Car News

Volvo and Uber have whipped the covers off their production XC90 self-driving car, as the ride-sharing giant ramps up its efforts to remove human drivers from its fleet. The two companies have been working together since 2016, putting XC90 prototypes through their paces in Arizona and California. It was an Uber XC90 that struck and killed Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona during testing.

Michelin is working with General Motors (GM) on a tyre called the Unique Puncture-proof Tyre System, handily abbreviated to Uptis, which could be ready for production by 2024. At the moment, the Uptis Prototype is being put through its paces in a controlled environment on the Chevrolet Bolt, but the companies will move into the real world later this year.

In what should come as no surprise, responsible vehicle manufacturers will look well beyond the first phase of a battery's life to lessen the long-term environmental impact of electric vehicles – and that's exactly what Nissan is doing. Francisco Carranza, managing director of Nissan Energy Services, told CarAdvice in Madrid the Leaf's battery packs will "outlast the car by another 10 to 12 years".

Dr Ken Washington, Ford's chief technology officer, unveiled the Digit delivery robot via post on the company's Medium blog. Developed and built by Agility Robotics, Digit is said answer the question of how to get packages from autonomous delivery vans into the hands, or at least the doorstep, of its recipient. With only about 1% of American homes being wheelchair accessible, a wheeled robot was not seen as being a feasible solution.

The Infiniti Q50 will debut a new driver-assistance system that will allow for hands-off driving later this year. Exclusive to the Japanese market at this stage, the Q50 – sold in its home region as the Nissan Skyline – will get an enhanced ProPilot technology suite (dubbed ProPilot 2.0) that uses the vehicle's navigation system to assist drivers on the highway over a pre-determined route.