Andrew J. Hawkins

Transportation editor

Jony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a Ferrari

Ferrari fans are losing it.

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 26

Erin Brockovich created a map of data centers in the US.

The environmental activist and former legal clerk who’s life was made into a movie in 2000 is also logging local complaints about data center projects in their communities. Brockovich writes:

“The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America. In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty.

Brockovich Data Center Reporting – U.S. AI Data Center Awareness & Issue Map

[Brockovich Data Center Reporting]

Why Nuro thinks being a robotaxi ‘second mover’ gives it an advantage

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 24

Waymo suspends freeway driving amid safety concerns

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 22

This week in Chinese EVs.

While gas prices continue to skyrocket, China’s EV industry keeps advancing. It can be hard to keep up, so here are some recent headlines to check out:

InsideEVs: Canada receives its first shipment of Chinese EVs after reducing its tariffs.
Electrek: Xiaomi releases a new standard version YU7 that undercuts Tesla’s Model Y on price.
Financial Times: Xpeng is in talks with Volkswagen about buying one of its factories in Europe.
CleanTechnica: Li Auto slashes its EV prices, while NIO slams the move as a race to the bottom.
Electrek: China’s biggest lithium company begins producing 500Wh/kg solid-state batteries.
CarNewsChina: BYD rolls out Yuan Plus (neé Atto 3) with flash charging for $16,600.

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 21

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe event sounds legitimately bonkers.

I’ll let Jalopnik’s Daniel Golson set the scene for you:

With 600 people in attendance, the automaker shut down Los Angeles’ 6th Street Bridge, turning it into a Hollywood Autobahn on which the new EV was ripping burnouts up and down the concrete just after sunset, with Brad Pitt and George Russell sitting shotgun. Then Blink-182 did a 30-minute set and made a lot of dick jokes.

Also Jacob Elordi was there? Wild times.

Mercedes-AMG Shut Down LA's 6th Street Bridge For The Most Outrageous Car Reveal Ever - Jalopnik

[Jalopnik]

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 21

Audi’s futuristic headlights are coming to America.

Audi says that its Matrix LED headlights reduce glare for oncoming drivers by using the vehicle’s front-facing cameras to continuously shape the light pattern in real time. Audi first released the headlights in Europe in 2013, but regulatory hurdles delayed their adoption in the US. A rule change in 2022 eased those hurdles, allowing Audi to launch the new Matrix LED headlights in its Q9 and SQ9 SUVs later this year.

Image: Audi

Uber is deploying its own self-driving cars again, just not as robotaxis

Andrew J. HawkinsMay 21

Jeep and Ram vehicles are getting hands-free tech from UK’s Wayve.

Parent company Stellantis said it would be integrating Wayve’s tech into its STLA AutoDrive platform to enable “hands-free, door-to-door supervised automated driving across both urban streets and highways.” Think of it as Stellantis’ answer to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving. The automaker also has a preexisting deal with Nvidia, Uber, and Foxconn to make robotaxis.

Stellantis and Wayve Partner to Bring Hands-Free Door-to-Door Supervised Automated Driving at Scale

[Wayve]