% surge in its stock. Part of its success included <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gm-stock-earnings-crushing-it-suvs-trucks-evs-2024-10">improved EV growth and profitability,</a> writes BI's Benjamin Zhang. GM now holds a 9.8% share of the US market, trailing only Tesla.That comes during what's been an overall tough time for the EV market. (But a good time for any <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-pile-up-dealer-lots-deals-discounts-leasing-2024-8">who's in the market for one</a>!)While the industry continues to grow, it's at a much slower pace than a few years ago. Automakers have been forced to readjust their strategy around breaking into the market.Overseas, things aren't much better for Tesla. China, the world's largest auto market and an area of growth for Tesla, has gotten increasingly competitive. Domestic rivals <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-chinese-ev-rivals-record-deliveries-pressure-on-elon-musk-2024-10">recently posted a record month for sales</a>, and China's EV giants stole the show at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-ev-giants-innovation-ai-auto-show-european-rivals-despair-2024-10">Europe's largest auto show</a>.<h3 id="77f31a4c-8462-4e3d-a71f-838cb79493fb">News brief</h3><h2 id="1fcd294b-3f53-425f-9f20-4093e8623b59">Top headlines</h2><ul><li>Former Abercrombie &amp; Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-abercrombie-and-fitch-ceo-mike-jefferies-arrested-2024-10">arrested in sex-trafficking case</a>.</li><li>Starbucks just pre-released its sales figures, and they show <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-quarterly-sales-dropped-as-it-faces-us-china-headwinds-2024-10">its new CEO has an uphill struggle ahead</a>.</li><li>A Michelin star might <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/restaurants-awards-michelin-star-new-york-city-dining-rent-costs-2024-10">kill your favorite restaurant</a>.</li><li>The Polymarket 'whale' is placing as many as 71 bets a minute <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polymarket-whale-trump-vs-harris-betting-odds-polls-election-2024-10">in favor of Donald Trump</a>.</li><li>Bhutan is known for prizing happiness. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bhutan-known-gross-happiness-employees-longest-working-hours-in-world-2024-10">Its people also work longer than any other country</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="8120060b-ae66-48dc-b149-f0489a30ffa2">3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla" height="683" width="1024" msid="114513505" hostid="261" sizebytes="38178"></div><ol><li>Activist investor Starboard aired its grievances to Pfizer. The hedge fund, which reportedly has a $1 billion stake in the drug giant, recently presented <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starboard-jeff-smith-74-page-presentation-pfizer-13-monitor-2024-10">a 74-page slideshow to Pfizer</a>. Its complaints included a lack of R&amp;D spend and a failure to deliver on its drug pipeline.</li><li>The bond market is scrambling to recalibrate itself. Bond yields are rising and prices are dropping as <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/treasury-yields-bonds-interest-rates-economy-inflation-election-labor-market-2024-10">traders reset their expectations of future interest rate cuts</a>. Strong economic data and a potential Trump win are believed to be the biggest factors preventing more rate cuts.</li><li>Inside Citadel Securities' massive tech rebuild. Ken Griffin's market maker is revamping the tech that powers its trades as it eyes growth. The goal is to prepare the firm for what lies ahead, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-citadel-securities-multi-year-rebuild-trading-technology-2024-10">Citadel Securities' chief technology officer told BI</a>.</li></ol><h2 id="f4b54806-7f81-450c-ba32-92560d4fae9b">3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="Illustration of an Amazon data center wrapped in an orange-colored electrical cord, with three lightning bolt symbols" height="1000" width="2000" msid="114513501" hostid="261" sizebytes="86046"></div><ol><li>Amazon's data center dream is battling "zombie" facilities, high costs, and labor shortages. Amazon plans to spend more than $100 billion expanding its data centers over the next decade. But the ambitious plan means it's increasingly running into physical constraints. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-data-centers-delays-costs-power-labor-shortages-aws-ai-2024-10">According to internal documents viewed by BI,</a> electricity and labor headwinds are hampering the company's long-term data center growth.</li><li>The plane-tracker who got on Elon Musk's bad side says he's lost faith in big social media. College student Jack Sweeney ran Threads accounts that tracked the movements of celebrities' private jets — or at least he did until Monday, when Meta removed the accounts citing safety concerns. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jet-tracking-meta-ban-jack-sweeney-faith-social-media-2024-10">Sweeney told BI</a> he thinks he was targeted by one of the public figures he's tracking.</li><li>Disney and Apple are on the outs. Disney is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-apple-app-store-hulu-disney-plus-2024-10">no longer letting new customers sign up for Hulu or Disney+ via Apple's App Store</a>, which takes up to 15% of the monthly fees generated by Disney's subscription services. Though the companies are still working together on some projects, the move points to a notable rift in the pair's long-standing relationship.</li></ol><h2 id="9260fa45-d397-4b3c-b4f8-4bb193976216">3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="Illustration of block homes." height="2000" width="4000" msid="114513507" hostid="261" sizebytes="419628"></div><ol><li>Should America be more like Whoville? To bring down housing prices, America needs to break from its cookie-cutter tradition and build more weird homes. These five wacky home ideas could help <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-prices-america-should-build-weird-houses-apartments-real-estate-2024-10">create the housing we need</a>.</li><li>The CDC said a deadly E. coli outbreak was linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders. Shares in the Golden Arches dropped more than 9% in extended trading on Tuesday following the announcement that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak-tied-quarter-pounders-2024-10">one person died and 10 others were hospitalized</a>. A total of 49 cases across 10 states have been reported thus far, but the extent of the outbreak is "likely much higher," the CDC said.</li><li>Does anyone know what Disney's post-Bob Iger plan is? The company's announcement that it would name a new CEO in 2026 — far later than most expected — has left <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-bob-iger-ceo-succession-plan-questions-2024-10">more questions than answers</a>. The stakes are high: Disney flubbed Iger's last exit plan so badly that it had to bring him back after less than two years.</li></ol><h2 id="1ad7b482-3f4b-44b4-81b6-a864aa386478">In other news</h2><ul><li>Billionaire Marc Lasry claims in a new lawsuit that a former employee is trying to extort him for $50 million. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-lasry-sues-former-employee-demanding-50-million-2024-10">Here are the most eye-catching excerpts</a>.</li><li>Diddy's children break their silence on his arrest and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diddy-children-arrest-accusations-response-2024-10">compare the accusations to 'conspiracy theories.'</a></li><li>Elon Musk's X has made hundreds of thousands of dollars <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-x-america-super-pac-advertising-revenue-2024-10">from his super PAC</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="9f5d80ac-3466-429f-a50a-2ffbb70c65ff">What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Tesla, Boeing, IBM, Coca-Cola, and other companies report earnings.</li><li>Harvey Weinstein appears in New York court on additional charges of sexual assault.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York. Milan Sehmbi, fellow, in London.

Tesla's earnings report will include refocusing on its car business, and it comes as competition heats up

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Anthony Levandowski, who co-founded Google's Waymo, says Tesla has a huge advantage in data.</li><li>"I'd rather be in the Tesla's shoes than in the Waymo's shoes," Levandowski told Business Insider.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-event-cybercab-elon-musk-2024-10">While Tesla's robotaxi event last week</a> may have failed to wow Wall Street, a key figure in the driverless car industry said Elon Musk's company holds an incredibly strong position right now, despite the apparent headstart of rivals such as Waymo and Cruise."I'd rather be in Tesla's shoes than in Waymo's shoes," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-levandowski-uber-interview-2016-12">Anthony Levandowski</a> told Business Insider in an interview. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-google-engineer-pardoned-donald-trump-anthony-levandowski-ai-church-2023-11">Levandowski</a> is the engineer who co-founded <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-car-project-history-2018-8">Google's self-driving program</a> in 2009 — then named <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-bonus-equity-plan-self-driving-car-waymo-2021-1">Project Chauffeur</a>, now called <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-driverless-car-history-photos-2016-10">Waymo</a> — and is considered a pioneer of the autonomous vehicle industry.Levandowski is bullish on Tesla's overall position because of one key element: data. Tesla already has cars on the road, some of which use semi-autonomous features for tasks such as parking and lane-switching — and learning all the while. Musk has "the greatest fleet to do this," he said."There's millions of Teslas out there that are constantly alerting, feeding back their data to Tesla to make the product better, and that's ultimately what's really going to be the differentiator here — that you have the richest, most consistent data to continuously improve over time," Levandowski said."I would say the Tesla has examples of maybe 10,000 or maybe a million times more data than Waymo does in terms of all other scenarios of driving," he added.The unveiling of Tesla's "Cybercab" last week had been a long time coming. Musk has promised self-driving Teslas for the better part of a decade. Still, investors and Wall Street analysts weren't blown away. Tesla's stock tumbled after the event, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-net-worth-tesla-robotaxi-event-2024-10">wiping $15 billion from Musk's net worth</a>. The CEO's history of overpromising on timelines <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-twitter-wall-street-disappointment-self-driving-taxi-2024-10">may have something to do with that</a>.Likewise, Levandowski said he hoped for "a little more steak and less sizzle" on the substance of Tesla's self-driving technology. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-release-date-elon-musk-stock-price-2024-9">Musk left many unanswered questions about how the technology works and its safety</a>.<div type="image" title="Tesla Cybercab press image" height="2160" width="3840" msid="114259738" hostid="261" sizebytes="506384"></div>Levandowski has a checkered past in this industry. After he left Google for Uber in 2016, his former employer sued his new bosses, claiming Levandowski had stolen intellectual property that would benefit Uber. Levandowski was subsequently fired by Uber and later sentenced to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-levandowski-waymo-uber-sentencing-2020-8">18 months</a> in prison—before being saved by a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-pardons-ex-google-anthony-levandowski-2021-1">presidential pardon</a> from former president Donald Trump.Yet perhaps few people understand the nitty-gritty of self-driving tech better than Levandowski. Two years ago, he struck a more dour tone about the industry, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-10-06/even-after-100-billion-self-driving-cars-are-going-nowhere">accusing all the key players of offering nothing but glorified tech demos</a>.His shift in tone now may progress with his new self-driving venture Pronto, which focuses on the trucking and mining industries. He also acknowledged that the accelerated progress of AI in the last couple of years has had significant downstream effects on the self-driving industry."That's effectively where I think a lot of this progress that you're starting to see again in self-driving is really coming from," Levandowski said."We couldn't do what we do today at Pronto without some of this new foundational work that's happened," he added.<h2 id="cffe1173-24b4-4cf3-be70-daaa4eb49a36">Tesla's advantage</h2>Musk has previously claimed that Tesla outpaced rivals in offering a "general solution" to self-driving that would work anywhere.Indeed, the Cybercab relies solely on cameras and AI. Waymo and some other players in this industry use additional lidar sensors, which map a 3D image of the car's surroundings. Still, lidar technology is expensive, and Musk, who previously called it "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luminar-elon-musk-austin-russell-lidar-volvo-cars-2020-10">a crutch</a>," is betting on a future without it.Levandowski agrees."There's no reason why Waymo can't drop their lasers later on," he said. "In fact, I think that they will."That leaves a big question about how Waymo, which Levandowski previously worked on, will catch up. Right now, Google pays a premium for each Waymo car, and building and maintaining a massive ride-hailing network of its own would be capital-intensive."You probably need to buy a car company to be able to produce the cars that you want," said Levandowski regarding Waymo. "You should probably only do that at the time that you really have your technology ready to scale."<h2 id="bd51cf69-ebeb-4f2e-84c8-7ed3cd50958a">Uber's advantage</h2>While Tesla and Waymo compete for tech supremacy, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robotaxi-ridesharing-tesla-waymo-uber-2024-10">Uber might be the frontrunner in the robotaxi race right now</a>.Since selling off its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-sells-self-driving-car-unit-aurora-atg-deal-2020-12">self-driving division</a> in 2020, Uber has focused on partnering with self-driving companies to make their vehicles available to customers. It partners with Waymo and also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-robotaxi-wayve-dream-rivals-cruise-byd-2024-8">recently signed deals</a> with Wayve and General Motors' Cruise.It's a low-capital model for Uber, which relies on a network of drivers and riders that dynamically shifts with demand. Uber can simply offer driverless vehicles to customers through the same app without spending anything to build them. No wonder Uber and Lyft shares traded higher after the Tesla robotaxi event.Analysts also see Uber as a big winner in self-driving taxis, at least in the near term, and how Waymo commercializes is still unclear."Where they go from here is an interesting question," said Levandowski.Of course, Google has a massive scale with several of its existing products, and Levandowski said there's no reason the company couldn't one day give people the option to call a Waymo from within Google Maps, an app used by more than 1 billion people every month.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzPexOnnzFI">In an August interview with a16z</a>, Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said the company was considering go-to-market strategies beyond ride-hailing, from deliveries to trucking.If Google wants to own the market, it may need to spin Waymo out into an entity that can take a hit on its return on investment as it gets to scale, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://stratechery.com/2024/taking-waymo-uber-and-waymo/">Stratechery founder Ben Thompson recently wrote</a>."More generally, the longer that Waymo stays an Alphabet subsidiary, the greater the likelihood is that Uber wins as a transportation Aggregator," Thompson wrote. That, or as Levandowki suggests, it cuts costs or buys a car manufacturer to do the hard work."Whether [Tesla] can execute on the software and the technology becomes ready in time, or Waymo's costs come way down on the per-vehicle basis, who knows?" Levandowki said.Got a tip? You can contact this reporter securely on Signal at hughlangley.01 or email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:hlangley@businessinsider.com">hlangley@businessinsider.com</a>.

The 'godfather' of driverless cars says Tesla has a major advantage in the self-driving race

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nissan announced that the 2025 Versa subcompact sedan will start at $17,190.</li><li>It will be the cheapest new car on sale in the US and the only one to start under $20,000.</li></ul>The cheapest new car for sale in America is about to get more expensive.The Mitsubishi Mirage, which currently starts at $16,695, will be discontinued at the end of 2024, while the $19,990 Kia Forte will be replaced in 2025 with the pricier K4 sedan.That leaves just one option for consumers with budgets under $20,000: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nissan-versa-sv-review-first-drive-features-verdict-2019-10">The Nissan Versa. </a>The automaker said in September that the 2025 Versa would start at $17,190. That's $500 more than before but still cheap enough to claim the title of cheapest new car on the market. But the subcompact sedan will be fairly lonely at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/car-buying-prices-inventory-best-deals-dealerships-2023-8">the affordable end of the spectrum</a> as most of its closest competitors are set for the scrapheap.<div type="image" title="The left front corner of a red 2024 Nissan Versa SR sedan parked in front of a silver concrete building." height="4000" width="6000" msid="113609605" hostid="261" sizebytes="939312"></div>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.caranddriver.com/hyundai/venue">Hyundai Venue</a>, which also starts at $19,990, is expected to see a minor price hike past the $20,000 mark. The next lowest-priced options for consumers next year will be the Kia Soul at $20,295 and the Chevrolet Trax at $20,400.The Versa's starting price is less than half of the<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-new-car-market-is-a-little-less-brutal-2024-3"> average transaction price of a new car these days</a> and about $8,000 less than the average price of a used car.The current fourth-generation Nissan Versa debuted in 2019 and will enter 2025 virtually unchanged, getting only updated LED headlights and three free oil changes.The base $17,000 Versa S is the definition of basic transportation with a 1.6 liter, 122 horsepower naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine and an old-school, five-speed manual transmission.What isn't old school are its standard safety features that include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, rear automatic braking, and high beam assist.<div type="image" title="The front dash of a 2025 Nissan Versa SR sedan." height="3918" width="5877" msid="113609607" hostid="261" sizebytes="1046646"></div>It does come standard with a few minor luxuries, such as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth audio streaming, and keyless entry.But there really isn't much more beyond that.If you need the car to handle the gear changes, the price point jumps to $18,990 for a Versa S with Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission.At the top of the range is the $21,190 Versa SR, which comes with sporty 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, heated mirrors, SR-branded heated front seats, and a dark chrome front grille.

There's only one new car for sale for less than $20,000

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ford recalled about 85,000 Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles on Friday.</li><li>Ford has undergone at least three recalls this month alone, impacting millions of cars and trucks.</li></ul>Ford recalled over 85,000 police vehicles due to potential engine fires in its latest manufacturing headache.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=24V598">memo</a> this month. It affects 2020-2022 Ford Explorers with the <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/employees-ask-ford-to-stop-building-and-selling-police-vehicles-2020-7">Police Interceptor Utility Package</a>."In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire," the memo said.A safety recall report said as of July 9, there were 13 reports of "under hood fires in North America resulting from engine block breaches on Explorer PIU vehicles built with 3.3L engines manufactured before June 2, 2022."Ford is not aware of any accident or injury reports related to the issue, according to the safety report.Representatives for Ford and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.<div type="image" title="The ford logo" height="3648" width="5472" msid="112595871" hostid="261" sizebytes="453894"></div>The recall is the latest misstep for Ford.Although Ford earned $1.8 billion in net income during the second fiscal quarter, the company acknowledged in a July earnings press release that its warranty reserve increase impacted its profits. The company racked up $2.3 billion in warranty and recall costs during the second quarter alone, according to The Associated Press.Ford began recalling vehicles at the beginning of the year, including more than 2 million Explorer SUVs in January because of trim-retention clips.In June, <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-million-ford-pickup-trucks-recalled-for-suddenly-shifting-gears-2024-6">Ford recalled</a> over half a million 2014 Model F-150 pickup trucks because of sudden gear shifts. The company then issued another recall for 2024 Ford Mustang over concerns that the steering wheel could turn unintentionally.This month, Ford recalled almost 5,000 2024 Mustang vehicles over concerns the rear suspension knuckles could fail. Then, Ford issued a "Do Not Drive" warning for over 374,000 vehicles "equipped with recalled, unrepaired Takata airbags."Ford Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra said in a February press release that the company has taken steps to improve its quality and, in turn, its profits."We're seeing green shoots of quality improvement, including in our new-product launches — with several important ones coming up this year," Galhotra said. "Across our global industrial system we've identified and will land $2 billion in cost reductions, in areas like material, freight and manufacturing — and we're just getting started."

Ford can't stop recalling its cars

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The tech company Sea.AI is helping boats avoid collisions and unseen dangers at sea.</li><li>Its software uses thermal cameras and AI to identify objects in the ocean and alert sailors.</li></ul>Will Harris has been a professional ocean racer for over 10 years. The skipper, or boat captain, sails with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.team-malizia.com/">Team Malizia</a> and has spent more time away from land than the average person."The thing about being at sea, or one thing that's very challenging, is when you are in the middle of the ocean, you really are some of the most isolated humans at those moments," he said.Safety is a top priority for sailors. For decades, boats have relied on technology such as radar to detect major obstructions. But objects like garbage, debris, fishing boats, and buoys often aren't seen until <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/two-boats-competing-the-ocean-race-rammed-by-orcas-2023-6">a collision is imminent</a>.To avoid these obstacles during a race, Harris uses software from <a target="_blank" href="http://Sea.AI">Sea.AI</a>, a startup that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-artificial-intelligence-customer-experience-business-applications-2024-5">employs artificial-intelligence</a> detection and proprietary thermal cameras to give boats a better view of the ocean. Founded in 2019, the French company has been collecting data on over 10 million objects that radars cannot detect. Solenn Gouerou, the head of marketing communication at Sea.AI, told Business Insider that 500 vessels used its AI tech.Sea.AI's widest adoption has been in boat racing to evade collisions. "These are multimillion-pound boats," Harris said. If a collision occurs, he added, the race has to stop because it's "obviously very dangerous."<div type="image" title="Will Harris adjusting the sail of the J2 during a boat delivery." height="2384" width="4240" msid="111691318" hostid="261" sizebytes="304330"></div>Harris started using Sea.AI the same year it launched and has sailed over 100,000 miles with the tech. "We're really trying to use data to our advantage now because <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-extended-reality-disrupting-changing-technology-industry-2023-8">it's a technology race</a> for us," Harris said, adding that boats have several sensors that measure metrics like speed, depth, fuel, and the boat's infrastructure.The Malizia-Seaexplorer, the boat he cocaptains with Boris Herrmann, uses Sea.AI, which helped Team Malizia place second on May 6 during the first leg of the Transat CIC race from France to New York.<h2 id="a39fdd57-fd8b-4b02-83fb-54f5a00e9159">How the technology works</h2>Sea.AI's founder, Raphael Biancale, previously worked in the autonomous-car industry. When he got his first boat, he noticed that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-looking-for-drones-ai-tools-to-help-shipyards-2023-10">watercraft technology was lacking</a>. When he sailed at night, "he didn't have a proper system to help him see in front of the boat," Gouerou said.Sea.AI uses a large thermal camera that can attach to the front of a boat or on a mast to scan the water. Using thermal imaging and night vision, the software detects items that the naked eye would struggle to see.The camera's imaging can be accessed through an app or connected to a boat's multifunction-display system. When objects are detected, the software automatically sounds an alarm to give the skipper enough time to divert the ship's course.<div type="image" title="Boris Herrmann looks at the screens in the boat's cockpit." height="2384" width="4240" msid="111691316" hostid="261" sizebytes="609338"></div>Sea.AI's system then logs the object to help train the software to detect more types of obstructions. Harris said because sailors aren't always looking at the camera — "we're looking at the sails, we're sleeping, we're resting" — Sea.AI's alarm is a "really important" feature.Harris recalled avoiding a collision while his team was sailing "25 to 30 knots," or about 29 to 35 mph, near Gibraltar. He said they weren't monitoring the camera but heard an alert from Sea.AI notifying them of a fishing boat about 100 meters away: "We were probably 10 or 15 seconds away from crashing into it."<h2 id="dd41d159-9208-40a4-9447-07023d1e73be">Building a more well-rounded navigation system</h2>Sea.AI was developed to be used in conjunction with radar tech and an automatic identification system, a tracking system that allows boats to see each other's geographic position.The company's partnership with Garmin, a manufacturer of multifunction displays, has allowed Sea.AI to integrate more seamlessly into Garmin's software. The MFDs centralize information for sailors who are surveilling multiple systems that help a vessel operate."I was interested by the innovation that they put into the market because looking for floating objects was always a critical area," Andrea D'Amato, the business-development manager of the marine subset at Garmin International, said."Our display can be divided into two windows," D'Amato told BI. "For example, in one window you can be focused on the radar, and in the other window you can be focused on the Sea.AI features."<div type="image" title="Sea.AI screen detection" height="1365" width="2048" msid="111691323" hostid="261" sizebytes="77806"></div>Harris said he had the displays for Sea.AI, the automatic identification system, and the radar next to each other on his MFD. The radar and AIS displays <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-intelligence-autonomous-systems-help-shipping-sustainability-goals-2023-11">help with navigation</a>, and the Sea.AI display indicates where objects are relative to the boat's position. "It's telling us straight away which direction we need to look to see the object," he added.Romain Attanasio, a skipper for Fortinet-Best Western, recently used Sea.AI while transporting the boat across the Atlantic. He told BI that avoiding fishing boats, which are heavily present near shores, was one of his biggest navigational challenges, especially when entering and exiting ports.<div type="image" title="Romain Attanasio stands on the Fortinet-Best Western boat as he sails past the Statue of Liberty in New York City." height="2260" width="4024" msid="111691324" hostid="261" sizebytes="480012"></div>Attanasio said many fishermen don't use an AIS because "they don't want the other fishermen to know where the fish are," which makes it harder to see fishing boats' locations. Fishermen's nets, he added, are also invisible dangers since they create large concentrations of fish and rope just below the surface of the water — an area that is mostly invisible to AIS and radar tech but easier to monitor with Sea.AI's imaging.Sea.AI, automatic identification systems, and radar each have their benefits and disadvantages, Gouerou said. "Each sensor has its own capabilities," she said. "We are an optical sensor. So, for example, if there's really, really heavy rain, it's tricky for us."<h2 id="43a9fb36-8aaf-4a78-a8b2-dc7ed70e2df2">Expanding AI in the maritime industry</h2>Gouerou told BI that Sea.AI was expanding with the launch of Brain, its software-only machine-vision product that can identify objects in the ocean. Unlike Sea.AI's preceding software, which worked exclusively with the company's camera units, Brain is compatible with third-party thermal cameras. The goal, Gouerou said, is to reduce the cost of using Sea.AI's system by eliminating the need to purchase both the software and the cameras from Sea.AI.<div type="image" title="Malizia-Seaexplorer captain Boris Herrmann and his team leave Brooklyn marina to join the start of the New York Vendee sailing race, in Brooklyn, New York, on May 28, 2024." height="2095" width="4190" msid="111691321" hostid="261" sizebytes="403776"></div>The company also plans to enter other markets, such as cruising, commercial vessels, and ferries. Gouerou said Sea.AI recently conducted trials with search-and-rescue boats in France, the UK, and Germany.The future of Sea.AI will be building technology with an "automatic avoidance" capability to reduce the need for human intervention, Gouerou said. Harris' boat uses a prototype of this feature; it connects to the ship's steering system to help automatically avert collisions with small nearby objects. "It's still a work in progress, but it's definitely something that's going to be developed more and more in the future," he said.

You Searched For "car safety" and got 13 results

India to shift to 'smartphone era' for cars embracing 5G, advanced AI in 2025: Report

PTI

Red car, blue car: see where your ride ranks on the political spectrum

Mark Healy,Nora Naughton,Andr…

The OpenAI talent exodus has become the joke of the moment in tech world

Sarah Gray

Wayve's CEO talks teaching self-driving cars to handle US roads

Tom Carter

Pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheeler riders constitute 66% of road fatalities in Southeast Asia, says a WHO report

PTI

Viral videos of EVs catching fire after Hurricane Helene raise safety concerns in Florida

Catherine Boudreau

Tesla stock jumps 8% on Trump administration plan to relax self-driving car rules

Matthew Fox

Dylan O'Brien says he was ignored when he raised safety concerns about a stunt that left him 'broken'

Eammon Jacobs

Tesla's earnings report will include refocusing on its car business, and it comes as competition heats up

Dan DeFrancesco

The 'godfather' of driverless cars says Tesla has a major advantage in the self-driving race

Hugh Langley

There's only one new car for sale for less than $20,000

Benjamin Zhang

Ford can't stop recalling its cars

Lauren Edmonds

An AI startup focused on maritime safety is helping sailors navigate the ocean and avoid collisions

Leila Jordan

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides