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Ukraine's Navy says its Sargan 3000 unmanned surface vessel destroyed a Russian MBeK drone boat in the Black Sea, using a 12.7mm remote-controlled turret to sink the enemy craft after it was spotted by military intelligence. Footage released on the Navy's Telegram channel shows the exchange of fire and the Russian vessel sinking nose-first.
Austin Fire Department Chief Matthew McElearney told NBC that Tesla's Cybercab, which relies on a touchscreen instead of a steering wheel for manual control, could hinder first responders trying to move the vehicle during emergencies. He noted the touchscreen requires power, training, and precision, which may not be feasible if responders are wearing gloves, covered in dust or sweat, or if the car is damaged.
A man who plugged in his electric vehicle at a car dealership was later charged $418 for the electricity used, far exceeding typical charging costs. The steep bill has drawn attention to how dealerships price EV charging for customers who use their facilities.
Audi has unveiled the A2 E-tron, a rear-wheel drive compact crossover starting at £32,200 (about $45,000), aimed at the European market. The car boasts an ultra-low 0.24 drag coefficient, energy consumption as low as 12.8 kWh per 62 miles, and a top range of 401 miles depending on configuration, along with bidirectional charging support.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing major automakers, has formally asked Congress to permanently ban the sale, import and manufacture of Chinese-made cars, parts and software. CEO John Bozzella cited concerns over unfair trade practices, subsidies, IP theft and surveillance, urging lawmakers to act before the current session ends. The request aligns with existing bipartisan legislation, the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, targeting vehicle tech tied to China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Researchers led by Kenny et al. published in Nature a system called Concept-Wrapper Network (CW-Net) that opens up the 'black box' of autonomous vehicle decision-making. Instead of opaque outputs, CW-Net translates a car's reasoning into human-understandable concepts, such as recognizing a pedestrian or obstacle, so passengers can better anticipate its next move. Testing showed this approach improved people's ability to predict vehicle behavior even in cases where the car made errors.
Jaguar Land Rover has revealed the Range Rover Electric, its first mass-produced battery-electric variant of the luxury SUV, arriving in 2027 with a starting price of $138,000. The company says it already has 80,000 expressed interest from potential buyers, half of them in North America, with most being new to the brand. Visually the EV closely resembles its combustion and hybrid siblings, distinguished mainly by a smoother front grille and more aerodynamic wheels.
BYD's Hong Kong shares dropped nearly 5% after the company reported first-half net profit down 20.5% to 12.3 billion yuan and revenue down 7.1% to 344.8 billion yuan, even as second-quarter profit rose 30% year-over-year. The automaker cited weak domestic demand, intense price competition, and higher costs for commodities and chips squeezing margins, though overseas exports jumped 67.8% to 792,000 vehicles.
A Washington Post analysis found that conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, not electric cars, account for most of the 3.4 million vehicles under active 'park outside' recalls due to fire risk while parked and off. NHTSA has issued 93 such recalls since 2021, with incidents including Kia Tellurides with overheating seat switches and Ford Expeditions with faulty circuit boards linked to at least 16 fires.
Virtual power plants let utilities remotely adjust smart thermostats, EV chargers, batteries and solar panels in homes to reduce strain during peak demand, in exchange for bill discounts or signup bonuses. More than 500 such programs already run across the US, with about 4 million smart-thermostat households enrolled as of last year, and interest is growing as companies like Google invest in the technology to support data centers.
Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson told IGN that Grand Theft Auto VI will replace the series' simple hotwire button with varied theft methods tied to each vehicle's make and model. Some cars will require tools like key cloners, others will demand careful speed control to dodge GPS tracking, and an in-game app will help players identify what's needed and what a car is worth. Players can still carjack any driver directly, but stealing parked vehicles will be gated by story progress and acquired equipment.
A new online experience lets users navigate a virtual rendition of San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods in real time, using standard game controls like WASD movement, camera switching, and vehicle mode. The interface includes tile-loading systems, resource counters, and a first-person/third-person toggle, suggesting a technically ambitious effort to map real-world geography into a playable digital city.