US regulator probes Tesla autopilot, MG Cyberster EV will cost from £55K
The US auto regulator is investigating whether Tesla’s biggest ever recall successfully addressed safety concerns relating to its driver assistance system. In December, Tesla issued a software update to two million of its vehicles in the US to fix problems with its Autopilot feature. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will now probe the “adequacy” of that fix. Tesla has been approached for comment. The NHTSA has just concluded a nearly three-year-long investigation into crashes involving cars fitted with Autopilot. BBC
There’s a trade war brewing between China and the West, at stake is who will dominate the global market for electric vehicles. Outside the port city of Ningbo, Chinese car company Zeekr is rolling out luxury EVs and growing fast. It is a new player in the EV market, but has unbridled ambition to sell its high-end, high-tech cars abroad. It’s a subsidiary of a state-backed company, Geely. However, US and EU critics say the financial backing and vast resources of China’s government gives companies like Zeekr an unfair advantage. Sky News
MG has finally published pricing for the Cyberster. The EV roadster will start at £54,995 here in the UK, rising to £59,995 for the flagship Cyberster GT. Not cheap, but then the Cyberster doesn’t really have any direct rivals to go up against. The twin-motor AWD GT version of the Cyberster gets 496bhp and 535lb ft of torque, achieves 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, drops its fabric top in ten seconds and has powered scissor doors. Top Gear
Meta’s share price has fallen almost $200 billion in the wake of an announcement by Mark Zuckerberg. The company reported results which showed higher costs and smaller-than-expected revenues. Much of that was the result of investment in artificial intelligence. During those results, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said that it could take “several years” for its work on AI to scale up and start making money. That led to fears among investors that the company’s huge investments in artificial intelligence may not pay off. Independent
A new British streaming service is coming. Well, a streaming service of sorts. Freely will soon be coming to British television sets and possibly streaming devices in the next few months of 2024 (officially it’s Q2 2024). The service aims to streamline on-demand TV and live public service channels into one, easy-to-navigate service, without an aerial. It’s essentially the online streaming version of Freeview. It comes from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and will stream each broadcaster’s programming live – with more channels set to follow. Stuff
The cyber security company backed by extradited entrepreneur Mike Lynch is to be snapped up by a US private equity firm in a further blow for the London Stock Exchange. Darktrace, one of the UK’s biggest listed tech companies, has agreed a £4.2bn takeover by Chicago-based Thoma Bravo. The deal will mean a significant payday for Mr Lynch, who is currently standing trial in the US for alleged fraud at Autonomy. Telegraph
Google I/O 2024 is quickly coming to the forefront, as the event will start in a few weeks and may bring new hardware and software announcements from Google. The company gave us our first real idea of what to expect when it released a preliminary I/O 2024 schedule on Thursday, April 25. That schedule includes an early confirmation that a Wear OS upgrade is coming soon. One of the mobile sessions is titled “Building for the future of Wear OS,” and it explicitly lists Wear OS 5. Android Central
